Good Morning, Cleveland! It's Monday, January 19th, and here is what you need to know.
State lawmakers ask PUCO to deny FirstEnergy reliability plan
FirstEnergy has applied for changes to power restoration standards following outages. If approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio outages could occur more frequently, and the company could be given more time to restore power. City governments, including Cleveland and Lakewood, are against the plan. So are some state lawmakers. 19 members of Ohio’s House Energy Committee just sent a letter to PUCO urging them to deny the request. The letter says that lowering reliability standards would have negative economic, public safety, and consumer impact across the state.
Browns coaching search heating up
Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will once again interview for the Browns head coaching job today. Former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel will also be back in Berea for a second interview this week. The Browns are also set to talk to 30-year-old Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski for a second interview this week. Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhauss and Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter have also both been requested for a 2nd interview.
Northeast Ohio woman's transplant story inspires blood donation awareness
January is National Blood Donor Month. According to the American Red Cross, “only about 3% of age-eligible people donate blood yearly.”
Medina County wife, mother and farmer, Courtney Miller, shared her story with News 5’s Tiffany Tarpley to promote awareness. “If it helps one person then it’s worth it to me,” she said. “You never know who you’re going to be able to help.”
Free events for MLK Day
There's plenty of places to take the kids for free for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Any students who attend a Cleveland Metropolitan School can get into the Children's Museum of Cleveland for a free two-hour play event from 2:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. The Cleveland history museum also has free admission for all today. The Akron Children's Museum is also hosting a free community day from 9:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. The Akron Art Museum is also free and open to all from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. And it might be too cold for some but the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is also free for all today.
Cleveland Pierogi Week
If you're looking for lunch or dinner ideas this week look no further than pierogis. Cleveland Pierogi Week starts today. You can get 3 pierogis for just $8. Dozens of restaurants across Northeast Ohio are participating. Make sure you download the Cleveland Pierogi Week app to check in at restaurants and have a chance to win $250 in gift cards.
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Your forecast
Visit our News 5 weather page to see today's forecast.
Traffic impact
The State Route 82 bridge over the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is now open. Repairs to the bridge are not over yet, though. The bridge is open to one bi-directional lane as crews continue to complete work on the bridge.
View our News 5 Traffic Map to see any road closures or delays due to weather or crashes.
