Some of Today's State News Headlines
Today is Friday January 11, 2008
State collects record amount in debt
COLUMBUS (AP) - The state collected a record $329 million in unpaid income and sales taxes, student loans and other debts last year through a revamped process that spread contract work to outside law firms more fairly, Attorney General Marc Dann said Thursday.
The single largest payment was $3.9 million from Delphi Corp., which has filed for bankruptcy protection, and the oldest was $1,700 in income tax from 31 years ago, Dann said.
The old record was $325 million collected in 2006.
The attorney general's office increased the number of outside attorneys receiving debt collection contract work from 80 to 132. Ten minority law firms were given contract work after the attorney general's office reached out to minority law groups.
(Refer to page 8 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
House wants competitive standards, benchmarks in state energy bill
COLUMBUS (AP) - Objective standards, not state utility regulators, would determine whether Ohio's electric market is competitive enough under changes to a sweeping energy bill being considered in the Ohio House.
The House also wants to require utilities to meet periodic goals for the amount of alternative energy they use rather than to hit a single target in 2025, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported Thursday.
House Public Utilities Chairman John Hagan said Wednesday that he views the current bill - introduced by Gov. Ted Strickland and revised by the Ohio Senate - as unworkable.
"There will be significant changes," said Hagan, an Alliance Republican.
The state must have new rules for the electricity market in place by the end of the year, when its decade of experimental deregulation is scheduled to end and open electricity sales to competition.
(Refer to page 8 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
Frequency of Ohio earthquakes seems on the rise
CLEVELAND (AP) - It was just a relatively small shake, an earthquake beneath Lake Erie that was a mild 3.1 magnitude that could be felt in some lakeshore communities.
Still, Ohio seems increasingly prone to the shakes; there have been 25 earthquakes of magnitude 2.0 or higher over the past two years, equal to the number the five years before that. There have been about as many such quakes in Ohio so far this decade as in the previous 30 years.
"We think Ohio - especially northeast Ohio and Lake Erie - is going through a period of increased seismic activity," said Mike Hansen, coordinator of the Ohio Seismic Network.
One explanation could be that there is better monitoring equipment than in the past. But more frequent activity is a likelihood.
Ohio State University geophysics professor Ralph Von Frese said location is the key.
(Refer to page 8 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
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