Ohio
When coal plants operate at a loss, Ohioans have to pay. Now, some want a refund
Ohio electric customers don’t just pay for the electricity they use: They are also charged subsidies to keep power plants in business.
In 2020, for instance, they paid more than $100 million to subsidize two unprofitable coal plants.
The Citizens Utility Board of Ohio is arguing a case to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio that those customers deserve a refund from the owners of those plants, the Ohio Valley Electric Corporation.
WOSU’s Renee Fox has been reporting on this issue, and joined The Ohio Newsroom to discuss the details.
This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.
On the Citizens Utility Board of Ohio’s case
“They’re teamed up with the Ohio Consumers Council and the Manufacturers Association of Ohio. They’ve had experts study these plants and their operations, and they’re saying that the way that these coal plants were run was unprofitable, but they didn’t have to be unprofitable. [They’re saying] that the plants could have shut down when the market prices weren’t good for coal-fired plants and saved everyone some money by doing that, but instead they ran them 24/7, whether or not the market was going to pay a good price for the energy produced during that time.
On the Ohio Valley Electric Corporation’s response
“Well, they say that the way they run the plants doesn’t matter that the way Ohio laws are written, that they can collect these subsidies, no matter if they were selling their energy at a profit or at a loss.
On how HB 6 factors in
“The reason these OVEC subsidies were put into House Bill 6 was because a few different energy companies heard how First Energy was benefiting with this nuclear bailout, and they kind of wanted a piece of that pie.
So companies like AEP lobbied to get these subsidies put into HB 6. Then when the scandal involved in House Bill 6 was revealed to the state and Larry Householder was indicted and later convicted, the subsidies for the nuclear power plants were rolled back. These subsidies were not. These were left in place.”
On what’s next
“Well, they’re waiting for the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to make a decision on whether or not all of this $100 million from 2020 should go back to consumers, or maybe some of it, or none of it.
They do have to make a decision. They are reviewing this. This case has been active for a long time, since 2021. So things do seem like they’re coming to a conclusion sometime soon. But when I asked about that last month, they said it wasn’t on their agenda yet to make a ruling.
Then also, there’s some bills in the works that could roll these subsidies back, just like the nuclear subsidies were [eliminated]. But those bills haven’t really moved, and they’re becoming less and less likely to become law.”
Ohio
Matt Patricia Shares Major Health Update Following Neurosurgeon Visit During Ohio State Offseason Break
CINCINNATI (WKRC) — Sixty percent of children in Ohio are not ready for kindergarten when they start school.
Now, a national nonprofit is working to change that by expanding access to books and promoting early literacy across the state.
Sixty percent of children in Ohio are not ready for kindergarten when they start school. (WKRC file)
Nedra Smith has seen the difference firsthand. Her two young daughters receive books through the program at their pediatrician visits at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
“They love to read now,” Smith said. “We’ll randomly be out and they’ll see a book and want to read a book.”
Reach Out and Read partners with pediatricians to give children books during regular checkups and encourage parents to read aloud with them. The program has been part of Cincinnati Children’s for more than a decade.
“They typically come in and tell us they got new books,” Smith said. “They typically ask me to read the book right then and there.”
Program leaders say early literacy is increasingly being recognized as an important part of a child’s overall health and development.
“Initially, literacy may not have been in the forefront or seen as a health benefit,” said Kristy High, program manager for Reach Out and Read. “Well-child checks focus on shots, nutrition, and those things; but now we want to focus on those main benefits for the development and milestones when it comes to learning.”
The organization is now working to expand its reach statewide, with a goal of serving children in all 88 Ohio counties.
“We know that those first five years of life are the most critical for brain development,” said Steven Lake, executive director of Reach Out and Read Ohio. “If we can intervene as early as possible, essentially, we reach out at birth; we know we can have the greatest impact.”
Smith encourages other parents to participate in the program and read to their children.
“It’s fun,” Smith said. “It’s actually fun to see them light up, and I think they’ll pass that on to their own kids as well.”
Reach Out and Read also partners with providers in Kentucky and Indiana. You can find a participating provider near you on the organization’s website.
If you are a doctor looking to participate in the program, click here.
The Ohio Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 10, 2026, results for each game:
Pick 3
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.
Midday: 8-6-2
Evening: 7-0-5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.
Midday: 9-4-7-0
Evening: 0-6-1-8
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 5
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.
Midday: 1-7-3-7-4
Evening: 9-0-8-8-0
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Rolling Cash 5
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 7:05 p.m.
16-19-33-36-38
Check Rolling Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 11:15 p.m.
01-03-20-35-46, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Enquirer digital news director. You can send feedback using this form.
-
World4 minutes agoChristopher Nolan Defends ‘The Odyssey’ Armor and Casting Travis Scott After Online Backlash: ‘What Is the Best Speculation?’
-
News10 minutes agoBetty Broderick, Whose Murder Trial Was Grist for TV Movies, Dies at 78
-
Politics16 minutes agoDistracted and Bogged Down, Trump and Xi Enter a Summit of Reduced Ambitions
-
Business22 minutes agoF.D.A. Commissioner Marty Makary Resigns After Weeks of Pressure
-
Science28 minutes agoA Taxidermist Gives Dead Animals a New Life
-
Health34 minutes ago‘Trimester Zero’: What to Expect When You’re Expecting to Expect
-
Culture46 minutes agoRevolution is the Theme at the Firsts London Book Fair
-
Lifestyle52 minutes agoLeigh Magar, High-End Milliner Turned Indigo Artist, Dies at 57