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Cleveland area FirstEnergy customers can weigh in on proposed rate hike at PUCO hearing

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Cleveland area FirstEnergy customers can weigh in on proposed rate hike at PUCO hearing


CLEVELAND — FirstEnergy is asking the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio for a $190 million increase in what it charges customers for electric distribution.

That’s not for the energy you use but rather costs related to sending service to your home through their power lines.

Based on typical customer usage, it would mean a $13 a month increase for Cleveland area Illuminating Company customers or just over $150 a year. The rate hike for Ohio Edison customers would be less at $2.99 a month and Toledo Edison at $1.56.

As part of their review process, the PUCO is holding hearings on the rate hike request, where at least one of the five PUCO commissioners will be in attendance.

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“So its consumers’ chance to be face to face with a PUCO commissioner, letting him or her know how the case would impact them,” said JP Blackwood of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, the state agency whose job it is to watch out for and represent Ohio consumers.

At a local public hearing, consumers can share their views face-to-face with at least one of the five PUCO commissioners who will decide on the case. Those who testify will have their comments included as evidence that the PUCO must consider in ruling on the utility’s request.

The three meetings slated are;

  • Cleveland: 5 p.m., Thursday, April 3, 2025, Cleveland Public Library, Learning Commons Space, 325 Superior Ave., Cleveland, OH 44114,
  • Akron: 6 p.m., Monday, April 7, 2025, Akron-Summit County Public Library, 60 S. High St., Akron, OH 44326.
  • Toledo: 6 p.m., Monday, April 14, 2025, Board of Lucas County Commissioners, One Government Center, Suite 800, Toledo, OH 43604.

As part of their review process, the PUCO’s staff conducted their audit of the rate hike request, and they concluded that instead of a $190 million hike, a more modest $8.5 million jump was more appropriate. But the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel review of the application found that the PUCO should force FirstEnergy to cut its rates.
“Using the numbers from FirstEnergy’s application, just the information about how they’re providing the electricity they deliver and how they’re working,” said Blackwood. “We are proposing actually an $18 million decrease for Cleveland Illuminating Company rates and overall more than $100 million decrease for the entire rate case.”

In a statement Ma,ureen Willis, Agency Director of the Office of Consumers’ Counsel, said further, “instead of a $190 million distribution rate increase, the FirstEnergy utilities should be getting a haircut. Consumers’ electric utility bills are already packed with soaring transmission costs and rising energy prices. Affordability remains a key issue for Ohio families and businesses.”





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Cleveland, OH

Lakewood woman dies after being thrown from ATV; police seek persons of interest

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Lakewood woman dies after being thrown from ATV; police seek persons of interest


CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Cleveland police say a 23-year-old woman died in May after being thrown from an ATV, and officers need your help tracking down persons of interest.

The horrific incident took place on May 17 during a street takeover in the area of East 100th Street and Buckeye Avenue in the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood.

Officers say Yarianalie Garcia, from Lakewood, fell from the ATV when the operator performed a wheelie.

According to police, the operator stopped for a short time but did not help Garcia and left.

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She later died at a local hospital.

Cleveland police say a 23-year-old woman died in May after being thrown from an ATV, and officers need your help tracking down persons of interest.(Source: Cleveland police)

Councilman calls for accountability

Cleveland City Councilman Blaine Griffin, who represents the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood, said gatherings involving dirt bikes and ATVs have grown dangerously out of control in Northeast Ohio.

“Even though this is a result of reckless behavior, somebody lost a life — and we lost a dear, cherished person of the city of Cleveland,” Griffin said.

Griffin said the events can escalate quickly.

“These things often might sound like they start off as innocent, a fun Sunday Funday, but then they turn into tragedy, like the loss of this life,” he said.

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Griffin also directed a message to anyone who was present that day.

“First and foremost, I hope that the person who was driving the vehicle actually has a conscience and turns themselves in — because the family is going to want justice,” Griffin said.

Now, Cleveland police have released several photos in a push to identify the ATV operator and a second witness on a white dirt bike.

Anyone with information is asked to call 216-623-5295.

Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.

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Cleveland’s First Round woes must end with the 2026 class

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Cleveland’s First Round woes must end with the 2026 class


Two of the keys for Cleveland’s near and long-term future are how both of their first-round picks perform in their rookie seasons. Both Spencer Fano and KC Concepcion are under a lot of pressure to show that they have what it takes to be long-term pieces in this league.

It is going to be a challenge for both of them, as the Browns offense is very young throughout and will also have a major question mark at the quarterback position. With all of the aside, the Browns have had a very rough go at it with their first-round picks in the last 20 years.

We are examining the careers of the last 10 to see which ones were worth the selection and which ones were a bust. Spoiler alert, it’s heavily weighted to the latter.

Cleveland’s last eleven first-round picks are a roller coaster of results, which is the reason they have been perpetually stuck in a rebuild.

2015 Round 1 Pick 12: DT Danny Shelton

Cleveland went with the defensive line to start the 2015 draft and took one of the biggest busts of that first round. Shelton had potential but never grew into it. It is always a risk going DL in the first round because if the result isn’t a home run, it is likely a failure.

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2015 Round 1 Pick 19: OT Cameron Erving

DL and OL were within just a few picks away from each other with the intent of bolstering their lines of scrimmage, it didn’t work. Erving spent only two seasons in Cleveland before being traded to Kansas City in 2017.

2016 Round 1 Pick 15: WR Corey Coleman

This was one pick that I personally got excited about when it happened, and then that was the best part of the Corey Coleman tenure. He never materialized as a player in the NFL and was one of the biggest busts from the 2016 draft.

2017 Round 1 Pick 1: DE Myles Garrett

The moment that Myles Garrett hits five years after retirement, he will walk right through the doors in Canton, Ohio. The only hope is that his career comes back to Cleveland before it ends.

2017 Round 1 Pick 25: S Jabrill Peppers

Peppers brought an attitude and a swagger to the back end of the Browns’ defense. He ended up being an average Cleveland Brown because, in my opinion, he was massively misused in his time in Cleveland.

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2017 Round 1 Pick 29: TE David Njoku

Many Browns fans were hoping Njoku would retire as a Cleveland Brown, but it wasn’t in the cards. It was nine seasons of good to very good for Njoku. He, like many, suffered from horrible QB play throughout his career, and it cost him the prime of his career.

2018 Round 1 Pick 1: QB Baker Mayfield

It was always so close with Baker. He had the right attitude to turn the Cleveland franchise around, but he could never get out of his own way. Turnovers, immaturity, and a string of bad coaching cost him what could have been an incredibly special career.

2018 Round 1 Pick 4: CD Denzel Ward

Ward has been a slam dunk pick from his literal first game. In that opening game, Ward intercepted Ben Roethlisberger twice and began what has been an amazing career in Cleveland. His time here is coming to a close, but he was everything and more than what the Browns could have asked for.

2019 Round 1 Pick 17: Traded to New York for Odell Beckham Jr.

2020 Round 1 Pick 10: OT Jedrick Wills Jr.

This one hurts because Andrew Berry selected Wills three spots ahead of Tristan Wirfs, who is on his way to what could be a Hall-of-Fame career.

2021 Round 1 Pick 26: CB Greg Newsome III

Newsome loved playing for the Cleveland Browns more than anything. His game never matched his infinite love for the city, as he just lacked some of the required skills to be a lockdown DB. No one will ever forget his pick six against Baltimore to come back on the Ravens.

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2022 Round 1 Pick 13: Traded to Houston for Deshaun Watson

2023 Round 1 Pick 12: Traded to Houston for Deshaun Watson

2024 Round 1 Pick 23: Traded to Houston for Deshaun Watson

2025 Round 1 Pick 5: DT Mason Graham

Graham played very well in his first year in Cleveland, but again, it is a major risk to take a DT in the first round, let alone the top 5. He has to be a home run hit, or else there will be a lot of questions.

The first round has been quite the roller coaster for the Browns over the past 15 years. It is no surprise to Browns fans, but reliving the ups and downs is always a good thought experiment about what could have been if Cleveland had made the right picks consistently.

The hope now is that their most recent picks, Fano and Concepcion, prove that they fall into that category and will be in Cleveland for a very long time.



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Wanted sex offender arrested at the same Cleveland home where missing Tennessee mother found dead

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Wanted sex offender arrested at the same Cleveland home where missing Tennessee mother found dead


CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – U.S. Marshals say a wanted sex offender was arrested early Friday morning at the same home where a missing Tennessee mother was found dead on July 3.

Matthew Hensley, 43, was wanted by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department for failing to register his address after a conviction of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

“Today along with Cleveland Police SWAT, Deputy Sheriffs from Cuyahoga County and my Deputy Marshals, we hit that house and we found Hensley in that house hiding in a bench area and a wall and a secret compartment that he had constructed,” said U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott

Matthew Hensley in a convicted sex offender now wanted by the sheriff’s department for failure to register. He can be identified by his religious tattoo of Jesus on his neck.(Source: Cuyahoga County Sheriff)

According to the U.S. Marshals, he had additional charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor from an indictment in 2022.

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Law enforcement has been searching for Hensley for over two months, according to a release.

Wanted sex offender arrested at the same Cleveland home where missing Tennessee mother found dead
Wanted sex offender arrested at the same Cleveland home where missing Tennessee mother found dead(Harleigh Dawn)

Hensley was featured on Cuyahoga’s Most Wanted on Thursday.

The task force said it received numerous tips about Hensley’s whereabouts all across the Cleveland area.

He was found hiding in a cabinet at a home located at 3490 Bosworth Road and taken into custody without incident.

A 37-year-old Tennessee woman was found dead outside a Cleveland home last week after...
A 37-year-old Tennessee woman was found dead outside a Cleveland home last week after traveling to meet a man she had been communicating with through an online video game, according to a friend of the victim.(WOIO)

On July 3, Amber Graham, 37, of Spring Hill, Tennessee, was found dead outside at the same address.

Police and fire personnel discovered her body covered in a sheet.

In the Cleveland police report connected to Graham’s death, Hensley is listed as a involved person.

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Child found alone at fire station

Graham’s friend told 19 News she had brought her 8-year-old daughter with her on a trip to meet a man she had been communicating with through an online video game.

On July 1, the child walked into a Cleveland fire station alone.

Officials would not confirm the child’s relation to Graham but confirmed an 8-year-old did arrive at the fire station last week.

“They assessed her for any medical issues that she would have. She appeared uninjured, but she had a phone number in her pocket for her grandmother in Tennessee. It’s my understanding. But in that situation, we called police. They called Child Protective Services,” said Lt. Mike Norman of the Cleveland Fire Department.

A friend of the victim’s said the child was Graham’s.

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Friends raise alarm

Joshua LaCroix, a friend of Graham’s who lives in Franklin, Tennessee, said Graham had told him and his wife she was planning the trip to Cleveland to meet a man she had connected with through a video game.

During the trip, Graham called LaCroix, saying he heard a man in the background who was angry with her.

“That was the last conversation that me and my wife had with her,” LaCroix said.

When Graham stopped responding, friends and family grew concerned.

“She never misses a shift. No one can reach her. Last thing we know, she was in Cleveland. So like, something’s not right. She’s supposed to be here at work and she’s not,” LaCroix said.

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Graham’s family reported her missing to authorities on July 2.

Facebook group helps locate home

LaCroix said he reached out to a Cleveland Facebook page for help tracking down Graham. Members of the group identified a home they believed she may have visited.

“The police were able to get to the house and, you know, discover what they discovered,” LaCroix said.

LaCroix described Graham as someone who cared for others.

“She’s just a genuine person. And she’s a good person. She’s the kind of person who will care for you without much reason to do so,” he said.

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Investigation ongoing

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner is investigating Graham’s cause of death. No arrests or charges have been made.

Cleveland police said they are awaiting the medical examiner’s ruling before potentially opening a criminal investigation.

Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.



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