Cleveland, OH

Ohio to Spend $169 Million Building Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Near Highways in Next Five Years

Published

2 years ago

June 16, 2024

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Ohio to Spend 9 Million Building Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Near Highways in Next Five Years

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Mark Oprea

Electric cars outside Tri-C’s Advanced Technology Training Center on Wednesday. Northeast Ohio could see a dozen new charging stations in the next five years, thanks to a federal grant program.

Ohio should be an easier state to drive in for Tesla, Rivian and other EV owners by the end of the decade.

That’s the overall goal underlying an announcement of a massive funding package by state electric vehicle advocates Wednesday morning, one that intends to inject hundreds of millions of dollars into bringing Ohio’s lackluster EV charging station stock up to speed.

And the data doesn’t lie.

Just in April, a report from S&P Global Mobility ranked Cleveland well near the bottom of the top 50 U.S. cities for registered owners of electric vehicles, a stat owed to both the high point of entry for said vehicles and, undeniably, the deficit of charging stations across the state.

On Wednesday, in a lecture room at Tri-C’s Advanced Technology Training Center , Grace Gallucci, the director of the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency, and experts on alternative energy infrastructure spoke promisingly to a packed room about how $169 million in federal grant dollars would be doled out across Ohio in the next five years.

Priorities in that spending money—spread out amongst NOACA, the Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council and the Ohio Department of Transportation—were made clear: power stations for Ohio EV drivers should be conveniently placed. That is to, one day, have 9 out of 10 Ohioans within a 25-mile radius of an EV charging station.

“We have a pretty extensive alternative fuel corridor network,” Breanna Badanes, a spokesperson for DriveOhio, said. “But it’s clear that there are still plenty of gaps throughout the state, particularly in Southern Ohio, some in Northwestern Ohio. So that’s kind of what we’re here to talk about: planning for these future phases when we can build outside of the alternative fuel corridors, what we still need to prioritize as a state.”

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Mark Oprea

Breanna Badanes, a spokesperson for DriveOhio, at Tri-C on Wednesday.

Ohio currently has 1,578 stations in sum, those mostly on private land and relatively close to highways and shopping centers. Many are in areas with higher income levels, an issue of equity speakers on Wednesday said its charging station spending plans to address.

As of June, there a dozen new charging stations planned in the greater Northeast Ohio area, and only one so far in construction, a station west of Akron. A Pilot EV station, funded in part with federal dollars, opened off I-71 in Columbus in December.

These future stations, for which $56 million has been spent thus far, follow guidelines listed by the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, which dictates a state must build a station every 50 miles off major transportation corridors and include at least four Fast Chargers of at least 600 kilowatts of combined power.

Katie Zehnder, vice president at HNTB, a transportation infrastructure firm, reminded attendees on Wednesday that Ohio’s push to become more EV-friendly is based on—just like bike lines and crosswalks—the premise that infrastructure creates culture.

The same goes, she said, for encouraging more electric usage at commercial enterprises, such as equipping UPS and DHL trucks with the on-road power they need to make the switch sustainable.

A recent survey of freight riders testing out new electric trucks showed Drive Ohio that driving EVs led to employees taking fewer sick days, less gas engine vibration, and led to “less back issues.”

“Which I was admittedly kind of shocked by at the time,” Zehnder said about the study. “Ride and drives, just exposure to EVs, that’s really the best thing. Because once people get into these vehicles, they really seem to enjoy them.”

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Cleveland, OH

1 dead, 1 in critical condition after highway shooting: Cleveland EMS

Published

1 hour ago

December 20, 2025

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1 dead, 1 in critical condition after highway shooting: Cleveland EMS

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A woman is dead, and a man is in critical condition after a shooting on the highway early Saturday morning.

Cleveland EMS told 19 News that EMS responded to I-71N and the I-490 split for a reported shooting.

EMS said a woman in her 30s was pronounced dead on the scene.

A man was taken to Metro Health in critical condition.

According to EMS, another woman in her 30s refused transport.

19 News is working to learn more about what led up to the shooting and if any arrests have been made.

This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.

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Cleveland, OH

Looking back on Bills’ last trip to Cleveland

Published

13 hours ago

December 20, 2025

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Looking back on Bills’ last trip to Cleveland

The last time the Buffalo Bills played in Cleveland, they were still raw and hungry, which is way different than the grizzled, yet youth-driven bunch that’ll be heading there for the first time in six years on Sunday.

The Bills were in excellent shape at 6-2 in Week 10 of the 2019 NFL season and rolled into town to face a Browns team that had all the hype before the season, but had lost four straight and were at 2-6.

What happened last time Bills played Browns in Cleveland?

Baker Mayfield and the Browns drove down the field in six plays for a touchdown on the opening drive, with the rival from Josh Allen’s draft class finding Jarvis Landry for the game’s first points. Austin Seibert missed an extra point, and that turned to be critical late in the game.

Nov 10, 2019; Cleveland, OH, USA; Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) is hit by Bills defensive tackle Star Lotulelei (98) during the first half at FirstEnergy Stadium. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

TRENDING: Bills must slow down Browns’ record-hunting force on Sunday

Sandwiched around a run-heavy Bills touchdown drive, capped off by an Allen 10-yard scamper that gave them a 7-6 lead in the second quarter, was a very satisfying sequence for Bills fans.

On two of the Browns’ next three possessions following their opening drive, they had the ball inside the Bills’ 3-yard line for 11 plays. Cleveland had eight plays on the first possession, and even though there were a couple of penalties on the Bills, Buffalo had a goal-line stand.

The Bills stopped the Browns on three straight goal-to-go plays on the second such possession, and Cleveland lined up to go for it on 4th-and-goal. However, a false start penalty prompted them to kick a field goal and make it a 9-7 game.

Nov 10, 2019; Cleveland, OH, USA; Bills kicker Stephen Hauschka (4) and Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (21) watch as Hauschka misses a field goal during the first half at FirstEnergy Stadium. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Five questions before Josh Allen, Bills face Browns

Buffalo wasn’t as fortunate on the next drive, as Stephen Hauschka shanked a 34-yard field goal wide left with time winding down, leaving the Browns with their lead into halftime.

Out of the locker room, the Bills got an immediate spark. Corey Bojorquez downed a punt at the 7-yard line, then Tremaine Edmunds sacked Mayfield in the end zone for a safety on the next play to tie the game.

The Browns tacked on a field goal on their next drive to take the lead while the Bills’ offense was stuck in quicksand, with three punts and a turnover on downs on their first four second-half possessions.

Nov 10, 2019; Cleveland, OH, USA; Bills middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (49) tackles Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) in the end zone for a safety during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

MORE: James Cook chasing Jonathan Taylor and Bills’ rushing record

Allen got his act together and led a seven-play, 48-yard drive and ran in a score from a yard out to give Buffalo the lead back with 5:26 left. He finished the day 22-of-41 for 266 yards passing and scored twice on the ground, but was off that day.

Mayfield responded in kind, finding Rashard Higgins in the end zone to reclaim the lead after a long drive of his own. The Bills had one more shot, but Hauschka whiffed from 53, handing the Bills a 19-16 loss.

The Bills’ and Browns’ dynamics are much more different than they were in 2019, but there can be that lingering reminder of that game for Allen as the AFC playoff race nears its end.

Nov 10, 2019; Cleveland, OH, USA; Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) shakes hands with Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) after the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills at FirstEnergy Stadium. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

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Cleveland, OH

Cleveland salt mine works year-round to keep Ohio roads safe

Published

1 day ago

December 19, 2025

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Cleveland salt mine works year-round to keep Ohio roads safe

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Road safety across Ohio begins 1,800 feet below Lake Erie at Cleveland’s Cargill salt mine near Whiskey Island.

19 News made the journey under ground to Cleveland’s Cargill salt time.

Superintendent of production Andrew Staker describes the operation as a “mini-city” where about 250 employees produce the salt that clears our roads and sidewalks.

“We provide over half the salt used here in the state of Ohio. Our salt also goes all over the Great Lakes Region even Virginia,” said Staker.

Thousands of tons of salt pass through this belt, and 500-700 trucks are loaded with salt each day.

Staker said his team works nonstop.

“It’s a big misconception that the mine is only busy during the wintertime,” said Staker. “We prepare in the springtime, so it is full giddy up. We are making salt all year round.”

Just like everyone else, Staker and his time are feeling the effects of winter’s early arrival.

“We take a lot of it snowfall by snowfall, so as demand ramps up, our teams here will put in extra overtime days to be able to meet customer demand,” said Staker.

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