Major work on an 8-mile stretch of Interstate 90 in Lorain County is closer to getting underway with a start date expected this summer, the Lorain County commissioners learned Tuesday.

The project will involve the complete replacement of and additions of two lanes, one in each direction east and west, from the merge with state Route 2 in Elyria Township to the Route 611 interchange in Avon.

The work zone includes, from west to east, portions of Elyria Township, Elyria, Sheffield and Avon, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Commissioner Marty Gallagher, a Republican and board representative to the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, announced Tuesday that the state recently put the project out to bid with plans to start construction July 1.

"It's very positive news," Gallagher said.

It will be a three-year project, he said. ODOT estimates the work will cost more than $110 million.

The project limits are I-90 from the Ohio Turnpike tolls in Elyria Township east to the Route 611 interchange in Avon, a distance of approximately 8 miles.

The segment from the Turnpike toll both to Route 2 in Elyria Township will be repaved but remain a four-lane roadway, according to ODOT. New lanes will be constructed in the existing median of I-90.

Some bridge work will be done, though several I-90 bridges over the Black River, railroad lines and local roads have already been widened to accommodate an additional travel lane "and will require only restriping to match the widened highway," according to ODOT.

Pavement repairs also will be done, holding over existing pavement until new pavement can be constructed, the agency said.

Commissioner David Moore, a Republican, said the county has been waiting "for years to get that project started."

Moore said he expected state Route 113, which runs more or less parallel to I-90 to the south, "might be a busy road" while construction happens.

~Chronicle Telegram 3/14/25

AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 17, 2025 -- As frigid weather grips the region, FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) electric companies remind customers of steps they can take to stay safe and better manage energy bills that may climb due to the cold weather. Based on current forecasts, all of FirstEnergy's six-state footprint will be affected by the cold snap, with sub-zero temperatures likely to arrive early next week and lasting several days. Please see the link below. 

https://www.firstenergycorp.com/newsroom/news_articles/fe-electric-companies-offer-tips-to-stay-safe-and-save-energy-during-extreme-cold.html

Starting in June 2025, all Ohio electricity customers will see a significant increase in their electricity costs due to the recent results of the PJM capacity auctions. The capacity prices have surged by over 800%, which translates to an estimated 10-15% increase in electricity costs for the average Ohio household, or just over 2 cents/kWh, for the June 2025 to May 2026 delivery year.

To assist with helping your residents understand how this change will impact their electric bills and what steps they can take to prepare, we've crafted a detailed FAQ.

White Paper

Executive Summary

Benefits of Ohio's Deregulated Electricity Market

Insights from NOPEC's latest White Paper

Our latest White Paper, authored by a study team at Cleveland State University, examines the performance of Ohio's deregulated electricity market since restructuring took effect in 2009, with a particular focus on the unprecedented upheaval during the pandemic and post-pandemic eras.

Key Findings: 

• Deregulated markets have consistently saved Ohio electricity customers nearly $3 billion per year.

• Since 2011, deregulation has saved Ohio consumers more than $37 billion.

• This translates to about $261 per average household each year or nearly $3,400 per average household since 2011. 

• Ohio will continue to enjoy such savings in the coming years so long as its electricity generation markets are fully deregulated. 

For a deeper dive into the findings and implications of this study, you can read the full White Paper and its Executive Summary on our website!

Leaf collection will begin on November 4, 2024, and end on December 12, 2024. Leaves put out after December 13, 2024, will not be collected. A route that covers the whole township is followed and repeated. Residents should put leaves along the edge of the road but not in the road. The back edge of the row must be no farther than 6 feet from the edge of the road, and the pile should be no closer than 3 feet to mailboxes, signposts, and other objects. Do not bag leaves. Do not put sticks, straw, cornstalks, weeds, fruit, animal feces, and other items in leaf rows. These things damage and plug up the leaf machine and cause delays in the leaf pickup process. Do not pile leaves in ditches or over catch basins or risers. Doing this may cause flooding. Uncontrollable conditions, such as equipment breakdown, bad weather, and emergency work, sometimes make it difficult to know what day we will be there to collect your leaves, but we will be there. Please be patient.

Attention business owners and politicians:

According to the United States Postal Service (USPS), it's illegal to put mail in a mailbox without postage, and is considered a criminal offense. This is because the Postal Service wants to ensure its integrity, so only authorized personnel are allowed to place or remove mail from them. The law, known as the Mailbox Restriction Law, was passed by Congress in 1934 to limit competition from commercial users of postal services

You probably received an invoice in the amount of $120 from the Lorain County Public Health Department.

You may find answers to common questions in the FAQ document at loraincountyhealth.com/sewage under Fact Sheets and Information for Homeowners. If you don't find what you need there, call 440.384.3240 and they will get back to you ASAP.

If you received an invoice from Lorain County Public Health and DO NOT have a septic system, please contact them at 440-322-6367 or 440-244-2209.

Click Here

Read the resolution here.

Signs to Look For:

Most surfaces, such as countertops, sinks, stoves, and desks, are piled with items in the home.

The clutter may also have moved outside to the yard, garage or vehicles when there is no more room inside the home.

There are stacks of newspapers, magazines, or junk mail.

The person often moves items from one

pile to another without throwing away anything.

The person cannot throw things away, accumulating unnecessary items such as trash.

The person has difficulty managing daily activities and making decisions, organizing items, and has an extreme attachment to items.

The person often experiences shame or embarrassment.

To learn more about available help, please contact

Lorain County Public Health

440-322-6367

Ask for Environmental Health

Rumpke will collect bulky items on your regular service day. You may place bulky items out for collection on one day during each calendar month at no charge. There will be a charge for collection of bulky items on additional days in the same month. Any item placed outside the trash cart will be considered a bulky item. Plastic bags for mattresses and other upholstered furniture can be obtained at the Township Complex on Griswold Road.

Please remember leaves should be placed on the tree lawn area & NOT in the street. Piles of leaves on the road make dangerous driving conditions, covering road markings or road hazards. Driving on wet leaves can be like driving on ice.

“The pandemic has increased the financial hardships our customers are facing, particularly as the cold weather approaches,” said Ed Shuttleworth, president of FirstEnergy’s Ohio Operations. “Customers who have lost income during this crisis and who are behind on their utility bills may be eligible for assistance that was unavailable to them before.”

Programs customers may be eligible to participate in include:

• The Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP): Allows customers to pay a set percentage of their income toward their electric bill, regardless of the balance. Customers who maintain their payment plans may be eligible for debt forgiveness. Eligible customers should have income below 150% of federal poverty guidelines. To apply, call 1-800-282-0880 or visit www.energyhelp.ohio.gov. 

• Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP): Provides eligible customers with cash grants for home heating bills and emergencies. Customers must have gross income below 175% of federal poverty guidelines. Call the Ohio Development Service Agency at 1-800-282-0880 or visit www.energyhelp.ohio.gov for more information.

• 2-1-1 Helpline: This nationwide resource and information helpline identifies locally available programs that may assist customers with utility bills or other needs. For more information, dial 211, text your ZIP code to 898211 or visit the 211 website.

• Customers who are having difficulty paying utilities, rent or mortgage due to the pandemic may apply for a Home Relief Grant. Visit https://oacaa.org/agency-directory/ for an agency near you.

• Additionally, the $175 Winter Reconnect Option allows residential customers who are disconnected or at risk of disconnection the opportunity to pay a designated amount to have their service restored or maintained. There is no income eligibility requirement. PIPP customers who use this option may be eligible to have a reset of their past due amount.

For a complete list of assistance programs for which customers may be eligible, including installment payment plans and budget billing, please visit www.firstenergycorp.com/billassist, or call customer service:

Ohio Edison 1-800-633-4766

Ohio Edison serves more than one million customers across 34 Ohio counties. Follow Ohio Edison on Twitter @OhioEdison, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OhioEdison, and online at www.ohioedison.com.

The Illuminating Company serves 750,000 customers across Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties. Connect with The Illuminating Company at www.illuminatingcompany.com, on Twitter @IlluminatingCo and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/IlluminatingCo.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland, and New York. The company’s transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com. Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter: @FirstEnergyCorp.