Ohio Newsbreak – January 14 – Winter Weather Ohio-Style, Pimp Daddy, Gamboling to Gambling, Traficant

• Governor softens a bit on gambling – Columbus Dispatch
• Speaker: Gambling may have its place – Columbus Dispatch
• Will Republicans Rebuild in 2009? – The Plain Dealer
• Portman wants U.S. Senate seat – Dayton Daily News
• Voinovich on Geithner – Pay your taxes – The Plain Dealer
• Dayton officials going to Washington with tin cup – Dayton Daily News
• Toll hike for truckers modest: Pike Chief – Toledo Blade
• House votes to expand SCHIP – The Plain Dealer
• Thousands added to Toledo Census count – Toledo Blade
• Traficant to skip early release – Columbus Dispatch
• Icy temps, snow grip Ohio – Columbus Dispatch
• How do they decide how to close school – Columbus Dispatch
• Battelle to add 200 jobs – Columbus Dispatch
• Capital Notes – Columbus Dispatch
• Brown staffer headed to White House – The Plain Dealer
• McFadden allegedly pimpin’ on Craig’s List – Dayton Daily News

Ohio Sunday Papers – December 28, 2008

Columbus Dispatch

• FEC closing books on Noe scandal
• O’Shaughnessy leaves legacy for city
• Central Ohioans depart for war
• Probe dishonest, biased says Dann
  

Cleveland Plain Dealer

• Op-Ed, Thomas Suddes: House-keeping ideas for Ohio Dems
• Michael Connell death spurs conspiracy theories
• Financial analysts aren’t banking on 2009 to be much different

Dayton Daily News

• Could Ohio become ‘Silicon Valley’ of alternative energy?

• Wind, water, biomass in Ohio’s future
• Green push could have local firms seeing green
• McLin legacy celebration
• Strickland says education cuts possible
• Editorial: PNC needs to hear from Dayton region
• Op-Ed, Bill Hershey: Plant closing a bittersweet reminder of GM’s glory days

Toledo Blade

• Finkbeiner bullish on Toledo development prospects
• Tom Noe now at Hocking Correctional
• Editorial: Population Squeeze

Other Sources of Ohio News

• States seek efficiency using Japanese method - Associated Press
• Ohio reaches for a lifeline – Washington Post

Chrysler, GM Up Ante on White House with Plant Closures

Two Toledo Factories Among Those Idled

General Motors and Chrysler announced today that they would idle some auto production plants and halt work in GM’s case on a new $370 million engine plant.

The suspension of work on the engine plant in Michigan could have some bearing on GM’s Lordstown facility as the Michigan plant will make the engines for the Chevrolet Volt.  Chrysler is temporarily closing two plants in Toledo that produce vehicles such as the Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro.

A story from Bloomberg quotes White House Press Secretary Dana Perino as glib and uninformed as usual:

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in an e-mail that “there’s nothing new on the auto front” as officials reviewed plans for a GM and Chrysler bailout. Today had been the earliest that the administration would finish a rescue proposal, a government official said yesterday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Yep, “nothing new” she said with cutesy smile.

Whether or not the current $14-15 billion Chrysler and GM bailout deal was done, these plants might be temporarily closing.  All of the Big Three U.S. automakers and their foreign-based rivals are in the midst of severe sales slumps.  Cars are stacking up unsold at dealerships.  The idling of plants is expected to last until to mid to late January.

Ford announced earlier this month that they would idle some plants to reduce inventories.

Full Text: Barack Obama Economy Speech | Toledo, Ohio | October 13

A Rescue Plan for the Middle-Class

As Prepared for Delivery

We meet at a moment of great uncertainty for America. The economic crisis we face is the worst since the Great Depression. Markets across the globe have become increasingly unstable, and millions of Americans will open up their 401(k) statements this week and see that so much of their hard-earned savings have disappeared. Read more