Latest news with #OPSB
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
City of New Orleans, Orleans Parish School Board back in court involving $90M negotiation
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A $90 million legal battle continues in civil court between the Orleans Parish School Board and Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration involving a 2019 lawsuit. Several motions were filed ahead of trial, being handled by Civil District Judge Nicole Sheppard. 'Talk to the city's PR department,' said City of New Orleans attorney James Garner. Girlfriend of escaped New Orleans inmate Derrick Groves arrested: U.S. Marshals The City of New Orleans Monday issued the following statement: 'All motions argued today during the hearing between the City and OPSB are equally important in relation to tomorrow's trial. The City has a pending motion for a new trial regarding the order to pay $10M to the School Board. The City reserves any further comment until after rulings by the judge and/or a full trial on the matter.' School board attorney Bill Aaron says over $100 million was diverted to other city agencies, money that should have gone to the schools. 'The constitution trumps any statutes that they have and that no money should be taken, whether it's for pensions, whether it's for collection fees, whether it's for operation. The assessor, no money should be taken. It all should go to the schools, ' said Aaron. Aaron plans to call several witnesses, including New Orleans Chief Administrative Officer Gilbert Montano, to testify. Generator safety 101: Expert gives hurricane season tips He reiterated that Montano helped negotiate the settlement agreement last year, which states the school board would receive a $90 million payout starting with two $10 million installments. However, in court, the city said its $10 million was not paid due to events like the terror attack on Bourbon Street and the recent jail escape. The other $10 million from the city council also hasn't been paid. 'Summer programs are affected by the lack of money, and other programs are affected. The school board met and basically took money from the reserve to cover. If we had gotten the money, they would have put a big dent in the projected shortfalls, ' said Aaron. Aaron says he believes the court battle may extend beyond civil district court. 'This case is probably going up to a higher court, Fourth Circuit, and possibly Supreme Court, ' said Aaron. Both sides are expected back in civil court ahead of the trial on Kitchen offering free meals to kids everyday this summer Man pleads guilty to Orleans Parish manslaughter City of New Orleans, Orleans Parish School Board back in court involving $90M negotiation Storm chances continue the next few days William Shatner to share fascinating stories about 'Star Trek' at The Fillmore Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Ottawa Citizen
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Lalonde and Papineau: Take off the kid gloves for public oversight of Ottawa Police Service
The Ottawa Police Service (OPS), like other police forces across the province, are treated with kid gloves when it comes to public accountability. The OPS receives even less public oversight than other areas of the city. Article content Article content The OPS is governed under the provincial Community Safety and Policing Act (CSPA). One key element of the CSPA is a civilian oversight board, which is handled by the Ottawa Police Services Board (OPSB). There are three city councillors, three provincial appointees and one citizen appointed by the city. Police Service Board members are governed by a code of conduct. Article content Article content To ensure that politicians aren't directing police on what and who they can investigate, boards can't direct the operations of the police. That's a good thing. However, how far is that taken? What is the adequate level of oversight for the OPS? How much public oversight is actually done? Article content OPSB meetings are split between public and 'in camera' (behind closed doors) meetings. Article content Before the COVID pandemic, the OPSB held in-person public meetings. Anyone could go in person and participate. At the start of the pandemic, the OPSB went virtual. Meetings were held online, and they have never turned back. Anyone can watch the meetings, but only those selected in advance to participate are allowed to make statements, and then they are ushered back out of the online meeting room, which limits public dialogue. To boot, what you plan to say must be approved ahead of time. It's a close-knit, gated-community police board. Article content Article content Public agendas for the OPSB encompass pages of feel-good reports, including the monthly compliments report. Compliments are redacted letters from the community giving thanks for a police encounter. Article content Article content The OPSB also has a much more substantive agenda for its in-camera sessions. At every meeting, the chair dutifully cites the legal cover for going in camera. There are good reasons to have some items discussed behind closed doors. Legal and specific employee disciplinary actions are two. That should be it. Article content Since October 2023, the OPSB has had a standing in camera agenda item called 'Updates on Demonstrations and Events Management'. The OPSB discusses in camera the police actions related to a fundamental right protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms: 'freedom of peaceful assembly.' Why are discussions pertaining to this bedrock of our democracy done behind closed doors month after month? What operational issues related to peaceful assembly require secrecy? Given the concerning attempts to curtail civil liberties among our neighbours to the south, these questions necessitate serious consideration.
Ottawa Citizen
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Lalonde and Papineau: Take off the kids gloves for public oversight of Ottawa Police Service
The Ottawa Police Service (OPS), like other police forces across the province, are treated with kid gloves when it comes to public accountability. The OPS receives even less public oversight than other areas of the city. Article content Article content The OPS is governed under the provincial Community Safety and Policing Act (CSPA). One key element of the CSPA is a civilian oversight board, which is handled by the Ottawa Police Services Board (OPSB). There are three city councillors, three provincial appointees and one citizen appointed by the city. Police Service Board members are governed by a code of conduct. Article content Article content To ensure that politicians aren't directing police on what and who they can investigate, boards can't direct the operations of the police. That's a good thing. However, how far is that taken? What is the adequate level of oversight for the OPS? How much public oversight is actually done? Article content OPSB meetings are split between public and 'in camera' (behind closed doors) meetings. Article content Before the COVID pandemic, the OPSB held in-person public meetings. Anyone could go in person and participate. At the start of the pandemic, the OPSB went virtual. Meetings were held online, and they have never turned back. Anyone can watch the meetings, but only those selected in advance to participate are allowed to make statements, and then they are ushered back out of the online meeting room, which limits public dialogue. To boot, what you plan to say must be approved ahead of time. It's a close-knit, gated-community police board. Article content Article content Public agendas for the OPSB encompass pages of feel-good reports, including the monthly compliments report. Compliments are redacted letters from the community giving thanks for a police encounter. Article content The OPSB also has a much more substantive agenda for its in-camera sessions. At every meeting, the chair dutifully cites the legal cover for going in camera. There are good reasons to have some items discussed behind closed doors. Legal and specific employee disciplinary actions are two. That should be it. Article content Since October 2023, the OPSB has had a standing in camera agenda item called 'Updates on Demonstrations and Events Management'. The OPSB discusses in camera the police actions related to a fundamental right protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms: 'freedom of peaceful assembly.' Why are discussions pertaining to this bedrock of our democracy done behind closed doors month after month? What operational issues related to peaceful assembly require secrecy? Given the concerning attempts to curtail civil liberties among our neighbours to the south, these questions necessitate serious consideration.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio solar energy project with sheep farming scrapped due to opposition
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A solar energy project near Indian Lake that promised to combine photovoltaic panels with sheep farming, known as lambscaping or agrivoltaics, is no longer going forward. According to a news release, Open Road Renewables' Grange Solar Grazing Center has withdrawn its application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need from the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB). How dismantling the Department of Education will affect Ohio schools Doug Herling, Vice President of Open Road Renewables, stated that the decision to withdraw was difficult, noting that the project was thoughtfully designed to balance environmental protection, agriculture, tourism and economic benefits for the community. 'All legitimate concerns about the project were addressed and the benefits would have been spread far and wide,' Herling said. 'Unfortunately, some community members were swayed by fears that were entirely unfounded.' On a website for the solar opposition organization, Indian Lake Advocacy Group, objections to the project included concerns about protecting and preserving wildlife, tourism, farmland, and historical landmarks. 'The disruption caused by years of construction, along with the loss of open landscapes and natural views, will diminish Indian Lake's appeal to boaters, anglers, campers, and tourists,' the group offered in a prewritten letter for supporters to send to the OSPB. 'Many businesses rely on tourism to survive, and a project of this scale threatens to drive visitors elsewhere, resulting in economic harm to our community.' The solar rival group also focused on infrastructure details and possible future owners of the agrivoltaic operation on its website to sway opinion against the project. 'What is the solar project? 2,600 acres full of 15 feet tall solar panels, inverters, driveways, racking poles, cables, and 7 feet tall fencing,' Indian Lake Advocacy Group posted on its site. 'Over 4,000 acres have been leased, so there is a potential for more if they get the necessary easements. This project … is being developed by Open Road Renewables, LLC out of Texas. They are just the developer and in most cases will sell to another company (often foreign-owned) before construction even starts.' Ohio reports first measles case of 2025 Criticizing the approval process, Herling stated that while the OPSB staff thoroughly vetted the project's plans, equivalent scrutiny of the opposition's claims did not exist. 'There is no such fact-checking of the onslaught of anti-solar propaganda, which caused local officials to make statements against solar,' said Herling. 'OPSB staff relied on those stated positions to declare the project not in the public interest, despite all of its benefits.' Wrapping up his statement, Herling thanked those who supported the project and reiterated the company's belief in the long-term benefits of renewable energy for the state's economy, environment, and communities. 'Opportunities like the Grange Solar Grazing Center do not come along often,' Herling said. 'The project would have brought jobs, wages, and millions of dollars in annual tax revenue to fund local schools and county and township services. 'The agrivoltaics plan would have created a new generation of sheep farmers. The drain tile plan would have improved drainage in the area. The vegetation management plan would have supported biodiversity, improved water quality, and reduced run-off. We wish all of these benefits could have come to fruition.' Herling told NBC4 that Open Road Renewables has two other agrivoltaic projects in Ohio. Frasier Solar is in Knox County and is awaiting a decision from the OPSB and Crossroads Solar, in Morrow County, is preparing to submit an application to the OPSB. How grocery stores are combatting SNAP benefit thefts in Ohio Additionally, Herling said the majority of farmers and landowners who signed on to partner with the project plan to continue farming. 'Others may develop the land into housing, mining, livestock facilities, or seek out other forms of electricity generation development such as nuclear or energy storage,' Herling said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The good, the bad, and the ugly on Ohio's long overdue energy legislation
An electricity meter. (Stock photo from Getty Images.) This year, new legislation in the Ohio Statehouse could finally see the end to some of the worst aspects of 2019's House Bill 6 — which David Roberts of Vox called 'the worst energy bill of the 21st century.' That is great news — but it would come at a high cost. Instead of bailing out coal and nuclear plants, Ohioans could find themselves living next to large gas plants, pushed through a fast-track approval process without local approval, supplied with gas from fracking our parks. Read on to learn the good, the bad, and the ugly about Ohio Senate Bill 2 and Ohio House Bill 15. Among the good things SB 2 and HB 15 would do is phase out the bailouts of two Ohio Valley Electric Coalition (OVEC) coal plants jointly owned by several Ohio utilities – one of which is in Indiana. Ohioans have paid upward of $670 million in coal bailouts since HB 6. The coal bailouts would end at the expiration of each utility's 'electric security plan' — plans that allow utilities to attach extra charges, or 'riders,' to customer bills — over the next five years. Then the electric security plans themselves would also be eliminated. Instead, utilities would have to work with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to set a standard service offer – the going rate for electricity – based only on markets, without extra riders or fees. Utilities would have to work with PUCO annually to ensure the rate is in line with changing market conditions. Some other good things in the current version of these two bills include: A community energy pilot program in HB 15 that would allow small scale energy projects – 10 MW or 20 MW – to be built on distressed land that people could subscribe to for their electricity use. An energy efficiency loan program for schools in SB 2 – a good program that should also include loans for solar panels, which it originally had. If that's where SB 2 and HB 15 stopped, there would be plenty to support. However, both bills also contain some terrible provisions that should be changed or removed for the sake of Ohio's communities and our environment. These provisions revolve around an accelerated review process at the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB), which approves the siting of major energy facilities such as large electric generation plants, transmission lines, and pipelines. The current OPSB process takes months and sometimes years. It involves public information sessions, applications that run thousands of pages, public hearings, months of written public comments, an agency investigation, and an adjudicatory hearing to establish the facts. SB 2 would shorten this process to just 120 days – four months. Even worse, both bills would shorten the process to only 45 days – just six weeks – for two types of applications: An electric generation plant, electric transmission line, or gas pipeline in a Priority Investment Area A major utility facility – defined as 50 MW or more – on property owned by the applicant. In the first case, local governments would nominate brownfields or former coal mines in their communities to be Priority Investment Areas — so at least there would be local buy-in. In the second case, there is no local involvement. The only party that identifies the location for a 50 MW or larger energy generation plant is the 'applicant' who owns the property. Nothing in either bill specifies who the applicant could be — but presumably a large energy user such as a data center. Data centers are what is driving this. These large buildings house rows and rows of computer servers that must be kept running and kept cool. Each data center uses hundreds of megawatts of electricity — equal to a small city — to power things like cloud computing, AI, or cryptocurrency. There are 176 data centers in Ohio. Of those, 108 are in Central Ohio — and of those, many are in residential areas. I should know — there's an Amazon data center campus across the street from my house, and three others within five miles — all surrounded by homes and businesses. SB 2 and HB 15 would allow the owners of these data centers to get approval in 45 days to build a large electricity generation plant on property they own with no local approval. How would the electricity be generated? Through fracked gas plants, Senate President Rob McColley and House Speaker Matt Huffman recently told the Ohio Oil and Gas Association. In Ohio, the setback requirement for wind turbines is 1/4 mile from the nearest property line — too much for data center land in an urban or suburban area. A solar project big enough to create enough electricity would also be too large. The main alternative is gas. Senate Bill 52 from 2021 allows local governments to ban solar and wind projects, but not oil and gas — and at least 24 Ohio counties have done so. Already applications for three gas plants to power data centers 'behind the meter' have been filed with the power siting board, with more being prepared. 'We think there will be new gas powered generation all over the state of Ohio,' Huffman told the oil and gas association. If SB 2 and HB 15 pass as currently written, some of those gas plants will end up in residential areas. Where will the gas to supply these plants come from? From fracking our state parks, wildlife areas, and public lands, Huffman told the oil and gas association. And they want the frack pads to be located not just outside the parks as they are now, but actually IN our state parks and public lands. 'I want to be aggressive about that in the House of Representatives,' Huffman said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SB 2 and HB 15 would go a long way to cleaning up the travesty of HB 6 — but at what cost? The accelerated review process for approving major energy facilities — such as a 100 MW gas plant — must be lengthened. Nine months is not too long to review such a complicated project. If Republicans absolutely refuse to lengthen the review process, then local officials must be given veto power over gas plants in their counties and townships — just as they have for solar and wind projects. Finally, fracking in, around, and under our beloved state parks, wildlife areas, and public lands must stop. The vast majority of Ohioans are opposed. The last four nominations to frack our parks and wildlife areas received 923 comments. Only one comment out of 923 was in favor. That's 1/10th of one percent – 99.9% of comments were opposed. We can't build fracked gas plants to power AI and crypto on the backs of our communities and our public lands that are supposed to be protected. Ohio must work toward a sane energy policy that welcomes clean renewable energy that sustains rather than destroys people and planet. Cathy Cowan Becker is board president for Save Ohio Parks. She lives in Hilliard, Ohio. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
