Nearly one year ago, a bench-clearing brawl that erupted ended with seventeen players and managers being ejected in a game between the Peoria Chiefs and Dayton Dragons. In the midst of the fight, Peoria pitcher Julio Castillo threw a ball which ended up hitting an Ohio fan. Today, he was sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years of probation as a result of the fight.

Castillo, 22, had directed the ball towards the Dragons dugout during the fight, but it ended up in the stands, striking an onlooker. The fan was taken to the hospital, and Castillo was taken off in cuffs. He was arrested and charged with felony assault.

Castillo could have received up to eight years in prison, but the judge was more lenient in doling out his punishment. Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge Connie Price said that he had expressed that he was sorry about hurting anyone.

Up to 800 Clevelanders May Be Put to Work at the Plant

ArcelorMittal announced today that they will restart production at their Cleveland plant. Union officials told Dennis Kucinich who hosted a radio show on WTAM that up to 800 workers will be returning to work with many other area workers benefiting as well. Some workers may return to work as early as Monday. The company says that they are making the move after seeing an increased demand for steel.

ArcelorMittal said in statement:

In response to improving market demand, we are restarting C-5 blast furnace, a steel shop, hot mill, pickle line, tandem mill and galvanizing line at ArcelorMittal Cleveland.

We are bringing back capacity in line with improving demand, largely due to the technical recovery occurring as inventory destocking nears completion. However, we do not expect demand to return to the levels seen in 2008 for sometime yet and remain cautiously optimistic for a slow and progressive recovery.

Enough! This is how cities should greet greedy, hands-out corporate interests that want to play one off against the other. Home Depot doesn’t deserve welfare.

Let’s stop the incessant bailout of big business.

Check it out from the Toledo Blade:

I say end Corporate Welfare, as we know it.

#24 Is Offering Lucky Fans a Chance to Ride the Millennium Force With Him

Jeff Gordon is no stranger to high speed thrills so he will probably feel right at home when he visits Cedar Point next Thrusday (August 13th). The park announced his visit with a press release that states:

Race fans, start your engines! Racing legend Jeff Gordon will be coming to Cedar Point on Thursday, Aug.13!

During the day, Gordon, the driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet Impala SS and four-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion, will make special appearances at the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort. He will attend a special Backyard BBQ that will be held in the park's Point Pavilion from 3:30-5 p.m. Tickets for the meal are limited. Log on to cedarpoint.com for all the details.

Later on, Gordon will take center stage between the Iron Dragon and WildCat roller coasters. Following his talk, Gordon will ride the 310-foot-tall Millennium Force roller coaster with a train of contest-winners.

Guests can win a seat on the train with Gordon by signing up at a registration table located near the stage from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the day of his visit. Other prizes, including a prize package from the Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Mich., and a chance to ask Gordon a question during his talk will also be up for grabs. Everyone who registers will receive a coupon for $20 off a general admission ticket to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 race at the Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, Aug. 16. Winners will be announced at approximately 1:30 p.m.

Ohio now has five outlet malls with the grand opening of the Cincinnati Premium Outlets on Thursday. There are approximately 68 stores opening today at the new upscale outlet mall, located just off I-75 between Dayton and Cincinnati in the city of Monroe.

The $100 million, 400,000 square food outlet mall is built, owned and operated by Chelsea Premium Outlets, a subsidiary of the Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group. Featured stores at the mall include Coach, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, Michael Kors, and Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, amongst others.

68 of the planned 74 stores will be open beginning Thursday, with another six stores scheduled to be open by Spring 2010. Leasing agents are also working to fill another 26 remaining spaces with various retail brands.

The mall will be open from 9am to 9pm Monday through Saturday, and 10am to 6pm on Sunday.

Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic and his cities police force are at each others throats. The incident stems from a bar fight that Plusquellic witnessed in the early morning on Sunday. The Akron Beacon Journal writes:

Plusquellic and others called 911 around 2:30 a.m. Sunday to report a fight involving many people that had spilled outside the Lux Nightclub near West Exchange and South Main streets.

A 22-year-old man had been hit and kicked in the head and was unconscious.

The mayor, who has a rocky relationship with the police union, said he had just left Bricco after having a few drinks when he encountered the fight. He said he called 911 twice and was put on hold before talking with a dispatcher.

He said he was irritated that he couldn't get through to authorities, and that officers who arrived at the scene were arrogant and dismissive as he tried to point out individuals they should interview.

‘‘They acted like I was bothering them and basically said stay out of it,’’ Plusquellic said.

Beginning in April 2009, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles began to issue a new format for state driver licenses and identification cards on a pilot basis in Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo. The BMV has now completed the installation and implementation of equipment required to produce the new cards on a statewide basis, which means they will now start surfacing in the larger Ohio population.

The new format for the driver licenses and ID cards are significantly different in appearance, and include additional security features not found in the old cards.

New features and changes include:

• The license has been changed to a salmon color and the design now includes the addition of a state of Ohio outline logo which will indicate the type of card (ie: driver license; commercial driver license; temporary instruction permit and/or identification card).
• The main photo will now appear in the top left-hand corner and the ghost image will appear on the right side of the card.
• The individual's information lines are now numbered to assist law enforcement.
• There is no longer a "table of contents" on the back of the DL or ID with the entire list of driving restrictions; only restrictions applying to the individual are listed and will be abbreviated. If the individual has no driving restrictions, no restrictions will be listed on the back of the DL. This change occurred in November 2008 as part of an initial round of changes.
• The magnetic strip will now identify males or females with a designation of 1 or 2 respectively.

Current Democratic Ohio governor Ted Strickland currently has a strong lead in the race for fundraising cash against his 2010 challenger, Republican John Kasich.

Kasich, a former congressman and conservative commentator, raised $516,000 during the first half of 2009. Strickland reported raising more than five times that amount - $2.5 million - in the same time period.

Strickland's campaign fund stands at $4 million, even though he has experienced an approval ratings decline as a result of the biennium budget mess. Kasich, on the other hand, has $451,000 in the bank.

Last fall, the citizens of Warren, Ohio, the hometown of Foo Fighters' frontman Dave Grohl, successfully petitioned to rename a street after him. Now, it will be made official. This weekend, Market Alley will now be known as Dave Grohl Alley, and Grohl will be in town for the festivities.

Those in attendance Saturday will also likely be treated to a performance. Grohl has reportedly requested an acoustic guitar and two drum kits be provided as a part of his one-day rider.

In honor of the dedication, Warren is hosting a week-long "Music is Art" festival. Local artists will be painting murals along the alley walls in tribute to Grohl's musical career, and the naming ceremony will serve as the festival's finale. The ceremony is scheduled for 5:45pm on Saturday afternoon.

Grohl was born in Warren and still has family in there area, although he moved to Alexandria, Virginia at a young age.

For more information about the naming ceremony and "Music is Art" festival, visit mainstreetwarren.org.

Two Ohio police chiefs were arrested Wednesday evening for allegedly cooking up a plan to break into the home of Sarah Jessica Parker's surrogate last month. Martins Ferry Police Chief Barry Carpenter and Bridgeport Police Chief Chad Dojack were booked into the Belmont County jail at 9pm last night.

It is not yet clear what charges the two police chiefs face. A third man - who happens to be the son of Bridgeport's mayor - was also arrested in connection wih the case.

Investigators believe that the three men concocted a plan to steal valuable information from the surrogate's home in Martins Ferry, including voicemails left by Sarah Jessica Parker, which were to be sold to a tabloid.

All three posted bond shortly after being arrested.

The surrogate mother gave birth to twin girls on June 23.