Ohio minimum wage
to increase by 15 cents
Ohio's minimum wage is scheduled to increase Jan. 1 by about 15 cents per hour, the Ohio Department of Commerce announced.
Minimum pay rates for nontipped workers will increase to $7.85 per hour from the current rate of $7.70. Tipped employees will receive a raise to $3.93 per hour from the current rate of $3.85 plus tips.
The increase applies to workers at companies with annual gross receipts of more than $288,000 per year.
The pay increase is dictated by an Ohio Constitutional Amendment passed by Ohio voters in 2006 that requires Ohio's minimum wage to increase the beginning of each year based on the rate of inflation and the Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers for a 12-month period prior to September. This year's index called for an increase of 1.7 percent.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.
Candidate forums scheduled this month
Two candidate forums are scheduled in the run-up to the Nov. 6 general election.
The Trumbull County League of Women Voters will hold a candidate forum at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Howland Community Church, 198 Niles Cortland Road. Candidates for contested offices have been invited.
The Liberty Business Association and Liberty Schools Parent Teacher Association are sponsoring a candidates/ issues night 7 p.m. Oct. 17 at Liberty High School, 1 Leopard Way. Candidates for state legislature and county commissioners have been invited.
Liberty officials will discuss the township levy that is on the ballot.
Elected officials and candidates also will be available to speak one-on-one.
YSU collaborates with firm on electric cars
YOUNGSTOWN - Researchers at Youngstown State University are partnering with a Korean company to develop electric-car technology.
The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber said Friday that the university's research foundation has signed an agreement with Power Plaza Co. of Seoul, South Korea. It's the research foundation's first collaboration with an international company.
Power Plaza designs and manufactures components in the power-conversion and power-supply business. Its core product lines are used in many industrial applications, from utilities and telecommunications to the automotive sector.
Final details of the collaboration will be worked out in the next several months, with a tentative start date in January.
Cedar Point unsure when ride will reopen
SANDUSKY - Cedar Point says it isn't sure whether its newest thrill ride that swings riders 300-feet above the ground will be fixed in time to operate this year.
Sandusky, Ohio-based Cedar Fair has shut down all six of its Windseeker rides at parks in the U.S. and Canada because of problems that have left riders stranded on several occasions.
The ride malfunctioned in June at Cedar Point. More problems with the ride at Southern California's Knott's Berry Farm last month led to the temporary shutdown of all Windseeker rides.
A Cedar Point spokeswoman told The Blade newspaper in Toledo that the company is still doing an internal review and doesn't know if the ride will open before the park closes for the season at the end of October.
Farmington schedules meetings on sewers, fest
WEST FARMINGTON - West Farmington council has scheduled two meetings for today at the village hall.
The first meeting will be at 6 p.m. on sewers and community development block grants. The second meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on the annual festival.
Staff, wire reports