COVID-19 – Reopening Businesses
The Covid-19 virus has dramatically changed the way we relate to each other and the way we do business. As I write this, a million Americans have contracted the disease, sixty-thousand people have died and 30 million have been thrown out of work in under a month. On March 22 the Director of the Ohio Department of Health issued a “Stay at Home” order requiring non-essential...Read More
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Public Records Requests in Ohio
National publications like the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal have recently considered news of The Vindicator’s closing, and suggest generally that local democracies will go only as far as their local papers will carry them. These articles assume that if the local news dies, so does an informed citizenry. Local news organizations unearth and disseminate truths...Read More
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Incentives for Remediation
At one time our “Steel Valley,” was one of the great steel regions of the world, hosting mills along the Mahoning River from Warren to the Pennsylvania line. Fierce competition from overseas, followed by the closing of Youngstown Sheet and Tube in the 1970s started a long slide in industrial production in the region. Yes, a few of the old plants have reopened, but great stretches of...Read More
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Ohio’s Legacy Trust Procedures
Business clients typically minimize exposure to creditor claims by using liability-limiting business structures, by maintaining appropriate insurance coverages, by maximally funding qualified retirement plans and by dispersing asset ownership within the family. High-net-worth clients, whose activities subject them to extraordinary claims, may now also use an additional tool to protect...Read More
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Frequently Asked Questions about Solar Leases
Q: How long does a solar lease last? A: The term of a solar lease is typically between 20 and 30 years Q: What effect will the solar lease have on my property? A: If you currently receive a special tax valuation (in Ohio a “current agricultural use valuation,” in PA a valuation under Act 319) you may lose that status and have your real estate taxes increase. There may be a...Read More
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Atty. Nils P. Johnson, Jr. – Artist in Residence
The fine folks at the Business Journal stopped in to see the progress I’ve been making on a rather large painting for the City of Canfield. You can view their video interview of me here. Read More
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Zoning – Oil and Gas issues
Regulating oil and gas via zoning The last twenty years oil and gas drilling for Clinton Sandstone wells has moved into urban areas, as drilling locations in rural areas have been used up. Under the concept of “home rule” enjoyed by municipalities, cities and villages enjoy broad police powers to regulate health, safety and public welfare. As a result, a number of Ohio communities attempted...Read More
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Zoning – Open Spaces
Open space preservation Modern zoning planning has recognized the virtue of preserving open spaces, not only by establishing parks and recreation areas, but also by preserving the rural character of certain parts of communities and restraining urban sprawl. This can be accomplished in several ways. Agricultural zoning prohibits the use of land for commercial, industrial and residential...Read More
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