Big manufacturing: Companies in the past year have made known their intentions to bring large manufacturing operations to areas near Toledo and Columbus. Eric Heisig reports a major hurdle for Northeast Ohio is it has been more densely developed than other parts of the state, the byproduct of decades of waxes and wanes in the region’s robust manufacturing industry and the people who came to work in it.

Intel: A semiconductor production facility Intel plans to build in suburban Columbus could be described as a “factory,” but its interior would more resemble a super-clean laboratory than a gritty Rust Belt assembly line. Walking through the facility might feel more like walking through a high-tech research lab. Workers will wear environmental clean suits and everything must be kept super clean to avoid contaminating the product, Robert Higgs reports.

Redistricting commission: The Ohio Redistricting Commission met Tuesday to publicly lay out the ground rules it will follow ahead of a Saturday deadline set by a court order commanding the commission to draw more politically representative state legislative maps. Gov. Mike DeWine convened the meeting of the seven-member commission, the first step toward eventually approving a new set of maps, reports Andrew Tobias.

TODAY IN OHIO

The Ohio Supreme Court singled out Cuyahoga, Summit and Hamilton counties in their redistricting decision, ruling that Republicans overstepped to result in fewer potentially Democratic congressional seats. We’re talking about striking down Ohio’s new congressional districts as an unconstitutional gerrymander on Today in Ohio, celeveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.

STATEHOUSE & POLITICS

Unemployment fraud: Thousands of Ohioans found out they were victims of unemployment fraud last year when they unexpectedly received a tax form in the mail. This year, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services is giving Ohioans a heads up by notifying about 955,000 residents that applications for unemployment benefits were filed in their name at some point in 2021, Jeremy Pelzer reports.

Campaign announcement: The lead plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court case that made gay marriage legal throughout the United States is running for a state legislative district in his hometown of Sandusky. Sabrina Eaton reports Jim Obergefell announced Tuesday that he’s seeking the 89th Ohio House District seat that’s currently held by Republican D.J. Swearingen of Huron, which includes Erie and Ottawa counties.

Congressional campaign: Less than three weeks after stepping down from her post as minority leader in the Ohio House of Representatives, Akron Democrat Emilia Sykes announced she’s running for Congress in Ohio’s newly reconfigured 13th congressional district, even though its boundaries are uncertain after Ohio’s Supreme Court rejected the Republican-drawn map as an illegal gerrymander, reports Sabrina Eaton.

METRO

Diversion Center: Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb reversed a policy that required police officers to get permission from the city prosecutor’s office before taking someone to get mental health or drug treatment instead of the county jail. Adam Ferrise reports that Bibb removed the requirement to give those accused of non-violent, low-level offenses better access to the county’s $9.2 million Diversion Center.

Lawsuit settled: Cuyahoga County is expected to pay $3 million to the estate of Ta’Naejah McCloud, a 5-year-old girl who died from abuse in 2017, an attorney in the case said. John Caniglia reports a filing in U.S. District Court in Cleveland on Monday indicated that the case had settled. Officials for the county declined to comment, as the issue is pending before Cuyahoga County Council. The panel is expected to vote on the matter next week.

Leader fired: The city of Cleveland fired the president of the Black Shield Police Association last month after an internal affairs investigation found him guilty of contacting a man who was convicted of bribing a police officer, and later lying about it. Sgt. Vincent Montague was fired effective Dec. 29, Olivia Mitchell reports. He was previously found guilty of 17 charges related to his contact with Andrew Long, a Tremont bar owner who was convicted of bribing a police officer to let his bar stay open after-hours.

Wind project: Advocates of the moribund Icebreaker wind turbine project proposed for Lake Erie off Cleveland Harbor are still clinging to a chance for success. Peter Krouse reports recent news from the Department of Energy is working in their favor. The Department of Energy has extended a grant critical to the project’s success, said Will Friedman, head of project developer Lake Erie Energy Development Corp., giving LEEDCo at least another year to find the necessary financing.

Masonic Temple: The run-down Brooklyn Masonic Temple building in Cleveland’s Brooklyn Centre neighborhood is slated to undergo extensive renovations as the new owner plans to convert the building into apartments. Eric Heisig reports new owner Kosta Almiroudis said he hopes to finish $4.5 million worth of work to the three-story brick building at 3804 Pearl Road by September 2023.

Teachers: Two years after the pandemic invaded schools, teachers are working to give kids the very best education and experiences possible in a remote or socially distanced classroom. What has been the toll on the teachers? Alexis Oatman is looking to speak with Northeast Ohio teachers about their experiences during the pandemic.

Federal crimes: Federal prosecutors in northern Ohio filed more criminal cases last year than they had in any of the previous 30 years, despite the coronavirus pandemic that slowed courts across the country. John Caniglia reports prosecutors brought charges in 846 cases in 2021.

COVID-19

Free tests: A day ahead of schedule, the https://www.covidtests.gov website where U.S. residents can order free at-home coronavirus tests from the federal government is online and accepting orders, reports Sabrina Eaton.

Site closing: Due to decreasing demand, the final day of COVID-19 testing at the W.O. Walker Cleveland Community COVID-19 Testing site will be Sunday, Julie Washington reports. Since the drive-thru site opened on Dec. 21, it has tested nearly 25,000 people, the state said.

Daily cases: The state of Ohio on Tuesday reported 15,077 new cases of COVID-19, a drop from recent daily cases counts suggesting that a multiple-day backlog of tens of thousands of results has been processed, reports Julie Washington.

Masking: The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its guidance on masks, stating that N95 masks give better protection than cloth ones. But the agency stopped short of recommending that people wear only N95 masks, reports Julie Washington.

BUSINESS

Holiday shopping: Shoppers found ways to spend money during the holiday season, despite all the factors that might have slowed gift buying. Sean McDonnell reports the National Retail Federation says sales topped $886.7 billion, up from the $777.3 billion spent in 2020. The trade group says this is a record for holiday shopping in November and December.

PNC: PNC Bank says it brought in $5.7 billion in net income in 2021 and expects to have a strong year in 2022 now that it’s operating coast-to-coast, reports Sean McDonnell. In the company’s fourth quarter and yearly earnings, it reported $19.2 billion in revenue, up from $16.9 billion in 2020.

CRIME

Airport and guns: The number of guns seized by the Transportation Security Administration at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport spiked in 2021, coinciding with a national trend. TSA officers seized 43 guns in Cleveland last year, up from the 19 guns found in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic sharply curbed the number of travelers, Adam Ferrise reports.

Guilty plea: The Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear the appeal of a Cleveland man who attempted to back out of his guilty plea for a deadly shooting in 2019. John Caniglia reports Anthony Balducci was sentenced to life in prison for the slaying of Michael May II.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

CMA: Key Jo Lee, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s director of academic affairs and associate curator of special projects, has been promoted to associate curator of American art, reports Steven Litt. Lee, a rising star who joined the museum in 2017 as assistant director of academic affairs, added her curatorial role in special projects in 2021.

NBA All-Star Game: Tim Bielak runs down everything you need to know as we begin the countdown to NBA All-Star Weekend, which starts Friday, Feb. 18, and continues until the All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 20, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Brite Winter: Brite Winter is set to return to the West Bank of Cleveland’s Flats on Feb. 26, bringing 30 musical acts to various stages located near the intersection of Main Avenue and Center Street. Anne Nickoloff reports Tennessee indie-rock band Colony House will headline the event at the Hyland Stage, while 29 acts -- mostly based in Northeast Ohio -- will perform throughout the day.

Asian Festival: After two years away, Cleveland Asian Festival will return to in-person festivities May 21-22, Anne Nickoloff reports. The outdoor event, which celebrates Cleveland’s AsiaTown neighborhood and local Asian culture, typically features various food trucks and vendors, along with scheduled performances over the course of the weekend.