Bishop will reopen a dozen Cleveland churches
The bishop of the Cleveland Catholic diocese is reopening a dozen churches he shut down over the past three years. But he says it could be months before some of those churches will hold services again.

Bishop Richard Lennon announced at a press conference this morning that he will not appeal a rare Vatican decision overruling his church closures. 

“Doing so would prolong the process for a number of years, and doing so would create more uncertainty and continue to divide our Catholic community. Therefore I will move forward and carry out the Congregation for the Clergy’s directives regarding the parishes in an orderly manner.”

In all, Lennon closed 50 churches, citing financial problems and a drop in priests and parishioners. And he said this morning that those problems will continue as the dozen churches in the Cleveland and Akron areas prepare to reopen, and that some of the churches may have to share priests.

The Youngstown Diocese also is closing churches in the corridor stretching from Youngstown to Canton.

List of Cleveland churches affected: St. Adalbert, St. Barbara, St. Casimir, St. Emeric, St. Peter, St. Patrick (West Park) St. Wendelin,  St. James in Lakewood, St. Mary in Bedford, St. Mary in Lorain, and St. John the Baptist and St. Mary in akron.

Goodyear sales shoot up in 2011
Goodyear sales shot up more than 20 percent last year over 2010. And at the Akron-based company’s annual meeting this (Wednesday) morning, CEO Richard Kramer was optimistic about 2012.   Kramer noted record income for the company in Europe and Africa last year and sales records in Asia.   Goodyear’s North American business also showed a profit despite a fragile economy.

“In the United States, economic recovery from the recession has been gradual and signs of improvement have been inconsistent. A variety of factors have contributed to American consumers postponing many purchases and being more careful when they choose to spend. We felt the impact in the form of a relatively soft replacement demand in 2011.”

The price of raw material – primarily oil – also hurt profitability.  Kramer said Goodyear will focus on sustaining profits in North America and winning over the growing middle class in China.

Cleveland school board considers sales of HQ
Tonight, the Cleveland school board will consider a plan to close and sell the district’s headquarters. CEO Eric Gordon estimates the district could sell the building on East Sixth Street for more than $8 million, and that the shift of central administration offices to the closed East High School and to rented space downtown could save the district more than $5 million over five years. The headquarters building is next to the new convention center and medical mart.

Ohio resumes executions tomorrow
A Portage County man has been sent to the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Portsmouth to prepare for his execution tomorrow. Forty-nine-year-old Mark Wayne Wiles will be the first man executed in Ohio in five months. Wiles stabbed 15 year-old Mark Klima of Rootstown to death in 1985.

The delay in executions sprang from a court battle over Ohio’s failure to follow its own procedures. A federal judge signed off on the resumption after Ohio promised it had straightened out its procedural problems.

Johnny Damon may be weeks from joining Indians MLB team
Johnny Damon is not officiall a part of the Cleveland Indians yet, but he’s expected to complete a pre-signing physical in Arizona today. The 38-year-old outfielder will likely then participate in extended spring training before heading to Triple-A ball in  Columbus and then joining the big league club.