Goodyear earnings report stresses North American sales
Goodyear's fourth quarter sales for 2012 totaled $5 billion, down 11 percent from 2011. That reflects lower sales in tires and chemicals, as well as foreign currency differences.

But in its earnings report released today, Goodyear said  its North American tire earnings set fourth-quarter records.  And Chairman Richard Kramer characterized the North American market as having “momentum and, more importantly, sustainability. Kramer said the company is also starting to see returns on its investments in China.

Goodyear is preparing to open its new global headquarters in east Akron.

Jackson to decide whether to defend Jesus portrait
The school board of a small southeast Ohio district is meeting tonight to decide whether to continue to defend a portrait of Jesus in Jackson Middle School.

After weeks of talks, the American Civil Liberties Union is suing, saying the portrait amounts to an endorsement of Christianity by a public school.

The Jackson school board will decide tonight whether to go to court to defend the painting or remove it.  The district says it has the support of the public to keep the painting, which was a class gift back in 1947.

Canton mayor backs off on crime lab hire
The man Canton’s mayor just named head of the regional crime lab has resigned – at the request of the mayor. Mayor William Healy had appointed retired Stark County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Rick Perez to head the Canton-Stark County Crime lab, though Perez has no college degree or crime lab training, and the hiring standards had to be lowered for him to qualify. The opening also was not advertised and was removed from civil service testing. That set off a protest from the other local governments that are part of the Stark County Council of Governments, which funds the agency.

Healy told the Canton Repository that he was unaware of some of the changes and that the process needed to be more transparent.

Cuyahoga Council questions juvenile justice designs 
Cuyahoga County Council is raising more questions about whether there were flaws in the design of the new Juvenile Justice Center that could cost it millions of dollars.

Among the problems are ceilings in about 30 cells in the detention center that are low enough for  kids to vandalize sprinkler heads.

According to the Plain Dealer, council wants to question Heery International, which was the county’s consultant on the $189 million detention center.

Heery Vice President Marc Scoble told the Plain Dealer his company was not the designer, but simply a representative. The building opened in nearly 18 months ago.