Throughout her career, Ms. Hollins has held various roles in behavioral health, substance abuse counseling, and mental health services with organizations such as the Cleveland Clinic and OhioGuidestone. She has been honored with numerous awards, including Cleveland State University’s Social Worker Student of the Year Award. Ms. Hollins holds a Bachelor of Arts in social work from Oakwood University and a Master of Social Work from Cleveland State University.

As she looks to the future, she plans to expand her company by developing a grant management department and creating online training curricula. Ms. Hollins credits her success to building strong connections and engaging with people on a personal level.

The post Chardé Hollins, CEO of Bedford-Based Relevant Connections LLC, Recognized in Marquis Who’s Who for Impactful Leadership in Social Work and Grant Management as Provided by 24-7 Press Release first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.

When Dr. Rust first noticed that the clinic was up for sale, she knew it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up, despite the extensive renovations required. “It’s usually hush hush when vet clinics are for sale,” she shared.

The property and business were sold together, which meant Dr. Rust inherited not only the building but also the records of the Dr. J’s clients. Although Dr. Rust has made efforts to reach out to the clinic’s existing clientele, she encourages anyone who hasn’t heard from the clinic to feel free to call and get acquainted with the new practice.

Despite these challenges, Dr. Rust has been warmly received by the nearby business community and is eager to serve the people and pets of Bedford. While she is not a Bedford resident herself, she is committed to providing the best care possible to the community’s pets and is already enjoying her time here. “I’m really excited to be working with animals again and to be part of Bedford,” she said with a smile.

The clinic currently operates on a limited schedule—Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:00am to 6:00pm—until another veterinarian joins the team next month. But even with the limited hours, all are welcome.

Tinkers Creek Veterinary Clinic offers full-service care for dogs and cats, with a particular focus on providing clients with ample one-on-one time to ensure they never feel rushed and all their questions are thoroughly answered. Dr. Rust is also highly skilled in surgery and dentistry, and she practices “fear-free” medicine, ensuring that pets are always in the best hands.

The clinic might be in the same easy-to-find location, but it now has a brand new feel. Dr. Rust has also established good relationships with surrounding clinics, making her a trusted member of the local veterinary community.

As Dr. Rust settles into her new role in Bedford, she looks forward to continuing to grow the clinic and becoming an integral part of the community. Tinkers Creek Veterinary Clinic is more than just a place for pet care; it’s a welcoming space where pet owners can feel confident that their beloved animals are receiving the best possible care.

Tinkers Creek Veterinary Clinic
60 Broadway Avenue, Bedford, OH 44146
(440) 368-1355

The post Tinkers Creek Veterinary Clinic: A New Beginning with Dr. Lydia Rust first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.

The launch day on August 6 marked a significant milestone for Ohioans following the approval of adult-use marijuana through a referendum the previous November. Despite adverse weather conditions, strong customer turnout was noted across the state. Industry operators observed continuous foot traffic, with dispensaries experiencing long lines throughout the day.

In the first five days, 138,466 transactions were recorded across Ohio’s 98 licensed dual-use dispensaries. The enthusiasm for adult-use marijuana was evident, with substantial increases in foot traffic and sales compared to the previous medical-only operations.

Cannabis prices were initially higher in the adult-use market, with a “day unit” of flower (2.8 grams) retailing for $26.59, about 20% more than in the medical market. After taxes, the cost exceeded $31. Although prices were higher than in neighboring states like Michigan, where market saturation has driven down costs, Ohio’s prices are expected to decrease over the next year as the market stabilizes.

The post Ohio’s New Adult-Use Marijuana Market Sees Strong Sales in First Week as Reported by Crain’s Cleveland Business first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.

COLUMBUS — With deceptive pricing continuing at Dollar General stores, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost recently asked a Butler County Common Pleas judge to immediately force the Tennessee-based retailer to stop advertising one price on its store shelves and charging another price – typically higher – at its registers.

In his request for a temporary restraining order against the discount retailer, Yost cited ongoing violations of the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act. He also requested a hearing regarding a preliminary injunction that would require Dollar General to abide by Ohio consumer laws as this case progresses.

“There’s a mountain of evidence showing that Dollar General simply doesn’t care to fix the issue – and that’s despite numerous consumer complaints, failed auditor inspections and our lawsuit,” Yost said. “The bait-and-switch price games stop now.”

Multiple county auditors, as part of their regular duties, have inspected Dollar General stores and found that many of the product prices displayed did not match the prices charged. Even after Yost sued the company on Nov. 1, 2022,  auditor reports show, some of the same stores continued to fail inspections, meaning they are still charging more than the prices advertised.

Notably, Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano required certain Dollar General stores to apply stickers to their registers warning consumers that they may be charged incorrectly.

In the months since the lawsuit was filed, the Attorney General’s Office has received 116 complaints regarding Dollar General’s shelf-pricing issues.

Ohioans who suspect unfair business practices should contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at www.OhioProtects.org or 800-282-0515.

Read a copy of the motion: (Part 1 of 2), (Part 2 of 2).

The post Complaints continue against Dollar General for bait-and-switch pricing in Ohio first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.

These scammers call out of the blue and suggest – under the guise of wanting to help remedy the situation – that a large purchase has been charged to your credit card.

“Legitimate companies don’t do business this way, so just hang up,” Yost said. “These impostors want to get you on the line and cause panic so you cough up personal information. My hope is that you will answer by ending the call.”

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), various Amazon impersonation scams – many involving claims that a consumer has ordered an expensive product or service – are filling phone lines throughout the country.

The “representative” then persuades the consumer to give him or her remote access to the consumer’s device so the “representative” can issue a “refund.” Instead, the scammer gains access to the consumer’s personal identifying information.

In a variation of the scam, the fraudster persuades the consumer to buy gift cards as a way of “stopping” the unauthorized purchase.

On Amazon’s website, company guidelines make clear that Amazon would never call a customer to seek personal information or discuss a refund that the customer isn’t already expecting.

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office offers these tips to help consumers deal with business impostor scams:

• Hang up if you receive a cold call from someone claiming that you have purchased an item from Amazon or another popular online retailer. Do not call back the number on your caller ID or the phone number mentioned in the message. Instead, if you are concerned about the supposed purchase, contact the retailer using its legitimate phone number or email address. Customer service contact information can typically be found on the company’s website.
• Carefully examine the details of your online account purchases and credit card bills for any unauthorized charges. If you see an unauthorized charge, report it immediately to your credit card company.
• Never allow a stranger to remotely access your smartphone, tablet or computer. If the caller claims to need remote access to process a refund, it’s a scam.
• Be highly suspicious of requests from a stranger to buy gift cards as payment for any product or service as part of a “refund” process or to allegedly help stop fraud from a third party. Know that once you disclose a gift card’s PIN to someone, that person will be able to access the money on the card.  
• To report a scam, contact the legitimate retailer through the contact information on its website and the Ohio Attorney General’s Help Center.
• If you’ve fallen victim to a business impostor scam by disclosing personal identifying information, download the Ohio Attorney General’s ID Theft Basics publication and visit www.identitytheft.gov for help on how to proceed.

Consumers who suspect an unfair or deceptive sales practice should contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at www.OhioProtects.org or 800-282-0515.

The post Attorney General warns Ohioans about robocalling impostors during holidays first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.

The settlement agreement resolves 10 pending regulatory proceedings related to 2017-2020 annual earnings tests, a 4-year review of FirstEnergy’s electric security plan, and 2014-2018 energy efficiency audits.

The unopposed settlement agreement is supported by PUCO staff, Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, Ohio Edison, Toledo Edison, Ohio Energy Group, Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, Industrial Energy Users-Ohio, Ohio Partners for Affordable Energy, Nucor Steel Marion, The Kroger Co., Interstate Gas Supply, Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council, and Ohio Hospital Association.

Specifically, the agreement calls for the utilities to refund $96 million (which includes interest) related to the utilities’ 2017-2019 annual earnings tests. Residential customers would receive a one-time bill credit of approximately $27. Nonresidential customers would be provided approximately $2.60 per megawatt hour credit over a six-month period.

The remaining $210 million would be refunded as bill credit as follows:

• $80 million during 2022
• $60 million during 2023
• $45 million during 2024
• $25 million during 2025

The agreement maintains the terms and conditions of its previously approved electric security plan, including FirstEnergy’s commitment to file a base distribution rate case by May 31, 2024.

A copy of the settlement agreement is available on the PUCO website by clicking on the link to Docketing Information System and searching for case 20-1476-EL-UNC.

Case background

Ohio law requires the PUCO to review electric distribution utilities’ annual earnings, called a “significantly excessive earnings test”. The PUCO examines utilities’ annual return on equity compared to similarly situated utilities across the country.

The PUCO must conduct a 4-year review of a utility’s electric security plan to ensure its terms and conditions remain favorable when compared to a market rate option. FirstEnergy’s electric security plan began on March 16, 2016 and will remain in place until May 31, 2024.

The PUCO performs annual audits to ensure charges passed onto customers through its “demand side management and energy efficiency rider” were accurately calculated.

The post FirstEnergy settlement will include refunds for many customers first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.

Hotchkiss had been planning his retirement even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He said that at age 70, it was a good time to get out of the business so he could spend more time with his family. He and his wife Jae have three children, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Hotchkiss said he is grateful for the hundreds of customers that have been faithful to the Bedford Floral Shoppe and helped it become a successful business over the years. However, he said the way many people have been buying flowers these days makes it difficult for a small business to survive. He said that the availability of large online vendors makes people sometimes forget about their local options.

Internet purchases would be decades away — in fact, televisions had barely even come onto the market — when Robert’s father, Robert Hotchkiss Sr., launched the Bedford Flower Shoppe in December of 1945. The elder Hotchkiss had returned from World War II, and soon after, opened the shop with a partner at its first location at 711 Broadway Ave. The younger Hotchkiss said growing flowers has always been a part of his family’s makeup, and that his father had experience working at a greenhouse when he was young.

Around the time he started the business, the elder Hotchkiss married Marion Peck and began a family which included Robert Jr., who was born in 1950, and his older brother Doug. Hotchkiss said that while growing up, the brothers would help out at the shop, but he said his parents would never push them to be involved. They were allowed to make the decision themselves of whether they wanted to participate.

In 1962 the family purchased the already established ‘Natalie’s Florist’ in Northfield. They remodeled the building and changed the name to Northfield Florist, thus creating a second place for customers to go to get their floral arrangements.

After years of seeing how much his father enjoyed the business, and how the elder Hotchkiss was able to help others commemorate important events in their lives, the younger Hotchkiss decided shortly after high school, and some time in college, to devote himself to the flower business as a full-time career.

“I learned apprentice-style,” he said.

It was around that time, in 1971, that the family decided to purchase the building at 691 Broadway. At one point in its history, the building was used as a post office, then as a bakery and also an insurance agency. Before they moved in, Hotchkiss said they enlarged the building by adding on to the back, up to 30 or 40 feet. They opened for business at the new place in 1972.

Hotchkiss began to take on more responsibility during the 1970s as his father’s health started to decline. Also at that time, Hotchkiss’ brother Doug was in charge of running the store in Northfield. Hotchkiss’ father passed away at the age of 62 in 1979.

Hotchkiss said that running any retail business can be complicated, and the flower business offers its own challenges and rewards, as well.

One of the challenges can be timing, and sometimes that depends on the flowers themselves. Hotchkiss said they would buy their stock mostly from wholesalers in Cleveland, but it could take one to three days in the shop for the flowers to open their blooms so they could be used. Once the flowers were ready, the design aspect of floral business could begin.

“I enjoyed the designing (aspect) a lot,” Hotchkiss said. He added that they had some templates to work from, but that sometimes he would just create on the spot. He said it was very meaningful to him to help people express their feelings during significant times in their lives, whether it was a wedding ceremony or a funeral.

“Flowers are a funny thing,” Hotchkiss said. “They last a week or so, but the memory of what you send lives on.”

He said people have come back to him after a funeral and expressed how much the flower sprays helped to bring a sense of peace, and assisted them in getting through that difficult time of death.

During the 1970s, Hotchkiss said they had as many as 12 workers at the shop, mostly part-time, to help with the demand for flowers. He said one of the employees handled all of the wedding designs, while the rest would tackle the daily orders.

Since timing is so important with flowers, he said it wasn’t unusual during holidays to stay in the store until 2 a.m. just to turn around and come back within a few hours in order to fill requests. Needless to say, Hotchkiss spent lots of time at the shop.

Despite all the hours, Hotchkiss said he was still able to enjoy watching his children grow up since the business had already been established, and he had so much help at the store. Still, he said he had to make days off and vacations a priority — and even close the store at times — or he could have been at the shop all the time.

Hotchkiss said since the flower shop took up such a large part of his life, he never really had the opportunity for a hobby, so retirement might allow him to broaden his horizons a bit in the area.

He said of retirement. “It’s a bittersweet type of thing. I love my business. I loved my work.” He said it is hard for him not to have the opportunity to go and be of help to people during different occasions, “but I’m with my family, and that’s what I am supposed to be doing.”

Editor’s Note: Northfield Florist remains in business at 9387 Olde 8 Rd in Northfield, Ohio. Here is a link to the website: https://northfieldflorist.net/

The post This year, Bedford said goodbye to long-time floral business (photos) first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.

Even though the store has only been open for a few months now, this dress-making star “was born” years ago when she made her daughter’s dress for the Shaker Heights High School prom and soon everyone wanted in.  Trained by her grandmother, Birda Spratt, Starr has been making dresses and guiding fashion for over 20 years. 

Her custom-made designs are in demand and require four to six weeks of preparation.  The clothing line in her store starts at girl’s toddlers (sorry no boys!) and goes through adult and plus-sized fashions. 

But Starr Quality Upscale Boutique is more than an upscale dress shop. Starr has expanded to include her own line of jewelry (Mi’ Amor) and organic cosmetics, including a gentle, aloe-vera based hand sanitizer, lotions, body washes, nail products and make-up.  Top sellers are the banana hand wash and fresh-smelling muscle ache cream.  

Starr’s boutique experience will be expanding this month to include the Beaming White teeth whitening process.  This new service is 100% organic and is a spa-like procedure.  To top it off, Starr offers a full line of weight loss products that focuses on detoxing and replenishing your body rather than depriving it.  These include an all-natural detox tea (Iaso Teas) and the Delgada weight loss line.

The post Custom-designed dresses made in Bedford at new Starr boutique first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.

Last week’s jobless claims top the monthly filings of all but Ohio’s worst month on record, December 1981, when claims reached 205,159. The next highest month, December 1982, saw 167,638 claims: roughly 20,000 fewer than reported last week. Those monthly peaks happened during a recession that hit Ohio harder than the one in 2008. Ohio manufacturing jobs never recovered.

These numbers reflect a period just before large portions of Ohio’s economy were abruptly halted by Governor DeWine’s March 22 “stay home order,” intended to slow the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. The order mandated the closure of non-essential business activities and urged Ohioans to stay home. The filings show that Ohio employers were already shedding jobs in the midst of school and restaurant closures, and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The specifics of which jobs were affected won’t be available until next month, when the employer and household surveys come out for March. But Moody’s Analytics has classified jobs in five industries as most at-risk: Leisure and hospitality, transportation, mining, employment services, and travel arrangements. Together these jobs comprise 921,000 jobs: a fifth of all private sector Ohio jobs, and $234 billion in earnings. Moody’s released these projections ahead of school and restaurant closures, and stay-at-home orders in Ohio and other states, which will extend to other jobs.

Contact: Michael Shields
330.906.2062

For full article, click here: https://bit.ly/2QN2keR

The post Ohio jobless claims reach historical one-week high last week first appeared on The Bedford Tribune.

Contact: Zach Schiller
216.361.9801

For full article, click here: https://bit.ly/2ZQoPmo

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