Solar may be coming to Auglaize

Nearby counties in Ohio may become home to a large solar energy project.

Lightsource bp is working on the proposed Birch Solar Project in Auglaize and Allen counties, the Daily Standard reported recently.

The project slated for an area about 10 miles southwest of Lima, Ohio, would cover 2,600 acres. It would include land in Duchouquet and Logan townships in Auglaize County.

Lightsource has said construction could begin as early as the fourth quarter of 2021 with the facility to begin operation in 2023. It would have a capacity of 375 megawatts, enough to power about 55,000 homes per year.

Auglaize County Commissioners have not yet signed and documents regarding the project. Logan Township trustees have reportedly passed resolutions in opposition to the project, the Daily Standard wrote.



Schedule changed

The Commercial Review has altered its publishing schedule and office hours around the New Year’s Day holiday.

The Commercial Review will publish Thursday’s newspaper as a morning edition. It will publish its Jan. 2 paper as an afternoon edition. These changes will allow employees to have New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day off.

The CR’s office will also be closed New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

The newspaper will return to its regular publishing schedule Jan. 5.



Yorktown DG robbed

A Dollar General store in Yorktown was robbed Dec. 18.

Fox 59 reported that Yorktown police are investigating an armed robbery at Dollar General, 5925 W. Kilgore Ave. It occurred about 9:15 p.m. Dec. 18.

Police say the suspect was armed with a gun and wearing a mask and gloves, according to the TV station’s report. The suspect put a note on the counter demanding money and telling employees to go to a back room.

Fox 59 reports that no one was hurt in the incident, which was similar to a robbery at a Muncie Dollar General earlier this month.



Another honor

NextEra Energy, which owns and operates Bluff Point Wind Energy Center in Jay and Randolph counties, was announced recently as a recipient of the S&P Global Platts 2020 Energy Transition Award. It recognizes leadership efforts in environmental, social and governance areas.

"We are extremely honored to receive the Energy Transition Award," said NextEra chairman and CEO Jim Robo. "For three decades, we have been a driving force in reducing emissions across the U.S. power sector. Fueled by our culture of innovation, our team is passionate about generating clean, renewable energy, while continuing to disrupt and transform our industry.”

NextEra had also been announced this month as Utility Drive’s Utility of the Year.



Walmart sued

The Justice Department sued Walmart on Tuesday, accusing it of fueling the nation’s opioid crisis by pressuring its pharmacies to fill even potentially suspicious prescriptions for the powerful painkillers.

The civil complaint filed points to the role Walmart’s pharmacies may have played in the crisis by filling opioid prescriptions and Walmart’s own responsibility for the allegedly illegal distribution of controlled substances to the pharmacies at the height of the opioid crisis, the Associated Press reported. Walmart operates more than 5,000 pharmacies in its stores around the country.

The Justice Department alleges Walmart violated federal law by selling thousands of prescriptions for controlled substances that its pharmacists “knew were invalid,” said Jeffrey Clark, the acting assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department’s civil division.



Indonesian opening

Taco Bell opened its first restaurant in Indonesia last week.

The first Indonesian Taco Bell was opened in South Jakarta by PT Fast Food Indonesia. All Taco Bell Indonesia products are Halal certified, according to a press release, and its rice has been crafted “taking into account local flavors made in Taco Bell style.”

"We believe that there is a growing opportunity for Taco Bell,” said PT Fast Food Indonesia general manager of marketing Hendra Yuniarto. “We also look forward to introducing this fun and dynamic brand to other parts of the country in the future. We will continue to review the demand and improve what Taco Bell offers to the Indonesian market.”



Lilly studying

Eli Lilly plans to start a new study of COVID-19 treatment bamlanivimab in the coming weeks.

The Indianapolis-based company will run a study of the drug on high-risk COVID-19 patients in New Mexico, Inside Indiana Business reported this week. The company said the study will provide data on the effectiveness and safety of the drug, which recently received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"It is important to continue building on the evidence base for bamlanivimab through ongoing studies, including those in a real-world setting," said Dr. Daniel Skovronsky, Lilly's chief scientific officer and president of Lilly Research Laboratories.



New offering

McDonald’s has put two recognizable American products together into a sandwich.

The fast-food chain is offering a sandwich made of two slices of Spam topped with crumbled Oreo cookies and mayonnaise, the Chicago Tribune reported this week. The menu item is available only at locations in China.

McDonald’s said the sandwich is part of a series of “members only” promotions being released on Mondays in China. It planned to sell no more than 400,000 of the sandwiches, the Tribune added.

While the offering had plenty of critics, there were also fans.

“I thought it was delicious,” said one commenter on the Sina Weibo microblog service. “Is that because I love McDonald’s too deeply? Or is something wrong with my taste?”