Algae in Lake Erie (Enoch Wu/Sentinel Tribune)

     U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced $12 million in new federal funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) last week to combat algal blooms and improve water quality in Lake Erie. The money will go to expanded monitoring and forecasting systems among other things, and since $10 billion of Ohio’s $40 billion annual tourist industry comes from counties along the lake’s shoreline, it’s an investment that local businesses can support. "The federal government - specifically the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative - is committed to tackling this problem,” said Brown.