A power outage Thursday at Walmart resulted in more than $5,000 in merchandise being removed from the store — and a dispute over whether it was done so legally.

CLEVELAND — When a winter storm rages outside, snow, ice and wind aren’t the only things you have to worry about. A power outage can turn a few hours of severe winter weather into a days-long ordeal.

Electric is probing the cause of a power failure that affected thousands of residents along with the downtown area Wednesday ...