Ohio State & Regional News

• Legislation & Education: HB 671 proposes withholding funds from districts suing over the state's voucher program. Meanwhile, public school enrollment has dropped by 27,000 students post-pandemic as private and charter schools grow.
• Taxes & Governance: HB 420 aims to abolish permanent property tax levies by 2030, requiring fixed-term renewals. Additionally, GOP leaders are pushing the federal SAVE America Act to require proof of citizenship for voter registration.
• Public Safety: The Crossing Guard Protection Act would make harassing guards a first-degree misdemeanor. Another bill seeks to modernize background checks by mandating electronic data submission from courts.
• Consumer Alerts:
  • Utility Charges: The Consumers’ Counsel is fighting $189M in charges related to "outdated" coal plants.
  • Data Centers: Rapid expansion is raising alarms over the strain on Ohio’s power grid and water supply.
  • Gas Prices: A study suggests Mondays are the cheapest days to refuel in Ohio.
  • Maintenance: Drivers are urged to wash cars immediately to prevent road salt/brine corrosion.

Dayton & Montgomery County

• Financial Relief: The Dayton Collaboratory raised $137k to abolish $22M in medical debt for 15,000 residents.
• Police & Safety: DPD is opening a new Central Patrol substation near the RTA Hub to increase proactive drug and weapon interventions.
• Development:
  • Dayton Arcade: The North Arcade and marketplace open in March with tenants like Smales Pretzel Bakery.
  • onMain: Construction has begun on the $75M "Think Dayton" building at the former fairgrounds.
  • Belmont Pool: A $1.7M renovation is set for completion by September.
• Food & Arts: The 2026 Food Truck Rally schedule is set (kicking off in May), and INNOVAtheatre presents "For Colored Girls" Feb 20–22.

Local Community Highlights

• Beavercreek: Council denied a permit for Birch Hill Suites due to permanent residency issues and high emergency call volumes.
• Bellbrook: Shifting focus to a $2.7M project to filter "forever chemicals" (PFAS) from the water system.
• Englewood: Plans are moving forward for the $81M BOLT Innovation Center, featuring a sports complex and workforce hub.
• Huber Heights: A man received probation for a 2025 bomb threat hoax that caused neighborhood evacuations.
• Jefferson Township: The district is eliminating high school busing to meet only state-minimum requirements.
• Kettering: Brigid’s Path became the first U.S. facility of its kind to receive Medicaid reimbursement for newborn recovery. Residents are also weighing a May 5 bond issue for school modernization.
• Miami Township: The LexisNexis campus is being rebranded as "The Pike," a mixed-use park adding 750 jobs and five apartment buildings.
• Moraine: A new TNT Fireworks warehouse is under construction on the former golf course site near I-75.
• Springfield / Clark County: Dayton Children’s is acquiring Mercy Health’s pediatric practices in Urbana and Springfield. Nationally, the move to end Haitian TPS remains a major local concern.
• WPAFB: A $38M STEM complex is coming to 16 acres near the Air Force Museum, though contractor Astrion warned of 61 potential layoffs due to contract shifts.
• Xenia: Central State University issued layoff notices to 16 professors (mostly in Humanities) to address a $5M budget gap.