Ohio State & Regional News

• Aviation: Breeze Airways is adding new nonstop flights from Cincinnati and Columbus starting this July, including routes to Portland (ME), Savannah, Tampa, and Greenville-Spartanburg.
• Legislation & Policy:
  • The Ohio House passed SB 63, which bans ranked-choice voting statewide and penalizes cities that attempt to use it.
  • HB 698 proposes defunding public universities that do not comply with new restrictions on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
  • A new bill seeks to prevent sudden cardiac arrest in youth athletes by increasing access to life-saving equipment at sporting events.
• Legal & Finance: The state is asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit regarding the $1.7 billion unclaimed funds pool, which plaintiffs allege is being used to fund sports arenas.
• Utilities & Health: Residents are facing surging winter heating bills due to rising electric prices. Separately, health experts are warning of addiction risks associated with the herbal substance Kratom.

Dayton & Montgomery County

• Education & Youth:
  • Learn to Earn Dayton received a $1.5 million grant to streamline career pathways for K-12 and higher-ed students.
  • Dayton Public Schools will consolidate preschools into Rosa Parks and River’s Edge next year to cut costs.
  • The city is launching "NextGen Leaders," a six-week workforce program for teens.
• City Infrastructure:
  • Dayton approved a solar project to power 14,000 homes and is purchasing a permanent home for its employee clinic on East First Street for $2.05 million.
  • The city is granting $71,000 to repair the Claridge Center before transferring it to the Northeast Churches Emergency Center food pantry.
• Public Safety: Police are conducting targeted curfew sweeps through March; juveniles out between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. without a guardian may face citations.
• Labor & Corrections: 150 female inmates were moved from the Dayton Correctional Institution to other cities due to a severe 18.8% officer vacancy rate. A staff survey at Dayton Metro Library also revealed a "crisis mode" with 70% of staff distrusting administration.
• Business Closures: A record store in the Oregon District and "So Pizza" near the Dayton Mall are both closing permanently in March.

Local Community Highlights

• Beavercreek: Dillard’s opens its new 160,000-square-foot store at the Mall at Fairfield Commons on March 19. The police department is also offering free R.A.D. self-defense training for women starting in April.
• Englewood & Northmont: Belton Foods is moving into a new $8 million facility in the Otterbein Industrial Park. Eric Hughes has been named the new Northmont City Schools superintendent.
• Fairborn: Wright State is investing $6 million to update nursing labs. AFLCMC at WPAFB is holding a major hiring event for engineers and tech roles (register by March 1).
• Huber Heights: The city is piloting an AI-powered "smart traffic" system on Brandt Pike to reduce congestion.
• Kettering: The Kettering Children’s Choir is a finalist for a $10,000 grant; public voting ends February 28.
• Piqua: Hartzell Propeller is investing $10 million in a new "Innovation Center" to produce carbon fiber blades for electric aircraft.
• Xenia: Kettering Health finalized a $25 million plan that saves Greene Memorial Hospital with $15 million in upgrades and breaks ground on a new Xenia Health Center this spring.
• Brookville/Clay Township: Melody Pool Swim Club has closed after 60 years; the site will become an industrial facility.