Dayton
Gas, electric companies cut off 270,000 Ohioans amid pandemic and billions in profit
Seven gas and electric companies in Ohio shut off service due to nonpayment more than 270,000 times over one year during the pandemic as their corporate parents reported billions in profits, according to an analysis of regulatory and financial flings. After prohibiting gas and electric shutoffs for the early months of the pandemic, the Public […]
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Morgan Harper takes tour to Dayton
About a dozen supporters packed into Third Perk Coffee in Dayton Wednesday to meet Morgan Harper, one of the Democrats running for U.S. Senate. Dion Green helped organize the event. He leads The Fudge Foundation, named after his father who was among those killed in the 2019 mass shooting in Dayton’s Oregon District. “We speak […]
Dayton utility asks regulators to make electric shutoffs easier
A Dayton area utility company has asked state regulators to relax the rules around shutting off power to customers who are behind on their electric bills. State regulations require utility companies, after filing written notices with customers who owe them money, to send an employee to make a final house call before cutting their power. […]
Energy efficiency scorecard shows slight improvement and notable drops for large Ohio cities
A recent scorecard tracking energy policies among 100 of the country’s biggest cities offers a mixed bag for Ohio. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy reviewed six cities — the three Cs plus Dayton, Toledo and Akron. Columbus and Toledo improved slightly, but the others held steady or slipped. The ACEEE formed in […]
How are Ohio cities spending their American Rescue Plan dollars?
When the American Rescue Plan was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden last March, the U.S. Department of the Treasury wanted the cities who were getting part of the $1.9 trillion national relief package to submit their first project and expenditure reports to them by Oct. 31. Ohio cities got […]
Dayton Commission mailers rope state party into fight between progressives and centrists
From Congress to city councils, progressives and centrists in the Democratic party are wrestling over whose vision should define the party’s future. In Dayton, that fight is playing out in the race for city commission, and a pair of mailers attacking two progressives have roped in the state Democratic party. The mailers attack commission candidates […]
Dayton incident with paraplegic man shines light on state, local police reform efforts
During a traffic stop, late last month, Dayton police officers pulled Clifford Owensby from his car by the hair. Owensby, who is paraplegic, repeatedly told the officers he could not get out of the car, that he wanted them to call a supervisor, that they could hurt him by pulling him from the vehicle. They […]
FBI suspected Dayton Mayor Whaley of bribery in 2014, court documents show
The FBI suspected Dayton Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley in 2014 of accepting cash bribes from a city contractor, according to unsealed search warrant applications filed in federal court. Whaley was not charged with any crime and the U.S. Department of Justice has closed the investigation. The warrants detail sworn statements from FBI […]
Sausage-making: Redistricting hearings continue, public asks for transparency and accountability
There was a lot of talk about sausage at the Ohio Redistricting Commission’s Cincinnati public hearing on Tuesday. But no goetta was served. In the fourth of 10 planned public hearings on gerrymandering in the state’s voting districts, members of the Cincinnati area asked that there be changes made not only to the new district […]
Whaley announces run for governor: ‘We need new leadership in Ohio’
Nan Whaley acknowledges she has grown and changed since four years ago, the last time she announced a campaign to become Ohio’s governor. The intervening years as mayor of Dayton have offered her no choice. First came a series of tornadoes on Memorial Day in 2019 that killed two, injured others and reportedly caused $1 […]
Sen. Brown, local officials want direct payments for COVID-19 relief
City officials are begging for help from the federal government to cover losses in every sector brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ohio Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown says he plans to bring legislation that would align with President Joe Biden’s comprehensive funding plan, and drive direct payments to municipalities across the state. In a […]
COVID-19 vaccine: Strides toward equity, access demanded
As COVID-19 vaccine distribution slowly but surely continues in the state, minority populations still represent a small percentage of those that have received the vaccine, and officials and advocates say more strides toward minority equity and access need to happen. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine hasn’t waivered in recent messages that vaccine doses coming to the […]