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Election 2023: We’ve got you covered
Credit: Bill Franz
Credit: Bill Franz
Summary: Voting starts this week in the November election, when Ohioans will decide whether to amend the state Constitution to protect abortion access and whether to legalize recreational marijuana and regulate it like alcohol. Locally, voters will decide important tax issues for schools and cities, plus dozens of competitive school board, mayor, city council and other races to decide how your local tax dollars are spent. Election officials are expecting high turnout.
♦ Who is on the ballot?: Use our voters guide to understand who is on the ballot in local races and where they stand. The guide, which includes responses from hundreds of candidates for local competitive races, is online at www.daytondailynews.com/voter-guide.
♦ Election resources: The deadline to register to vote and the start of early voting are both this week. Go here for a breakdown of everything you need to know to vote in the November election. If you are a print subscriber, you can find an absentee ballot application in Sunday’s newspaper. Absentee ballot applications are also available online at the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office.
♦ Issue 1: The issue getting the most attention is a proposed amendment to enshrine abortion rights in the Ohio Constitution. There is a lot of confusion going around with claims being made by both sides. We recently surveyed our readers on what their questions are surrounding this issue and answered the top questions in an effort to inform readers. We also looked at data on abortions in Ohio in 2022, and how that informs the debate on Issue 1.
Dayton streets looking like ‘The Purge’
Summary: Some Dayton residents and leaders say they are fed up with the ATVs, dirt bikes and motorcycles that have been swarming local roadways, often breaking traffic laws while performing dangerous tricks and stunts.
♦ Key quote: “They were all over — it was like ‘The Purge,’ " said Amy Caraway, 54, who was driving home to Trotwood on a recent Sunday evening when the roadway suddenly was overrun with ATVs, dirt bikes and motorcycles in the area of North Main Street, Shoup Mill Road and Philadelphia Drive. “They just surrounded everybody.”
♦ Not just Dayton: Over Labor Day weekend, a very large pack of close to 100 ATVs, dirt bikes and motorcycles took over roadways in Dayton, Harrison Twp., Trotwood and other local communities. Montgomery County Regional Dispatch received calls every weekend in September from citizens who said they witnessed ATVs, dirt bikes and motorcycles driving dangerously on local roads, according to dispatch call records.
♦ Caught on video: One ATV rider uploaded an hourlong video of one of these mass rides to Youtube. You can see the video in this story.
♦ Scary stuff: If you haven’t experienced it, you’re lucky. I was in the car with my kids on the way home from a festival downtown a while back when we were surrounded by dirt bikes and ATVs zooming past us, running red lights and driving the wrong way. My main concern was colliding with one of them.
Former county prosecutor enters guilty plea in unusual case
The news: A former Montgomery County assistant prosecutor accused of rape pleaded guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor counts as part of a plea agreement. John C. Amos, 51 was indicted last year on two counts of rape, one count of sexual battery and two counts of gross sexual imposition. Four of the counts were dismissed against Amos in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday. Amos changed his plea to guilty for one count of sexual imposition, and pleaded guilty to one count of assault, added as a part of the plea agreement.
The background: Amos is not just another defendant. He served as a county prosecutor representing Montgomery County in some of the most high-profile cases. He was on a short list of candidates to fill an open Miamisburg Municipal Judge seat. That’s why the handling of the case is of particular public importance.
Our reporting: Dayton Daily News reporting has revealed numerous things about the case; in fact, the only reason court records are visible to the public is because we challenged the court about the case being seemingly sealed indefinitely. Other aspects that court watchers say were unusual included the terms of his pretrial release and the investigation involving special prosecutors from multiple counties. Read more here.