Morse asked a patient if he (Morse is a private pilot) could fly him to D.C. to see the sights.
From such humble beginnings did Honor Flight become a reality.
In this newsletter:
- How much are local city managers being paid?
- A call to support local tenants.
- A spotlight on a winner of Saturday’s Air Force Marathon.
Operation Honor takes flight from Wright-Patt
Honoring the honorable: As dawn warmed the Eastern horizon Sunday, more than 160 veterans were winging their way to Washington, D.C. for a trip they would never forget.
Carl Johnson, 79, and about 166 other veterans left Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on two Air Force Reserve C-17 Globemasters for a one-day trip to Washington, D.C., where they toured war memorials, getting the kind of reception Honor Flight Network organizers always strive to give veterans.
Public concert: The veterans returned to Wright-Patterson in time for the final performer of a concert on the 445th campus, Lee Greenwood.
“Nobody can seem to remember when Wright-Patt has been open to the general public,” Col. Matthew Muha, deputy commander of the 445th, told me last month.
Payroll Project: Dayton city manager pay climbs despite lack of performance reviews
The findings: Dayton’s city manager has gone without an annual performance evaluation for three years as her pay has steadily risen, a Dayton Daily News investigation found.
City Manager Shelley Dickstein’s 2024 compensation was $284,232, according to the Dayton Daily News Payroll Project. This is an increase from $264,888 in 2022.
Regular reviews elsewhere: The absence of an annual performance review puts Dayton at odds with its largest suburbs, Kettering and Beavercreek. Both cities perform annual reviews of their city managers, according to records obtained by the Dayton Daily News.
Making Dayton home: Immigrant businesses help fuel economy
Cultural statement: Immigrants are far more likely than native-born citizens to start businesses, and leaders in Dayton-area entrepreneurism say these owners both power the local economy and make the region more appealing, Reporter Sydney Dawes was told.
Staying power: “You have to have culture,” Dayton Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Christina Mendez said. “If you don’t have the things that stand up a culture, then people don’t want to live, work or stay here long-term. And we’ll just be a city that people pass by on the highway on their way to Cincinnati or Columbus.”
Kettering’s free- and low-cost home rehab programs turn heads
Credit: Jen Balduf
Credit: Jen Balduf
What’s up: The city of Kettering is helping homeowners with upgrades and repairs as well as free home rehabilitation to address lead-based paint.
What they’re saying: Courtland Avenue homeowner Bill Trent thought the program was too good to be true, but his house now has new windows, garage doors, siding, gutters and downspouts, HVAC system and roof thanks to the programs.
“Before my to-do list was a mile long and now it’s much shorter and I have a home that’s safe, that I can grow old in,” said Trent, 58, who has lived in his home for three years. “The chance to be a part of the program really, really, really is a miracle to me.”
Community group calls for tenant rights
The idea: A community group that advocates for tenant rights is pushing hard for Dayton to create a housing trust fund to help pay for free legal representation for low-income renters in eviction cases and other types of support.
Members of the Dayton Tenant Union say a local pilot program that provides tenants with legal counsel produced promising early results and they want the city to fund a more permanent program.
Newsletter numbers
$58 million: What a Montgomery County levy, if renewed in November, would fund in social services.
7,600-plus: The number of Air Force Marathon runners this year.
2 hours, 21 minutes: Zach Kreft’s winning time in the Air Force Marathon Saturday.
Contact me: Thanks for being here. Tell me about your business at tom.gnau@coxinc.com or at X. I’m also on LinkedIn and on our Dayton Business page, with my colleagues. Find me as well on my Facebook page.
Newsletter roundup
Arch: Nurse by night, marathon winner by day.
Hold on to the ball: Things the Bengals need to work on.
Steel City Pizza opens in Hamilton: But closes in Middletown.
‘Real-life’ education: The value of student-run credit union branches.
Caesar Creek Flea Market: Closing after nearly 50 years.
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