Utility spending on electricity distribution has surpassed spending on electricity transmission and production, according to the government’s analysis.
That’s where our first story comes in — a proposed increase in AES Ohio distribution rates, which all customers in this area pay.
In this newsletter:
- ‘Gently used’ music gear: There’s a new place for that in Dayton.
- What’s new at Jungle Jim’s?
- The latest in the downtown school bus saga.
Residents plead: Block or ease electric rate hikes
The situation: For an hour Thursday evening, a dozen Dayton-area residents told Ohio utility regulators that they have had it with price hikes, asking that they lower or block a proposed 9% increase in AES Ohio electric distribution rates.
Inflation: The 9% proposed increase negotiated by AES Ohio and intervening parties in a new settlement may be better than the 14% AES first sought. But it’s still too much, residents told representatives of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) in a public hearing at Dayton’s city hall.
What they told regulators: It was the second hearing on the proposed rate hike. The first was held earlier in August.
“I may be able to handle the increase,” local Realtor Sham Reddy said at the hearing. “But there are hundreds of thousands of people who can’t handle it.”
Court ruling paves way for Dayton-purchased RTA bus passes
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
The latest: In an ever-changing story, Dayton Public Schools had already started distributing bus passes to high school students Monday after a Franklin County court granted the district a temporary restraining order to stop an Ohio law blocking students from transferring through the downtown bus hub using passes paid for with district dollars.
Recall: Under the state’s most recent budget bill, DPS students could not transfer through the downtown bus hub with the aforementioned passes.
The ruling: The case is not finished. A judge will still hear the merits of the case, which argues that Ohio can’t single out Dayton under the Uniformity Clause of the Ohio Constitution. As written, the law only applies to Dayton Public Schools.
ALSO: Why the district sued.
Music Go Round hits a grand (opening) note
What happened: When Music Go Round’s Kettering store made its first sale this past weekend, it was the latest verse from a family who admits it knew a lot more about music than they did about running a business.
Play it again: Wife and husband Layla and Brad Besson, and daughter Reina, started accepting gently used musical instruments in their new store, 2100 Dorothy Lane, earlier this summer. Within four weeks they had enough merchandise to start selling.
What they’re saying: “There’s a sense of purpose that comes with this store,” Layla said. “People come in every day and say ‘Wow, you’re bringing music back to Dayton.’”
The Wolf Creek neighborhood is ‘having a moment’
What’s happening: Wolf Creek, a West Dayton neighborhood that recently had one of Dayton’s highest concentration of homes in subpar condition, is “having a moment,” said one Dayton planning manager.
Under construction: About 67 new homes are now under development or construction in the neighborhood, and design work is underway to reconstruct the Wolf Creek levees to make it easier for residents and visitors to access the waterway.
Plans: The Montgomery County Land Bank plans to spend about $14 million to build 40 new homes in several neighborhoods, with millions of dollars of funding assistance coming from the Welcome Home Ohio program.
Community health centers grapple with Medicaid changes
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
The (changed) landscape: National organizations advocating for community health centers are preparing for an uptick in uninsured patients seeking care at those centers.
Impact: The National Association for Community Health Centers estimates that at least 1,800 community health centers across the country could close due to recent federal legislation.
What they’re saying: One concern is that patients will simply stop seeking care.
“I think that’s what scares us the most — there are so many things that if we see patients early enough, we can help them with their primary care needs,” said Five Rivers Medical Centers founder and CEO Gina McFarlane-El. “When people are afraid, they kind of retreat versus being proactive.”
Newsletter numbers:
7.
The number of preschool classrooms Beavercreek schools recently opened.
50.
The number of consecutive seasons 75-year-old Alter High School coach Ed Domsitz has worked as a head coach.
150.
The number of National Guard troops Ohio says it will send to Washington, D.C.
Contact me: Thanks for being here. Tell me about your business at tom.gnau@coxinc.com or at X and Bluesky. I’m also on LinkedIn and on our Dayton Business page, with my colleagues. Find me as well on my Facebook page.
Quick hits
Dorothy Lane Market: The opening date for its newest location.
What’s new at Jungle Jim’s? A lot, actually.
Renaissance vendor: Open all year long.
Just Sayin’: The Buckeyes have a starting QB.
Active shooter training: Heads up at Wright-Patt.
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