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Last week in Springfield
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
• Threats of violence: Threats have ravaged the community over the past week. Schools in the county have been interrupted on a daily basis and are now stocked with state troopers, tasked with daily building sweeps; grocery stores have had to evacuate; city officials’ homes have been targeted; political debates and celebrations of culture and diversity have been canceled; and Mayor Rob Rue has taken on “emergency powers” to deal with public safety concerns. All of these stories have been reported by Jessica Orozco, who has been doing instrumental work with the Springfield News-Sun.
• Impact, illustrated: Springfield City Schools Superintendent Bob Hill, in lockstep with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, pleaded for parents to return their children to school Tuesday. They promoted the district’s enhanced security protocols but were overshadowed by threats of violence made against three district schools that same day. In one elementary school, 200 of the school’s 500 student enrollment were absent. Here’s my story, which also focuses on Haitian driver education initiatives by the state and the bullet point below.
• Threats of politics: Republicans Rue and DeWine were asked about the potential of a campaign stop by former president Donald Trump, who has vowed mass deportations starting in Springfield and who, along with his running mate U.S. Sen. JD Vance, has repeatedly lied, exaggerated, and spread rumors about the city and its people. DeWine advised that Springfield residents would welcome the candidates, while Rue stated: “It would be an extreme strain on our resources, so it would be fine with me if they decided not to make that stop right now.”
• Federal help?: Springfield city officials and the state have been asking the federal government for additional resources to help the city deal with the Haitian immigrant influx. Politicians on both sides of the aisle criticized the Biden administration for its policies that allowed such an influx. “The administration’s lack of planning is one of the reasons there are serious concerns from community members about the strain on public infrastructure,” said U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat.
• Residents’ view: This story by Jessica Orozco and Sydney Dawes highlights the thoughts of the community — both existing residents and newer Haitians — as their city has been under the microscope. While the sampling of opinions runs the gamut, there are many other Springfield residents who told our reporters they’d rather not comment.
Local political news of the week
• Foley fight: Documents obtained by the Dayton Daily News allege that Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Mike Foley attempted to steer County Treasurer John McManus to invest county funds into an investment firm, with the suggestion that the firm would contribute to McManus’ political campaigns such that “he’d never have to fundraise again.” Foley and his attorneys vehemently deny the claim. Sydney Dawes and Josh Sweigart have the full story.
• Assets for sale: The Montgomery County ADAMHS board is looking to transfer or sell the former Huber Heights YWCA campus, which had shut down not long after it opened in Spring 2023 as a result of fiduciary troubles within the YWCA Dayton. Sydney Dawes has the full story.
• Housing laws: The city of Dayton is contemplating making some of its criminal housing code violations into civil offenses to try to crack down on absentee property owners and limited liability companies that own homes and buildings. Cory Frolik has the full story.
State political news of the week
• Issue 1 language finalized: The Republican-led Ohio Ballot Board finalized this November’s Issue 1 ballot language on Wednesday following an Ohio Supreme Court order to correct various defects in what the board had already passed, but Democrats say it’s still not enough to remove the overall bias in the summary. Here’s my report.
• School progress stalls: The academic progress of tested students throughout Ohio’s K-12 public schools has slowed since test scores dropped following an initial dip due to COVID. Lee McClory has the story.
National political news of the week
• Feds cut interest rates: The Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut its benchmark interest rate by an unusually large half-point, a dramatic shift after more than two years of high rates that helped tame inflation but also made borrowing painfully expensive for American consumers. The Associated Press has the story.
• Trump plans Springfield visit: One day after the mayor of Springfield said that a presidential campaign visit “would be an extreme strain on (city) resources,” former President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he plans to visit Springfield in the next two weeks. Here’s the story.
• Assassination attempt: Trump wasn’t harmed in this week’s apparent assassination attempt as he golfed near his Florida club. But the second attack on his life in barely two months is likely to further unsettle an election cycle already marked by upheaval. The Associated Press has the story.