🪲 Bed bugs: Dayton and other major urban areas in the Buckeye State continue to rank among the top bed bug-infested cities in America.
📺 The Twilight Zone: Television pioneer Rod Serling, iconic creator and host of “The Twilight Zone,” will be honored with an Ohio Historical Marker at Antioch College in October.
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Your gas bill is going up in Dayton region: Public meeting scheduled seeking comments
More public hearings on a proposed rate increase by CenterPoint Energy have been requested.
• Higher rates: Dayton-area electric utility AES Ohio and natural gas provider CenterPoint Energy have applied to state utility regulators for higher rates in separate regulatory cases.
• The cost: The company said its proposal, if approved, would mean an increase of about $23 per month for the “average residential customer.”
• What the Office of the Ohio Consumers Counsel is saying: “Although CenterPoint serves 330,000 consumers across 16 Ohio counties, the PUCO has scheduled only a single local public hearing. CenterPoint’s service territory spans from as far north as Auglaize County to as far south as Highland County ... Ohioans deserve better.”
• What Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) is saying: A spokesman for the PUCO reiterated that just one meeting is scheduled and noted that comments may be filed online.
Dayton makes 2 lists of top bed bug infested cities
Few creatures strike fear into the hearts of Ohioans quite like bed bugs. Terminix and Orkin both recently released their rankings.
• Terminix:
— Dayton: The Gem City ranked 11th of U.S. communities with the most bed bug activity. The company says the rankings are based on what cities have the most bed bug control services.
— Other cities: Terminix’s list has the Cleveland-Akron (Canton) region ranked even higher (3rd in the nation), while Columbus ranked 12th; Cincinnati, 14th; and Toledo, 40th. Philadelphia and New York claimed the No. 1 and 2 spots.
• Orkin:
— Dayton: Orkin’s 2025 bed bug rankings say Dayton is the 43rd most infested city in the nation. Orkin says the rankings were determined using bed bug treatment data for metro areas between May 2024 and May 2025.
— Other cities: Orkin says Cleveland was 2nd in the nation for bed bugs (behind Chicago), while Columbus was 8th; Cincinnati, 13th; Youngstown, 22nd; and Toledo, 36th.
What to know today
• Tip of the day: Ohio’s newly expanded sales tax holiday starts Friday.
• Person to know today: Television pioneer Rod Serling, iconic creator and host of “The Twilight Zone,” will be honored with an Ohio Historical Marker on the campus of Antioch College in Yellow Springs.
• Big move of the day: Dayton Christian School recently launched construction on a $4 million multipurpose center, aiming to support its fast-growing student body.
• Dayton Food & Dining: Wat Da Pho Express, a new restaurant offering Vietnamese cuisine, is planning to open on Brown Street near the University of Dayton this fall.
• Thing to do: The Rock ‘N’ Green Tomato Festival returns to Miamisburg this week, aiming to entertain people of all ages.
• Photo of the day: Three generations of a local family have entered desserts into the Ohio State Fair competition. Preparing for the fair in a one-day baking marathon are (left to right) Christine Olinsky, her granddaughter Anna and her daughter Rebecca. Read the full story.
