📮Ohio absentee ballots: The Ohio House will review a GOP-backed bill that eliminates the four-day grace period for mail-in absentee ballots, requiring ballots to arrive by poll closing in future elections.
🏨 Downtown Dayton redevelopment: The Montgomery County Convention Facilities Authority plans a major overhaul of a section of downtown Dayton, including dual hotels near the remodeled convention center.
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WSU could spend $2.2M on lawsuit with former research arm
Wright State University is poised to spend more than $2.2 million in legal expenses in its yearslong legal fight against its own former research funding arm.
• How it started: Wright State originally sued what was then called Wright State Applied Research Corporation in 2020. The suit alleged WSARC illegally separated from WSU and took state-purchased resources and property, such as Parallax’s multi-million-dollar headquarters.
WSARC changed its name to Parallax and countersued, accusing the university of interfering with its business and alleging WSU owes Parallax money.
• Upcoming trial: The lawsuit between WSU and Parallax Advanced Research is scheduled for a jury trial in January in the Ohio Court of Claims.
• The stakes: The University is seeking at least $9.5M in damages, much of which is attributable to unpaid invoices and assets the university contends it purchased, but that Parallax refused to return following the disaffiliation.
Ohio’s mail-in absentee ballot grace period on the chopping block following Senate vote
The Ohio House is set to consider a GOP-backed bill that would eliminate the state’s four-day, post-election grace period for mail-in absentee ballots to get delivered, a period that allowed hundreds of Miami Valley ballots to be counted in the 2024 presidential election.
• Senate Bill 293: It is set to be evaluated by the House General Government Committee after easily clearing the Senate with near-unanimous Republican support. It would require domestic absentee ballots in future elections be delivered to local boards of elections by the time polls close.
• What the opposition is saying: “I think, in general, it’s not good to be on the side of limiting people’s access to the ballot and people’s access to voting,” Minority House Leader Dani Isaacsohn said.
• Current law: It allows absentee ballots to be delivered by mail up to four days after election day, as long as those ballots were postmarked on the eve of the election, at least.
• Past vote counts: In November 2024, the grace period allowed for 250 ballots to be counted in Montgomery County.
FREE CONTENT: Dayton-area restaurants continue with free meals for those facing food insecurity
Restaurants in the Dayton region are continuing to support those facing food insecurity in the Miami Valley by handing out free meals this week.
What to know today
• One big takeaway: The Ohio senator representing Dayton claims he bit into a screw as he was eating a Chipotle taco Sunday evening, prompting him to take both medical and police action.
• Person to know today: Lady Linda Crawford is Dayton’s own professional milliner, with 40 years of experience creating and selling her handmade hats.
• Big move of the day: Black Barn Pickleball in Riverside is now in full swing after its official grand opening.
• Dayton Food & Dining: The owners of The Top Hat Sports Grill in St. Paris have opened a second location in Piqua.
• Help us out: Carillon Historical Park is marking its 75th anniversary, and we’d like to hear from you about it: What are your favorite exhibits at the park and why? Please send your reminiscences to Meredith.Moss@coxinc.com.
• Thing to do: Carillon will also kick off its annual fundraiser Ringing in the Holidays on Saturday. Here’s what to know about the event.
• Photo of the day: The food court at the former Miami Valley Centre Mall in Piqua has been transformed into The Social at Piqua Center, a dining and entertainment destination. See more photos from reporter Natalie Jones here 📷.
