Day 2 of First Four in Dayton, Senate Bill 63 signed by DeWine and more local headlines

This week is going to be a news marathon, I can feel it. Weather, the situation in the Middle East, gas prices, the First Four in Dayton with the RedHawks playing tonight, the Raiders playing in the NCAA tournament, the Flyers playing in the NIT and a meteor above Ohio grabbing national attention, but we will get to that last story later in this newsletter...

🏀 Day two in Dayton: The Miami University RedHawks will face Southern Methodist University in a First Four game tonight here in the Miami Valley, and you can read Steven Wright’s preview here, and see our photos from their practice yesterday here. There were two games played last night at UD Arena, and there will be two games played tonight. Last night Howard beat UMBC 86-83, and Texas beat NC State 68-66.

🏢 Land purchase: The Montgomery County commission is purchasing 27 acres of land at Forest Park in Harrison Twp. for its new Job and Training Center, as we learn from our story from Sydney Dawes.

🖊️ SB 63 signed: Ranked choice voting will officially be banned at the state and local level in Ohio following Gov. Mike DeWine’s signing of Senate Bill 63. You can find out what exactly this means in our story from Avery Kreemer.

📢 A quick reminder: As we have reported, Montgomery County Regional Dispatch will test tornado sirens this morning as part of a statewide drill. The drill starts at 9:50 a.m. and will last for three minutes. You can get specifics on this in Kristen Spicker’s story here.

If you have thoughts or feedback on this newsletter or other news tips, please let me know at jeremy.ratliff@coxinc.com.

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LOCAL NEWS

• Millat Industries looking at nearly $3M expansion in Kettering, city says

• ODNR announces 2026 Fish Ohio pins to commemorate anglers’ big catches

• 20K more homes, businesses in rural Ohio areas now have access to internet broadband, Spectrum says

LIFE

• PHOTOS: St. Patrick’s Day 2026 celebrations in Dayton

• Sam Amidon brings experimental folk to Yellow Springs

• This year’s Dangerous Dames are all givers and community advocates

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Dayton man sentenced to at least 22 years in ex-girlfriend’s murder

• Ex Montgomery County Auditor’s Office employee accused of theft given probation

SPORTS

• Dayton basketball: How to watch the Flyers NIT game against Bradley

• NCAA Tournament: How to watch Miami’s NCAA First Four against SMU

• Archdeacon: From nightmares to the Big Dance, Miami embraces its moment

NATION & WORLD

• The Latest: Iran attacks Israel and Gulf countries after an Israeli strike kills its security chief

• About 90 ships cross the Strait of Hormuz as Iran exports millions of barrels of oil despite the war

• Man arrested after climbing into pygmy hippo Moo Deng’s enclosure at Thai zoo

WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT: 7-ton meteor that fell from the Cleveland sky could be seen several states away

I received a text from a friend who lives in another state, simply asking: “Did a big meteor crash in Ohio??” I immediately knew what he was talking about. A seven-ton meteor that sped across the Cleveland sky at 45,000 miles per hour, before breaking apart in a boom, startled residents. Yes, we have the story for you with what the experts are saying and yes, we have a photo.

In Other News

What do know if you are going to the Miami vs. SMU game in Dayton

Tributes continue to pour in for fallen Ohio airmen

3 evaluated for OVI, 1 arrested during St. Patrick’s Day sobriety...

OPINION: Where does money for Ohio’s schools really come from?

Letters to the editor: SAVE Act is bad for Ohio

About the Author

Jeremy Ratliff