Today’s episode is the weekly News Roundup for May 6, 2022. In this episode I go over the results of the recent statewide and local elections, talk about what may happen to women’s right to an abortion in Ohio if the Supreme Court does indeed overturn Roe v. Wade, cover a new restaurant/grocery store coming to downtown Dayton, and preview things happening next week and later this month. A complete transcript for this episode is available at discoverdaytonpodcast.com! Transcript: Hello and welcome to the Discover Dayton podcast, the show that’s all about the Gem City’s past, present, and future. I’m Arch Grieve and I’m your host, and today’s episode is the weekly news roundup for May 5th, 2022. There’s a lot that happened last week, including local and statewide elections, an increase in the likelihood that Ohio will no longer permit abortions to take place, a new restaurant and grocery store coming to downtown Dayton, and lots of things to do next week and throughout this month. You won’t want to miss this episode, so stay tuned. Well, the first of what will likely be two Ohio primaries took place this past Tuesday, and former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley won the Democratic primary race for Ohio Governor with 65% of the vote, while Mike Dewine won the Republican primary with 48%. The two face off now head to head in the general election later this year on November 8th, with Whaley already becoming the first woman of a major party in Ohio to earn the nomination for governor. In the Secretary of State Race, current Secretary Frank LaRose won the Republican primary, and he will face Democrat Chelsea Clark, who was unopposed. In the race for Ohio’s next US Senator Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan won the Democratic primary with close to 70% of the vote, while author JD Vance won the Republican primary with a plurality of about 32%. Morgan Harper, who came on this show recently, received about 18% of the vote in the Democratic primary. Moving closer to home, Dayton blogger David Esrati won the Democratic primary by a plurality with about 31% of the electorate, defeating Baxter Stapleton, who also appeared on the show recently. Esrati will face off against Mike Turner, who ran unopposed in the primary race. Also locally the one candidate who appeared on this show and won was Angelina Jackson, who will now face Judge Robert Hanseman in the fall in the race to be Montgomery County’s Common Pleas Court Judge. Jordan Wortham won the Republican primary race for Montgomery County Commissioner, beating Rennes Bowers by just .2%. Board of Elections workers noted that turnout was low, with just 21% of eligible voters actually going to the polls. The City of Dayton is utilizing a new strategy to try to increase the amount of affordable housing in the city, which a local nonprofit estimated will need an additional 3,800 new rental units and 4,600 new units for sale by 2026. Recently, the city put together a roundtable for community stakeholders, which the city hopes will put forward recommendations on how to increase the supply of housing in the area while also preserving existing housing. The committee is expected to provide recommendations on things like how to preserve and expand its housing supply, where to put new housing, how to improve code enforcement, and how best the city can use its resources to help alleviate the problem. The process, which began in March, is expected to last between six to nine months. Dayton Police are urging drivers to slow down in the wake of a deadly crash that killed four people in Dayton this past Sunday at North Gettysburg St. and James Avenue. The driver of the car is reported to have lost control and slammed into a phone pole. Police say that this is part of a spike in reckless driving accidents in Dayton compared to this time last year, which includes 14 fatal crashes this year so far, an increase of 75% from last year during the same time. The City of Dayton has also been in the news recently for its new street parking app, which can be found at 1,300 parking spaces downtown already. The city claims that the app helps them manage parking more efficiently through what City Manager Shelley Dickstein calls a “single, centralized system.” The city also says that the app is more convenient for people visiting the downtown area, as they can now extend their parking sessions without having to return to the meter and get alerts when their time is about to expire. The Parking Pass system is available through your app store, although you can still pay with change or a credit card (in some locations) as well. Marijuana advocates are upset at state lawmakers, who they have accused in a recent court filing of trying to circumvent the state statute process and keep their ballot measure off the ballot in November. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol filed suit against the state in Franklin County recently, arguing that state officials are illegally trying to keep their marijuana legalization bill off the ballot because Republican party leaders are opposed to recreational marijuana’s legalization. The ballot measure would allow Ohioans over the age of 21 to buy and possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana as well as be able to grown their own plants at home. The controversy is over whether or not the coalition got their ballot measure submitted and approved in time for it to be eligible. Also happening at the state level, abortion rights advocates are concerned about the recent Supreme Court decision that’s been leaked recently at the federal level because Ohio legislators have two bills that have been called “trigger bans,” which will go into effect in Ohio in the event that the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, which seems all but certain to do later this year after a draft opinion written by Justice Alito was leaked recently. The bills are Ohio Senate Bill 123 and Ohio House Bill 598. Here in Dayton a rally for reproductive rights was held on Tuesday, with some participants dressed as characters from the Handmaid’s Tale, the Hulu series about a dystopian future where authoritarian religious conservatives take over the American government. The popular downtown Dayton coffee shop, Third Perk, will be opening a restaurant in West Dayton that will feature southern-style cooking. The new location would have carry-out service, and owner Juanita Darden is applying to receive $50,000 from the city’s West Dayton Development Trust Fund to get the project started, in addition to the $200,000 that Third Perk will be investing. The restaurant would open on the site of an old restaurant at 3907 W. Third St. Another restaurant that is opening even sooner and coming to downtown Dayton is Tony and Pete’s Grocery and Cold Cuts, which is expected to open later this month in Dayton’s Fire Blocks District. The store will have a small curated grocery section, which will include things like milk and eggs and beer and wine. There will also be a sandwich counter where people can order cold and hot sandwiches, salads, and sides. If you’re downtown this weekend on Saturday or Sunday in the UD area just know that restaurants and other places may be busy as UD holds its graduation services over the course of the two days. They have a new record number of undergraduates earning degrees at 1,655, and over 2,000 students will be awarded degrees in total. A local filmmaker, Collin Brazie, is going to be premiering his new movie “Foxhole,” which is told from the perspective of five soldiers from three different wars, including the American Civil War, World War I, and the Iraq War. Brazie earned his MFA in film production and cinematography and specializes in narrative, documentary, and branded content. The premier will take place tomorrow, Saturday, May 7, at The Neon at 4:00pm. Ticket prices are $10.50 and can be purchased at the box office or neonmovies.com. And now, here are some things to do next week and over the course of the remainder of this month: Mariah Ivey, Thomas Ellison, and Siri Imani will be performing tonight, Friday May 6th, at the PNC Arts Annex. They are the organizers of the program Broken English: Dayton, and are partnering with visual artists Zuri Ali and Jamaal Durr for the pre-show, which will feature cocktails and artwork by the two artists. The cost to attend is $25 to $35 and tickets can be purchased at daytonlive.org. If you’re looking for an event for the whole family tonight, check out the Passport to MetroParks program going on tonight from 6:00 to 9:00pm at RiverScape MetroPark on Monument Ave. The event features live music, food trucks, family activities, and more. There will be prizes for those who complete their stamp passports by visiting all of the vendor booths, and the grand prize tonight is a $1,500 Huffy Motiric Adult Electric Folding Bike. Learn more at MetroParks.org. Also tonight, May 6th, Black Violin will be performing at the Schuster Center at 7:30pm. Wil B and Kev Marcus are the duo members and their music blends classical with world music, R&B, and pop into a unique and amazing sound. Tickets range in price from $30 to $50 and can be purchased at daytonlive.org. Just yesterday three art exhibitions opened up at the Contemporary Dayton. Those include Beverly Fishman’s exhibition, “Cure,” George Rush’s “Assisted Living,” and Mary Reid Kelley’s and Patrick Kelley’s “Night Kitchen.” You can see the art for free at the Contemporary’s Dayton Arcade location now through July 22nd. You may have heard of the band KISS. Well they’ll be performing as part of their “End of the Road Tour” Thursday, May 12 at the Nutter Center. Tickets are still available starting out at $100. Visit nuttercenter.com for ticket information. On Friday, May 13th, at 8:00pm, Rhapsody-N-Soul Georgia Me, who is known as the Queen of the Spoken Word, will be headlining an evening of poetry at the Dayton Arcade alongside Daytonians Ralph Farley and Leroy Bean, who will also be performing that evening. Find out more at arcadedayton.com.
The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company is hosting its annual gala this month entitled “Solstice: Mahogany Night,” on Saturday, May 14th. The event will feature a special dance program, food, cocktails, and more. The event will take place at the Marriott at the University of Dayton, and ticket prices range from $175 to $300.
On May 15th you can see young performers from the Dayton Ballet School at the Victoria Theater, where over 100 young performers will be performing “Alice in Wonderland.” The cost to attend is just $20, and tickets can be purchased at daytonlive.org. On Thursday, May 19th at the PNC Arts Annex you can see the play “Friend Art,” by Sofia Alvarez, which looks at what happens when romantic entanglements and personal aspirations intertwine. The cost to attend is $22 and the play is recommended only for those who are 18 or older. May 20th is National Bike to Work Day, and now is the time to get organized for the Fiver River MetroParks Bike to Work Day celebration and pancake breakfast as there are group challenges for the team with the most riders, the team with the most miles commuted, and more. The first 500 riders to register and check-in at the event receive a gift, and you can pre-register now online at MetroParks.org. The event takes place from 7:00-9:00am at the RiverScape Metro Park on Monument Ave. and features a free pancake breakfast, live music, a bike expo, and more, so hopefully I’ll see you there! Sideshow, one of the Dayton Yellow Cab’s annual shows, is coming back this month on May 20th and 21st, after taking several years off due to Covid-19. This year performers will include Far From Eden, Tino, Nautical Theme, Snake Oil Revival, and more. Ticket information is available at yellowcabtavern.com. TheatreLab Dayton will be ending its first season since rebranding from Dare 2 Defy Productions with the show “Something Rotten!” The show takes place at the Victoria Theatre on May 21st and 22nd and the cost to attend ranges from $18 to $63. You can purchase tickets at theatrelabdayton.org or daytonlive.org. The Dayton Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra will be performing the show “Epic Opera” on May 21st and 22nd, which is a program that includes works by composers like Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, and more. The shows will take place at the Schuster Center and ticket prices range from $32 to $100. Visit daytonlive.org for tickets. Carillon Historical Park hosts its annual “Party in the Park” event, AKA Fleurs de Fete, on my birthday, May 22nd, from 1:00-4:00pm. The event features over 200 wine samplings and food from local eateries, in addition to live music. Pre-sale tickets are $70 and you must be 21 or older to purchase tickets. Traveling performers will be in town towards the end of the month to perform “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” at the Schuster Center from May 26th through the 28th. Tickets range in price from $29 to $89 and can be purchased at daytonlive.org. Starting Friday, May 27th, the Dayton Theatre Guild will be performing “The Old Man and the Old Moon,” which will be directed by Jeff Sams. The show will run through June 12th. Tickets are $21 for adults, $19 for seniors, and $14 for students. Visit daytontheatreguild.org for tickets. Standup comedian, actor, and TV show host, Donnell Rawlings, will perform at Wiley’s later this month on May 27th and 28th. Tickets go for $45 and can be purchased online at wileyscomedy.com. And of course, this Sunday is Mother’s Day, so I just want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there, including mine, and let you know that there are a number of restaurants doing specials for Mother’s Day, including Jollity, Salar, Dublin Pub, Bar and Bistro at Top of the Market, and the Amber Rose. That’s it for this week’s news roundup episode, and if you enjoyed this episode please be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend. As a reminder, there is now merch on the podcast’s website, and I recently started offering a new service for local organizations where I will come and do Dayton-themed trivia for your employees or members, so if you’re interested reach out at discoverdaytonpodcast@gmail.com. You can also find the transcripts for this news roundup episode in the show notes on my website, discoverdaytonpodcast.com. Thanks as always for listening, and stay funky, Dayton.