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Buying soda with food stamps would be banned under Ohio House-passed bill
The Ohio Senate is preparing to deliberate a House-passed measure to prohibit Ohioans from using food stamps on “sugar-sweetened beverages”
• By definition: The House provision defines “sugar-sweetened beverages” as any beverage that contains more than five grams of added sugar, excluding any beverage that contains milk, milk products, soy, rice or other milk substitutes or any beverage that contains 50% or more of vegetable or fruit juice by volume.
• Federal regulations: Food stamps can be used to buy fruits and vegetables; meat, poultry and fish; dairy products; breads and cereals; snack foods and non-alcoholic beverages; and seeds and plants.
• What proponents are saying: “I don’t think we should have a policy in this state where we’re essentially subsidizing diabetes in children by buying pop with food stamps,” said Ohio House Finance Chair Brian Stewart, R-Ashville.
• What the opposition is saying: “This House Budget provision treats SNAP users as if they can’t be trusted to make their own personal choices, and would cause them to not have the same rights in making food choices as everyone else,” said Sen. Willis Blackshear, Jr., D-Dayton.
• Future steps: If the GOP-controlled Senate concurs with the Republican House, Ohio would need final approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which broadly funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administered by the states.
Downtown Dayton: ‘Going to have a ghost town’ if bus hub crime is not addressed
Representatives of a few Dayton community anchors say they are worried about what is going to happen to downtown Dayton if crime problems around the RTA bus hub are not fixed.
• Dayton Public Schools: DPS uses the transit center to transport their students and the bus hub has become a hot spot for violence.
• Safety concerns: People have been questioning if it’s really safe to come downtown for Levitt shows and other attractions.
• Significant threat: Officials believe there is a significant threat to the future of the city if crime causes downtown businesses to pack up and leave.
• Library policy changes: Problems with fights and disruptions involving young people led the downtown library to implement a chaperone policy and the Southeast Branch on Watervliet Avenue had to temporarily shut down during afterschool hours.
• What they are saying: “We are at a tipping point, and I’m very worried about where we are headed,” Lisa Wagner, executive director of the Levitt Pavilion Dayton, said at a recent Dayton City Commission meeting. “It’s time to act, we have to do something, or in two to three years we’re going to have a ghost town.”
What to know today
• One big takeaway: Ohio employers will soon be allowed to forego displaying certain state labor notices in the workplace and instead display them online.
• Best of Dayton 2025: Vote for your favorites here.
• A day in the life: Artist Jamaal Durr’s success has risen steadily in the mere five years he’s been painting.
• Dayton Food & Dining: Jay Scherger created Jukebox for people who really love carbonated beverages but want something more flavorful, more fun, and more personalized than anything out there.
• Personal Journey: Mothers are often pivotal in helping their children decide upon careers and futures. For Lynda Anello of Centerville, her mother Marie Corso Duncan was and remains a “big part of my story.”
• Big move of the day: The Dayton Art Institute has revealed new details about the 68th Art Ball fundraiser.
• Inside Ohio Politics: Ohio is among three states in the nation that don’t have fuel quality testing programs, and one Dayton lawmaker said such a program would protect consumers and businesses alike.
• Thing to do: The first annual Halfway to Halloween Fest this weekend brings the Halloween spirit to spring.
• Vintage Dayton: The Sloopy’s murders: 2 employees were killed with a claw hammer in a 1994 case that involved “the devil.”
• Athlete of the week: Katie Berrey. This Waynesville basketball player was named Southwestern Buckeye League, Southwest District and District 15 player of the year.
• Photo of the day: The Buckeye Vodka Battle of the Bartenders returned to the Steam Plant in downtown Dayton on Wednesday. Rip Rap Roadhouse in Dayton paired an “American Pie” cocktail with mini grilled ham and cheese sandwiches with cranberry sauce. Read reporter Natalie Jones’ full story and see more photos from the event here.
