I certainly can’t capture everything in this letter, but in today’s printed paper and online, you’ll find several stories about top headlines of the year, from significant events to our most impactful investigations.
Mental health challenges
Almost every education and healthcare leader I spoke to this year said mental health was the biggest challenge facing our community. Though COVID-19 has now become a normal part of life, the past few years have had a lasting effect on students, patients and community members.
We’re seeing this play out in schools and health facilities, according to reporters Eileen McClory and Samantha Wildow. Students dealing with mental health issues may have trouble focusing and staying engaged, which puts them at risk for falling behind academically. Healthcare facilities and support services, which are already strained, are dealing with increased needs.
“Mental health is truly the health crisis of this generation,” said Deborah Feldman, president and CEO Dayton Children’s Hospital. Children’s is expanding its Valley Street campus in Dayton, and started construction on a $110 million behavioral health building. Montgomery County’s Behavioral Health Task Force, formed in January in partnership with the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association (GDAHA), also cites an increased need for behavioral health services.
New business investment & development
It sounds like a headline from the future: Joby Aviation, Inc. announced it will build a production operation near the Dayton International Airport for its “flying cars.” The investment — valued at $500 million and supported by $325 million in state and local incentives — is historic, wrote business reporter Thomas Gnau. Manufacturing this type of aircraft at this scale has never been attempted. The facility is expected to provide 2,000 jobs by 2028.
This follows last year’s announcement of the Honda-LG Energy Solution plant, which will create electric vehicle batteries. In February 2023, leaders broke ground on the proposed battery plant located in Jefferson Twp. in Fayette County. The plant expects to employ around 2,200 people.
Economic pressures are high
People continue grappling with the pocketbook impact of economic stressors, including high prices due to inflation and significant increases in interest rates and taxable property values. In Montgomery County alone, taxable property values reached a record high of $40.8 billion, reported Sydney Dawes.
That’s a 29% increase from 2023, county auditor Karl Keith told us. The primary driver was high home prices. The backlash was swift, and an appeals process was held in the fall, leading to several adjustments. Legislation followed, and in December, the Ohio Senate passed the Ohio Homeowners Relief Act.
Accountability and solutions-oriented journalism
The Dayton Daily News continues to prioritize its accountability journalism. In 2023, a phone call to one of our editors spurred coverage of the Medicaid Estate Recovery program, which grew into public calls for reform. Rebecca Miller, who took care of her father, told us she feared eviction from the home she lived in while caring for him, writes editor Josh Sweigart. Her father was on Medicaid, and after he died, the Attorney General sent her a letter saying the father owed $56,000 for services received. If she didn’t pay, the state would put a lien on the home, the letter said.
According to data, Ohio is one of the most aggressive states in the U.S. in recouping Medicaid expenses from the estates of deceased recipients. Ohio’s AG’s office has recovered more than $87.5 million in 2022, and $270 million in total since 2019. As a result of our reporting, additional people came forward to share their stories of struggles with the estate recovery program. The program was in a mandated review process and accepting public comment – but the comment period was only one week and wasn’t publicized — until we reported on it. That led to many public comments, calling for more comprehensive changes.
Celebrating our Community Gems
If you need a reminder of the goodness that exists, I encourage you to check out our Community Gems features. There, you’ll find stories about people who give back to improve the lives of others, like six-year-old Lincoln Beegle, whose family lost his baby brother to illness complications. Lincoln has been selling lemonade to raise money for an on-site memorial at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. You can find dozens of those stories at daytondailynews.com/communitygems.
Finally, I thank our subscribers for their support of local journalism. We couldn’t do what we do without you. I wish you all a happy new year.
Sincerely,
Ashley Bethard
Editor, Dayton Daily News