Newsletter: Former base commander convicted, jailed

Fraternization in the military has long been fraught. There are some who think the rules are outdated; and there have been times when the subject has made national news and been the stuff of Senate debate.

Kelly Flinn, a B-52 pilot, was discharged from the Air Force in the late 1990s after an affair with the husband of an enlisted subordinate. But Gen. Ronald Fogelman at the time said that was not why she was fired.

“This is an issue about an officer, entrusted to fly nuclear weapons, who lied,” Fogelman, then the Air Force chief of staff, testified to Congress.

In this newsletter:

  • Mall moves: Former Elder-Beerman store sold.
  • Mall moves: A new owner emerges for the Fairfield Mall.
  • Unmoved: Development stalls at Trotwood property.

Former Wright-Patterson commander is incarcerated at Wright-Patterson

Col. Christopher Meeker, then the 88th Air Base Wing and installation commander, spoke during the Honor Guard Graduation Ceremony on April 17, 2023, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Air Force photo

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Confined: Immediately on sentencing Tuesday afternoon, Col. Christopher Meeker was escorted to a confinement facility at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

In his one-day court-martial, Meeker, the former commander of the 88th Air Base Wing, pled guilty to willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer and fraternization.

What they’re saying: In a statement Wednesday, the 88th Air Base Wing said: “The 88th Security Forces Squadron operates the (confinement) facility. It provides a safe, secure and rehabilitative environment for military members convicted of a court marital or pre-trial detainees. While in confinement, inmates have access to military resources and may speak to professionals from the Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Chaplains office.”

Read the story.

Read an account of the trial.

Mall of Fairfield Commons to have a new owner

Tokyo Grill & Sushi Buffet, an all-you-can-eat sushi bar and hibachi grill, in Beavercreek near the main entrance of The Mall at Fairfield Commons. NATALIE JONES/STAFF

Credit: Natalie Jones

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Credit: Natalie Jones

The new owner of the Mall of Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek is laying off employees.

The situation: Westerville-based Washington Prime Group, which owns and operates the mall, plans to lay off 139 employees starting this June, according to a WARN notice filed with the state, as required by law.

The company owns roughly 70 malls and shopping centers in the United States, including Polaris Fashion Place in Columbus.

Read the story.

Dayton’s CareSource continues growth

A CareSource office tower on East First Street in downtown Dayton. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

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Growth trek: Not long after CareSource announced it is expanding into Massachusetts, the Dayton-based health insurer was awarded a contract to begin serving Medicaid managed care members in Nevada next year.

CareSource’s Nevada branch, which formed this year as CareSource Nevada Co., received a contract from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services to provide managed care services to Medicaid members across Nevada starting Jan. 1, 2026.

Read the story.

Trotwood shopping center set for redevelopment sits idle a year later

Trotwood's Salem Consumer Square is going up for auction. MARSHALL GORBY\STAFF

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Undeveloped: More than a year after a would-be developer in Trotwood shared plans for renovation of the former Consumer Square shopping center, and several months after the site was declared a nuisance property, the Salem Avenue location remains largely unchanged.

Located south of Olive Road and west of Salem Bend Drive, the 30-acre site at 5447 Salem Ave. was put up for auction in late 2023 and was subsequently purchased by National Eagle LLC/Salem Capital LLC for just under $1.2 million.

Yes, but: Documents provided by the city of Trotwood indicated that initial plans lacked specifics and did not include details like a timeline or names of professional staff that would be completing the work.

Read the story.

Former Elder-Beerman site sold for $2.5 million

One bright spot in the April numbers: department-store sales jumped a brisk 1.8 percent, led by clothing and accessories, which aligns with what Dayton Mall General Manager Dave Duebber has been hearing from Macy’s, Elder-Beerman and JC Penney stores in his retail center, where the spring and summer fashions that have been on display for several weeks are finally starting to move as the outdoor temperatures loosen customers’ purse strings.

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The Cleveland area’s Industrial Commercial Properties is the new owner of the space that once housed Elder-Beerman at the Dayton Mall.

The investment: The former Elder-Beerman store recently sold to Miamisburg Springboro Mall Anchor, a limited liability company tied to ICP, for $2.5 million, according to Montgomery County real estate records.

ICP has been involved in numerous Dayton-area transactions, including the former Tenneco plant and Miami Valley Research Park in Kettering, Fuyao Glass America in Moraine, Lexis Nexis in Miami Twp. and more.

Read the story.

Contact me: Wherever you are, thank you for being here. Tell me about your business at tom.gnau@coxinc.com or at X and Bluesky. I’m also on LinkedIn and on our Dayton Business page, with my colleagues.

Quick hits

New U.S. Honda production?: No such ‘announcement,’ spokesman says.

End of an era: Cold Beer & Cheeseburgers to close in Beavercreek.

‘Repetition builds reputation:’ Revisiting Key Ads.

Old Dayton Pizza opens again: Here’s what the owner told us.

New Beavercreek Marriott: Almost complete.

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