Our first story is our first interview with AFRL’s first chief information officer.
But first: Let me know what’s going on with your business at tom.gnau@coxinc.com.
‘Moving the needle.’ AFRL’s first CIO reflects on the power of Wright-Patterson and Dayton
Alexis Bonnell is approaching the first anniversary in her role as chief information officer and director of the Digital Capabilities Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson — or as she quipped in a new interview, “in the valley of the beast.”
Who she is: Bonnell, a veteran of Google and the United Nations (among many other roles), doesn’t sound intimidated by the “beast” at all. She is AFRL’s first CIO.
What she says: Bonnell is a quote machine. A short sampling of what she told me:
- “I think of it (artificial intelligence) as an augmentation to our ability to learn. But most of all, generative AI is an opportunity to have a relationship with knowledge at speed.”
- “If you think about it really, our job at the Air Force Research Laboratory is to kind of ask and answer ‘What if?’ faster than our adversary.”
- “It isn’t so much that I have to invent everything. I just have to get behind and catalyze the things that really make sense.”
Text messages link DeWine to FirstEnergy dark money payment
The story is getting increasing attention.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is facing renewed questions about his connections to the FirstEnergy scandal after text messages emerged between DeWine and the company’s CEO, who was indicted this year on bribery charges.
Background: The texts were exchanged shortly before the 2018 election when then-Attorney General DeWine was in a tight race for governor with Democrat Richard Cordray, investigative reporter and editor Josh Sweigart reported
Upshot: “Chuck. Can u call me?” DeWine texted to Jones, followed by another message where DeWine notes that an Ohio teachers union had just donated $1 million to Cordray. The two then made plans to talk that day, according to the messages obtained by Cleveland.com.
Dayton expected to land new, state-run behavioral health hospital
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Big news: Gov. DeWine confirmed in an interview with the Dayton Daily News that he expects the state to build a new behavioral health hospital in the Dayton area in coming years as a result of the state’s ongoing capital budget discussions, reporters Avery Kreemer and Sam Wildow told us this week.
What he said: “I don’t know how long this will take, but this is something that we think is an integral part of what we’re trying to do in the state of Ohio,” said DeWine. “There certainly is a great demand for these beds ... and the logical place to build such a hospital is in the Dayton area.”
Dayton-engineered materials ride the International Space Station to brave vacuum of space
Plenty of entrepreneurs and academics in the Dayton area are experts in materials. Count among them the engineers and researchers of Cornerstone Research Group (CRG), based in Miami Twp.
The experiment: Back in April, a carrier holding the CRG sample materials was mounted to the exterior of the space station by a robotic arm, open to space, where the materials will remain for about six months, the company said.
The objective: “This experiment is a crucial step in advancing our ... composites towards practical applications in space,” said Evan Gin, a team lead and research engineer at CRG.
What’s happening at Crown Equipment?
A cyberattack has halted some of Crown Equipment’s Ohio manufacturing operations.
The attack: Crown, a maker of forklifts and lift trucks, attributed the malicious attack to an international cybercriminal organization. It said it is working with “some of the world’s leading cybersecurity experts as well as federal law enforcement” to find a solution.
The situation: Is unclear. Although the Dayton Daily News has received company voicemails to workers detailing the shutdown of some manufacturing operations, Crown has not detailed the impact yet.
Quick Hits
PHOTOS: The best Dayton Air Show pictures from the last decade.
Speaking of which: The air show starts Saturday. Here’s what you need to know.
See you in NYC: Former Dayton Flyers forward DaRon Holmes II got an invite to the NBA draft.
Best of Dayton: Vote for your favorites through July 5.
Guest injured at King’s Island: Mason police said the man was critically injured.
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