Welcome to Tuesday and the official Dog-Days-of-Summer edition of your business newsletter. “What did you see?” Depending on the story, it can be one of the useful questions a reporter can ask anyone. Criminal investigators usually don’t comment on investigations, unless they need the public’s help, and even then, they say little. They don’t want those being investigated to conceal or destroy evidence, among other concerns. But it appears that residents across the Dayton area and its environs have had questions for some time about the homes local law enforcement and Homeland Security raided in late July. So two of our reporters recently knocked on some doors. Fuyao raid: Who owns raided properties and what neighbors have seen Reporters Eric Schwartzberg and Josh Sweigart dove into the details of the Homeland Security investigation into employment practices at Fuyao Glass America. They spoke with neighbors of some of the properties raided on July 26. Some of what they found: - Packed houses
- Poor living conditions
- Wary neighbors: “The whole downstairs you could see and (it) was nothing but bunk beds,” one Miami Twp. resident told them. “It was so disgusting. The trash would just be everywhere.”
What they’re saying: Homeland Security Investigations Detroit Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey said the investigation is focused on money laundering, potential human smuggling, labor exploitation and financial crimes. Marijuana sales start today; Dayton dispensaries among first recreational sellers in Ohio What’s happening: Several Dayton-area marijuana dispensaries say they will start selling recreational marijuana Tuesday. Of seven Montgomery County medical dispensaries eligible for dual-use licenses, multiple confirmed to the Dayton Daily News that they will begin sales. What they’re saying: “We are very excited,” said Tracey McMillin, the chief operations officer of Pure Ohio Wellness. “Feels like the wait has been so long and we are more than ready.” Wittenberg faculty, alumni rip proposal to cut 60% of professors, many staff What’s on the horizon: Education Reporter Lee McClory brings us news of a plan presented to Wittenberg University faculty and staff to make significant employee cuts. The plan would reduce faculty by 60% for the 2025-26 school year, reduce staff during the upcoming school year by a quarter to a third, and possibly replace the services of many of those faculty members with online classes. What they’re saying: “There is no world in which you can claim to be a world-class liberal arts college when more than half of your courses are online,” said Mary-Elizabeth Pratt, a member of the university’s Alumni Association Board and a 2015 graduate of Wittenberg. How one Dayton company wants to harness hydrogen as the fuel of the future It’s hard to be optimistic right now about hydrogen as an automotive fuel. But Chris McWhinney, founder and CEO of Dayton’s Millennium Reign Energy, is a believer. What they’re saying: Advocates point to what they see as hydrogen’s advantages: It offers a relatively longer driving range than standard EVs, with faster recharging. OK, but: Infrastructure for hydrogen vehicles poses a real chicken-and-egg problem, and sales of hydrogen vehicles are down. Investors are reluctant to build the fueling infrastructure while vehicle sales are low. And drivers don’t want to buy the vehicles while infrastructure is unreliable or non-existent. Meadow View garden center to close after 40 years; customers make last visits Readers gravitated to this story online: Meadow View Growers, a large, well-known garden center just south of New Carlisle, is preparing to close, the owner announced over the weekend. The history: Meadow View has operated on Ohio 235 for 40 years, most of that time under the Robinson family, which established the business in 1984. Jeff Pack bought Meadow View in 2018 and has run the garden center since then. Contact me: Thank you once again for reading this newsletter. Drop me a line at tom.gnau@coxinc.com to tell me about your business. You can also find me at X and on Facebook here and here. It’s a rock band; no, it’s a brass ensemble: No, it’s the Air Force Band of Flight. If you need more Kung Fu BBQ in your life: Then I know of just the place. Hal McCoy’s all-time great Reds lineup: Same as mine, actually. About that Ohio sales tax holiday: It ends soon. Real soon. Westrafo breaks ground for Trotwood plant, 230 new jobs. Monday was a day to celebrate | 
