| *** Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to replace VP-elect Vance in U.S. Senate Ohio Lt. Gov Jon Husted, a former Dayton-area state representative, senator, speaker of the House and Ohio Secretary of State, was officially picked to fill a vacant seat in the U.S. Senate left by Vice President-elect JD Vance. ⢠Upcoming elections: Husted is guaranteed to have a spot in the Senate until at least December 2026. After that, heâll face a special election in November 2026 to determine who will serve out the remainder of the original six-year Senate term ending December 2028, and another general election in November 2028 for a new term. ⢠What Husted said: âIn the end this is easy, itâs a decision about service ... for me and my family and where we can have the most impact,â Husted said. âIâll be proud to serve Ohio as a U.S. senator.â ⢠Supporting Trump: He noted President-elect Donald Trump won Ohio by 11 points, and said, âI will do all I can to help him and JD Vance be successful.â Husted also said he would support Trumpâs nominees facing Senate confirmation. ⢠Positions on notable topics: Husted is staunchly anti-abortion and pro-school choice. ⢠State political implications: The pick partially sorts a logjam of high-profile Ohio Republicans who are eyeing a 2026 run to replace term-limited DeWine as Ohio governor. Husted, along with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, all have ambitions of leading Ohioâs executive branch. Possible Honda-Nissan merger could mean opportunities at Ohio plants Late last month, Honda and Nissan announced a memorandum of understanding to start talks toward a possible merger. A third automaker, Mitsubishi, is also participating in talks. ⢠Plant locations: Nissan has two plants in Tennessee and one in Mississippi. Honda has Ohio plants in Marysville, East Liberty and Anna, about an hourâs drive north of Dayton, and a Honda/LG Energy Solution joint venture is building an electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Fayette County. A Honda distribution center is in Troy. ⢠An opportunity: Honda has 10,000-plus Ohio employees. In general, Hondaâs track record in Ohio since 1979 has been consistently positive. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, Honda never laid off any full-time employees in Ohio. What to know today ⢠One big takeaway: A newly passed Ohio law would allow superintendents to expel students for significantly longer than a previous law, which superintendents say is important to maintain school safety. ⢠Tip of the day: Itâs not too late to make volunteering a part of your New Yearâs resolution. ⢠Person to know today: Chef Phillip Morgan. The owner of Morganâs Catering has opened a restaurant in the Wright-Dunbar District after operating in a food trailer since 2021. ⢠Big move of the day: The city of Kettering plans to buy the former Vista Kawasaki dealership site. ⢠Dayton eats: Fresh Halal Market, which had been located in Miamisburg for 25 years, recently relocated to 721 Lyons Road in Washington Twp. for better access and a newer storefront. ⢠Cincinnati Bengals: Hamilton County and the Cincinnati Bengals accused each other of violating their lease agreement for Paycor Stadium, in a series of letters and emails. What this might mean for teamâs future in Cincinnati. ⢠Dayton history: Charity Adams Earley laid the groundwork for todayâs integrated military as the top-ranking Black woman officer and paved the way for Black women in service. ⢠National championship game: Ohio State players look ahead to Notre Dame matchup. Hereâs how to follow our coverage from the big game. ⢠Cincinnati Reds: Two days before the start of the Major League season, the Cincinnati Reds will play their final spring training game at Day Air Ballpark. ⢠Photo of the day: Coach Don Donoher led the Dayton Flyers basketball team from 1964 to 1989, compiling a record of 437â275. Check out our collection of photos of him from our archives. | 