Local leaders hope that a new police station will help with the redevelopment of the Wright factory site.

In today’s Morning Briefing, we look at the plans for the police station and what it could mean for the local community. We also tell you the story of a Springfield family that got caught up the in aftermath of Hurricane Helene while celebrating their wedding anniversary in Ashville, North Carolina.

If you have thoughts or feedback on this newsletter or other news tips, please let me know at Greg.Lynch@coxinc.com.

Want to read the digital version of the newspaper? Click here for our daily ePaper.

The newsletter should take about 4 minutes, 35 seconds to read.

Dayton leaders believe new West police station will be economic catalyst

City and community leaders hope that a new police station that will be built on West Third Street will be a second anchor for the Wright brothers airplane factory site that helps with its redevelopment.

• What they are saying: “This facility will be incredibly impactful for this community,” said Joe Parlette, Dayton’s deputy city manager. “It is the second step — the west library was the first — in the redevelopment of this entire site.”

• Positive feedback: Eva Boddie, president of the Western Hills Neighborhood Association, said the new police station will be the answer to the prayers of many community members who have long wanted their neighborhoods to be safer.

• Wright brothers factory: Local leaders hope the National Park Service will acquire the historic Wright brothers airplane factory hangars at a northeast section of the site.

• The cost: The city plans to spend about $5.5 million to construct the new police station at West Third Street and Abbey Avenue. The city also plans to invest about $3.7 million into infrastructure at the site.

• Timeline: The city hopes to open the new station in November 2025.

Springfield couple share tale of outlasting Helene floods in North Carolina barn

Lindsay and Erik Augustin of Springfield marked their 15th anniversary with a run-in with Hurricane Helene.

• Road trip: The couple had made a tradition of celebrating their wedding anniversary with a road trip. This year they went to Asheville, North Carolina with Erik’s parents, Rick and Loretta.

• Bad timing: They arrived on Sept. 24. Four days later the French Broad River in Asheville crested at a record-breaking 24.67 feet, bursting the banks and flooding the community. Roads and bridges were washed away and power and cellphone service were lost.

• Preparations: When they found out about the storm, they went to the grocery store, got gas, bought a case of water, and filled up the bathtub with water to ensure they could flush the toilet if the power went out.

• No way out: After the storm, road closures made it impossible to get home. The bridge on Interstate 40 had been washed out.

• It gets real: “At this point we have a little more than half a tank of gas left and obviously nowhere to get gas. We began to think we were going to be stranded along the side of the road with all these other people, with nowhere to go,” Erik said.

• A place to stay: A friendly stranger offered the family her barn to stay in. She also said she had a freezer of food she needed to cook before it went bad. But after some close encounters with flying and crawling bugs, they decided to sleep in the car.

• Finally home. After a rural route reopened, the family was able to leave for home. They arrived back in Ohio on Oct. 1,

• Lives claimed: The storm resulting from Hurricane Helene claimed more than 230 lives, including dozens from Buncombe County, where Asheville is located.

What to know today

• One big takeaway: The city of Dayton and the police union have reached a deal to end a dispute over officers’ pay structure that was part of a new collective bargaining agreement.

• Tip of the day: Fisher-Price recalled more than 2 million infant swings after five deaths were reported.

• Big move of the day: Dayton-area electric utility AES Ohio recently celebrated the opening of a new electric service substation meant to serve the new joint venture Honda Electric Vehicle (EV) battery plant, among other businesses in that area.

• Stat of the day: Dayton has sold out its fourth straight season at UD Arena. The sellout streak will reach 77 games this season.

• Happening today: The 20th annual Dayton Music Fest returns today for two days of local, regional and national music at five downtown Dayton venues.

• Volunteer opportunity: Five Rivers MetroParks will be hosting its annual fall service Make a Difference Day from 9 a.m. to noon on Oct. 26. People of all ages will work on 18 projects across 13 sites throughout Montgomery County and assist with a variety of important projects, from planting trees to trail maintenance.

• Featured column: Columnist Ray Marcano addresses recent news that a local state representative was spreading opinions that the government controls weather.

• Community Gem: Mandy Adkins. This community outreach specialist for Emerge Recovery and Trade Initiative works with individuals who are seeking recovery, homeless, those re-entering the community after incarceration and so many others.

• Thing to do: Our giant list of Halloween things to do in the Dayton region.

• Photo of the day: Reporter David Jablonski was at UD Arena on Wednesday when the men’s basketball team held a meet and greet with fans. Check out all the photos here.