Morning Briefing | Wright-Patt workers return to the office

The Air Force has been directed to move “expeditiously” to return all workers to in-person work.

In today’s Morning Briefing, we look at how that affects those working at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and if there are enough work stations to accommodate all the returning workers. We also check in to see how Ohio’s distracted driving laws have been enforced in the year since they went into effect.

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The newsletter should take about 3 minutes, 20 seconds to read.

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WPAFB missions: We have enough desks for returning workers

The Air Force is grappling with matching workstations to workers returning to offices as employees leave telework behind.

• Ending telework: Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs employees were directed to end telework by last Friday — with some exceptions.

• Shortfall of workstations: The Department of the Air Force has a shortfall of workstations in the national capital region and across the Air Force and the Space Force.

• Situation at Wright-Patt: For both headquarters of the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) and the 88th Air Base Wing, there are sufficient workspaces to return teleworking members to the office.

• Lots of workers: Wright-Patt has more workers, some 38,000, than any other single-site employer in Ohio.

• Department of Veterans Affairs: The Dayton VA Medical Center has about 230 employees who will be affected by the return to in-person work policy.

See how many tickets your local police department issued for driving while texting

A recent Dayton Daily News investigation found local law enforcement agencies issued few citations for driving while texting in the first year Ohio’s new distracted driving laws were in effect.

• Statistic: The Ohio State Highway Patrol issued nearly 92% of all tickets for driving while texting from April 2023 through April 2024.

• Law is effective: The Highway Patrol and Ohio governor’s office say the new law is effective at reducing distracted driving.

• Our analysis: We found 148 agencies issued no tickets that first year, and the vast majority didn’t report distracted driving enforcement data to the state at all, despite the state law. In addition to suggesting lax enforcement, this makes it impossible to see if the law is being applied fairly, since data required to be reported includes racial demographics on drivers cited.

• Search the data: You can search data for every law enforcement agency in Ohio, how many citations they reported to the state and the racial demographics of that enforcement.

What to know today

• One big takeaway: University of Dayton’s Center for Catholic Education recently received a $1.5 million donation from two long-time donors for Catholic teacher training.

• A day in the life: Elyssa Wortzman. This spiritual director, educator and artist is a member of multi-faith artist collective Women Strong which is “committed to sharing an inclusive community of artists with a larger community.”

• Big move of the day: The Air Force, an enthusiastic user of 3D-printed parts, has awarded Miami Twp. technology company Cornerstone Research Group a $2.5 million contract to design a prototype printer to produce big parts.

• Dayton Food & Dining: Ryan Kubichek, the bar manager and head bartender at Loose Ends Brewing Company in Centerville, took an Americana spin on the brewery’s signature Bloody Mary during Dayton’s Annual Bloody Mary Showdown earlier this month — resulting in a three-peat victory.

• Quote of the day: “A level playing field in steel will set the foundation to usher in a new golden era and a manufacturing renaissance that will make America strong again,” Cliffs Chairman, President, and CEO Lourenco Goncalves said about tariffs on steel.

• Dayton Flyers: What to know about today’s game against Fordham.

• Photo of the day: Jurassic Quest, an indoor traveling dinosaur attraction, returned to the Dayton Convention Center this past weekend. Here’s a look at the highlights.