Weekly Roundup | Indicted county judge's son talks

Welcome to the Weekly Roundup, where we bring you the top stories from today’s Dayton Daily News and major stories from the past week you may have missed.

This week that includes an in-depth interview with the son of a local judge facing criminal charges related to that son’s hiring, an analysis of Ohio gun law changes in the five years since the Oregon District shooting, and a look at what makes a good teacher.

Our mission is to help you understand what’s really going on in the Dayton region. This includes comprehensive coverage of local governments and agencies, hard-hitting investigations, and in-depth analyses of important issues.

Do you have a news tip or an issue you think our reporters should look into? Contact me at Josh.Sweigart@coxinc.com, or you can use our anonymous tipline.

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Indicted Montgomery County judge’s son talks about his role in charges

Credit: Jim Noelker

Montgomery County Clerk of Courts Mike Foley and Montgomery County Municipal Court Judge James Piergies were both indicted last month. The charges against Piergies are related to the hiring of his son, according to the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office, which handled the investigation. The charges against Foley include solicitation of political contributions from public employees and prohibition against partisan political activity.

• The interview: Reporter Sydney Dawes interviewed Robert Piergies, the son of Judge James Piergies. Robert worked first for the county municipal court then for Foley’s office until a month before the indictments. Read the full story here, including video clips of the interview.

• The job: Robert Piergies alleges his father helped him get a job at the county, including potentially providing funds to the clerk of court’s office to help pay at least part of his salary.

• Political donations: Robert also alleges that his father pressured him to donate to Foley’s campaign, and even gave his son money to make such donations.

• Foley defiant: Foley, a Republican, last week addressed the Montgomery County GOP. He said he has done nothing wrong, has no plans to resign and intends to stay on the ballot for reelection in November. Leaders of both the local Republican and Democrat parties have called for him to resign.

• Stay tuned: Foley and Piergies are scheduled for arraignment Monday in county court. Our reporters will be there. We also are using public records laws to obtain more information about these allegations and will report any new information we uncover.

5 years later, gun debate spurred by Dayton mass shooting is cooled

Credit: amelia-robinson

After a gunman opened fire in Dayton’s Oregon District five years ago killing nine people and injuring dozens of others in less than a minute, state and national attention turned to whether there should be restrictions on the type of firepower used. This week, we look at what has happened since.

• ‘Do Something’: Soon after the shooting, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine took the stage at a vigil in the Oregon District to speak words of consolation. Many in the crowd chanted “Do Something,” demanding the state’s top official replace words with action.

• DeWine’s words: “I have an obligation to do this. This is something I want to do. We’re focused on this. It’s the right thing to do. These are all things that I believe we can do,” DeWine said of gun reforms.

• DeWine’s actions: DeWine proposed a list of gun safety reforms including a “red flag law” and enhanced background checks. Those did not come to fruition.

• The run-rights view: “It was good intentions,” said Jim Irvine, the former and longtime president of the Buckeye Firearms Association who for months collaborated with the DeWine administration after the Oregon District shooting. “However, it didn’t pass because it wasn’t good legislation, is the bottom line. It wasn’t going to solve a problem.”

• What was done: The approval of gun-rights bills since the Oregon District shooting include a “stand your ground” law, which increases the number of scenarios in which an individual is justified for opening fire on another, and a permit-less concealed carry law for Ohio adults.

• The full story: The full story from statehouse reporter Avery Kreemer includes more perspective from both sides of the gun debate, and specific legislation and policy proposals.

• Coming Monday: Our coverage of the gun debate continues Monday with a story by Lynn Hulsey on how the issue is playing out in this year’s race for president and U.S. Senate in Ohio.

What makes a ‘good teacher,’ and why it matters

As area students go back to school, education reporter Eileen McClory is continuing her series of stories into issues affecting local school districts. This week she looks at teacher experience.

• What she found: Eileen analyzed Ohio Department of Education and Workforce data and found average teacher experience at most local school districts and statewide have increased since the pandemic.

• Caveat: But a likely driver of that is that less experienced teachers either aren’t coming on board or are burning out quickly, increasing the overall average.

• Another key stat: According to a report from ODEW, 11.3% of the teachers in southwest Ohio urban schools in the 2021-2022 school year were not properly certified, the highest percentage in the state.

• The full story: Go here for the full story, including why teacher experience is important, data from local school districts, perspectives from teachers themselves and a look at how districts support staff development.