Kasich to give State of the State speech in Wilmington

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Gov. John Kasich is asking to deliver his annual State of the State speech in Wilmington, a rebounding southwest Ohio city hard hit by job losses during the recession.

The governor’s office requested the site and speech date of Feb. 24 in a letter to lawmakers Friday.

Wilmington is the seat of Clinton County, home of fledgling GOP House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger. Its selection continues Kasich’s tradition of taking his signature speech outside Columbus and into the backyards of key state lawmakers.

Kasich made history when he first moved the speech from the Statehouse in 2012.

Wilmington became a national symbol of the recession’s impacts after DHL pulled thousands of delivery operations jobs from its air park in 2008. Kasich visited in 2013 to celebrate job growth.