Man crashes into playground, dies; Another man taken into custody and dies

Man crashes into playground, dies

DAYTON

Police say an Ohio man who was shot drove his car into a playground before dying.

Police in Dayton say officers responding to an unrelated call Sunday evening saw a speeding car crash into a fence and playground at a prep school.

Investigators say the playground was empty at the time though significantly damaged in the accident.

Police say the 42-year-old driver had been shot and died later at a hospital. A 33-year-old male suspect was taken into custody. Authorities say the shooting was the result of a long-running dispute between the two men.

Man taken into custody, then dies

CANTON

Investigators are awaiting autopsy results on a man who died after being taken into custody by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The agency says the man was placed in the back of a patrol car Saturday night in Canton after being arrested following a brief pursuit that began with the report of a reckless vehicle on Interstate 77. Patrol spokesman Lt. Rick Sellers says the man ingested a “white powdery substance” that he took from his body while in the patrol car.

Sellers says first responders administered two doses of Narcan, an anti-overdose drug, and transported the man to a hospital where he died.

A child found in the man’s vehicle was placed with a relative.

Ohio offers $650,000 to help fight hepatitis

COLUMBUS

The Ohio Department of Health is offering $650,000 split among local health agencies to offset costs of addressing the statewide hepatitis A outbreak that was declared nearly a year ago.

The agency says the money can help cover costs of prevention and control efforts. That includes vaccinating people who aren’t in high-risk groups that can get the vaccine supplied by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Agencies have until June 4 to apply for their share.

Ohio has seen nearly 2,300 cases of hepatitis A since January 2018. More than half resulted in hospitalizations. Eight people died.

The disease is transmitted by oral contact with fecal matter, even in microscopic amounts. It attacks the liver and causes symptoms including abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, fever and jaundice.

Classes to move after radiation detected

PIKETON

An Ohio school district that closed a building where radioactive contamination was found says classes will be moved elsewhere at the start of next school year.

The Columbus Dispatch reports the U.S. Department of Energy conducted testing Friday at the Scioto Valley Local School District’s Zahn’s Corner Middle School, which was closed earlier this month. The DOE and Pike County Health District are hiring an independent third party to also test for radioactive contamination.

The southern Ohio building is several miles from DOE’s Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, which once produced enriched uranium for nuclear plants and the U.S. nuclear weapons programs.

The DOE reported in 2017 that trace amounts of radioactive neptunium were detected on school grounds. More recently, traces of enriched uranium were detected inside the school.

Things are looking up at Dayton airport

DAYTON

Leaders of the Dayton airport have pointed to an improved credit rating released this month as signaling confidence in the airport’s future after several challenging years.

S&P Global Ratings revised its outlook to “stable” from “negative” for the city-owned Dayton International Airport, giving it a BBB+ rating.

The revised outlook reflects S&P’s view that passenger numbers are stabilizing after years of decline, and the expectation that the airport will maintain a debt to income ratio that is “at least adequate,” an S&P analyst said in a statement.

City leaders said budget efforts and investments in airport infrastructure are paying off.

“It’s always going to impress an investment house when we are able to cut our budget, bring our operating budget down in line with our revenue, and at the same time, make huge capital investments in our facility,” said Terry Slaybaugh, Dayton’s aviation director.

The airport’s terminal has recently been remodeled and leaders believe commercial development and jobs from more than $92 million invested near the airport in recent years has also made difference.

Associated Press

“Not only do we have a phenomenal terminal that’s easy to navigate, but Dayton’s excellent economy and people have given the future of our airport new light,” Slaybaugh said in a statement from the city.

S&P said it still considers the Dayton airport to be vulnerable, citing two competing airports within 70 miles. It said both John Glenn Columbus International Airport and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport historically offer more service.

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Information from: Dayton Daily News, http://www.daytondailynews.com