Dayton Daily News

A local charity has bought the final piece of real estate it needs to launch construction of an $11 million, 80,000-square-foot human services center near downtown Dayton.

Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley will begin by razing the former South Main Street flag shop it purchased this week and six adjacent commercial properties.

The Dayton Daily News reports officials are soliciting architectural bids for the building and surroundings.

City officials in Dayton are spending $875,000 to tear down 80 vacant houses and buildings.

But, the officials say, that will barely put a dent in the 7,000 abandoned structures in the city. Deputy City Manager Shelley Dickstein said the goal is to tear down 150 of them this year.

On average, it costs the city $10,000 to demolish a vacant structure.

The Dayton Daily News reports that the money comes from the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The expenditure was approved by city commissioners Wednesday.
 

Attorneys for a federally backed pension insurer have declined to enter mediation with retirees of a bankrupt auto-parts supplier suing to have their full pensions restored.

The Dayton Daily News reports that the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. rejected the non-binding mediation with Delphi salaried retirees. A spokesman for the insurer said Thursday said it can pay out only the amounts authorized by Congress.

Chuck Cunningham with the Delphi Salaried Retirees Association said it came after six weeks of discussions.

A research center at the University of Dayton has won a $42.2 million dollar contract from the U.S. Air Force.

The Dayton Daily News reports that the contract awarded to the UD’s Research Institute will maintain 30 existing jobs at the facility.

And another $1.2 million contract from GE Aviation for related research will create as many as five new positions there.

The Air Force contract is for research and development in advanced power and thermal management technologies for hypersonic and long-range aircraft.

Democrats in Montgomery County chose Fred Strahorn to replace Rep. Clayton Luckie, who withdrew from running for re-election.

The Dayton Daily News reports that the county party's central committee voted 41 to 1 replace Luckie on the November ballot.  Luckie dropped out Friday, a day after the Franklin County prosecutor said Luckie was under investigation. The prosecutor has said little other than that the probe doesn't involve bribery.

Luckie remains in office. He hasn't commented on his withdrawal or the prosecutor's statement.