Jerry Kenney

Today the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patt will open the doors to its newly renovated 400-seat, giant-screen theatre.  The overhaul cost about $800,000 dollars and this weekend the venue will host the Reel Stuff Film Festival of Aviation. Among the diverse lineup of flight-related films, a new film about the Wright Brothers. 

On Tuesday, Republicans in the Ohio House put forth a budget proposal that included an education funding formula quite different than the one Governor John Kasich put forward in his two year spending blueprint. 

Many welcomed the news that, under Governor Kasich’s plan, no schools would see their funding levels cut from the previous year. Yet, 60% of Ohio schools would get no funding increase, including some poorer districts, and some wealthy districts would have seen fairly large funding increases.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has announced that his office is awarding $60,000 in grant funds to the National Alliance on Mental Illness Ohio (NAMI Ohio). 

According to the Attorney General’s office, the grant money will fund Crisis Intervention Team or (CIT) training. It’s a 40-hour course educating law enforcement officers about handling incidents involving people with mental illness. Law enforcement officers will receive education about mental health disorders, the local mental health system, and some practical techniques for de-escalating crises.

Actor, Anthony Edwards has signed on to take part in this week’s presentation of TOP GUN 3D at the new Air Force Museum Theater. Edwards, who played the role of Navy Lt. Nick “Goose” Bradshaw in the 1986 Paramount Pictures blockbuster, will co-present one of two scheduled screenings  of the new 3D version of TOP GUN. 

It’s all part of this year’s Film Festival of Aviation.  This week, I spoke with the festival’s founder, Ron Kaplan to get the run-down on this year’s entries, and the Air Force Museum's new big screen theater.

Canal Street Tavern in Dayton has been sold. The music venue’s new owner is Bill Daniels, owner of Pizza Factory and South Park Tavern.

Canal Street has been around since 1981, and long-time owner Mick Montgomery says the club has been his life, adding, "the truth is I’ve had some incredible staff to who helped me get started, and whose worked with me over the years, and I can’t describe it in any other way than it’s just been a gratifying, good experience."