As WYSO remembers the 2019 Memorial Day tornado disaster and its impacts, we return to one of last year's hardest-hit Miami Valley communities: tight-knit Northridge. Beth Wentz and Timothy Walker raised their two children in the area as longtime homeowners in their first house together. On the night of the storm, Wentz and the kids clung together in the basement as a massive EF4 twister destroyed the house all around them. Walker had just started on third shift at a Clayton warehouse when his sister-in-law called.

A year ago today, 19 tornadoes touched down in Ohio, destroying homes and businesses in rural and urban areas alike. The largest of those tornados passed through the City of Dayton and several neighboring communities. WYSO’s Jason Reynolds has been talking with people in some of the hardest-hit communities to see where they are today.

There are not that many books that I pick up and instantly react with expressions of Wow! and Awesome! This book elicited those reactions from me. What a gorgeous endeavor! This massive study of the electric keyboards that are identified with the musical legacies of many musicians from the mid to late 20th century is filled with incredible details and fabulous illustrations.

Military life is constant sacrifice, not only for the service-member but also for their spouse. Being married to a service-member requires flexibility and resilience. Today on Veterans’ Voices, Air Force veteran Joseph McWilliams of Dayton, and his wife, Heather McWilliams.

On Thursday night, a team of University of Dayton filmmakers released a new short documentary examining the city’s response to the 2019 Memorial Day Tornadoes, and the mass shooting that occurred in the Oregon District.

More than 150 people logged onto Zoom to watch the world premiere of “Dayton’s Darkest Summer”.

The media production students who produced this 15 minute documentary interviewed Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, first responders, and victims of the two tragedies.

Ohio’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles reopened today after being closed since mid-March. The department has extended the deadline for renewing licenses and IDs if they expired after March 8th. Still, some area offices had long lines today. 

At 12 p.m. there were about 50 people in line outside the BMV office at Dayton’s Pinewood Plaza.

Residents waited to renew their IDs so they could cash their stimulus check, apply for low income housing, or go out for drinks tonight. 

The coronavirus pandemic and state-wide stay-at-home order has put a serious dent in Miami Valley home sales, which dropped significantly in April.

According to the Dayton Area Board of Realtors, single-family home and condominium sales dropped more than twenty-two percent in April - compared to the same month last year. Those are the lowest April sales numbers since 2014.