WYSO's team of reporters dug into pressing issues around the Dayton region throughout 2024.
From lithium-ion battery burning to the fight for renters' rights, we went across the Miami Valley to illuminate issues that matter and to seek solutions. And we were only able to do this thanks to the support of our members.
Here are five of our top investigations:
Ohio gas station boom brings fuel, food and sometimes controversy
Ohio has become the expansion ground for a number of large, chain gas stations such as Sheetz, WaWa and Buc-ees.
But these big developments come with a cost. They use farm land or other open space to build on, and potentially increase traffic and pollution.
So why are these supercharged gas and service stations opening in Ohio now?
WYSO's Shay Frank explored the mixed feelings some Ohioans have about the impact of these companies setting up shop.
Researchers burned batteries in Piqua. Now neighbors want to know what they were exposed to
Lithium-ion batteries power everything from cell phones to electric vehicles. But they can combust suddenly and without warning. Researchers are trying to figure out how and why that happens.
A WYSO investigation by Adriana Martinez-Smiley uncovered that research was happening in Piqua, unbeknownst to many residents. They're concerned they were exposed to harmful chemicals.
From 2018 to 2023, what was known as a fire training site in Piqua also housed a prolific lithium-ion battery testing program. Part of what made it possible is that Ohio has few regulations around lithium-ion battery burning, treating it the same as burning farm fields.
A Matter of Impact: A Look Back at the Decade Since John Crawford III Was Killed
Ten years ago, on Aug. 5, 2014, Beavercreek Police Officer Sean Williams shot and killed John H. Crawford III at a local Walmart store. Crawford was holding a BB gun he picked up while wandering the store aisles and talking on the phone with the mother of his children.
This one-hour documentary looks back at the 10 years since Crawford was killed. We revisit the community response to Crawford’s killing, and we hear from some of the people who were involved in this response — including Crawford’s father, activists and supporters, and the former mayor of Beavercreek.
'Like walking into a deep freeze.' 82-year-old fights for heat as Dayton renters battle for rights
Since the beginning of 2024, the Dayton Tenant Union has fought to join the city’s Housing Steering Committee that makes housing policy recommendations to city commissioners.
Arlie Forte is a member of the tenant union, and she wants the city to do more for renters who are in disputes with their landlord. She spoke with WYSO's Kathryn Mobley about her struggles with getting heat in her apartment as an example of what some renters face.
Black maternal, infant mortality is persistently high — but overwhelmingly preventable
When Diamond Smith gave birth to her child in Dayton, her experience was traumatic. Her previous pregnancies had gone fairly well, but this time, the 30-year-old mom felt like her concerns and needs weren't taken seriously by her doctors, nurses and hospital staff.
Black women in the U.S. die three times more often than white women from pregnancy related causes, according to the CDC.
WYSO's Ngozi Cole dug into why this is and what solutions could help.