Shay Frank
Food Insecurity & Agriculture ReporterExpertise: Agriculture, housing and homelessness, farming policy, hunger and food access, grocery industry, sustainable food systems
Contact: sfrank@wyso.org
Shay Frank (she/her) was born and raised in Dayton. She joined WYSO as a reporter in 2024, after freelancing for the news department for three years.
Prior to WYSO, Shay covered the arts for The Blade in Toledo.
She graduated from University of Dayton with a Bachelor of Arts in communications and has been honored to be a repeat guest at her alma mater, speaking about her career in journalism.
Her current reporting focuses on food insecurity and agriculture, including solutions to food access in the Miami Valley. This has ranged from grocery access, to composting, to the Farm Bill and more. In 2025, her deep dive into Ohio's gas station boom was recognized with a first place award for enterprise reporting by the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists.
She also works with the music department at WYSO to research and record weekend music breaks for Novaphonic.fm.
Shay is thrilled to be working with the team at WYSO and reporting for her hometown community.
Why trust us
WYSO's independent, nonprofit news team has decades of experience writing and reporting. Our first responsibility is to be a trusted source of news for the Miami Valley and southwest Ohio. There is no connection between our funding and editorial decisions.
Our mission is to produce trustworthy journalism that is fact-based, researched, transparent, intellectually curious, pushes beyond the obvious answers, local, fair, and, when it’s called for, embraces the search for solutions. We believe an educated citizenry is essential to the functioning of our democracy.
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All branches of the Dayton Metro Library system will adjust their hours to match their busiest hours of utilization in order to meet patron needs and continue to offer resources. -
The Hospital Ballot Committee and the Clergy Community Coalition delivered 2,800 additional petition signatures after the ballot initiative was voted down at the Dayton City Commission meeting July 23. -
The bill signed into law on July 4 makes major cuts to the program that began in 1939 with the First Food Stamp Program. SNAP cuts will reduce the budget by $186 billion dollars over nine years. -
The Miami Valley nonprofit has served the region for decades, providing more than 45,500 people with professional clothing and image coaching. -
The Montgomery County Jail Coalition studied how other communities monitor their jails. A new report lists recommendations for an independent watchdog committee and improving conditions at the County Jail. -
The Huffman Historic District is one mile east of downtown Dayton, comprised of historic Victorian and Queen Anne style homes. Now, the neighborhood is working to build an urban homesteading community. -
The Ohio State Fair's inclusive pig show event offered people between the ages of nine and 22 with intellectual or developmental disabilities the chance to show pigs in a fair arena. -
Produce Perks supports more than 150 farms, markets and grocers in Ohio. Some are concerned about the future of the program after more than $5 million in USDA funding for the program was clawed back. -
The Dayton Dragons announced its home stadium was awarded the Fans’ Choice Award for Best Single-A Ballpark in the United States on July 23. -
Farmers across the state are having to pivot from drought conditions last year to heavy rainfall that has forced many to replant crops.
