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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The Jefferson Street Oasis Community Garden took heavy damage in July after teens from the community in Springfield broke in. Garden members worked to turn the incident into a learning experience for them. -
Over the last 15 to 20 years, China has been the number one importer of soybeans from the U.S. Now, they have cut their purchasing power to zero. -
The $20 million Behavioral Health Unit comes years after an the Board of County Commissioners formed an independent Justice Committee to analyze jail operations and community needs. -
The Clark County Combined Health District conducts a Community Health Assessment every three years, aimed at identifying key health issues and finding solutions. -
First-time homebuyers in Dayton can now apply to purchase a newly constructed home in the Madden Hills, Fairview and Dayton Triangle neighborhoods, as part of the Welcome Home Ohio Program. -
Ohio has seen its hottest August months on record, but the state has also seen some record numbers in rainfall. What does this mean for farmers who rely on the land to produce a fruitful crop? -
The Graywolf Golf Club in Trotwood, formerly known as Moss Creek, reopened Friday after years of rebuilding from the devastating 2019 Memorial Day tornadoes. -
The Black Indigenous People of Color Food and Farming Network’s 2025 Conference will see its second year in Dayton at Central State University’s Germantown Street location. -
Troy High School will participate in the London Parade and Festival, which typically draws over half a million spectators along the streets of London. -
The Maimon Memorial Garden has provided hundreds of pounds of food to The Foodbank, Inc., and Miami Valley Meals. The garden also provides educational opportunities for high school students and visitors.
