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 Trump administration has agreed to fund SNAP benefits for the nation through money from an Agriculture Department contingency fund. But, these funds equate to only half of the typical benefits disseminated, and recipients could expect delays. -
Rumpke said its air quality initiatives will support 220 Ohio jobs, strengthen infrastructure, and expand its capacity. The curbside trash and recycling company serves millions in Ohio and other nearby states. -
Montgomery County Commissioners presented an addition check of $500,000 to the Foodbank, Inc., increasing its support to the local nonprofit serving Montgomery, Greene and Preble Counties. -
Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) is creating 48 new maintenance and engineering services jobs in Wilmington, Ohio. A tax credit is supporting this project. -
SNAP, also known as food stamps, is expected to be frozen in November. Here are some Dayton-area and southwest Ohio resources for those in need — plus opportunities to donate and volunteer. -
The Wright Brothers Institute is shutting down after more than two decades of work with the U.S. Air Force and entrepreneurs in the Dayton region. -
Guided by Mushrooms in Dayton received a $2,500 microgrant from the nonprofit Hall Hunger Initiative to supply mushrooms to House of Bread, a community kitchen offering free lunchtime meals. -
Farm Safety Net programs typically help farmers access loans, commodity or program payments and disaster assistance — services that have been halted as agencies during the government shutdown. -
After 25-year-old Christian Black of Zanesville, Ohio, died in custody at the Montgomery County Jail, the county has agreed to a $7 million settlement. -
The Davis-Linden Building has been around since the late 1800s, housing commerce and industry in East Dayton. Now it is home to both creative and commercial entrepreneurs.
