The Featured Articles

Today, Mayor Jeffrey Mims and Commissioner Matt Joseph unveiled the City of Dayton’s latest purchase of electric vehicles, five new Chevrolet Bolt EUVs.The new electric vehicles replace internal-combustion engine vehicles that are aging out of the municipal fleet.

The EV acquisition is driven by “Strategy for a Sustainable Dayton,” a Commission-approved plan to move City of Dayton operations to more environmentally sensitive and sustainable conditions by pursuing continuous reductions in fossil fuel consumption. As part of the plan, the City pledged to convert its fleet to 100% electric vehicles by 2035.

“As a strong advocate for sustainability initiatives in Dayton, I am excited to see our commitments in action today” said Commission Matt Joseph. “We still have a long way to go to reach our goal to be fully electric by 2035, but we as a Commission are committed to electrifying the City fleet, which will not only reduce carbon emissions but save our residents money.”

“The purchase of these five vehicles is a continuation of our initiative to move Dayton in a more sustainable direction,” said City Manager Shelley Dickstein. “Our early implementation of the 2020 Sustainability Strategy and the 2021 Climate Emergency focused on making our electric energy consumption more efficient and renewable across the various City departments, buildings and facilities. These electric vehicles complement that initial work and will serve as a visible reminder of our progress toward being a greener community.”

The City of Dayton spent roughly $140,000 to obtain the five new Bolt EUVs, with plans to purchase several more electric vehicles in the coming months. On average, an electric vehicle can save $1,000 on fuel each year. Additionally, EVs are significantly less expensive to maintain as they do not require oil changes and other maintenance required by traditional vehicles powered by internal combustion engines.

The new vehicles will be deployed throughout the City organization. Departments or programs receiving vehicles from the purchase include Police, Planning, and the Dayton Mediation Center. The Bolt EUVs have a driving range of 247 miles per charge.

Our community is poorer for the loss of Julia Reichert. The world knows her as an award winning documentary filmmaker and celebrates her unwavering dedication to exploring issues impacting women and the working class.

“American Factory” follows a Chinese billionaire opened a Fuyao factory in a shuttered General Motors plant in Dayton, Ohio. For thousands of locals, the arrival of this multinational car-glass manufacturer meant regaining their jobs—and dignity—after the recession left them high and dry. American Factory takes us inside the facility to observe what happens when workers from profoundly different cultures collide.

At first, the culture clash is humorous. Transplanted Chinese workers attend trainings on dealing with their peculiarly casual and “chatty” American counterparts. But tensions mount. Slack safety standards and meager wages ignite serious doubts among the American rank and file. Low productivity and talk of unionization trigger a cascade of controls from Chinese management. Meanwhile, something ominous—the specter of job loss from automation—looms.

With precision and astonishing access, directors Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar capture every key moment in this high-stakes intercultural chess game, revealing how American and Chinese workers view themselves within systems of authority. What results is an epic masterwork about the future of American labor and Chinese economic dominance, all within the confines of a factory in Ohio.

This film was acquired by the Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, and went on to win the 2020 Oscar for Best Documentary.