News

Some conservative Ohio lawmakers and some faith leaders who generally support conservative causes want to put millions of additional dollars into more preschool for at risk children, something a lot of Democrats have championed in the past, and the push is on at the Ohio Statehouse to get more money for early childhood education.

Ohio's unemployment rate for April was 7.0 percent - down slightly from 7.1 percent in the two previous months.

State officials released the numbers this morning ahead of the newest statewide labor force data.

The rate has consistently remained below the national level. The U.S. unemployment rate for April was 7.5 percent.

The state's leaders have said Ohio's economy and its job market are getting stronger, though the process is slow.

Officials say drilling in Ohio's Utica shale region nearly doubled the output of oil and natural gas there since 2011.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday that the drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in the shale region of eastern Ohio increased the oil output by 93 percent and the natural gas output by 80 percent in that time.

This Saturday marks the second Dynamite Soul block party event in Yellow Springs.  Designed as both a thank you to the community and a preview of this year's CyclopsFest, this free family-friendly event will feature performances from Columbus' Turntable Philanthropy and Dayton-based Skratchmatik Turntable Crew, who visited the WYSO studios for alive performance on Kaleidoscope.

Dynamite Soul 2 co-organizer Brian Johnson also stopped by to talk more about the event, which takes place Saturday May 18th, 5-10pm in the Kings Yard in Yellow Springs.

Springfield is this year's host for the Miami Valley Cycling Summit. The Summit is designed to help both large and small communities learn how to use cycling to drive economic development.

Organizers for this year's event have come up with the theme Cycling Connects. A panel of experts will detail how communities can benefit economically and connect with other cities in the region and around the nation to develop a profitable biking agenda.