It’s fair to say the PSA Airlines collision with an Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C. Wednesday evening stunned the nation and much of the world.
It had been more than 15 years since the last fatal crash involving a U.S. commercial airliner.
But the crash that captured the nation’s attention was preceded by very different, and very local, news: PSA’s announcement several hours earlier that it intended to pull its corporate headquarters from Dayton to North Carolina.
Before Wednesday’s crash, a Dayton Development Coalition leader said regional leaders were not given an opportunity to make the case for keeping the PSA headquarters here.
But he and others also noted that PSA will continue to keep hundreds of employees here.
Here is the recent news regarding PSA Airlines, just from the past 48 or so hours.
First: PSA Airlines announced Wednesday afternoon it would move its corporate headquarters from Dayton to Charlotte, N.C.
The move was a blow to Dayton, which for years could claim to be home to the only airline based in Ohio.
Then, about four hours later: A PSA Airlines jet flying from Wichita carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan National, prompting a large search-and-rescue operation in the nearby Potomac River.
Why a local company is integrating five of its shops under one brand ahead of moving into a new home.
Reporter Eric Schwartzberg pulls back the curtain on Accelevation, which makes infrastructure for data centers. The business is unifying heritage brands ahead of planned growth.
What’s happening: Conatech, Revolution Iron Works, Coach Tool & Die, Instor and Southeast Tool will operate as Accelevation, a move the rapidly-expanding company said will establish it as North America’s “most comprehensive” single-source provider for data center infrastructure solutions.
AFMC spokesman: Wright-Patterson can hire civilians despite Trump hiring freeze
In the wake of President Trump’s flurry of executive orders, those responsible for hiring civilians within the federal government were searching for clarity.
Drill down: The president’s order made an exception for military and national security positions, but still, some of those with whom I speak at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base were looking for guidance.
The latest: “The Department of Defense has been given a blanket exemption from the federal civilian hiring freeze,” AFMC spokesman Derek Kaufman said in response to questions from the Dayton Daily News.
He told me AFMC headquarters has 94 civilian job openings, a number that is continually in flux.
Yes, but: A spokesman for the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson was consulting with a subject matter expert on the question. Among AFRL’s job openings: A new chief knowledge officer.
Dayton Art Institute still feeling pandemic’s lingering effects
What’s happening: The Dayton Art Institute is facing financial headwinds following five-straight years of budgets in the red and after its major fundraising event in 2024 had a dismal performance, forcing the museum to lay off multiple employees, reporter Samantha Wildow tells us.
Lower revenue. Yet higher pay?: The museum has been spending more than it has generated in revenue since 2020, including giving its two highest earners salary increases as high as 80% the year after it saw a $2 million loss in revenue, a Dayton Daily News examination found.
What happened: The one-star general responsible for overseeingthe sustainment and modernization of the Air Force bombers portfolio, which includes the B-1, B-2 and B-52, was fired Tuesday.
Why it matters: The move meant a change in one of the most important leadership positions at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Contact me: Thank you for reading, wherever you are. You can reach me at tom.gnau@coxinc.com, through direct messages at X, as well as LinkedIn and at our Dayton Business page. Drop me a line anytime.
While operating at a loss since 2020 and laying off a handful of employees within the last seven months to compensate for an approximate $4.5 million shortfall, the two highest earners at the Dayton Art Institute saw their salaries increase by tens of thousands during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to IRS 990 tax forms.
In a heartfelt Facebook post on Wednesday evening, the owner of The Local 937 sandwich shop in the St. Anne’s historic district of Dayton announced it will close.
Air Force Materiel Command removes top bombers officer after investigation into "inappropriate personal relationships."
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