Morning Briefing | JD Vance rallies in Middletown

JD Vance held a rally in Middletown yesterday for his first solo appearance after being picked as Donald Trump’s running mate on the Republican ticket.

Today in the Morning Briefing, we take an extended look at the visit by Vance. We also look at FAFSA completion rates in Ohio and how local students might be affected.

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The newsletter should take about 4 minutes, 5 seconds to read.

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Vance embraces hometown roots during Middletown rally: ‘I will never forget where I came from’

Vance embraced his hometown and those who have supported him throughout life during the rally in Middletown on Monday afternoon.

• Overflow crowd: Vance briefly addressed the crowd outside, apologizing that the building was at capacity (934 seats) and thanking them for their support. More than 100 people remained outside to listen to the speech through an audio speaker.

• Notable Republicans in attendance: The crowd included U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Troy; Bernie Moreno, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown for a Senate seat; and state Reps. Rodney Creech, R-West Alexandria, and Thomas Hall, R-Madison Twp.

• His message to Middletown: “I will never forget where I came from. I’m from Middletown, Ohio, and I am proud of it,” Vance said. “I love every one of you and I love this town ... I’m grateful to be formed by it.”

• Standing with Trump: Vance said Trump fights for American citizens and knows how to lead this country.

• Supporting their cause: Vance encouraged everyone to get involved, whether it’s knocking on doors for the campaign or encouraging friends and families to go to the polls. He also asked people to share their support on social media.

• Criticism of Kamala Harris: “If you’re going to lead this country you should be grateful for it,” he said. “And I never hear that gratitude come through when I listen to Kamala Harris.”

• Protest near the event: Some gathered to protest Vance near the high school. “I have read his book several times,” said Middletown resident Connie Griffis. “When I first read it all I thought was, ‘Why is he so bitter about Middletown, Ohio?’”

• Controversial moment: Ohio state Sen. George Lang, R-West Chester, warned of “civil war” if Trump and Vance lose the election in November. He later walked back his comments.

• Photos from the event: We had several photographers covering the rally. Click here for the full gallery.

FAFSA completion rates vary among local universities, down across Ohio

Families faced a complicated and delayed process of filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, in the past year. It caused some local universities to see fewer FAFSA submissions for this upcoming school year.

• Why it matters: Completing the FAFSA is free and provides students access to the largest source of financial aid for higher education. Without completing the FAFSA, families take a chance that their student will not be maximizing their financial aid package.

• Completion rate: Ohio has a 52% FAFSA completion rate. About 7,000 fewer students completed the FAFSA in Ohio than last year.

• Possible cause for decline: Typically, the FAFSA is available for families to fill out in October. But this past year, it was not available until early January, when normally, colleges ask for it to be submitted by mid-February.

• Cause for the delay: The form was delayed because the U.S. Department of Education was rolling out a new FAFSA meant to be easier for people to fill out.

What to know today

• Quote of the day: “We are deeply saddened to announce the closure of our Ghostlight Midtown ... Balancing the stability of the business with pressing family medical issues has made it necessary for us to simplify our lives, leading to this difficult decision.” — Shane Anderson, founder of Ghostlight Coffee

• Tip of the day: Several area schools, including the Miami Valley Career Tech Center, are expanding their career tech education or adding to their labs with the use of state funding.

• Big move of the day: The Dayton Flyers announced that they will be playing the Xavier Musketeers, once their biggest rival, in a charity exhibition game on Oct. 20 at UD Arena.

• Person to know today: Morakinyo A.O. Kuti. Central State University’s new president says his vision for his alma mater is for it to become the premier Land Grant 1890 institution in the state.

• Stat of the day: 300. That’s the number of local performers and artists participating in the annual Art in the City festival on Aug. 3.

• Things to do: We have updated our Guide to this summer’s Dayton-area festivals. Check out what’s planned for the remainder of the summer.

• Photo of the day: The Dayton Dragons hosted the Dragons 5K at Day Air Ballpark in downtown Dayton on Saturday. Photographer Tom Gilliam was there. Click here to see the full gallery.

Credit: Tom Gilliam