Morning Briefing: 🧑‍💼Tens of thousands of Ohioans exit labor force

It was wet and chilly as I left my home early this morning, driving on rain soaked roads to arrive here at our downtown Dayton newsroom.

Luckily the newsroom on this Thursday morning is much more quiet than it was here yesterday afternoon, so I’m able to focus, warm up with some strong coffee and deliver you the news you will want to know about as you being another day…

🧑‍💼Exiting the labor force: As our Cornelius Frolik is reporting, Ohio’s labor force participation rate, like the state’s unemployment rate, recently fell to historic lows, and tens of thousands of Ohioans exited the labor market in the last year, according to survey data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Cornelius tells us that one likely cause is Ohio’s graying population, with baby boomers reaching retirement age and working less.

“Ohio is going to be on, probably, a faster decline related to retirement because of the older demographics of the state,” Lisa Barrow, vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland’s regional analysis group, told our news team.

But some Ohioans also may be getting frustrated with their employment prospects and have been giving up on the job hunt. As Cornelius writes, “Some researchers think labor force participation would be higher if there were higher-quality jobs and jobs with better pay.”
• The labor force: Ohio’s labor force participation rate dropped to 61.2% in September, which was down 1.1 percentage points from a year ago, says preliminary, seasonally adjusted BLS data.
• Looking back: September’s was the lowest rate on record going back 50 years, except for the first five months of the COVID pandemic in 2020.
• What is that rate? The labor force participation rate is the share of the population age 16 and older who are working or actively searching for work.
• Why this matters: In his in-depth story this morning, Cornelius breaks this down for you. You can read his extensive reporting on this here.

🧑🏻‍⚖️Buc-ee’s lawsuit update: As our Jen Balduf reports, a judge could dismiss a federal trademark infringement lawsuit filed by the gas station mega-chain Buc-ee’s against Beaver’s Mini Mart because Buc-ee’s didn’t notify the mini-mart of an amended court complaint, according to federal court records.

There is no evidence that Beaver’s Mini Mart has been served with an amended complaint, according to an order by District Judge Michael Newman requiring Buc-ee’s to show cause why the case should not be dismissed for failure to comply with a federal rule of civil procedure.
• What’s next: Buc-ee’s has until Tuesday, Nov. 17, to show cause why the case should not be dismissed, according to the order.
• A week after his surprise election defeat, U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, seems to be setting the stage to run again for Congress in 2028.
• A Franklin automotive technology supplier is closing its Commerce Center Drive plant and laying off all 180 employees in January, according to a WARN notice filed with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
• The Ohio Department of Aging has started offering an expanded service program in Montgomery County to provide all-in-one care for Ohio adults age 55 and older who meet certain level of care requirements.
• Day Air Ballpark, home of the Dayton Dragons, was covered in more than a million lights for its new holiday celebration launched last year known as Deck the Diamond. As our Alex Cutler reports, the event is returning tomorrow for its second season with various improvements, new offerings and even more lights.
• Alex also tells us that the event previously known as the Waynesville Tolkien Festival is returning this weekend under a new name.
• Rudy’s Smokehouse BBQ in Troy celebrated its grand opening this week, and Bryant Billing brings us a photo gallery.
• A man is in custody after he reportedly fled from a traffic stop and crashed into a Harrison Twp. home early yesterday morning.
• The Ohio Department of Natural Resources held a graduation ceremony Tuesday for three new K9 teams of officers and dogs in Warren County at the Spring Valley Education Center.
• A man is still facing at least 39 years in prison after he was resentenced in a double homicide in Dayton.
• The Ohio High School Athletic Association football postseason continues tomorrow, with regional semifinal games across the state. Steven Wright brings us five things to know before the games begin.
• Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor confirmed yesterday that the organization had to back out of a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday and shared that director of player personnel Duke Tobin was “really apologetic about it.”
• On Saturday, Middletown’s Kayla Harrison (19-1) will face UFC Hall of Famer Amanda Nunes (23-5) inside the Octagon at UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden, with the UFC bantamweight championship on the line.
• As the Associated Press reports, Democratic nominee Scott Colom defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s closely contested U.S. Senate race after a prolonged ballot counting process, giving the state its first Black U.S. senator since post-Civil War Reconstruction.
• Yesterday, Americans paused to remember and celebrate the nation’s veterans, and AP photo editors curated a photo gallery for us to view.

Last but not least: As our Daniel Susco reports, a bill to expand the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park is one step closer to becoming law after unanimously passing the U.S. Senate.

The measure would amend the Dayton Aviation Heritage Preservation Act of 1992 to add about an acre to the park, according to the bill text. From here, the bill must also be approved by the House of Representatives, then presented to the president for signing.

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Have a great rest of your Thursday!…Read more by Jeremy Ratliff – Morning Editor