| *** How Esther Price Candies gets prepared for Valentineâs Day every year Esther Price Candies started preparing for Valentineâs Day right after Christmas by putting assorted chocolates in heart-shaped boxes. ⢠A busy holiday: Valentineâs Day is the third busiest holiday for Esther Price, after Thanksgiving and Christmas. ⢠Top sellers: They include the one-pound mix of assorted chocolates thatâs tied with a red ribbon. Itâs followed by the one-pound heart and several other smaller hearts. ⢠Other good options: Esther Price also offers a two-ounce heart filled with chocolate or vanilla cream, sweetheart mints, chocolate-covered strawberries and other little gifts and toys. ⢠So much chocolate: Chocolate arrives in 2,000-pound totes filled with 10-pound bars. The company has around 8,000 pounds of liquid chocolate in the building at all times. ⢠Almost 100 years old: In 1926, Esther Price, a downtown Dayton department store employee, took advice from her co-workers and started a chocolate-making business out of her home. Price continued baking and selling chocolates out of her home until 1952, when she opened her first store on Wayne Avenue. ⢠Photos: See how Esther Price Candies prepares for the holidays. Ohio reports first human case of bird flu in poultry farm worker Ohio has recorded its first probable human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu. ⢠Who and where? The patient is a man who works at a farm in Mercer County and was in contact with dead commercial poultry infected with the virus. ⢠Risk is low: The risk to the general public of contracting the disease is considered low by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the ODH said those who have close or prolonged contact with infected birds are at higher risk. ⢠What you should do: People should avoid direct contact with wild birds or sick or dead poultry and contact their local health department or veterinarian for further guidance. ⢠Egg production: Ohio is the second-largest egg producing state, behind Iowa. In 2023, Ohio produced more than 11 billion eggs. ⢠Ohio chickens and turkeys infected: Ohio has the highest number of HPAI cases in the U.S. among commercial poultry operations, with more than 10.7 million chickens and turkeys infected between Jan. 9 and Tuesday. ⢠Close to home: In Darke County, there have been more than 5 million cases reported since Jan. 9. This month through Feb. 6, there were 527,629 cases involving more than 522,000 layers and nearly 5,400 turkeys. ⢠Preventing the spread: In all cases, the premises were quarantined and the birds were killed to help prevent the spread of disease. What to know today ⢠One big takeaway: In his annual State of the City address this week, Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr. said he believes the city can become one of the best places in the country to live, work, play, raise a family, grow old and get an education. ⢠A day in the life: Qarrianne Blayr has been dancing with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company since 2009. ⢠Big move of the day: Runners Plus is celebrating 20 years in business this year and is under new ownership. ⢠Dayton Food & Dining: Miami Valley Meals is bringing backs its âPierogi with a Purposeâ fundraiser where people can buy a dozen homemade pierogi for $15 to support hunger relief across the Dayton region. ⢠Quote of the day: âWe remain committed to cultivating a safe and welcoming environment for all patrons, staff and volunteers, with the expectation that all relevant programs and services focusing on particular demographic groups will continue,â wrote Dayton Metro Library Executive Director Jeffrey Trzeciak, after a new policy was announced to staff that âpermanent displays of flags and other cultural symbolsâ were to be removed from library locations. ⢠Happening today: Dayton Donut Festival On Tour, presented by Planned2Give, is kicking off today with 11 participating donut shops. ⢠Take our survey: President Donald Trump has implemented numerous executive orders and directives since being reelected to the White House, affecting nearly all aspects of the U.S. government. What thoughts, questions or concerns do you have that you would like to see reflected or answered in our coverage? Let us know here. ⢠Photo of the day: The third annual After Dark: Swing the Night Away returned to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force this past weekend. The museumâs quarterly event featured food, games, trivia, cash bar, swing dancing and rare artifacts. Check out more photos here. | 