Here are three things you should know today:

⚖️ Public defenders: Employees of the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office have filed a class action lawsuit alleging the county violated state law by failing to pay public defenders equally to county prosecutors.

🦫 Buc-ee’s: The popular beaver-themed travel center has begun recruiting for leadership roles at its first Ohio location in Huber Heights, ahead of the store’s anticipated April 2026 opening.

🏛️ Child death investigation: Find out what comes next in the case involving 7-year-old Hershall Creachbaum Jr.

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Montgomery County public defenders file class action lawsuit against county, cite ‘vast disparities’ in pay

Employees of the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office have filed a class action lawsuit against the county for its alleged failure to pay public defenders on par with county prosecutors, as mandated by state code.

• The defendants: The suit names three defendants and respondents: The Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office (MCPDO) itself; the Public Defender Commission of Montgomery County, which oversees the office politically; and the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, which makes budgeting decisions that affect the office.

• The allegation: The filing alleges a history of “gross and unlawful compensation disparities between the Public Defender’s Office and the Prosecutor’s Office in Montgomery County, Ohio.”

The allegation is largely based on a rule in the Ohio Administrative Code that says the “supporting staff, facilities, equipment, supplies, and other requirements needed to maintain and operate an office of a ... county public defender ... shall be substantially equivalent to that provided for the county prosecutor’s office.”

• Examples given:

— In 2024, $1.4 million in bonuses were awarded within the county prosecutor’s office, compared to $318,518 for public defenders and staff.

— In 2023, that comparison was $1.8 million to $171,960; in 2022 it was $1.5 million to $707,034; in 2021 it was $814,776 to $199,048; and in 2020 it was $1.1 million to $59,540.

• What the plaintiffs are saying: “These funding disparities between the MCPO and the MCPDO creates (sic) huge disadvantages to the public defenders who are employed by the MCPDO,” the plaintiffs argue. “Primarily, it makes the MCPDO less competitive in the search for and hiring of qualified, competent attorneys and staff, leaving the MCPDO understaffed and overworked in comparison to the staffing of the MCPO.”

Buc-ee’s begins hiring managers for Huber Heights location

Dayton-area Buc-ee’s enthusiasts will have a chance to work for the mega-sized, Beaver-themed travel center as the company begins its search for employees of Ohio’s first location in Huber Heights.

• Now Hiring: Buc-ee’s is looking to staff its leadership team, with nearly a dozen available positions listed on the company’s Workday hiring page.

• Positions: Current openings include general manager, assistant GM, night manager, grocery manager, deli/food service manager, human resources representative, gift/merchandise manager and janitorial/cleaning and maintenance manager positions.

• Future staffing: Once construction wraps up, Buc-ee’s will be looking to hire dozens, potentially hundreds, of employees to fill additional roles like cashier, grocery stocker, team leads and maintenance workers.

• Opening date: The estimated opening date is April 2026.

What to know today

• One big takeaway: The investigation into Hershall Creachbaum Jr., a 7-year-old boy reported missing before his presumed remains were found, is continuing after his mother and boyfriend were charged in connection to his disappearance. Here’s what’s next in the case.

• Person to know today: SarahLydia Kiehl is the photographer behind several portraits overlooking Main street that immortalize the city’s burgeoning role as a place of choice for immigrants.

• Big move of the day: A local non-profit, Clothes That Work, is moving to the Wilmington Plaza Shopping Center in Kettering.

• Dayton Food & Dining: Krista Hummel and her husband, Michael, purchased the Dairy Shed in Bellbrook 20 years ago. This year, the ice cream shop is celebrating 50 years of being a “community hub.”

• Schools: An audit found Centerville City Schools paid its assistant superintendent nearly $14,000 in full retirement benefits without board approval — a payment later authorized retroactively.

• Inside Ohio Politics: Ohio lawmakers broke mainly along party lines early on Friday morning as the House voted 216-213 in favor of a plan that targeted foreign aid along with money set aside for public radio and television.

• Happening today: A new exhibit on Alice Dunbar Nelson, wife of iconic Dayton poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, begins today at the Paul Laurence Dunbar House Historic Site.

• Community Gem: Augustina DeLeon and Chris Banks have teamed up to keep hundreds of Styrofoam coolers out of landfills — and providing shelters for homeless cats.

• Thing to do: While typically known for its medieval festivals with knights, castles and princesses, this weekend the Ohio Renaissance Park will step forward a few hundred years and host the 20th Century Circus.

• Vintage Dayton: Samantha Ritchie’s disappearance - and her mother’s later murder conviction - captivated Dayton 30 years ago this week.

• Cincinnati Bengals: There still remains a lot of questions surrounding the Bengal’s secondary.

• Photo of the day: Maria Ochs (center) organizes carrots for dogs to pick out of water at Frey’s Place in Moraine. The business, which recently relocated to the site, offers a smaller, more structured setting to work with dogs who may have limited social skills or other behavioral needs along with training reinforcement. Fischer’s daughter Alamea (left) and Debra Suerdieck (right) also work at the facility. Read the full story.