The Mall at Fairfield Commons is expected to change owners sometime soon, but it’s unclear what that will mean for the shopping center or its customers.

In today’s Morning Briefing, we discuss the announcement of the mall’s coming sale. We also look into the contentious issue of Dayton Public Schools busing, which has recently heated up due to the shooting of a Dunbar student downtown and the introduction of a measure to force student busing out of the downtown RTA hub.

If you have thoughts or feedback on this newsletter or other news tips, please let me know at [email protected].

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The newsletter should take about 3 minutes, 45 seconds to read.

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Fairfield Commons Mall to be sold; parent company sees mass layoffs

Washington Prime Group, the company that owns the Mall at Fairfield Commons, has announced it will be selling the shopping center and laying off staff at its corporate office.

• Who is being laid off? The company said it is planning to lay off 139 employees from its corporate office outside Columbus. It said it doesn’t intend to lay off any positions at Fairfield Commons.

• When will it sell? It isn’t clear. Although the company said its plans to sell the mall, it has not yet listed it for sale and declined to say when it would do so.

• How will this affect the mall? Again, it isn’t clear, but it might not change anything at all. The sale of retail businesses or property doesn’t necessarily mean a shutdown. When the Greene Town Center in Beavercreek was in foreclosure, experts said that the customer experience would likely change very little.

• Warning signs: Washington Prime Group said that employees have been aware internally of the upcoming changes for some time. In addition, the group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2021, then exited bankruptcy later that year.

Dayton school leaders rip politicians, state funding in downtown busing fight

Dayton leaders and politicians are sparring over the issue of busing for Dayton Public high school students, who have to use the downtown Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority bus hub to get to school.

• The issue: The fight is generally over how to get DPS high schoolers to school, which has long been an issue. In recent years the schools have had bus and driver shortages, and they have an arrangement where the district purchases public transit passes for high schoolers to ride the RTA buses.

• Recent events: The recent fatal shooting of Dunbar High School student Alfred Hale near the downtown bus hub has become a political flashpoint in this argument.

• State Rep. Phil Plummer (R-Dayton): Plummer announced an amendment to the state budget bill to prohibit school districts from transferring students at downtown bus hubs in urban areas.

• Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr.: Mims spoke at a press conference with Plummer announcing the amendment and said the Hale’s shooting near the bus hub shows a need to get DPS students out of downtown. He said one solution may be to change bus routes to send students to a non-downtown site to switch buses.

• DPS Superintendent David Lawrence: Lawrence said the district doesn’t have the resources to transport all the students it is required to, which includes students from DPS and dozens of charter and private schools, via yellow school buses.

• DPS Student Senate Vice President Nevaeh Woods: Woods said she thinks it’s unfair that some are blaming students who ride RTA buses for safety issues downtown, saying, “This situation should be used as, ‘These children aren’t safe downtown,’ instead of, ‘These children need to be moved from downtown.’”

• DPS school board member Eric Walker: Walker sharply criticized politicians targeting DPS, saying “Election season is here. Please do not fall victim to tricks that politicians like to play inside of the city of Dayton. Recognize what clown behavior is. ... The state does not fund public education correctly to actually do transportation.”

What to know today

• Quote of the Day: “It means a great deal to me, there’s no doubt about it, a great deal to me.” — 93-year-old Korean War veteran Staff Sgt. Leroy Campbell of Miamisburg on finally receiving his Purple Heart coin.

• Looking ahead: The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force has announced its slate of free summer camps for 2025.

• Where to go: The owners of Old Dayton Pizza at Riverside Hideaway have announced that they are reopening the bar/restaurant after it closed in February.

• Something new: Designer jewelry brand Kendra Scott has opened a new business at the Greene Town Center in Beavercreek.

• Things to do: Staff writer Alex Cutler has compiled a list of events taking place across the Dayton area this Easter weekend.

• Tip of the day: We are gearing up for the start of voting the Best of Dayton contest next week, and we’re giving a sneak peek of the finalists in the Retail category.

• Photo of the day: MIX 107.7 hosted the 25th annual Time Warp Prom at the Dayton Convention Center on Saturday with the dress theme of ’80s concert tees. See more photos of the event by Tim Gilliam here.