The Five Rivers MetroParks facilities have been long overdue for repairs, and area voters last November agreed to pay for them.

In today’s Morning Briefing, we discuss how the parks decided to show voters where their funds are going. We also look at the differences between civilian and military trials as the court martial of former Wright-Patterson Air Force Base wing commander Col. Christopher Meeker gets underway.

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The newsletter should take about 3 minutes, 53 seconds to read.

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Five Rivers MetroParks launches progress tracker for levy-funded projects

After voters approved a more than $14 million yearly levy, Five Rivers MetroParks has created a virtual map to let parkgoers track the progress of 19 projects funded by tax dollars.

• What does it pay for? The park system had a backlog of tens of millions of dollars in maintenance needs. Some projects for this year include a playground, restoring the bandshell event space and replacing the waterplay structure at Island MetroPark.

• What is on the map? The map shows when projects enter their design and construction phases, as well as when they are completed. It will also display photos of project work.

• What isn’t on the map? The map doesn’t include small-scale improvements like education kiosks, drinking fountains and shelter roof repair.

• Where to find it: The map is available on the MetroParks’ levy website.

• Transparency the goal: “We know sharing how MetroParks is using levy funds is important, so we have created the map to keep our community up-to-date on the work happening in their MetroParks,” officials said on the tracker website.

Court martial of former Wright-Patt commander shows difference from civilian trial

Ahead of the court martial today of Col. Christopher Meeker, former commander of the 88th Air Base Wing, we thought it would be helpful to outline some of the differences between civilian trials and a court martial.

• The charges: One difference is in Meeker’s charges, which include one charge and one specification under Article 90, “willfully disobeying superior commissioned officer.” This is a specifically military charge meant to maintain order and discipline in the armed forces, according to Air Force Judge Advocate Lt. Col. Andrew Norton in 2019.

• No mistrials, no hung juries: Another big difference is there are no mistrials in courts martial, because it allows for split verdicts in criminal trials, Norton said. To convict a defendant, prosecutors just need to have three quarters of a jury agree to a guilty verdict.

• No ‘no contest’: Norton also said that military members are only allowed to plead guilty if they truly believe themselves to be guilty, as “no contest” pleas are not allowed.

• Free defense: Don Christensen, a former chief prosecutor for the Air Force and the president of the group Protect Our Defenders, said defendants are entitled to free defense representation, no matter their rank, saying you can appeal all the way to the Supreme Court at no cost.

• Meeker’s case: Meeker was fired in late December 2023 by Lt. Gen. Donna Shipton, commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, also headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. In addition to the disobeying charge, he faces one charge and two specifications under Article 134, “extramarital sexual conduct and fraternization.”

What to know today

• Tip of the day: Staff writer Natalie Jones compiled a list of several places to go if you would rather skip cooking this Easter.

• What to know: Five things to know from our reporting about the local effects of Medicaid cuts.

• Quote of the day: “I’ve truly just fallen in love with the student culture there. Like in my class this year, I have nine languages and 11 countries represented.” — America’s Favorite Teacher candidate Mallory Shannon of Dayton’s Kiser Elementary.

• Oopsie: While President Trump and Vice President Vance welcomed Ohio State’s national championship football team to the White House Monday, Vance accidentally dropped part of the trophy when it split into two pieces. “I didn’t want anyone after Ohio State to get the trophy so I decided to break it,” Vance posted on X.

• What to know: Dayton said that it wants to “renew and enhance” its automated traffic camera system, especially in school zones.

• Thing to do: A new event in Dayton will focus on cultural expression through dance, art and music with the 2025 Greater Dayton Minority Health Month EXPO.

• Photo of the day: Play Kettering hosted its annual sold-out Adult Easter Egg Hunt Friday, with attendees searching for plastic eggs in the dark with flashlights. Check out more of contributing photographer Tom Gilliam’s photos from the event here.