WXIX-TV 19 / July 9, 2020A beloved member of a Louisiana family spent a month at CVG after missing his flight, but Beary the bear is home at last.The story begins with 9-year-old Zaiden Kirby, whose whirlwind life as the son of a military father has been punctuated by move after move — from Kentucky to Georgia to Ohio to Louisiana, where the family lives today.Through it all has been Beary.“I’ve had him ever since I was born,” Zaiden explained.Beary was there with Zaiden in June at CVG, where Zaiden was set to board a plane home to Louisiana after spending a few weeks with his grandparents in Kentucky.Beary didn’t make it. Zaiden says he accidentally left him in the train at the terminal.“It was traumatic,” Zaiden’s mother, Kristin Kirby said.That is when the social media campaign began, thanks to Zaiden’s grandmother, who “bombarded” CVG’s Facebook page, according to Kristin.As luck would have it, CVG Police Officer Joe Woeste was able to answer the call. He found Beary in he terminal, then applied a mask to the bear, buckled him up the front seat of his vehicle and eventually sent the itinerant ursine home.[FULL STORY &VIDEO HERE](https://www.fox19.com/2020/07/08/childs-beloved-bear-lost-cvg-found-returned-after-social-media-campaign/)July 8, 2020 at 9:39 PM EDT - Updated July 9 at 9:02 AMCINCINNATI (FOX19) - A beloved member of a Louisiana family spent a month at CVG after missing his flight, but Beary the bear is home at last.The story begins with 9-year-old Zaiden Kirby, whose whirlwind life as the son of a military father has been punctuated by move after move — from Kentucky to Georgia to Ohio to Louisiana, where the family lives today.Through it all has been Beary.“I’ve had him ever since I was born,” Zaiden explained.Beary was there with Zaiden in June at CVG, where Zaiden was set to board a plane home to Louisiana after spending a few weeks with his grandparents in Kentucky.Beary didn’t make it. Zaiden says he accidentally left him in the train at the terminal.“It was traumatic,” Zaiden’s mother, Kristin Kirby said.That is when the social media campaign began, thanks to Zaiden’s grandmother, who “bombarded” CVG’s Facebook page, according to Kristin.As luck would have it, CVG Police Officer Joe Woeste was able to answer the call. He found Beary in he terminal, then applied a mask to the bear, buckled him up the front seat of his vehicle and eventually sent the itinerant ursine home.July 8, 2020 at 9:39 PM EDT - Updated July 9 at 9:02 AMCINCINNATI (FOX19) - A beloved member of a Louisiana family spent a month at CVG after missing his flight, but Beary the bear is home at last.The story begins with 9-year-old Zaiden Kirby, whose whirlwind life as the son of a military father has been punctuated by move after move — from Kentucky to Georgia to Ohio to Louisiana, where the family lives today.Through it all has been Beary.“I’ve had him ever since I was born,” Zaiden explained.Beary was there with Zaiden in June at CVG, where Zaiden was set to board a plane home to Louisiana after spending a few weeks with his grandparents in Kentucky.Beary didn’t make it. Zaiden says he accidentally left him in the train at the terminal.“It was traumatic,” Zaiden’s mother, Kristin Kirby said.That is when the social media campaign began, thanks to Zaiden’s grandmother, who “bombarded” CVG’s Facebook page, according to Kristin.As luck would have it, CVG Police Officer Joe Woeste was able to answer the call. He found Beary in he terminal, then applied a mask to the bear, buckled him up the front seat of his vehicle and eventually sent the itinerant ursine home.

Forbes / Katina Stefanova / July 2, 2020I had the pleasure to speak to Brian Cobb, the Chief Innovation Officer at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). During the interview, we spoke about the new-normal for airports in the post-Covid-19 world. Brian, whose job is to envision the future for aviation and to implement progressive, yet effective solutions, shared his perspective of the challenges airports are facing due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the investments they are making in order to make flying safe again. Katina: Brian, you have twenty-nine years of aviation experience, working in both the airline and airport sectors. Could you please tell us what ideas do you have and what projects are you driving today to make airports safe for flying again?  Brian: Right now we have to reestablish the trust and confidence of our product. When I say our product, I very much view it as the experience of flying - a combined product of airlines and airports. Airlines typically own the experience onboard and the airports provide the connection point. Both these worlds have changed dramatically. The biggest difference post-Covid-19 is that passengers and governments alike will be acutely aware of the risk of contagion. There are a number of changes to our operations we are already implementing: Many standards and new functions of the airport will be automated in order to drive efficiency and minimize human contact.In the post-Covid-19 world, when travelers get to the airport, they will meet more robots and fewer people. Human contact is more likely to spread disease and thus, the new airport environment will look to minimize that while maximizing service. Automation was already on the way - we can already imagine taking an autonomous driving car to the airport. Covid-19 will speed automation up.Our initial efforts have been focused on amplifying our already high cleaning standards. [CVG](https://www.cvgairport.com/ "https://www.cvgairport.com/") has launched _autonomous floor scrubbers_. In the past, most of the cleaning had to happen overnight. However, to meet the new standards for disinfecting and cleaning in a post-pandemic environment more frequent large area cleaning will be needed. From the perspective of the travelers, seeing cleaning crews during the day used to be disruptive. Now, seeing continuous cleaning provides a sense of security.The other area of automation that travelers will see will be in the food service areas. How food is made available to passengers and how it is consumed has to further minimize the risk of contagion. Self-service, automated food carts, and automated check-outs are all coming to the airport.Katina: When you say autonomous cleaning units, are you using a different type of cleaning technology? For example, are you using UV light or a combination of other technologies that are particularly suited for eradicating viruses or the spread of viruses? Has there been any innovation in that aspect?Brian: This is where we face a learning curve similar to what airports experienced post 9/11. To mitigate the risks arising from 9/11, airports and airlines rushed to implement new technology to improve the physical security of travel and prevent future terrorist attacks. On the one hand, that was good because it drove fast change and adaptation. However, there was a tremendous amount of waste due to unproven solutions, which were implemented and did not really work. Therefore, they had to be replaced later. Airports have always been at the forefront of innovation. The very concept of flight symbolizes the human pursuit to innovate and I am confident that in the post-Covid-19 world airports will adapt quickly. However, at [CVG](https://www.cvgairport.com/ "https://www.cvgairport.com/"), our goal is to drive innovation without waste, which requires relying on science, not on fads. Extensive testing and validation of new technology is the main lesson learned from 9/11, which airports are handling better to respond to the Covid-19 crisis.[FULL STORY HERE](https://www.forbes.com/sites/katinastefanova/2020/07/02/return-of-the-airport-what-airports-invest-in-to-survive-covid-19/#743ca29820e7)

Business Courier / Chris Wetterich / June 26, 2020assengers who fly using Allegiant Air must wear a face mask during all phases of travel, the Las Vegas-based carrier announced Friday.This means Allegiant fliers will have to wear masks at the ticket counter, gate area, during boarding and throughout the flight.Allegiant officials had hoped the federal government would mandate the masks, said Allegiant COO [Scott Sheldon](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/search/results?q=Scott%20Sheldon) in a statement.“We have found that the vast majority of customers wear masks as a standard practice, but this update adds a layer of assurance and addresses customer needs as communities re-open. We had hoped to see a federal mandate to require face masks, so that all airlines could be uniform in their approach, to avoid customer confusion, and to aid enforcement. In the absence of that, we are taking this next needed step in our own policy," he said.Allegiant [already provided all passengers](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2020/05/05/allegiant-to-begin-offering-customers-masks-gloves.html) with a health and safety kit including a mask and cleansing wipes prior to boarding. Allegiant employees already must wear masks.Children under two years old are exempt as well as as passengers with disabilities or documented medical conditions.If a passenger wants to eat and drink, they can remove the mask.[FULL ARTICLE HERE](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2020/06/26/allegiant-requires-face-masks.html) (subscription-based)

Business Courier / Chris Wetterich / June 19, 2020While much of the region’s white-collar workers have hunkered down at their kitchen tables, couches and home offices for work since mid-March, an invisible beam zaps the foreheads of nearly 4,500 employees at DHL Express’ North American superhub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport before they start to work.Anyone with a temperature of more than 100.4 degrees is taken to a secondary screening and likely sent home if a fever is confirmed.DHL Express — one of two major cargo tenants at CVG, with the other being Amazon.com Inc. — started booming in April. In May, 438 flights departed, up 138 or 15% from the same month in 2019, as economies across the world started to reopen. Revenues in its Americas division, which includes DHL’s CVG superhub, were up 11.1% in the first quarter of the year. Officials with Amazon, which is building a $1.5 billion air services hub on airport property and already operates from there, ignored repeated requests to comment for this story, but CVG officials said it continues to average 30-35 flights per day, a number that has stayed consistent throughout the pandemic.The growth of cargo along with the pandemic’s drastic reduction of the passenger airline industry has led to it being the main business happening at CVG, with cargo landed weight far surpassing that of passengers, a key metric. By late April, DHL Express moved cargo volume at December-like peak volumes, said [Mike Parra](https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bizjournals.com%2Fcincinnati%2Fsearch%2Fresults%3Fq%3DMike%2520Parra&data=02%7C01%7Csdeatherage%40cvgairport.com%7C671d5e4f55e64da3f94f08d8144b1ccf%7C6a1858161bcc4c24b4487abfacd1c666%7C0%7C0%7C637281660140710525&sdata=ksE0PKWk23u2PIfDirICyIIQSYJe7JdBvRP0UzbYOww%3D&reserved=0), DHL Express’ CEO for the Americas. In April, CVG set a new, all-time record for landed cargo weight.“It’s been like a rocket ship in May and thus far in June, with inbound shipment volume booming, particularly from Asia and Europe,” Parra said. “It’s a good sign of what’s to come. Get ready because we are going to see peak volumes through the end of the year. If anything we’ll see greater than that. It’s a great problem to have.”Some analysts believe the pandemic-induced shift in consumer behavior toward e-commerce could be permanent, with companies like DHL and Amazon among the beneficiaries, along with regional logistics hubs such as Greater Cincinnati and CVG.Combined with companies potentially shifting their global supply chains toward the domestic market, that could mean that two of the region’s strengths — its logistics and aviation industries — allow it to persevere and excel in the post-coronavirus economy.“We’re perfectly positioned in that conversation,” said CVG CEO [Candace McGraw](https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bizjournals.com%2Fcincinnati%2Fsearch%2Fresults%3Fq%3DCandace%2520McGraw&data=02%7C01%7Csdeatherage%40cvgairport.com%7C671d5e4f55e64da3f94f08d8144b1ccf%7C6a1858161bcc4c24b4487abfacd1c666%7C0%7C0%7C637281660140720489&sdata=elA6z68MpU9kV3lk1pVq6cFM0UC4tDR20Ca8EIMDHsc%3D&reserved=0). “CVG is the epicenter of e-commerce. That’s how I’m going to start talking about our airport.”‘Huge potential growth area’DHL, the No. 1 package carrier in the world, returned to CVG in 2009 from Wilmington and has done three expansions since, opening its North American super-hub in 2013, one of only three globally. When people in the U.S. ship, they’re more likely to use UPS and Federal Express. But DHL is No. 1 in the rest of the world. To attain that ranking, it needs a robust presence here. By using CVG, DHL can meet optimal flight time targets to North America, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. The airport has four runways that cross each other, so even during a time of heavy winds from one direction, planes still can take off, avoiding delays.McGraw started at CVG as chief administrative officer at the end of 2009 and when she took over as CEO in 2011, she and the board decided to try to boost the airport’s cargo operations, while at the same time leveraging hundreds of acres of available land it had.“It became very clear to me when I took over that that was a huge potential growth area for us,” she said.The airport also had plenty of land that could be used by cargo companies and related businesses. DHL, which refers to itself as a “big yellow machine,” has 50 more acres of airport land it can expand upon.“DHL wanted to grow, and we did everything we could to help that growth. We said, ‘all right, we want your business to be successful and the airport to be successful, how can we use our land assets to bring customers close to you?’” McGraw said. “It’s such a competitive advantage for customers to be able to deliver their goods to DHL at 10 p.m. and be on the other side of the world the next day. We left a wide open space for them for future growth. It holds true with DHL. It holds true with Amazon.”The strategy culminated in the region’s biggest economic win during this century when CVG and Northern Kentucky landed Amazon’s air services hub. Under construction now, it will occupy 700 acres of airport land, including 250 it bought from a private developer and deeded to CVG. It can expand on 450 more prime acres located between two CVG runways.Amazon’s day sort is done by DHL in its CVG facilities, and DHL itself continues to hire employees, Parra said.“It’s at full tilt,” Parra said of DHL’s work for Amazon. “We consider them a friend. They are exploding domestically and good for them. We are running at full capacity. I’m sure they are looking forward to the day that they open their building. It is a good working relationship professionally. They are a customer and we are a customer of theirs at times. We’re blessed to be in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.”The airport intentionally has not sold any of its land to companies, instead leasing it and retaining long-term revenue. Airports must lease land at fair market value, per federal regulations.Those lease payments are going to be needed, with CVG having lost 53 of its 88 airline routes temporarily at the pandemic’s peak.The airport receives a fee each time a plane lands, so those flight suspensions hurt the bottom line, with CVG having had to slash its budget by 18% so far. More cargo could move to companies like DHL because of the flight reduction in passenger airlines, which carried nearly half of airfreight nationwide.“Cargo has been immensely important to us in our bottom line throughout this pandemic situation,” McGraw said. “It is literally helping us keep our lights on.”[FULL ARTICLE HERE](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2020/06/19/cargo-is-king-at-cvg.html) (subscription-based)

CINCINNATI. June 16, 2020 – Low-fare carrier Frontier Airlines is expanding its service from Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) with reinstated nonstop flights to six cities: Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Sarasota, Florida. The airline is also increasing frequency to five destinations with up to two daily flights from CVG to Denver, Fort Myers, Las Vegas and Tampa, Florida, plus, three daily flights to Orlando. To celebrate Frontier’s new Cincinnati schedule, the airline is offering fares as low as $39\, which are available now at FlyFrontier.com.“We’re excited to be offering 13 nonstop destinations from CVG and expand our service to include additional frequency on our most popular routes,” said Daniel Shurz, senior vice president of commercial for Frontier Airlines. “Theme parks, resorts and other vacation activities are opening across the country and we recognize there is pent-up demand for summer travel. Frontier is offering multiple daily flight options to many of the country’s most beloved vacation destinations with low fares to make it even easier to start traveling again.”“We are pleased to see Frontier resume and increase their CVG service offerings to some of our most popular destinations,” said Candace McGraw, CEO of CVG Airport. “The expanded service is an indicator of the strength of our region. CVG is looking forward to welcoming our passengers back to the airport.”Restored routes from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG):Expanded routes from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG):Service is seasonal and frequency and times are subject to change, so please check FlyFrontier.com for the most updated schedule.Frontier is offering triple bonus miles and segments on all flights through Sept. 12, 2021 that are booked by June 30, 2020. With this offer, FRONTIER Miles Members can attain Elite status three times faster to enjoy even more value while traveling to Frontier’s nearly 95 destinations this summer. To collect the bonus miles, members simply register via https://www.flyfrontier.com/3x-miles.Frontier has been an industry leader in healthy travel initiatives and most recently became the first U.S. airline to announce required temperature screenings for all passengers and crew which began on June 1, 2020. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher will be denied boarding as a step to better protect other passengers while flying.Additionally, in April, Frontier announced sweeping health and safety enhancements affecting every step of a customer’s travel journey with the airline. Beginning with required face coverings that must be worn by all passengers and team members throughout every flight and a health acknowledgement. Prior to completing check-in via the company’s website or mobile app, passengers are required to confirm that: • Neither they nor anyone in their household has exhibited Covid-19 related symptoms in the last 14 days • They will wash their hands/sanitize before boarding the flight • They understand and acknowledge the airline’s face covering policy and pre-boarding temperature screening policies.Frontier also introduced a fogging disinfectant to its already stringent aircraft cleaning and sanitation protocols, which provides a safe, certified disinfecting solution proven to be effective against many viruses, including coronavirus. The fogging includes virtually every surface in the passenger cabin. Planes are wiped down every night with additional disinfectant, as well.During flight, main cabin air is a mix of fresh air drawn from outside and air that has been passed through an air filtration system that features HEPA filters capable of capturing respiratory virus particles at more than 99.9% efficiency – similar to those used in hospital environments. Frontier’s modern all-Airbus fleet is among the youngest in the world - all aircraft currently in operation are less than four years old.For additional information, visit https://www.flyfrontier.com/committed-to-you/\About Intro Fare Offer: Fares must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on June 19, 2020. Fares are valid for nonstop domestic travel in select markets effective July 7, 2020 through June 9, 2021. The following blackout dates apply: Sept. 3-7, Oct. 8-12, 16-18, Nov. 20-30, 2020; Dec. 16, 2020-Jan. 4, 2021, Jan. 14-18, 2021, May 27-31, 2021. Fares are one way and do not require roundtrip purchase.Discount Den fares are only available at FlyFrontier.com to members of Discount Den. Fare(s) shown includes all transportation fees, surcharges and taxes, and are subject to change without notice. Seats are limited at these fares and certain flights and/or days of travel may be unavailable.Tickets purchased at FlyFrontier.com must be paid for at the time the reservation is made. All reservations are non-refundable and non-transferable. You may request a full refund up to 24 hours after the time of purchase, if the purchase is made seven days (168 hours) or more prior to your flight's departure. After the 24-hour period, if you cancel a non-refundable ticket, a fee of up to $119 per passenger will be charged. Changes or cancellations made to itineraries will be subject to change fees, and any fare differential. The value of the cancelled ticket may be applied toward the purchase of a future ticket for 90 days after cancellation. The ticket may be canceled and refunded at the My Trips section on FlyFrontier.com.Previously purchased tickets may not be exchanged for special fare tickets. Flight segments must be cancelled prior to scheduled departure time or the tickets (s) and all monies will be forfeited.Additional travel services, such as baggage (https://www.flyfrontier.com/travel-information/baggage/) and advance seat assignments (https://www.flyfrontier.com/travel-information/seating-options/) are available for purchase separately at an additional charge. Fares include all transportation fees, surcharges and taxes, and are subject to change without notice. Some markets do not offer daily service. Schedules are subject to change without notice. Unless otherwise indicated, all flights are operated by Frontier Airlines. Other restrictions may apply.About Frontier AirlinesFrontier Airlines is committed to “Low Fares Done Right.” Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, the company operates over 95 A320 family aircraft and has the largest A320neo fleet in the U.S., delivering the highest level of noise reduction and fuel-efficiency, compared to previous models. The use of these aircraft, Frontier’s seating configuration, weight-saving tactics and baggage process have all contributed to the airline’s average of 43 percent fuel savings compared to other U.S. airlines (fuel savings is based on Frontier Airlines’ 2019 fuel consumption per seat-mile compared to the weighted average of major U.S. airlines), which makes Frontier the most fuel-efficient U.S. airlines. More information about Frontier’s green commitments are available at FlyFrontier.com/Green.With over 150 new Airbus planes on order, Frontier will continue to grow to deliver on the mission of providing affordable travel across America.

Cincinnati Business Courier / Chris Wetterich / June 4, 2020Delta Air Lines, which serves the most passengers of any carrier out of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, is extending measures it has implemented to make flying safer in the era of Covid-19 into the fall.Through Sept. 30, Delta will cap seating in First Class at 50% and 60% in the main cabin, Delta Comfort-plus and Delta Premium Select and 75% in Delta One. All middle seats will not be available or assignable when selecting seats and some aisle seats also will be blocked when there are only four seats in a row.Delta wants customers to feel safe when they're ready to fly again, said [Bill Lentsch](https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bizjournals.com%2Fcincinnati%2Fsearch%2Fresults%3Fq%3DBill%2520Lentsch&data=02%7C01%7Csdeatherage%40cvgairport.com%7Ceb658f4c2ab44bf6c3b508d808bf51ac%7C6a1858161bcc4c24b4487abfacd1c666%7C0%7C0%7C637268965091365635&sdata=v7ihD5XbBTARmNqVY6hOaWM5zTcCE7uk%2BDRVaq%2FpGqY%3D&reserved=0), the airline's chief customer experience officer.“Reducing the overall number of customers on every aircraft across the fleet is one of the most important steps we can take to ensure a safe experience for our customers and people,” Lentsch said.Delta also said it will increase capacity on routes where it hits the new capacity limits by either using a bigger aircraft or adding flights.Delta has added an extra trip between CVG and its Atlanta hub in June, with three flights per day total, and will add three more trips in July for a total of six flights per day, officials confirmed to the _Business Courier_.In July, the Atlanta-based airline will add two trips per day from CVG to Detroit and Minneapolis, for a total of four each day.Delta will resume flights from CVG to New York-LaGuardia in June, with one trip per day. The airline will add a second daily trip in July.Delta also is adding back automatic Medallion upgrades effective June 10 to Delta One, First Class and Delta Comfort-plus. Those perks were previously being managed at gates. The perks will only be available in the context of seat cap availability.Since the virus began to spread, Delta has instituted several safety measures, including requiring employees and customers to wear face coverings; plexiglass shields at check-in counters, Delta Sky Clubs; social distance markers and additional cleaning, including [electrostatic spraying](https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.delta.com%2Fcoronavirus-update-aircraft-fogging-enhances-customer-safety&data=02%7C01%7Csdeatherage%40cvgairport.com%7Ceb658f4c2ab44bf6c3b508d808bf51ac%7C6a1858161bcc4c24b4487abfacd1c666%7C0%7C0%7C637268965091370609&sdata=ffM57jHqcmAZBuWb8sr5j42kCgMztmpTMyBysV5MzZI%3D&reserved=0).Delta also has waived change fees through June 30 on new flights purchased until that date. The date [was extended from May 31](https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww-bizjournals-com.cdn.ampproject.org%2Fc%2Fs%2Fwww.bizjournals.com%2Fcincinnati%2Fnews%2F2020%2F04%2F03%2Fdelta-extends-coronavirus-related-rebooking-period.amp.html&data=02%7C01%7Csdeatherage%40cvgairport.com%7Ceb658f4c2ab44bf6c3b508d808bf51ac%7C6a1858161bcc4c24b4487abfacd1c666%7C0%7C0%7C637268965091375591&sdata=yEd2ExrXwyVdcB9o%2FwfQHfMOF%2B3FmK43ClJQLd3rQ04%3D&reserved=0).[FULL STORY HERE](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2020/06/04/cvgs-airlines-extend-covid-19-measures-into-fall.html?iana=hpmvp_cinci_news_headline) (subscription-based)

WHIO-TV 9 Dayton / May 29, 2020DAYTON — A Dayton Police cruiser was involved in a crash this morning on northbound I-75 near U.S. 35 while attempting to get ahead of a pursuit that ended on 675 at Wilmington Pike.\ [UPDATE: 1 in custody after high-speed pursuit, connected to Dayton shooting, ends on NB I-675](https://www.whio.com/news/crime-and-law/police-involved-high-speed-pursuit-after-3rd-morning-shooting-city-friday/3HLGGLERFJDLRF2QLC7Q66WGLQ/)The pursuit, reaching speeds of over 100 mph according to emergency scanner traffic, was connected to this morning’s shooting on West Riverview Avenue, which ended with one person in custody.[Content Continues Below](https://www.whio.com/news/firefighter-emt-pulls-officer-overturned-cruiser-northbound-i-75/WF3HACTTQBBPNCNY6X2BHZ3KXI/#continue_below)News Center 7′s Mike Hartsock spoke with (CVG Airport) firefighter and EMT Casey Jones Jr., who upon seeing the overturned cruiser, blocked traffic and pulled the officer from the cruiser.\ [Coroner identifies man killed in deadly Dayton shooting Thursday night](https://www.whio.com/home/shooting-dayton-now-being-investigated-homicide-police-say/PT2UBSYRANGYHOUHSS56SAQUEE/)Jones said the officer did not appear to have serious injuries.We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

Fortune Magazine Online / Jeremy Kahn / June 1, 2020Buck Ward helped build one of the world’s first commercial floor-cleaning robots, Robokent, in 1987. A tireless advocate for the potential of such automated cleaners, the entrepreneur has waited more than three decades for the technology to become mainstream.Now Ward’s moment has finally arrived—courtesy of the coronavirus pandemic. “There’s an emphasis on hygiene that I’ve never seen before,” says Ward, who today runs Cyberclean Systems, a Virginia company that helps businesses deploy cleaning robots. Being able to prove that an office, factory, or store is as germ-free as possible is seen as imperative for giving employees and customers alike the confidence to return. To provide that assurance, companies are cleaning much more frequently—and that in turn is driving demand for robots. Unlike [human cleaners](https://fortune.com/2017/01/23/dirty-jobs-robots/), the robots never miss a shift, get tired or ill, or cut corners. And, yes, they can help firms cut cleaning bills by reducing labor costs. But the robots can't clean everything. In fact, for the moment they just clean floors, which aren't a huge vector for the coronavirus. Using the robots, however, can free up human cleaning crews to concentrate on high-touch surfaces such as door handles, elevator buttons, and light switches that robots can’t yet tackle.Robots have a long association with home cleaning in the public imagination—from Rosie, the robotic maid in _The Jetsons_, to [the Roomba](https://fortune.com/2013/11/29/the-history-of-the-roomba/) vacuum cleaner, which debuted in 2002. But it is only in the past decade that advances in microelectronics and machine-learning software have made such systems powerful, reliable, safe, and cheap enough to catch on in commercial settings. The machines have also become much easier to deploy, Ward says, with it taking less than a day to train most floor-cleaning robots today compared to weeks-long mapping sessions that were required when he first started working with cleaning robots in the late 1980s. Sales of Neo, a floor-cleaning robot made by Canadian startup Avidbots, were already doubling on an annual basis before the coronavirus hit—but now sales have doubled again, according to Faizan Sheikh, the company’s CEO. “People who were not even thinking about it are now eager to buy,” he says. [Brain Corp.](https://fortune.com/2019/07/23/robots-walmart-brain-corp/), a San Diego company whose software powers several kinds of autonomous robots, says use of its self-driving cleaning robots increased 24% in April, compared with the same month last year.Robots driven by Brain Corp.’s software clean the floors at supermarket chain [Kroger](https://fortune.com/company/kroger/) and at [Walmart](https://fortune.com/2019/08/01/tennant-walmart-robot-floor-cleaner/) and other big-box retailers. Some of those customers—including Walmart—have ordered more robots since the coronavirus pandemic began and have asked to deploy them as fast as possible, Eugene Izhikevich, Brain Corp.’s CEO, says. He says that the reason companies are cleaning the floors—and want robotic cleaners—has been transformed by the pandemic. “Before it was about aesthetics,” he says. “Now it is about safety.” Two-thirds of the increase in autonomous cleaning hours that Brain Corp. has recorded in the first three months of 2020 have come during the daytime—which is not typically when the robots had been used previously.Before the pandemic, companies had deployed the robots at the same time that human cleaning crews typically worked—at night or in the early morning hours, when few people were around to get in the way of the large, Zamboni-like floor scrubbers, and when tile floors would have time to dry without risking slip-and-fall injuries. But since the pandemic struck, cleaning during the day—when more people are around—has taken on new importance. It’s about both hygiene and public relations, says Brian Cobb, the chief innovation officer at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, which has been using Avidbots’ Neo since December. It initially used the Neo at night but has since shifted to nearly round-the-clock use of the robot. “The more it is out there, the better optics with the consumer,” he says. The robots’ presence is a visual indicator that the airport is “going above and beyond.” Cobb says that the use of such cleaning robots is likely to increase too. While the need for cleaning has become greater, the airport’s ability to add more human cleaning staff is likely to be constrained by budget considerations: The airport is facing a huge loss of revenue from the pandemic. The sudden popularity of cleaning robots hasn’t escaped notice from investors. Brain Corp., which had early backing from SoftBank’s Vision Fund and [Qualcomm](https://fortune.com/company/qualcomm/), secured an additional $36 million Series D investment round in late April to help it accelerate its growth. That round included ClearBridge Investments, a venture capital firm that specializes in helping tech firms as they prepare for an initial public offering, something that Izhikevich says may be on the cards for Brain Corp. in the next year.[FULL STORY HERE](https://fortune.com/2020/06/01/cleaning-robots-sales-soar-coronavirus-pandemic/?k2s7bd)

Cincinnati Enquirer / Randy Tucker / May 20, 2020Flyers are slowly coming back to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, but officials don't anticipate passenger traffic returning to pre-pandemic levels for at least a couple of years.In the meantime, the airport could lose between $62 million and $91 million over the next 18 to 24 months as a direct result of the falloff in business related to the COVID-19 crisis, according to figures presented earlier this week to the airport's board.Airport officials said prudent financial planning has positioned the airport to fly above the virus-related turbulence that cut air service out of CVG by 59% and passenger traffic by more than 90% in April, compared to the same month last year.“We’re very focused on making sure that when demand returns, this is a financially attractive and cost-competitive place to do business,’’ Dil Gruffydd, CVG's chief financial officer, told board members Monday night.CVG has $110 million in reserves and is eligible for up to $43 million in government grant money from the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) to help pay down debt and cover operating expenses during the pandemic, officials said.Gruffydd said the CARES allocation and other funds available to the airport could cover operating expenses for 600 days, or more than a year and a half. But he also noted the airport didn't expect to exhaust those funds because of strong financial management.The airport in Hebron has already implemented a variety of cost-cutting measures, such as consolidating parking at the main terminal and shutting down some passenger lounges.[FULL STORY HERE](https://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2020/05/20/cincinnati-northern-kentucky-airport-cvg-could-lose-up-91-m-over-next-2-years-due-covid-19-pandemic/5222016002/) (subscription-based)