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🌱 How Middletown teens are turning tattoo art into future careers
Middletown, Ohio Patch AM: a 5 min readGood morning Middletown! Your connection to what's happening around town is here. Take a sip of coffee and read on. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
- How Middletown teens are turning tattoo art into future careers
- What Middletown’s new health commissioner will change for local public health
- How Middletown’s cyberattack still shapes what officials can tell you
Also on today's calendar: 🎸 Live Country Music: Britches Down at Wandering Griffin! and 6 more events.
Today's riddle: what do you call a rabbit with fleas? 🤔 (Answer below!)
From our Partner
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- Wednesday: A couple of morning showers, with a high of 66 and low of 42 degrees.
- Thursday: Partly sunny, temps: high: 65, low: 41.
- Friday: An afternoon shower, with a high of 69 and low of 55 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. Local high school launches tattoo art class, giving students hands-on skills (local12.com) — Middletown High School students can now take a Tattoo History and Design class that mixes art techniques with real-world, career-focused skills. Taught by art teacher Rik Krebs, the course covers cultural history, drawing methods, and simulated tattoo work using henna markers. Students will soon present portfolios to professional tattoo artists and educators for feedback and guidance. 
2. New health commissioner to lead Middletown public health (wdtn.com) — Middletown has appointed veteran public health leader Matthew Clayton as the city’s next health commissioner, with his role becoming effective July 6. He’ll overlap with current commissioner Jackie Carter until her Sept. 1 retirement, ensuring a smooth transition. City leaders praise Clayton’s extensive Southwest Ohio experience and Carter’s long service to Middletown residents’ health and wellbeing.
3. Harrison County Government Tries to Navigate Major Cyberattack Aftermath (shinnstonnews.com) — Middletown’s major cyberattack last August is highlighted as a warning for how vulnerable smaller cities are, and why officials often stay tight-lipped about technical details. The piece explains how ransomware likely disrupted city services, why Middletown hasn’t shared specifics, and what experts say about balancing transparency with protecting ongoing investigations and system defenses.
4. Wilkinson Earns 12th Career BFL Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Ohio River at Tanners Creek (anglerschannel.com) — A Middletown angler, Jordan Smith, finished sixth in the co‑angler division at a Phoenix Bass Fishing League event on the Ohio River at Tanners Creek, weighing in three bass for 5 pounds. The tournament, part of the Buckeye Division, saw Indiana’s Chris Wilkinson win the boater side and Ohio’s Steven Woodford top the co‑anglers as competitors chase points toward regional and national championships.
5. Coal-based steelmaking outpaces the industry's low-emissions transition (manufacturingdive.com) — Middletown is directly affected by Cleveland-Cliffs’ decision to cancel a planned low-emissions steel project there, citing hydrogen delays and federal policy uncertainty. The broader report shows coal-based steelmaking is still expanding worldwide, slowing the shift to cleaner technologies even as U.S. plants weigh costly upgrades and changing climate goals.
📸 Around Middletown
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🗓
Upcoming Events in
Middletown
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
-
🎸 Live Country Music: Britches Down at Wandering Griffin! →
Wandering Griffin Brewery & Restaurant, 3725 Presidential Dr, Beavercreek
6:00 pm
Friday May 15
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
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MMS Spring Band Concert
Midview Local Middletown, OH 45044
7:00 pm -
Senior Exams
Midview Local Middletown, OH 45044 -
Kindergarten End-of-Year Celebration
Midview Local West Elementary School, 13080 Durkee Rd, Grafton, OH 44044, US
5:00 pm -
Dayton Dragons Family Night
Hunter Elementary School Franklin, OH 45005
6:00 pm -
MHS Spring Choral Pops Concert
Midview Local Middletown, OH 45044
7:00 pm -
Middletown Rocks →
Sorg Opera House, 63 S Main St, Middletown
7:00 pm -
Senior Exams
Midview Local Middletown, OH 45044 -
8th Grade Cedar Point Trip
Midview Local Middletown, OH 45044
9:00 am
Wednesday May 13
Thursday May 14
Friday May 15
📣 Middletown Shout Outs!
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🗓 Events Nearby
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Berry Orchestra Concert (6th-8th grade)@ DPC
Berry Intermediate Lebanon, OH 45036
7:00 pm -
Orchestra Concerts
Lebanon Junior High Lebanon, OH 45036
7:00 pm -
JH and Berry Orchestra Concert
Lebanon City District Performing Arts Center, 160 Miller Road, Lebanon
7:00 pm -
MMS Spring Band Concert
Midview Local Middletown, OH 45044
7:00 pm
Wednesday May 13
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
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💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Please share & repost to help reunite this stray cat!
FOUND on May 9, 2026 in Middletown, OH 45044 near Forest ave middletown Sharing for a neighbor. For the latest information or to contact the finder,… (Nextdoor Oneida) - Lost kitty…at my front door….
if you’re missing this sweet kitty…it is on Hampton and Santa Fe (Nextdoor Sunset Park)
- Office Pride posted a job opening for Middletown Janitor in Middletown. Apply here.
- Olive Garden posted a job opening for Bartender in Middletown. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Middletown here.
Ok Middletown! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Bugs Bunny ! (Thank you bruce A. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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