Monday, April 6th, 2026

Welcome to Monday’s edition of The Pennant. To listen to this newsletter, click the “Listen Online” link in the top right corner of this email.

On this day in 1970, Sam Sheppard, a Bay Village, Ohio, physician who was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife in a sensational 1954 trial — then acquitted at a retrial in 1966 — died of liver failure at age 46. His case is said to have loosely inspired The Fugitive.

A corruption retrial on the horizon, property tax relief – maybe, and JD Vance has a new book.

If you shop at Sam’s Club – your membership is about to cost more.

Friday's Pennant reported that a Summit County judge declared a mistrial in the corruption trial of former FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Michael Dowling after nine days of deliberations. The jury split ran as high as 10-to-2 in favor of conviction, with most jurors believing the defendants were guilty. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has vowed to retry both defendants. More

Ohio recently passed five new laws meant to keep property taxes from going up too fast. The laws won't lower the taxes people pay right now, but they will put limits on how much taxes can increase in the future. It is projected that Ohio homeowners will save up to $3 billion over the next few years. Homeowners should see lower tax increases as early as June 2026. More

Starting May 1, 2026, Sam's Club will charge members more — $60 a year instead of $50, and $120 instead of $110 for the higher-level Plus membership. Current members won't pay the new price until it's time to renew, and Plus members will be able to earn more cash rewards than before. More

Vance to Release Faith Memoir in June

Vice President JD Vance, who rose to fame with his Ohio memoir Hillbilly Elegy, is set to release his second book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, on June 16, 2026, chronicling his journey from childhood Christianity through atheism to his conversion to Catholicism — a release widely seen as laying the groundwork for a potential 2028 presidential run. More here

State Approves 7 Projects to Create More Than 1,300 Jobs Across Ohio

Ohio officials announced the approval of seven economic development projects expected to create 1,328 new jobs and retain 905 positions statewide, with more than $123.4 million in investment. The biggest gains are in southeastern Ohio, where APAR USA in Muskingum County and Vertiv Corporation in Lawrence County alone account for more than 800 of those new positions. Your Radio Place

Maple Syrup, Cherry Blossoms and More

Spring festivals and events kicking off — Tease upcoming April highlights like the Geauga County Maple Festival (April 23-26 in Chardon—pancakes and maple syrup fun), cherry blossom events in Akron/Columbus, Dyngus Day celebrations, or the Ohio Rubber Duck Festival. Perfect for "things to do this month" sections. A list here.

The Pennant Education Editor

Second Lady Usha Vance is stepping up for childhood literacy — and her new podcast is the latest piece of that effort.

In a recent interview with NBC News, Vance said her push for children's reading stems from both personal experience and the “worrisome” national data. As she taught her own children to read, she said she couldn't ignore the statistics showing a long-term decline in reading proficiency among American kids. 

The podcast, Storytime with the Second Lady, features Vance and special guest readers sharing books aloud in short episodes. The first few episodes included Vance reading The Tale of Peter Rabbit, former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick reading from Disney's Cars, and Paralympic bronze medalist and author Brent Poppen reading from his children's book Playground Lessons. Each episode runs about 10 minutes and is designed for late preschool and early elementary-age children.

The podcast builds on Vance's 2025 Summer Reading Challenge, which drew participation from families across all 50 states.

Help your children listen to or watch the visual podcast on Spotify or YouTube.

Read more and see Usha's latest interview. Watch the podcast here.

Ohio schools get money from two places: the state government and your property taxes. The state is supposed to pay its fair share. But many Ohioans feel it hasn't been doing that.

Property taxes make up the largest source of funding for most public schools across Ohio. (Ohio Capital Journal) When the state falls short, your tax bill picks up the difference. And lately, that bill keeps getting bigger.

Here is how it works. A levy is a request from your school district to collect more money from homeowners. You will see the word "mills" on your ballot. One mill equals one dollar for every thousand dollars your home is worth. If your home is worth $100,000, one mill costs you $100 a year.

The problem is that home values keep going up. In Cuyahoga County alone, home values jumped 32% after the latest round of reappraisals. WKYC Higher values mean higher tax bills — even without new levies.

Last November, 108 school districts across Ohio had levies on the ballot. (Ohio Capital Journal) More are coming this May. Many homeowners are starting to ask: when does it stop?

Voters angry about rising tax bills have even begun organizing a campaign to abolish property taxes altogether in Ohio. State lawmakers passed some relief measures, but homeowners shouldn't expect to see cuts to their property tax bills — increases should just slow down. 

To find your exact levy cost, go to your county auditor's website, type in your address, and multiply your home's taxable value by the mills being requested. Your county board of elections website lists every levy on your ballot in plain language. Read it before you vote. You are paying for it either way.

It seems most Ohio homeowners are really upset about their tax bills getting too high. Older Ohioans are being hit especially hard, with many saying they are being taxed right out of the homes they have lived in for decades. When home prices went up, so did the taxes homeowners had to pay. A group of regular citizens decided they wanted to get rid of property taxes completely by changing the Ohio Constitution. The state government tried to help by passing laws to stop taxes from rising so fast, saving people billions of dollars. But the citizen group says that's not enough, and they want Ohioans to vote on getting rid of property taxes for good.

The two main candidates running for Ohio governor are Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Dr. Amy Acton. Both want to lower property taxes, but they have very different ideas about how to do it.

Ramaswamy wants big tax cuts. He has promised the largest property tax reduction in Ohio history and even wants to eventually get rid of the income tax completely. He hasn't explained yet exactly how the state would pay its bills without that money.

Acton thinks the real problem is that state leaders haven't been sending enough money to local communities. She says that's what's been pushing property taxes up. She wants to give working families tax relief and make it easier for homeowners to get tax breaks, but she also hasn't given a lot of details on how she'd pay for her plans.

Neither candidate supports getting rid of property taxes altogether.

Ohio voters face key April deadlines ahead of the May 5 primary, including a voter registration cutoff Today and early voting starting tomorrow (April 7), alongside new rules requiring mail-in ballots to be received by Election Day rather than just postmarked by then. To find voting locations, go here

The Pennant welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns from readers. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity, and AP style. The Pennant reserves the right to verify all information contained in submissions before publication.

Please send all submissions to [email protected]