Friday, September 11th, 2026

Welcome to Friday’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 date in 2001, terrorists hijacked four planes, crashing them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 people.

A Vinton County grandfather is ruled unfit to stand trial in a child abuse case, and Ohio State partners with Google on a new AI hub — these stories are Top of the Fold today.

And No. 1 Ohio State battles No. 4 Texas Saturday, the Browns and Bengals open their seasons Sunday, and a sports reporter recalls his first day on the radio — 9/11.

VINTON COUNTY — A judge ruled Gary Siders Sr., 73, mentally incompetent to stand trial in a case involving his 16 grandchildren, who were found living in poor conditions at a rural Hamden home in June. 

His lawyer said his health has been declining for years. 

Siders faces 16 counts of child endangerment. His wife, son, and daughter-in-law have all pleaded not guilty.

COLUMBUS — Ohio State is partnering with Google to build a campus space at its Innovation District on the university's west campus. 

The partnership gives students access to Google's DeepMind AI research lab and personalized AI assistants. 

Ohio State will also host a "first of its kind" research ambassador internship through Google Public Sector. 

University officials call it one of the largest foundational partnerships between Google and any U.S. university. More details are expected this fall.

COLUMBUS — Ohio will get $50 million in federal money to help low-income middle and high school students explore college and career options. 

Gov. Mike DeWine announced Ohio is one of only two states picked for this federal Talent Search Program funding. 

Many Americans have lost trust in college, with about a quarter saying they have little confidence in it. 

DeWine told college leaders they need to prove college is worth the cost, saying, "What are you selling?"

AUSTIN, TX — No. 1 Ohio State takes on No. 4 Texas Saturday in a marquee Week 2 matchup. Texas QB Arch Manning and receivers Ryan Wingo and Cam Coleman will counter Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and receiver Jeremiah Smith. The Buckeyes enter the game as a slight underdog. 

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. local) on ABC, with temperatures near 90 degrees at game time. Our friends at Buckeye Insiders are in Austin and have all the coverage, including their pregame show on Saturday on their YouTube channel.

OHIO — The Browns kick off their season Sunday at Jacksonville at 1 p.m. with Deshaun Watson starting at quarterback. The Bengals host Tampa Bay at Paycor Stadium, also at 1 p.m., with Joe Burrow facing former Cleveland Browns No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield.

Twenty-five years ago this week, I walked into the studio for my first day on morning radio in Columbus. Brian was the morning show host, and I was hired as the sports guy — the one who reads scores, previews games, maybe cracks a joke between the Foo Fighters and Snow Patrol.

It was a Tuesday. September 11, 2001. I had no idea it would be the last ordinary morning any of us would have for a long time.

The show wrapped the way mornings do. I did my sports report — mostly Ohio State football, with a little soccer mixed in, because near the end of the hour I was scheduled for a phone interview with Brandi Chastain of the U.S. women's national soccer team.

The Americans were set to play China that night at Crew Stadium. I'd interviewed her before; she was a pro who understood she was a role model to millions of young girls. All I had to do was let her talk.

Then, mid-sentence, she lost her train of thought and drifted. So did I. It turned out she had a TV on too. She was watching the same thing we were.

We ended the interview without a goodbye, without even promoting the game.

We'd had the Today Show up in the background, and Matt Lauer was telling America that a plane had just hit one of the World Trade Center towers. We threw to the top-of-the-hour commercials, and Brian and I stayed in the studio, staring at the screen. The camera atop NBC's studios at Rockefeller Center was locked on a distant shot of lower Manhattan, smoke trailing from the North Tower.

At first, we assumed it was a commuter plane — a terrible accident. But it didn't look like a commuter plane. It looked bigger. We stayed in the studio just long enough to watch the second plane hit the South Tower. It was just after 9 a.m.

As an NBC-owned-and-operated station, we had an intercom system wired directly to the network's bureau in New York — a line meant for news alerts, breaking national stories, programming changes. That day, it turned into something else entirely.

It almost sounded like play-by-play, one horror after another.

Continue reading the article here.

Should prospective police officers be required to be an American citizen?
- Yes - 70%
- No - 10%
- Undecided - 20%

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