Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026

Welcome to Tuesday’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 1972, President Nixon signed Title IX into law, banning sex discrimination in federally funded schools and reshaping women's athletics and education for generations.

An appeals court restored Ohio's parental consent Rule for kids on social media. Find out what this means in the Top of the Fold.

Also, Schwebel’s has announced their impending closure. Read our editorial below to find out why this beloved bakery is having to close its doors.

COLUMBUS — A divided Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled that Ohio's law requiring children under 16 to get parental consent before using social media must be restored, reversing a lower court that had blocked it.

The 2-1 decision is a setback for NetChoice, the trade group representing TikTok, Snapchat, and Meta, which had argued the law was unconstitutionally vague and a free speech violation and says it intends to keep fighting.

Get the full ruling and what comes next at Lima News.

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Metropolitan School District's board voted unanimously to approve its Building Brighter Futures plan, vacating 18 buildings and merging 39 schools to operate 29 fewer schools starting in 2026-27.

District leaders called the move painful but necessary, citing a 40% enrollment drop over two decades and projected savings of about $30 million a year.

See which buildings close and where students land at WKYC.

YOUNGSTOWN — Schwebel Baking Company announced Wednesday it will wind down and liquidate, keeping its Youngstown and Hebron bakeries, stores, and distribution centers open through the Fourth of July weekend before closing over the summer.

The 120-year-old Mahoning Valley icon cited aging facilities, costly labor and pension obligations, and falling demand, with roughly 370 jobs affected.

Read the full story at Fox 8 Cleveland and see today’s Pennant Editorial for more.

For 120 years, Schwebel's has baked bread in the Mahoning Valley and helped feed thousands of Ohio families. Now it's closing, and the reasons should worry anyone who cares about Ohio jobs.

A company doesn't last that long by luck — people still loved the bread. What killed Schwebel's was the cost of making it. The company said it couldn't afford its labor contracts or its pension bills anymore. Its bakery workers belong to BCTGM Local 19, and some belong to Teamsters Local 377.

Pensions are a big part of this story, and the problem is much bigger than one bakery. A traditional pension promises a worker a set check for life, and the company has to keep paying for it even when sales fall. Plans like these owe hundreds of billions of dollars across the country that they don't have. In 2021, the American Rescue Plan sent federal money to save troubled pension funds, and Schwebel's was praised as a success story back then.

But four years later, the company still couldn't make the numbers work. Businesses that switched workers to 401(k) plans years ago had a much easier time.

This has happened before, and it hit Ohio hard. In 2012, this same bakers' union turned down a deal at Hostess, the maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread, and went on strike. The Teamsters took the deal. Hostess shut down anyway. About 18,500 jobs vanished, and one of the first plants to go was the Hostess bakery in Cincinnati.

Too often, unions seem ready to lose it all rather than change with the times. If that's not the case and we're missing something here, let us know. Seriously, email us and explain what we're missing.

Whether or not that's the case, there's a major warning that can't be ignored. Last month, the U.S. House passed the Faster Labor Contracts Act, a bill the Teamsters pushed hard. Five Ohio Republicans voted yes, including Youngstown's own Michael Rulli, who later called the Schwebel's closing devastating.

The bill would force a contract within a few months, and if the two sides don't agree, a government panel would set the terms. That takes away the room a struggling company needs to survive. It's worth watching how the Teamsters use that kind of power.

Schwebel's spent months looking for a buyer and asked to delay some pension payments. The answer was no. Ohio lost an icon, and the Valley lost about 370 jobs with it.

Questions, comments, and letters to the editor are welcome. Email [email protected].

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.

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