Report. Reflect. Respond.
Friday, August 7th, 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 day in 1990, President George H.W. Bush ordered troops and warplanes to Saudi Arabia, launching Operation Desert Shield five days after Iraq seized Kuwait.
A child pulled from a locked cage in a burning Youngstown home, and new state rules meant to keep data center power costs off other customers' bills — both are Top of the Fold.
And in Sports, the quarterback who beat Ohio State in 2000 gets his gold jacket in Canton, while the Peach Section confronts a zucchini problem that has grown out of hand.
Top of The Fold
Youngstown Police Investigate Boy Found Locked In Cage During House Fire
YOUNGSTOWN — A man pulled an 11-year-old boy from a dog cage secured with three locks inside a burning Forestview Avenue home early Wednesday, and Youngstown police have opened an investigation.
Three other people had already gotten out before firefighters arrived at the fire, which broke out around 12:30 a.m.
PUCO Orders AEP Ohio To Wall Off Data Center Power Costs
COLUMBUS — The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio ordered AEP Ohio this week to add what the commission calls safeguards for other customers.
Data centers must give the utility 180 days' notice before returning to default service, and AEP Ohio will buy that power through separate auctions or spot-market purchases, with the full cost charged to the data center.
Reminder: Ohio's Sales Tax Holiday Starts Today
COLUMBUS — Ohio's sales tax holiday runs Friday through Sunday, Aug. 7-9, and it covers less than it did last year.
Clothing is exempt at $75 or less per item, and school supplies and instructional materials at $20 or less. For more details, go here.
Page One
National
WASHINGTON — The Senate Homeland Security Committee voted 8-5 Thursday to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress, and Chairman Rand Paul said he will refer the resolution straight to the Justice Department.
WASHINGTON — In a story The Pennant covered last week, cyberattacks that federal investigators suspect are linked to Iran-backed hackers have now been reported at water systems in at least 12 states, up from the seven cited in the FBI, EPA and CISA advisory.
WASHINGTON — First it was lettuce at Taco Bell, now it's jalapeños at Chipotle and Qdoba, where federal health officials have traced a salmonella outbreak across 27 states, including Ohio, to peppers grown in Sinaloa, Mexico.
Statewide
SPRINGFIELD — International Motors will lay off 1,341 workers at its two Urbana Road plants Oct. 2, when its sale to Canadian armored vehicle maker Roshel closes, though the new owner may rehire some.
KIRTLAND — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has dedicated a temple in Kirtland, where the faith built its first temple in 1836.
UPPER ARLINGTON — The Original Goodie Shop is selling $3 cookies decorated with the Beaver's Mini Mart logo and giving $1 from each one sold to the store, which Buc-ee's has sued over trademark claims.
COLUMBUS — Ohio wineries are reporting softer sales as Americans drink less and some are adjusting how they sell.
MIDDLETOWN — Evelyn Franks, 103, took a jump at Start Skydiving last week alongside one of her 10 children, making her the oldest Ohioan to skydive.
Sports
The Man Who Broke Ohio State's Heart Goes To Canton
By The Pennant Sports Staff
Five new members join the Pro Football Hall of Fame tomorrow, and one of them left a scar on Buckeye fans a quarter-century ago.
Quarterback Drew Brees will be enshrined alongside running back Roger Craig, receiver Larry Fitzgerald, linebacker Luke Kuechly and kicker Adam Vinatieri.
Ohio State fans knew Brees long before the New Orleans Saints did. He played at Purdue under Joe Tiller, and on Oct. 28, 2000, he had the Boilermakers down three with under two minutes left at Ross-Ade Stadium. Then, Seth Morales came open down the seam.
Brees hit him in stride for 64 yards, and ABC's Brent Musburger hollered "Holy Toledo!" over the top of it. Purdue 31, No. 12 Ohio State 27.
Brees finished with 455 yards and three touchdowns against four interceptions, and Purdue went on to share the Big Ten title and play in the Rose Bowl.
The Zucchini Situation
By The Peach Section Gang
The Peach Section garden is doing beautifully. Tomatoes, lettuce, eggplant. And zucchini.
So much zucchini that we have discussed putting a card table out front of Peach Section headquarters with an empty Maxwell House coffee can and an honor-system sign, which is what you do when a vegetable stops being produce and starts becoming a logistical nightmare.
Literally, home zucchini farmers lie in bed at night and wonder what to do with those overgrown vegetable logs that look more like Elly De La Cruz's bat than something edible.
This is happening to an estimated 3.2 million Ohio home farmers right now. You planted two hills in May because the seed packet cost a dollar forty. Zucchini asks nothing of you — full sun, water (if you remembered to water it), and a week of forgetting you planted zucchini.
It's good for you. A cup runs about 20 calories, mostly water, with potassium, fiber, and a decent hit of vitamin C. Your colon loves it.
Zucchini is the salmon of the garden. You can do anything short of dousing it in kerosene and still eat it. Grill it, roast it, sauté it, run it through a spiralizer and call it linguine — though that one takes a full pint of sauce before it resembles spaghetti, in roughly the same way comedic legend Carrot Top resembles Gov. Mike DeWine.
Then comes dinner number 63. No amount of garlic and green onion changes the underlying fact. It is still zucchini.
So you do the honorable thing. You make zucchini bread. You grate the thing into oblivion, bury it in sugar, eggs, flour and oil, and end up with a four-pound loaf that is about as much bread as motor oil is a dessert topping.
A slice runs 230 calories, and then you cover it with a tablespoon of butter. Every health benefit has vanished. All that's really left is an incredibly moist home-baked brick.
Worth it.
The Back Page
Did you watch the "Holy Toledo!" OSU football game back in 2000?
Previous Poll Results
Do you believe a college degree is worth having?
- Yes - 36%
- No - 9%
- It depends - 55%
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]