Report. Reflect. Respond.
Thursday, June 4th, 2026
Welcome to Thursday’s edition of The Pennant. To listen to this newsletter, click the “Listen Online” link in the top right corner of this email.
The Battle of Midway began on this day in 1942, marking a turning point in World War II, as Lorain, Ohio, native Maj. Lofton "Joe" Henderson died leading his Marine dive bomber squadron against the Japanese fleet.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost released his report on sex buyers in Ohio. See what he found in the Top of The Fold.
Also, senators are pushing a new bill to fix college sports. Find out why and how in our sports section.
Top of The Fold
Sex Buyer Arrests Rise, but Penalties Lag
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's report on sex buyers found more are being arrested statewide, but jail time, fines, and required "john school" remain spotty.
The report covered nearly 2,000 arrests from 2019 to 2025, with Columbiana County accounting for 34% of them.
Find the report here.
Hikma to Add 350 Ohio Jobs in $267 Million Expansion
Hikma Pharmaceuticals will spend $267 million to expand two Ohio plants, in Columbus and Bedford, and add about 350 jobs.
The company says the work will make more medicine in the U.S. and help ease drug shortages.
Read more about the expansion here.
Heavy Rains Push Ohio Planting Behind Schedule
Heavy May rain left Ohio farmers with only a couple of workable days, some weeks, pushing planting behind schedule statewide.
By the end of the month, corn was 73% planted and soybeans 68%, both trailing their five-year averages.
For more information on this, click here.
Page One
National
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way Tuesday night for Alabama to use a congressional map in 2026 that lower courts found racially discriminatory, drawing a three-justice dissent led by Justice Sonia Sotomayor. (Ruling)
WASHINGTON — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told a House committee that the Justice Department is dropping its $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund. (More)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department updated its Mexico travel advisory, telling Americans to use more caution because of crime and kidnapping, with some areas marked "do not travel." (List)
Statewide
COLUMBUS - Two officers fatally shot a man Tuesday after responding to a domestic violence call and finding him firing multiple shots. (More)
CINCINNATI — Republic Wire, one of Cincinnati's largest private companies, has agreed to be acquired by Paris-based Nexans for about $797 million, with founder Ron Rosenbeck staying on to lead the local operation under expanded European ownership. (Acquisition)
CINCINNATI — Kroger will spend more than $100 million on refrigerator repairs and pay a $2.5 million civil penalty to settle U.S. Department of Justice claims that ozone-depleting coolant leaks at its stores violated the Clean Air Act. (Kroger)
DAYTON — The Dayton VA Medical Center moves to a new federal health record system on June 6. The switch is meant to give doctors a veteran's full medical history in one place and share records easily between VA and DoD sites. (System)
MANSFIELD - Josh Longood, 37, a Mansfield native and Ohio State graduate, helped restrain a passenger who tried to open an exit door mid-flight. (Flight)
BOWLING GREEN — Bowling Green State University's CIVICs 250 Scholars program, backed by a $620,000 federal grant, is training 30 Ohio K-12 teachers this year to strengthen how they teach American history and civics. (Program)
DUBLIN — The Memorial Tournament tees off today at Muirfield Village, with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler chasing his third straight title — a Memorial three-peat matched only by Tiger Woods. (Tournament)
Sports
Senators Push New Bill to Fix College Sports
By The Pennant Staff
WASHINGTON — A group of senators is trying again to bring order to college sports, and the plan could change how powerhouse teams like Ohio State spend their money.
Last week, Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., introduced the Protect College Sports Act. The 111-page bill sets national rules for paying athletes, caps how much schools can share with players, and limits athletes to one free transfer. It also blocks coaches from leaving for another team before the season ends.
Right now, top football programs can build rosters worth tens of millions of dollars. Most colleges and universities don't have the money to keep up in the fast-growing world of NIL, leaving smaller schools far behind. A cap could slow that spending.
Former Alabama coach Nick Saban has backed the push, telling Congress earlier this year that NIL had gone too far. But others say the system mostly works. Cam Newton, the former NFL MVP, argues players deserve to be paid and that the only real fix needed is to the transfer portal. "If you fix one, then everything else will follow," he said.
In a joint statement Tuesday, the Big Ten and SEC opposed the bill as written but said they support a "sustainable national framework for college sports" and will keep working with Cruz, Cantwell, and others in Congress to improve it.
The bill needs 60 votes to pass the Senate. Lawmakers have tried and failed before, so its future is far from certain.
Editorial
Three Stories, One Lean: Ohio Media on DEI
By The Pennant Editorial Staff
Only 28% of Americans trust newspapers, television, and radio to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly, according to Gallup. That's the lowest reading in the poll's 50-year history.
Journalism schools, meanwhile, are disappearing.
The Ohio State University folded its standalone School of Journalism into the School of Communication in 1995. Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism in Athens still operates, but now under the umbrella of the Scripps College of Communication.
What was once "journalism" is now simply "communications."
Take a recent example. Three Ohio outlets covered the same legislative push to ban DEI in K-12 public schools. NBC4 Columbus ran its story on June 2. The Ohio Capital Journal ran its piece on May 27. Spectrum News 1 ran its piece on May 26. Lined up against each other, the three pieces tell almost the same story in almost the same way with the exact same lean.
Frankly, this is a storytelling formula that elevates one side at the expense of the other. It is groupthink masquerading as journalism.
Read the full editorial here.
The Back Page
TRIVIA: Which superhero was created in Cleveland, Ohio, by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster?
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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