Report. Reflect. Respond.
Wednesday, October 28th, 2026
Welcome to Wednesday’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 1919, Congress passed the Volstead Act to enforce Prohibition. The law was championed by Wayne Wheeler of the Anti-Saloon League, headquartered in Westerville, Ohio.
In Top of the Fold: Data centers dominate the governor’s race, the DOJ alleges an Ohio State med school “side door,” and Lordstown’s data center stays on hold.
And why Ohio gas prices jumped 29 cents in a day after a key Midwest refinery unit went offline, squeezing supply days before the Nov. 3 election.
Top of The Fold
Data Centers Take Center Stage in Governor’s Race Final Week
COLUMBUS — Data centers have become the closing battleground in Ohio’s race for governor, with six days left before the Nov. 3 election.
Democrat Amy Acton is targeting Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s industry-tied investments, which he says he would sell if elected.
V-PAC, an outside group backing Ramaswamy, counters that Acton also held big tech stocks, which she says she sold months ago.
Two national forecasters now rate the race as leaning Democratic despite a $79 million ad-spending advantage for Ramaswamy.
DOJ Details ‘Side Door’ Claims at Ohio State Medical School
COLUMBUS — The Justice Department says Ohio State’s College of Medicine discriminated against white and Asian applicants by letting some students skip screening and interviews through a “side door.”
Investigators said Black applicants were four times as likely as white applicants to be admitted that way in 2024 and 2025, while no Asian applicants were.
Ohio State says race plays no role in admissions and will contest the findings.
No lawsuit has been filed, and the department is seeking a settlement first. For more, go to DOJ.
Lordstown Data Center Stays on Hold After Court Ruling
LORDSTOWN — In a follow-up to our coverage of the Lordstown data center fight, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled unanimously last week that the village doesn’t have to review the developer’s plans for a campus near the former GM plant.
Bristolville 25 Developer submitted a site plan days before Lordstown paused data center applications, arguing the older rules should apply.
The court disagreed, saying the developer hadn’t completed the required steps.
The moratorium runs into January while officials study the impact on utilities and residents. More on this story.
Page One
National
WASHINGTON — U.S. forces could launch major strikes on Iran within 96 hours of a Trump order, officials said, as regional leaders met in Tehran on de-escalation.
LOS ANGELES — Whether 20,000 California mail ballots flagged by the Trump administration as likely noncitizen votes get counted now rests with a district judge, who heard arguments Tuesday.
WASHINGTON — Prosecutors moved to charge former FBI Director James Comey with two Espionage Act counts, their third attempt to prosecute him. Comey maintains his innocence.
Statewide
TOLEDO — A U.S. EPA mobile lab has detected little lingering glycidyl methacrylate near last week’s North Toledo chemical leak. MC Tank Transport says the damaged tank is now in secondary containment.
CLEVELAND — A 17-year-old Shaker Heights High School student was shot and killed Monday in the Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood. The district closed its high and middle schools Tuesday as police investigate.
CLEVELAND — City Council voted 7-6 Monday against reimbursing the Browns about $1.1 million for Huntington Field repairs, despite a lease requiring the city to maintain the stadium.
COLUMBUS — Ohio State University confirmed assistant professor Luke Perez resigned Oct. 23 after accusations that he attacked an independent journalist in February. Perez pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct in July.
HILLIARD — Police placed two Hilliard schools under lockdown Thursday after a report of a possible threat that authorities later determined was not credible.
COLUMBUS — Ohio and 19 other states joined the FTC in suing Dollar General over register prices higher than shelf prices. Ohio settled a similar case for $1 million in 2023.
COLUMBUS — Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday he expects most of the injured defenders, Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Jay Timmons and John Walker, back for USC. He meets with the media again after practice today, and Buckeye Insiders has more coverage.
Business/Government
Why Ohio’s Gas Prices Jumped Overnight
For The Pennant by George Griffin
COLUMBUS — Ohio drivers are paying sharply more at the pump after trouble at one of the Midwest’s largest refineries, just days before the Nov. 3 election.
ExxonMobil took a key unit offline at its Joliet, Ill., refinery last week, according to The Daily Caller. The unit, called a catalytic reformer, turns low-octane fuel into the higher-octane material used in gasoline. Losing it tightened supply across the region, and maintenance at a Cenovus refinery in Ohio added to the squeeze.
In Ohio, the average price climbed from $4.05 to $4.34 a gallon in a single day last week, Bloomberg reported. By Monday, AAA put the state average at $4.40, up 36 cents in a week and higher than in Indiana and Kentucky, according to Spectrum News.
The spike comes weeks after Ohio suspended its gas tax, a relief measure both candidates for governor backed as affordability became a central campaign issue.
The Back Page
With data centers dominating the final week of the Ohio governor’s race and gas prices jumping sharply, which issue do you think should be the top priority for the next governor?
Previous Poll Results
Do political ads influence your voting decisions at all?
- Honestly, yes - 10%
- Not really - 70%
- It depends on the ad and/or candidate/iss - 20%
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