Wednesday, June 3rd, 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 June 3, 1976, the rock band Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was certified Gold by the RIAA for 500,000 copies sold.

Duke Energy has asked the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to approve a rate increase. Find out by how much in the Top of The Fold.

Also, the Grove City Council has approved a one-year data center moratorium. You can read about what this means in our Business/Government section.

Duke Energy has asked the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to approve a 4.5% rate increase that would add about $8 a month to the average residential bill.

If approved, it would take effect in May 2027.

For more, see the rate hike here.

A bright fireball meteor streaked across northern Ohio and southern Michigan around 10:42 p.m. Monday, drawing hundreds of reports from skywatchers in at least eight states and Ontario. 

This is the third meteor to fly over Ohio this year, with two other incidents occurring in March. 

Find a video of Monday’s meteor here.

Ohio Senate Bill 113, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, cleared its third required hearing May 19, setting up a possible floor vote on the K-12 DEI ban after testimony from 80 opponents and support from groups including the Buckeye Institute and the Center for Christian Virtue.

For more information on the hearing, click here.

GROVE CITY — City Council voted 6-1 Monday night to impose a one-year moratorium on new data center development, pausing a proposed campus while officials study the issue and gather community input.

The vote followed a standing-room-only meeting that drew hundreds of residents, with attendees overflowing into the lobby and protesters chanting "No Data Centers" outside. Council member Randy Holt cast the lone dissenting vote.

Dozens spoke in support of the moratorium during public comment, raising concerns about water use, rising utility bills, and quality of life. Only two speakers opposed the measure.

Council members framed the move as a delay rather than a rejection. "We're not saying 'no,' we're just saying 'slow down,'" said resident and Protect Grove City member Jen Belt, echoing the sentiment of council backers. Council member Mohamed Omar, who wrote the legislation, said it "allows us to take a step back and create the necessary changes that we need as a city."

The pause targets a 310-acre campus planned by Headwaters Site Development, working with Texas-based Stream Data Centers, near Beatty and Rensch roads. The site also extends into Pleasant and Jackson townships, which have recently passed their own moratoriums. Developers said the project would create 250 permanent jobs and hundreds of construction jobs, and that water use would be limited.

The legislation requires a task force to report its findings within six months.

Marlene Homan has lived in the same house on Cleveland's West Side since 1977. She raised two sons there and lost her husband there in 2017. Last month, she found out her annual property tax bill jumped by more than $300. News 5 Cleveland (WEWS) told Marlene’s story and put a face on what bad and outdated property tax policy does to Ohioans.

Marlene is not alone in the property tax trap. Cuyahoga County is one of seven Northeast Ohio counties that wrapped up a mass reappraisal last year. The others are Erie, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Portage, and Stark. Thousands of homeowners across the region are feeling the same sticker shock. As one Cleveland resident told News 5, "It's so unfair for somebody to live somewhere and think, 'Oh, I'm going to stay here 'til I die.' And then be forced out because they can't afford the taxes."

That's the heart of it. Seniors on fixed incomes are watching tax bills climb faster than their Social Security checks. Young families are getting priced out of homes they already own. Schools, police, fire, and roads almost all run on one source of money — your property tax payment. You buy a home, pay it off, and the government still sends you a bill every year for the right to live there. Miss too many of those bills and the home is no longer yours.

Continue reading the editorial here.

Do you wear your seatbelt when sitting in the backseat?
- Yes - 60%
- Sometimes - 10%
- No - 30%

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