Thursday, October 22nd, 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.

On this day in 1975, Joe Morgan’s ninth-inning single lifted the Reds past the Red Sox 4-3 in Game 7, clinching Cincinnati’s first World Series title since 1940.

In Top of the Fold, Ohio’s early in-person vote ran nearly four times the 2022 pace, and Kroger bets $5 billion on lower grocery prices.

And why a $32 trillion debt hits Ohio wallets, plus the Buckeyes chase a fifth straight Blood Battle win over that team up north.

COLUMBUS — Ohioans are turning out early in big numbers. More than 235,000 voted in person through Oct. 13, and first-week turnout ran nearly four times the 2022 pace, while absentee requests are down about a quarter. 

Southwest Ohio is a hot spot: Hamilton County’s early turnout has more than doubled for both parties, and Butler County topped 11,000 ballots in eight days. 

Cuyahoga, Lucas, Lorain and Summit counties have already hit 40% of their 2022 totals. 

Early voting runs through Nov. 1. More on the early voting figures can be found here.

CINCINNATI — Kroger plans to plow $5 billion into lower prices through 2029, paying for it largely by cutting costs, including about 3,000 corporate jobs, some at its downtown Cincinnati headquarters. 

CEO Greg Foran told investors Tuesday the grocer will trade complicated promotions for lower everyday prices, lean on artificial intelligence and shift some office work to India. 

Kroger also plans about 110 new stores. The goal: become “America’s favorite grocer” and grow profits faster than today. 

More on this story here.

TOLEDO — A chemical leak at a North Toledo trucking facility late Tuesday forced evacuations within a mile of the site and a shelter-in-place order for three miles around it. 

The chemical, glycidyl methacrylate, is used in plastics, paints, and coatings, according to MC Tank Transport, where the tank leaked. 

Toledo Public Schools and Washington Local Schools canceled classes Wednesday, and a haze and chemical smell drifted across the area, including I-75. 

No injuries were reported. This story continues here.

Washington’s $32.4 trillion debt can feel like someone else’s problem. It isn’t.

Based on population, Ohio’s share is more than $1.1 trillion, roughly $95,000 per Ohioan. Ohio also leans heavily on federal dollars. Washington covers about 70% of the state’s $35 billion Medicaid program. If Congress has to cut spending to keep up with more than $1 trillion a year in interest, Statehouse budgets and local services could feel it first.

Many economists say heavy federal borrowing can also push up rates on Ohio mortgages, car loans, and business expansions.

The biggest bill goes to the next generation. Today’s Ohio kids will inherit the debt through higher taxes, fewer services or both, unless Washington changes course.

COLUMBUS — Since 1982, Ohio State and Michigan have taken their rivalry to the blood bank, and lately the Buckeyes have owned it. They’ve won four straight, including a 1,725-to-1,622-pint win last year and a 300-pint rout in 2024. Combined, the two schools collected more than 3,300 pints last year, which could save nearly 10,000 lives.

Now Ohio State is on a “drive for five.” The 45th Blood Battle runs through Nov. 25, with nearly 50 Versiti drives on campus open to everyone, and walk-ins are welcome. The biggest drives are at Ohio Stadium on Nov. 11 and Nov. 22. 

Donors get a long-sleeve shirt, a pizza voucher, and a shot at four tickets to the Ohio State–Northwestern game. 

For schedule and sign-up, click here.

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