Report. Reflect. Respond.
Wednesday, May 13th, 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 date in 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot twice in St. Peter's Square by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Ağca, survived a five-hour surgery, and later visited his attacker in prison.
Attorney General Dave Yost filed a motion to dismiss 1/3 of the sexual abuse cases against Ohio State. Find out why in the Top of the Fold.
Also, men are losing ground in the job market. Read what this means in our Economy section.
Top of The Fold
Ohio Medicaid Fraud Could Top $4.5 Billion, Officials Admit
Ohio officials are acknowledging concerns about Medicaid fraud and vowing to intensify reviews, but won't say how widespread the problem is, even as Auditor Keith Faber warns of $4.5 billion in potential improper payments — a figure that comes on top of 161 convictions for Medicaid waste, fraud, and abuse since 2019.
Former Ohio AG Yost's Final Move: Dismiss Dozens of Strauss Abuse Cases
Outgoing Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a motion seeking to dismiss 77 Richard Strauss sexual abuse cases against Ohio State, arguing the alleged abuse predates a 1986 federal law allowing institutions to be sued for failing to protect students.
Ohio State has already paid more than $61 million to 317 survivors of Strauss' abuse.
Cincinnati Brawl That Went National Moves Toward Resolution
Five of seven suspects charged in a July beating that went viral and drew national outrage have pleaded guilty, with sentencing scheduled for later this month and in June.
The attack was captured on video. and viewed millions of times, prompted Cincinnati's police chief to publicly express disgust and sparked a citywide debate over public safety and racial tensions.
Page One
National
California - Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors after being charged with operating a fake news website at the direction of Chinese officials to spread pro-Beijing propaganda, facing up to 10 years in prison. (More)
DC - President Trump has brought some of America's biggest CEOs, including Elon Musk, Tim Cook of Apple, and Larry Fink of BlackRock, to Beijing this week for a high-stakes summit with Xi Jinping amid an Iran war rattling global markets. (More)
Beef Prices - The Trump administration says a plan to open five million acres of grazing land will bring ground beef prices down by next summer, but the CEO of Omaha Steaks is warning families to expect $10-a-pound ground beef by the third quarter of 2026. The disagreement comes as beef prices hit record highs following a drought that pushed U.S. cattle inventory to its lowest level in 70 years. (More)
Statewide
Lorain County – Lorain County Job and Family Services employees have been on strike for 11 weeks with no end in sight. (More)
Summit County - A grand jury indicted the Sheriff's Office Sgt. Joshua Bolinger is on charges of strangulation, child endangerment, and domestic violence, and the department placed him on administrative leave. (More)
Van Wert - City Council voted 6-0 Monday night to approve three ordinances covering annexation, rezoning, and conditional zoning, clearing the way for a proposed $10 billion data center at the Mega Site despite an hour of public comments that were largely opposed to the project. (More)
Toledo - After 68 years, Lourdes University in Sylvania held its final exams as students prepared for commencement and the permanent closure of the private Catholic institution founded by the Sisters of St. Francis. (More)
Dublin – The School District is undertaking a controversial redistricting process to address overcrowding and growth across its three high schools. (More)
Cincinnati - Gov. Mike DeWine and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear broke ground on a companion bridge to the Brent Spence Bridge, aiming to relieve one of the nation's worst traffic bottlenecks. (More)
Economy
Men Are Losing Ground in the Job Market, Wall Street Journal Reports
By Edward W.
According to a Wall Street Journal analysis by Justin Lahart published May 10, nearly all job growth over the past year has come from healthcare and social assistance, a field where women outnumber men three to one.
The WSJ reports that male-dominant sectors, including manufacturing and transportation, have been losing jobs, while the number of jobs held by men has slipped by 1,000 since the end of 2024, compared to a gain of 421,000 for women. Harvard economist Lawrence Katz told the Journal that tariffs are directly hurting men. "Men are clearly being affected by the tariffs and poor performance of manufacturing," Katz said.
One area where young men are finding real opportunity is the construction trades. According to the Associated Builders and Contractors, the industry needs to attract 349,000 net new workers in 2026, rising to 456,000 in 2027.
Electricians are projected to see 9.5% job growth through 2034 and HVAC technicians 8.1%, both well above the national average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Editorial Section
Bet on This: DraftKings Is Buying Ohio Politics
By The Pennant Editorial Staff
Gambling is legal in Ohio. People have the right to spend their money how they choose. We are not here to argue otherwise.
But when a Boston-based sports betting company starts spending millions to handpick Republican candidates in Ohio statehouse races, that is a different conversation. Frankly, it doesn't feel right, no matter the party.
The Money Trail
A DraftKings-linked super PAC called the American Conservative Fund poured more than $170,000 into the Delaware County Senate District 19 Republican primary, backing Ryan Rivers against state Rep. Beth Lear. Rivers' campaign booked more than $104,000 in ads to Lear's $12,000. That feels less like a primary and more like an outright acquisition.
The same super PAC spent $190,000 against state Rep. Gary Click, one of the loudest voices in the Statehouse pushing to restrict sports betting. The money leads directly back to DK Crown Holdings, DraftKings’ parent company, which put more than $1 million in Ohio legislative races alone.
The Back Page
Previous Poll Results
Are you happy with your school district?
- Yes - 30%
- No - 50%
- Unsure - 20%
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]