Wednesday, September 30th, 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 September 1960, "The Flintstones" premiered on ABC as TV's first prime-time animated series, and on this day in 1982, "Cheers" debuted on NBC.

Top of the Fold: Could you save 38 cents a gallon? Lawmakers vote today. Plus, a University Heights prayer fight reaches the Supreme Court.

And what the college sports bill means for Ohio State's nearly 1,000 athletes. Plus, Part 2 of our Grove City editorial series: Who pays?

COLUMBUS — Ohio lawmakers return to the Statehouse today to vote on suspending the state's 38.5-cent gas tax and 47-cent diesel tax for 90 days. 

If it passes, drivers could save up to 38.5 cents a gallon, dropping Ohio's recent $4.48 average to about $4.10. 

It needs two-thirds support in both chambers to take effect right away.

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS — A former resident's fight to hold prayer gatherings at home is before the Supreme Court. 

Daniel Grand, an Orthodox Jew who doesn't drive on the Sabbath, prayed at home with the required quorum of 10 men. 

After a neighbor complained, the city ordered him to stop unless he got a special-use permit. 

The federal government, 14 attorneys general, and dozens of religious groups back him. 

He applied, then withdrew, and the city argues that left no final decision to challenge.

COLUMBUS — This is the first school year that every Ohio public district must have an AI policy, making Ohio one of the first states to require one. 

Districts could adopt the state's model policy or write their own, and approaches vary. 

Hilliard City Schools introduces AI concepts starting in kindergarten and lets teachers set how much AI each assignment allows. 

Ohio Virtual Academy, which serves more than 12,000 students statewide, formed a teacher-led committee to shape how students and staff use AI.

WASHINGTON — The Senate passed the college sports bill. Now what?

The Protect College Sports Act heads to the House, where it faces pushback from both parties. The House won't vote on bills until after the November midterms.

One big hurdle is whether athletes count as employees. Underneath is a question about unions: employees can organize and bargain for pay and rules, as pro players do. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wanted the bill to say athletes are not employees, but Democrats would not accept it.

Supporters say some problems have become unmanageable: rich schools using loopholes to build rosters over the spending cap, a runaway "arms race" in football, and players transferring again and again.

For Ohio State, the stakes are high. The school has nearly 1,000 athletes in 36 sports, athletic director Ross Bjork says. The bill would require schools to keep women's and Olympic sports scholarships at 2024-25 levels.

This is the second of a two-part editorial on Grove City's Issue 28. In Part 1, we looked at what it does and who's over the line. Today: who pays.

Now the math. Income tax covers more than 80 percent of the general fund, and most of that comes from paycheck withholding. The city's finance director told council in April that it takes withholding from 158 jobs to pay for one police officer. Grove City's three largest private employers, a Walmart distribution center, Mount Carmel, and FedEx Ground, employ about 4,700 people. That's roughly 30 officers' worth. And county parcel records put all three over the 50-acre line.

Chase them off and the gap gets filled by cuts or higher taxes. Working families and seniors feel both. Not Jen Belt, the campaign's most visible spokesperson, who one statewide report says lives in Pleasant Township. If that means she's outside the city, she doesn't even get a vote on Issue 28.

It reaches past payrolls. Two South-Western school properties top 50 acres, too, and the amendment has no exemption for schools. The campaign's own plain-language guide compares the daytime noise limit, measured at the nearest home as a peak, not an average, to a normal conversation. If the law director says a school campus counts, cheer quieter, and the marching band might as well be a quartet.

Capital is mobile. If Issue 28 passes, development will leave faster than Ohio Stadium empties after halftime of a non-conference blowout with a 130-degree field temperature. An employer like Walmart or an institution like Mount Carmel must wait for a November election and fund the study and the vote before expanding. Council President Ted Berry didn't say hurt, wound, or setback. His words: "This will kill our city."

In that case, don't expect to see a bunch of votes appear on your November or general election ballots. They won't be there. What will be there is a line of U-Hauls as businesses and residents head for the exits. Don't believe us? See California and New York.

Our prediction, sadly: police, fire, and EMS response times will grow longer. Reality is hard when you're emotionally committed to a movement. Early voting starts Oct. 6.

Good luck, Greyhounds. You have a lot riding on this.

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