Thursday, September 3rd, 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 1995, eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar, launching what would become one of the world's largest online marketplaces.

Top of the fold: 11 charged, including two adults, after Glenville football players allegedly stole $4,500 from a Grove City Dick's, plus a new Cleveland Clinic survey on social media's grip on men's health decisions.

And Ohio lawmakers pass a bipartisan trade commission bill 92-3, while The Pennant praises Heath's calm, data-driven approach to a Microsoft data center — a lesson for Grove City and beyond.

GROVE CITY  — Two adults and nine juveniles connected to Cleveland's Glenville High School football team face theft charges after allegedly stealing more than $4,500 in merchandise from a Grove City Dick's Sporting Goods on Aug. 27. 

Police say the team was in town for a game against Olentangy Liberty. Coaches Ted Ginn Sr. and Paul Lewis helped identify players from surveillance video after some merchandise was returned. 

One of the adults charged, Eason Hankins, had committed to play football at Kent State.

CLEVELAND — A new Cleveland Clinic survey finds most men distrust health influencers, yet 39% have tried a wellness trend seen online. 

Two in five attempt self-diagnosis, and nearly a third use social-media-promoted supplements.

 Doctors say online research is fine but urge men to bring those conversations to real healthcare providers rather than stopping there.

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Trenton residents can bring their data center ban initiative to voters, but only at a special election, not November's ballot, after finding the city miscalculated required signatures. 

Separately, two Wilmington residents sued the Clinton County Board of Elections after it refused to certify a similar zoning initiative, arguing the board overstepped its authority. 

Both cases follow a related ruling in Ashville, where justices found the city lacked grounds to declare a data center resolution exempt from referendum.

COLUMBUS — The Ohio House passed a bill on June 9 to create the Ohio International Trade Commission on a 92-3 vote. The bill was introduced by Reps. Ty Mathews and Nick Santucci. 

The commission would expand Ohio's trade relations around the world to promote trade, investment, research, and academic exchanges. The bill originally named Japan, Israel, and Ireland as the first regions Ohio would partner with, but an amendment removed those names. Now, the commission's nonvoting members can propose which regions to designate instead.

Supporters say the commission would give Ohio businesses a clearer structure for competing internationally, and groups from manufacturing and higher education have argued Ohio needs a stronger platform for trade and foreign investment. Some opponents, however, said earlier versions of the bill tied the state too closely to specific foreign governments. 

The bill also allows Ohio's treasurer to use commission funds to buy bonds from the designated regions. It has now moved to the Ohio Senate, where lawmakers are still considering it.

HEATH — Sometimes a small city does the unglamorous work of governing well, and nobody notices. That shouldn't be the case with Heath.

City leaders didn't treat the Microsoft data center project as a political crisis or a fundraising opportunity to pad the palms of those who live on handouts to support causes. They took a look at the whole picture.

Believe it or not, they examined the resources the project would consume, the jobs and revenue it would bring back to the community, and whether the tradeoff made sense for the people who actually live there. They made a rational decision and stood behind it publicly as people on the other side threw a collective public tantrum — much like 3-year-olds do in supermarkets when their moms tell them they can't have a bag of Skittles.

This story would probably have gotten little attention if it wasn't for Ella Kitchens. Ella writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University's journalism program. Her on-the-ground coverage of Licking County's data center boom brought a level of maturity almost always missed by local outlets that love the preprinted signs accompanied by the City Council chants, which are perfect for the 6 and 11 rage-block news directors and algorithms can’t resist. 

Her reporting was different because she didn't chase the rage. She explained tradeoffs, talked to residents, and let readers draw their own conclusions.

In other words, Ella did journalism. Imagine that.

Grove City, Pataskala, and Sunbury, and plenty of other Ohio communities still fighting over data centers through charter amendments and ballot warfare, could learn something here. Good government isn't flashy. It's a city council that does its homework, tells the public the truth, and makes the call that serves the community — not the loudest special interest in the room.

Oh, and good reporting helps both sides find truth. Thanks, Ella.

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