Monday, September 28th, 2026

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On this day in 2018, Columbus rock band Starset released Vessels, whose single "Monster" hit No. 2 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.

Top of the fold today: Honda weighs a $2.5 billion third Ohio plant while lawmakers return Wednesday to vote on suspending the state's gas tax.

And colleges across the nation and in Ohio are trying to adjust tuition to stay affordable, while one gubernatorial candidate won't defend her gas tax plan on stage.

OHIO — Honda is in final negotiations to build an eighth North American assembly plant in Ohio, its third in the state, at a cost of up to $2.5 billion, Automotive News reports. 

The hybrid-focused plant could open by 2030 and may produce the proposed three-row "Acura XL" and "Honda Pilot XXL." 

The move follows a rough year for Honda, which canceled three planned U.S. EVs amid tariff and market pressures.

COLUMBUS — Ohio legislators return from summer break Wednesday to vote on suspending the state's 38.5-cent gas tax and 47-cent diesel tax for 90 days, a plan pushed by GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. 

The measure needs 66 House votes to take effect immediately, requiring Democratic support.

Estimated cost: $640-700 million, covered by ODOT reserves, general funds, and potentially the rainy-day fund. Gov. DeWine has previously opposed suspending the tax.

COLUMBUS — Ohio's U.S. Senate race has drawn more advertising money than any other Senate contest this cycle, according to a report by Reuters. 

The race between Republican Sen. Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown has attracted $298 million in ad spending so far, according to tracking firm AdImpact. 

Republican-aligned super PACs spent $14 million in a single week to bolster Husted, who trails in recent polls. 

Brown has outraised Husted $38.6 million to $14.3 million, according to FEC records.

According to The Wall Street Journal, private colleges nationwide are ditching the old high-sticker, high-discount pricing model for something closer to an honest number.

Carroll College in Montana cut tuition 40%, to $26,800 a year starting fall 2027, calling the new price "closer to reality." Coe College in Iowa cut nearly 45%, to $31,850, after years in which no student actually paid full price. Concordia University in Minnesota and the University of Tulsa made similar moves.

For decades, a high price read as prestige, and colleges leaned into it with big scholarships rather than a lower sticker number. Some administrators now bet the opposite works better: tell families the real cost upfront.

Not every school is cutting price outright. Marist University will cap costs at $32,000 a year for in-state students earning under $200,000. Carleton College is dropping loans from aid packages entirely, joining every Ivy League school.

Ohio's public universities are chasing the same goal, differently. Ohio University now covers full tuition for Pell-eligible students from Athens County and its bordering counties starting this fall, and Ohio State has fully covered tuition and fees for Pell-eligible in-state students since 2018.

Whether any of it moves the needle long-term is unclear. S&P Global Ratings found tuition changes can sway individual students but don't reliably lift overall enrollment, and deep cuts tend to draw a needier student body; one study found a 6.5% jump in Pell Grant recipients at schools that cut sticker prices sharply.

After a weekend with both candidates' material, it's clear Ohio voters are getting the short end of the stick. Leaders face their audiences and their opponents. Only one candidate in this race will do both, and plenty of what he says is political rubbish.

For one week in September, Acton and Ramaswamy agreed on something. Gas is averaging about $4.51 a gallon statewide, and diesel is near a record $6.76. Both candidates want to suspend the state gas tax.

They didn't say it the same way.

Acton went first, on Sept. 21, calling for "an emergency gas tax holiday" for Ohioans she said are skipping work or doctor visits to afford gas. She gave no timeline, no replacement funding, and no actual constituent. It reads like a focus-group line.

Ramaswamy answered within hours, flanked by House Speaker Matt Huffman and Senate President Rob McColley, his running mate. They previewed a 90-day suspension: 38.5 cents a gallon on gas and 47 on diesel. Acton offered a well-written press release, while they came up with a funding plan and a requirement that stations pass the savings on. A vote is expected around Sept. 30 under an emergency clause needing 66 House votes.

Acton won't debate Ramaswamy at all, and that should bother every voter, regardless of party. Her campaign called it "platforming a scam artist." That may fairly describe his ad spending. It's still a cop-out. Politics can be mean; deal with it. Should someone be governor after a campaign with no follow-up questions, no unscripted rooms, and surrogates doing the explaining? Ohio saw how that strategy ended in 2024.

Ramaswamy has accepted debate invitations from WLWT and CNN. Whether he says anything trustworthy there is a fair question. So is whether a supermajority legislature has every incentive to make this vote fast and flattering.

The gas tax will likely be suspended either way. Ramaswamy said yes to debating. Acton made an excuse and said no. We should all remember that in November, because sometimes governors have to deal with people they don't like.

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