Report. Reflect. Respond.
Wednesday, June 10th, 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 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron, Ohio, by Bill Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith.
Meta has announced a new tuition-free program it is launching in Ohio. Read about the details in the Top of the Fold and our Business Section.
The Small Business Administration has suspended $1.1 billion in suspected fraudulent pandemic loans. Find out why in our Editorial section.
Top of The Fold
Columbus Among Sites for Meta's Free Trades Academy
MENLO PARK, Calif. - Meta on Monday announced America's Workforce Academy, a tuition-free program backed by a $115 million first-year investment that trains workers for skilled trades and guarantees every graduate a job.
The pilot launches this year in Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, and Texas.
Read more about America's Workforce Academy and see our story below.
Ohio Bill Would Permanently End Data Center Tax Breaks
COLUMBUS - A new bill from state Rep. Tristan Rader, D-Lakewood, would permanently repeal Ohio's data center sales tax exemption effective Oct. 1.
Toledo Police Still Hunting Suspects in Festival Mass Shooting
TOLEDO - Toledo police are still searching for suspects in Saturday's mass shooting at the Old West End Festival that wounded 12 people, all expected to survive, as Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel visited the city and called the violence disconcerting.
Page One
National
NEW YORK — Severe storms threatening the Midwest and northern Plains could bring flooding to more than 88 million people this week, with about two dozen flash floods already reported across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. See which states are under flood watches.
TAMPA, Fla. — Two U.S. Army AH-64 Apache pilots were rescued by a maritime drone near the Strait of Hormuz after their helicopter went down off the coast of Oman on Monday evening, U.S. Central Command confirmed Tuesday. Read how the Navy's drone task force carried out the rescue.
NEW YORK — New research from a Federal Reserve Bank of New York economist found that while remote work often boosts productivity, it also leaves employees more isolated and worsens their mental health. See what the study found about working alone.
Statewide
YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown drone startup Agilis Air earned dual selection in both mission categories of the Department of War's $1 billion Drone Dominance Program. Here is how the Remora drone was built for mass production.
COLUMBUS — Ohio ranked 27th among states for overall child well-being in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2026 Kids Count Data Book, one of 15 states to improve since 2019. See how Ohio scored.
COLUMBUS — Ohio State University's board of trustees approved the creation of the Institute on Aging, dedicated to research and care for aging adults. Read how Ohio State plans to build out its new Institute on Aging.
MONTVILLE — The Medina County Health Department recently investigated the former Montville Landfill to determine whether it contributed to higher cancer rates in the surrounding area. See the Medina County Health Department’s review.
CLEVELAND — Gov. Mike DeWine, Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Charles A. Jones and Ohio Traffic Safety Office Director Emily Davidson warned drivers that the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day marks the "100 Deadliest Days of Summer." See the crash data behind Ohio's "100 Deadliest Days" warning.
Business
Columbus Picked as Ohio Site for Meta Skilled-Trades Academy
By The Pennant Staff
COLUMBUS — Meta has named Columbus one of four pilot cities for a new tuition-free training program that prepares workers for jobs building the company's artificial intelligence data centers.
The program, called America's Workforce Academy, was announced Monday and backed by an initial $115 million investment. It trains workers in skilled trades like welding, electrical work, and fiber installation, plus data center construction. Participants do not need a college degree or prior experience.
Meta said it will cover tuition, airfare, lodging, and a daily stipend during the four-to-five-week program. Every graduate receives a guaranteed job offer from one of the company's contractor partners and is assigned to a metadata center construction site. Graduates also earn a credential from the National Center for Construction Education and Research, which carries across employers.
The academy is run through Meta's partners, including the Associated Builders and Contractors, the National Urban League, and CBRE. In Ohio, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce is a community partner. Meta expects to train thousands of workers in the first year.
The other pilot cities are Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Indianapolis, and Houston. Each location is near a region where Meta is investing more than $30 billion into data center construction, a buildout the company says has created demand for hundreds of thousands of skilled workers.
Applications are available at America’s Workforce Academy.
Editorial
A Billion Dollars of Our Money – Poof!
By The Pennant Editorial Staff
On Monday, the Small Business Administration suspended 27,486 Ohio borrowers tied to about $1.1 billion in suspected fraudulent pandemic loans.
Read that again. $1.1 billion.
Not (just) the $42 million in Medicaid charges that made headlines last week. More than a billion dollars, in one state, flagged in a single announcement.
This is not the government's money. It is our money!
Every dollar of it came from taxpayers who got up, went to work, and forwarded part of their paychecks to Washington on the promise that it would be spent with some measure of care. The Paycheck Protection Program was supposed to keep struggling small businesses alive during the worst of COVID. In many cases, it worked — it saved jobs.
However, we now find out that a staggering share of it appears to have been treated as free cash by people who knew the doors were wide open and the guards had gone home for the day.
The Back Page
Previous Poll Results
Do you feel safer, less safe, or about the same as you did five years ago?
- Safer - 5%
- Less safe - 35%
- About the same - 60%
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