Report. Reflect. Respond.
Friday, June 3rd, 2026
Welcome to Friday’s edition of The Pennant. To listen to this newsletter, click the “Listen Online” link in the top right corner of this email.
This Day in History: On this day in 1775, George Washington took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts, the force that would go on to win American independence.
Note to readers: This November, Grove City voters will decide on a ballot measure they've been told is about data centers. It isn't. Our editorial "Grove City, You Have a Problem" explains what's really at stake. Full piece drops Sunday on our website and Facebook and will be featured in Monday’s Pennant.
Top of The Fold
National
WASHINGTON — More than half of the U.S. is trapped under a heat dome that could make this the hottest Fourth of July on record for millions, with over 300 record temperatures forecast through Saturday.
NEW YORK — A Russian couple known for daredevil skyscraper climbs, Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov, appeared in court Thursday after scaling the Empire State Building's spire, where he appeared to propose before both were arrested.
NEW YORK — Taylor Swift and Ohio native Travis Kelce will marry Friday in a 10-hour, 1,000-guest celebration at Madison Square Garden, with doors opening at 3:30 p.m. and the reception running until 2 a.m., Page Six reported.
Statewide
CLEVELAND — Vishwatej Nath, 45, the executive chef at Progressive Field, faces multiple felony charges after police say he arranged online to pay for sex with an undercover officer posing as a minor and then tried to flee arrest in Kirtland.
TOLEDO — The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department has confirmed 65 cases of cyclosporiasis, a rare parasitic illness usually spread through contaminated produce, since June 1.
SEAMAN — A former North Adams Athletic Boosters president, Amie Gardner, faces a felony aggravated theft charge after investigators say she stole more than $150,000 meant for school athletics.
MIAMI COUNTY — Deputies seized nearly a pound of suspected cocaine and about $5,000 in cash during a search warrant at a Troy home tied to a drug-trafficking investigation.
COLUMBUS — Columbus police have released road-closure and safety plans for Red, White & BOOM! on July 3, when about 400,000 people are expected downtown, with details on the festival's website.
COLUMBUS — Looking ahead, Ohio's back-to-school sales tax holiday runs Aug. 7-9 this year, waiving tax on clothing $75 or less and school supplies $20 or less.
U.S. Men Turn To Belgium With A Balogun-Sized Hole To Fill
By The Pennant Sports Staff
SEATTLE — The U.S. men's national team has a couple of days to solve a problem before Monday's round-of-16 match against Belgium: how to replace its top scorer.
Folarin Balogun, who leads the team with three goals, is suspended after picking up a red card in Tuesday's 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. That leaves coach Mauricio Pochettino to reshuffle a front line that had been clicking.
The game plan is starting to take shape. The Americans have scored early in each of their matches so far, and they'll want to set a fast pace against a Belgium side that can look flat-footed when a game turns end-to-end. Belgium likes to control the ball, but it has struggled to move it through the middle of the field.
The thing to watch is set pieces. No team in the tournament has taken more shots off free kicks and corners than Belgium, so the U.S. can't afford to fall asleep on dead balls if the game stays close.
Kickoff is set for Monday in Seattle.
Fire It Up: July Is National Grilling Month, And The Fourth Is A Great Way To Start
By The Pennant Staff
Grab your tongs. July is National Grilling Month, and there's no better time to start than Saturday's Fourth of July cookout. It's the biggest grilling day of the whole year.
Your backyard will probably look like most others in America. People grill more burgers than anything else on the Fourth. Hot dogs come next, then chicken. The top sides are potato salad, chips, and baked beans.
Hot dogs are a big deal on this day. Americans eat about 150 million of them on July 4. That's more than any other day of the year.
So, fire up the grill this weekend. It's a fun, tasty way to start the month and celebrate our country's 250th birthday.
The Bill of Rights: The Promises the Government Makes to You
America 250 · A Pennant History Lesson · Part 3 of 3
By The Pennant Staff
In the first two parts of this series, we looked at the Constitution and the Federalist Papers written to sell it. The story finishes with the document that finally won over the holdouts: the Bill of Rights, the list of promises the government makes to you.
When the Constitution was finished in 1787, many Americans were nervous. They had just fought a long war to escape a government that pushed people around, and the new Constitution said almost nothing about protecting ordinary people. So several states made a deal. At their state conventions, where delegates voted on whether to accept the Constitution, places like Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York approved it but attached lists of rights they wanted added. They sent those lists to the new Congress, and New York even mailed a letter to the other states asking for the changes. North Carolina refused to fully join until a bill of rights was promised.
So Congress delivered. A Virginia congressman named James Madison wrote the protections. Madison is often called the "Father of the Constitution" because his ideas shaped it so deeply, and he later authored these amendments, too. (James Madison University in Virginia is named in his honor.) Congress proposed them in 1789, the states approved them, and on Dec. 15, 1791, the first 10 amendments became official. Together, they're the Bill of Rights.
What do they mean?
The Back Page
Will you watch the US Men's National Team play against Belgium on Monday?
Previous Poll Results
Do you agree with the Supreme Court’s ruling that states may count mail-in ballots received after polls close on Election Day?
- Yes - 37%
- No - 63%
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]