Tuesday, August 25th, 2026

Welcome to Tuesday’s edition of The Pennant. To listen to this newsletter, click the “Listen Online” link in the top right corner of this email.

On August 25, 1975, Bruce Springsteen released Born to Run, his breakthrough third album

A bill would make Ohio State's Chase Center the state's sole civics course provider, while Amazon offers two townships $5 million each to clear the way for a massive data center. Those stories are Top of the Fold. 

And a U.S.-Canada trade war threatens Toledo factory jobs and rising prices, while Ohio marks National Banana Split Day by celebrating Wilmington's claim to inventing the treat in 1907.

COLUMBUS – House Bill 461 would elevate Ohio State's Chase Center and four other state civics centers into colleges, making them the exclusive providers of the American civic literacy course now required for all incoming freshmen to graduate. 

Backers say the centers fight "decades-long indoctrination" on campus; faculty argue they're unnecessary and push a political agenda. 

The bill would shift full control to the state by 2027-28.

TRENTON – Amazon has offered $5 million each to Madison and St. Clair townships if they drop objections to Trenton's 600-acre annexation for a massive data center. 

Trustees have until Wednesday to decide; if they refuse, county commissioners must hold a hearing. 

The deal also includes years of property tax sharing, but both townships say no agreement has been signed yet.

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Power Siting Board approved its first grid-tied natural gas power plant permit since 2019, a notable break from the state's recent wave of gas plants built specifically to power data centers. 

The 1,300-megawatt Carroll County plant will feed directly into the regional grid rather than serve a single tech customer. 

Regulators also approved a 280-megawatt solar farm atop the former Sands Hill Coal Mine in Vinton County. 

Together, the projects could power hundreds of thousands of homes and are expected to create hundreds of construction jobs.

Toledo did not start a fight with Canada. But the city is caught in the middle of one anyway. Trade talks between the U.S. and Canada broke down over the weekend, and both countries began adding new taxes, called tariffs, on goods crossing the border. 

The U.S. added a 50% tax on about $20 billion worth of Canadian products. Canada's leader, Mark Carney, said his country would strike back with equal tariffs starting September 8.

This matters a lot for Ohio. According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Canada is Ohio's biggest trading partner. Every year, about $34 billion in goods moves between Ohio and Canada. 

Almost a third of everything Ohio sells to other countries goes to Canada.

Toledo is right in the middle of this. Car and parts plants in the area — including Stellantis' Toledo Assembly Complex, which builds the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator, General Motors' Toledo Transmission plant, and parts maker Dana Incorporated — all need steel and aluminum that often comes from Canada. 

These materials can cross the border multiple times before a vehicle is finished.

Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, who represents Toledo, says the area depends on Canadian parts and materials. If the trade war keeps growing, prices could go up, and factory jobs in Toledo could feel the impact.

Today is National Banana Split Day, and Ohio has a good reason to celebrate. Wilmington says the treat got its start right here.

Back in 1907, a man named Ernest "Doc" Hazard owned a restaurant in town. Business was slow that winter, so he had a contest. He wanted his workers to come up with a new dessert. It had to be good enough to bring students in from nearby Wilmington College.

Hazard ended up winning his own contest. He cut a banana lengthwise and put three scoops of vanilla ice cream in between. Then he added chocolate, strawberry, and pineapple sauce on top. His cousin Clifton came up with the name.

However, the good people of Latrobe, Pennsylvania (the hometown of golf great Arnold Palmer) also say it invented the treat first, back in 1904. Either way, Wilmington still celebrates every June with its Banana Split Festival, full of music, crafts, and lots of ice cream.

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]