Monday, June 29th, 2026

Welcome to Monday’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, June 29, 2007, Apple sold its first iPhone, drawing buyers who lined up for blocks to get a device that would go on to change how the world communicates, shops, and scrolls.

A new study suggests that residents living near the East Palestine train derailment site show signs of health damage. Read how in the Top of The Fold.

Also, Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a voter ID bill last week. See his reasoning and what the response has been in our Government section.

A new study suggests residents living near the East Palestine train derailment site showed signs of health damage in their blood six months after the crash.

The study, published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, analyzed blood and plasma samples from 19 individuals living within a mile of the derailment site.

Researchers found signs of chronic inflammation, altered cell counts, and other immune responses suggesting the individuals' bodies were still reacting to an environmental attack.

Read more about the study's findings here.

A new bill sponsored by state Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, would allow new drivers to get their permits at age 15, instead of the 15 and a half required by current law.

Gavarone's reasoning for the change is that allowing teens a full year to complete coursework and practice driving — as opposed to only half a year before their 16th birthday — gives new drivers a chance to experience all of Ohio's weather and traffic patterns throughout the four seasons.

The bill passed unanimously in the Senate. See what its next steps are here.

Tycen Proper, 19, the Ohio man accused of plotting an attack during last month's UFC White House event, spent $3,000 on a shotgun, ammunition, armor, vests, and more, according to newly revealed reports.

Proper allegedly purchased a 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun with a red dot optic and an AR-15 rifle with a red dot sight and magnifier.

See what else investigators have found here.

COLUMBUS — Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed House Bill 472 on Wednesday night. The bill would have made most mail-in voters upload a photo ID and an electronic signature to a state website. That website does not exist yet.

DeWine said the bill was "all burden for so little benefit." He said a photo ID works when you vote in person, because a poll worker can match your face to the picture. With a mail-in ballot, no one is there to do that. He also said the state would have to build the website, and counties would have to pay new costs with no money to cover them. And he said there is no proof of widespread voter fraud in Ohio. 

Other Republicans had doubts, too. Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, said the bill moved too fast and did not include funding. 

Still, the veto made many in his party angry. Some have said for years that DeWine is drifting to the left. They point to his COVID-19 health orders and a past veto of a ban on gender care for kids. But his record is mostly conservative. He has signed many GOP election bills, abortion limits, and tax cuts. He said he vetoed this bill because the state should not keep changing election rules without "a very compelling case." 

Republicans hold large majorities in both chambers. They could override the veto with a three-fifths vote. But Senate Finance Chair Jerry Cirino said he is not sure if lawmakers will come back from summer break to try.

The Pennant has written before about Ohio's levy fatigue, and how falling pass rates left school leaders with an explanation problem more than a revenue one. For years, school spending got a pass from voters worn down by the ask. Not anymore — with property tax bills climbing across Ohio, more people are asking where the money actually goes. 

Now those leaders are trying something new. Maumee, Springfield, and a growing number of districts are reaching for earned income tax levies instead of property taxes, hoping a different kind of ask earns a different answer.

The levy may look different, but the cost structure behind it hasn't changed. Most of what a district spends has little to do with buildings or buses. Roughly 83% of Ohio's K-12 funding goes to payroll, driven by salaries set under union pay schedules, employee health insurance, and the mandatory 14% employer contribution to the state teacher pension system.

Continue reading the editorial here.

Do you agree with DeWine's decision to veto the Mail-In Voter ID Bill?
- Yes - 30%
- No - 70%

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