Report. Reflect. Respond.
Monday, May 18th, 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 date in 2012, Facebook raised $16 billion in its initial public offering, valuing a company built in a college dorm room at $104 billion.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced $61 million in brownfield remediation grants on Thursday. Find out the areas affected in the Top of the Fold.
Also, in honor of America’s 250th anniversary, we’ve constructed a summer reading list of the best American history books for all age groups. Find it in our Summer Reading section below.
Top of The Fold
Ohio Awards $61 Million to Clean Up Contaminated Sites
Gov. Mike DeWine announced $61 million in brownfield remediation grants Thursday, covering 160 projects in 75 Ohio counties, turning long-abandoned industrial sites into shovel-ready properties for new development.
Ohio's Workforce Training Gap: Schools Are Producing the Wrong Skills
The Ohio Department of Education reports that 54% of Ohio jobs require skills training beyond a high school diploma, yet a persistent mismatch between what training programs produce and what employers need continues to limit job growth.
The Ohio Attainment Coalition, drawing on input from more than 40 business and education stakeholders, calls deeper employer engagement with schools the critical missing link.
Find the Report here.
Ohio Property Tax Repeal Campaign Running Out of Time
The campaign to abolish Ohio property taxes has 305,000 signatures but needs 620,000 by July 1, and is not on track to get there.
Leaders say they will decide in mid-June whether to submit what they have or push the effort to the 2027 ballot.
Page One
National
DC - The Supreme Court ruled that mifepristone can continue to be prescribed via telehealth and delivered by mail while Louisiana's lawsuit against the FDA works through the lower courts. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented, with Alito calling the majority's decision "remarkable" and accusing the court of undermining its own Dobbs ruling that returned abortion policy to the states. (Ruling)
Also DC - Thousands gathered in Washington Sunday for a White House-backed prayer event marking America's upcoming 250th birthday, with President Trump joining top officials and faith leaders to rededicate the country as one nation under God. (America 250)
Nashville - Starbucks announced Friday it is cutting 300 U.S. corporate jobs and closing some regional support offices. The cuts come as the company shifts its footprint to Nashville, where it is investing $100 million to open a second headquarters expected to employ 2,000 people within five years. (More)
Statewide
Statewide - An ongoing investigation into Ohio Medicaid has revealed the program owes as much as $1 billion to the state's nursing homes. (More)
Cleveland - The city of Cleveland rejected a proposal for a $1.6 billion data center on 35 acres of a dormant truck yard in Slavic Village. (Data center)
Strongsville - Netflix released a documentary on Friday titled "The Crash," covering the 2022 car crash in which then-17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla drove into a brick building at 100 mph, killing her boyfriend and his friend. (Documentary)
Akron - A small plane crashed into a family home in Akron on Thursday afternoon, killing two people. (More)
Conotton Valley - The Conotton Valley Board of Education appointed Nathan Pounds to fill the seat after the board rescinded Joshua Garbrandt's appointment. (More)
Columbus - Two Ohio state representatives introduced a bill Tuesday that would designate April 18 as Devo Day, honoring the Akron-native band behind the 1980 hit "Whip It!" (Devo)
Education
Ohio Libraries Are Open, Stocked, and Ready for Summer
By The Pennant Education Team
If the reading list sparked some interest, the next step is easy — your local library is already ahead of you.
The State Library of Ohio awarded 48 libraries across the state federally funded Summer Library Program grants this year to support summer reading for children, teens, and adults. The 2026 national theme is "Unearth a Story," built around dinosaurs, paleontology, and archaeology — chosen because it gets kids curious about the world around them.
Here is where to start in Ohio:
Dayton Metro Library runs its Summer Reading Challenge June 1 through July 31, with free prizes and one lucky reader ages birth to 18 winning a $2,529 College Advantage college savings award.
Columbus Metropolitan Library kicks off on May 31, open to all ages, with 15 minutes of daily reading counting toward prizes.
The Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library is running its annual summer reading challenge with goals and prizes for kids and teens.
Most Ohio libraries use the Beanstack app to track reading and earn prizes digitally — yes, a little screen time in service of getting kids off screens. We will allow it.
Not sure what your local library is offering? Search your library's name and "summer reading 2026," and you will find it in about 30 seconds.
The Pennant welcomes letters to the editor and reader responses. Send correspondence to [email protected].
Summer Reading
The Pennant's America 250 Summer Reading List
By Morgan B
The Pennant Education Editor
America turns 250 this July, and we think there is no better way to celebrate than by reading about the country we live in.
We know that it is a harder sell than it used to be. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only 31% of fourth graders and 30% of eighth graders read at or above proficiency level in 2024 — numbers that have been sliding since 2019. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that children ages 8 to 12 now average four to six hours of screen time per day.
Research published in JAMA Pediatrics found associations between higher screen time and lower scores on developmental and language assessments. A 2024 meta-analysis of 49 studies found students who read on paper consistently scored higher on comprehension tests than those reading on screens — a pattern researchers call the "screen inferiority effect." The pattern is consistent enough to take seriously.
Children who read for pleasure for just 20 minutes a day are exposed to approximately 1.8 million words per year.
So, this summer, we are making it easy.
Over the next four weeks, the Pennant education team will release our America 250 Summer Reading List in four installments. This week, we start with children's picture books for the youngest readers. Next week, we move to juvenile chapter books for readers ages 8 to 12. The third week brings young adult titles for teenagers. We close the series with adult books — the kind you read by the pool, on the patio, or on the porch with something cold in your hand.
Every book on this list connects to America — its history, its people, its stories, and its character. Read one yourself. Hand one to a kid. Happy birthday, America.
The Back Page
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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]