Report. Reflect. Respond.
Tuesday, April 28th, 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 April 28th, 1919, parachute developer and American stuntman Leslie Irvin made the first ever premeditated parachute jump from a plane near Dayton, Ohio. He was only 23 years old at the time.
Ohio leaders have responded to Saturday's shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C.
Also, investigators have linked another death to the growing list of scientists who have died under suspicious circumstances.
Top of The Fold
Ohio Leaders React After Third Assassination Attempt Against Trump at Correspondents' Dinner
Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, who was in the room when shots were fired Saturday night, confirmed attendees were safe as the White House declared the incident was a third assassination attempt against President Trump.
Gov. DeWine, Sen. Husted, and Rep. Landsman all condemned the violence and praised law enforcement after suspect Cole Tomas Allen was taken into custody.
Ohio Senate Race Tightens as Brown Outraises Husted, Poll Shows Husted Ahead
Democrat Sherrod Brown raised more than $12.5 million in the first quarter of 2026 compared to Republican Jon Husted's $3.7 million, though Husted's campaign noted it holds its strongest financial position of any challenger to Brown at this stage.
A recent Bowling Green State University poll shows Husted leading Brown 50% to 47% heading into the May 5 primary.
Read more on this here.
Kalshi Faces Uphill Battle in Ohio as Federal Appeals Court
Kalshi, the online prediction market platform, has been fighting Ohio state officials for months.
Ohio Attorney General David Yost and the Ohio Casino Control Commission say Kalshi has been operating illegally in Ohio by ignoring the state's sports gambling laws. Kalshi argues that only the federal government has the authority to regulate its business, but a federal judge disagreed and approved a $5 million fine sought by Yost and the commission.
Kalshi has now asked the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to hear its case and to pause the fine while the appeal moves forward.
Click here to see how the judge ruled.
Page One
National
DC - King Charles III and Queen Camilla are in the U.S. April 27–30 for the first British royal state visit since 2007. The King and Queen’s trip includes a White House state dinner, a meeting with President Trump, and a historic address to Congress. The visit is proceeding as planned despite a major security breach at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. (More)
DC - Cole Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, faces three federal charges — including attempted assassination of the president — after opening fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington on Saturday night. Allen will have a detention hearing on April 30, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 11. (More)
New Jersey - Fifteen large agricultural drones capable of spraying 40 gallons of liquid chemicals were stolen in New Jersey in March by a sophisticated scam involving a fake delivery driver and forged documents. The FBI is investigating, with experts warning the drones could be weaponized as chemical or biological dispersal devices. (More)
Statewide
Toledo - A Toledo grandmother has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after her 9-month-old granddaughter died from a lethal fentanyl dose while in her care, with the baby's mother also facing obstruction charges for allegedly knowing about the drug use. (More)
Upper Arlington - A developer has sued Upper Arlington after the city moved to force site restoration on a stalled $100 million project, with the two sides disagreeing over whether the development was abandoned or simply paused during a post-COVID redesign. (More)
Springfield/Dayton - This week, the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments on whether to end temporary protected status for thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants, including more than 14,000 living in Ohio. (More)
Cincinnati/Dayton - The GE Aerospace Foundation has selected the Cincinnati-Dayton region to receive at least $500,000 from its new "Lifting Futures" initiative, which aims to train 10,000 advanced manufacturing workers nationwide by 2030. (More)
Cleveland - The city has tightened its police pursuit policy, which now requires officers to meet three strict criteria, which include confirmation of a violent felony and reason to believe suspects are armed and dangerous, before initiating a vehicle chase. (More)
Logan County - Beginning Sunday, May 3rd, Logan County will have a series of full or partial road closures, including a temporary closure of U.S. 33, until August. (More)
Dover Township - In 1998, a group of kids found a suitcase of dismembered body parts on the side of the road. An investigation was launched that eventually went cold. However, thanks to recent DNA testing, the case has been solved. (More)
Gone Dark
Air Force Veteran Dies Before UFO Congressional Testimony
Matthew James Sullivan, 39, a decorated Air Force intelligence veteran who had agreed to testify before Congress about alleged secret government UFO programs, died May 12, 2024, of an accidental drug overdose, according to Virginia medical examiners. Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) referred the matter to the FBI, citing concerns about "potential foul play."
The FBI confirmed it is investigating connections among several missing or deceased U.S. scientists. Sullivan reportedly had direct knowledge of a government UFO crash retrieval program. No evidence of foul play has been confirmed. More on this story here.
The Pennant is offering continuing coverage of this story in its ongoing series, Gone Dark.
Editorial
The Business of Rage
By The Pennant Editorial Staff
Rage sells. It always has. But somewhere between the printing press and the smartphone, we industrialized it.
Every retweet, tag, repost, or hysterical comment is a transaction. You are not engaging intellectually — you are emoting on demand, and someone is getting rewarded for it. The algorithm knows this. It has known it longer than most of us have been willing to admit. Your handheld device is not a communication tool anymore. It is a precision instrument designed to find the exact frequency of your anger and play it on a loop until you cannot imagine the world any other way.
This is not an accident. It is a business model.
The Back Page
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]