Report. Reflect. Respond.
Friday, May 15th, 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.
On May 15, 1955, 71 years ago today, Ray Kroc opened the first franchised McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois.
The Ohio Legislature has formed a joint bipartisan committee to study data centers. Read what this means in the Top of the Fold.
Also, in honor of the anniversary of the first McDonald’s, we have meticulously researched which burger is the best burger. Find that in our Peach Section.
Top of The Fold
Ohio Legislature Forms Joint Committee to Study Data Centers
Ohio Senate Energy Committee Chair Brian Chavez and House Energy Committee Chair Adam Holmes announced they will co-chair a new bipartisan Joint Data Center Committee that will hold weekly hearings at the Statehouse beginning May 27.
The committee will examine data centers' economic, environmental, and energy impacts on Ohio communities, with Senate President Rob McColley saying the work could lead to future legislation.
More on the Hearings here.
ICE Deportation Flights Diverted from Youngstown to Akron-Canton
Runway construction at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport has forced ICE deportation flights to divert to Akron-Canton Airport through the summer, according to a WKYC-TV Cleveland investigation that previously verified more than 1,000 ICE flights through Youngstown between April 2025 and early 2026.
Find more on the deportations here.
DeWine Freezes New Home Health Enrollments Amid Fraud Allegations
Ohio will impose a six-month moratorium on new home health care and hospice business enrollments while the state assesses existing providers for fraud risk.
Page One
National
China - Chinese President Xi Jinping called Taiwan "the most important issue" between the two countries as he and President Trump held a high-stakes summit in Beijing, visiting the Temple of Heaven and attending a state banquet Thursday, where both leaders praised the visit as "historic." (Taiwan)
DC - The Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve on Thursday, filling one of the most influential economic posts in the country as the nation continues to navigate elevated inflation and uncertain interest rates. (Fed)
Statewide
Statewide - The Ohio State Highway Patrol is conducting statewide OVI checkpoints through Saturday, May 16. (Checkpoints)
Also Statewide - Bipartisan lawmakers introduced a bill that would place repeat domestic violence offenders on a registry. (More)
Cleveland - A Lorain woman who stopped for gas to help neighbors clean up storm debris on a whim bought a scratch-off ticket and won a $1 million jackpot on an Ohio Lottery Holiday Wish ticket. (Ticket)
Toledo - Toledo police arrested Jordan Thomas, 35, of Michigan, for allegedly whipping a 13-year-old girl with a phone charger, strangling her, biting her, and stabbing her three times with a screwdriver. (More)
Akron – Akron Public Schools approved $11 million in budget cuts -- including eliminating six administrator positions as declining enrollment and state funding shortfalls push the district toward multi-million-dollar deficits. (Budget cuts)
Cincinnati - Several Cincinnati-area UDF gas stations ran out of fuel in recent weeks after the chain's primary supplier experienced product quality issues that limited supply, though UDF says all locations have since been restocked. (Gas)
Outdoor
So, You Want to Buy a Grill
By Edward W.
Buying a grill should be simple. It is not.
Walk into any Home Depot or Lowe's between now and Labor Day, and you will face a wall of options ranging from a $29 charcoal kettle to a $4,000 pellet smoker with Wi-Fi connectivity. Here is how to cut through it.
Charcoal delivers the best flavor at the lowest price. A Weber Original Kettle — the best-selling charcoal grill in America — runs about $139 and will outlast most marriages. The tradeoff is time. Charcoal takes 20-30 minutes to reach cooking temperature.
Gas is convenient. A Weber Spirit E-310, the top-selling gas grill nationally at around $499, fires up in five minutes and feeds a family of four without drama. It is the workhorse of the American backyard.
Pellet grills — Traeger and Pit Boss lead the category at $500 to $1,200 — give you wood-fired flavor without babysitting a fire all afternoon. They smoke better than they sear, and that is perfectly fine.
Flat-top griddles — the Blackstone 36-inch, starting around $350 — are the fastest-growing grill category in the country. Everything cooks better on a flat top.
The honest answer: buy the grill that fits your Saturday. Cooking for two? A Weber Kettle and a bag of Kingsford get you there. Cooking for ten with serious intentions? A pellet grill and a Blackstone flat top are the combination that makes your neighbors start asking questions.
Be sure to catch our Peach Section feature on the Great Burger Debate — smash burger versus pub burger. One of them requires two grills. We are not sorry.
Have a question or a recipe? Send it to [email protected].
A Great Burger Debate: Smash vs. Pub
By The Pennant Peach Section
Summer is here, and that means one thing: it is time to stand over something hot and make questionable decisions about 80/20 ground chuck.
Today, we settle a backyard burger debate that has been looming since Ohio-born Guy Fieri started visiting Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The smash burger versus the pub burger — two philosophies, two very different outcomes, and honestly, the winner depends on the amount of meat you are comfortable consuming.
The Smash Burger: Speed, Science and Crust
The smash burger is pure physics. Take a loose 2-3 ounce ball of 80/20 ground beef, drop it on a screaming hot Blackstone griddle or flat top accessory, and smash it flat within the first 30 seconds. That is the Maillard reaction — the chemical process that creates the brown, crispy crust on meat when it hits high heat. One smash, one crust, done in three minutes.
Toppings: Kraft Deli Deluxe American cheese, Vlasic dill pickle chips, diced white onion cooked into the patty, and a soft potato roll toasted in butter. Sauce is Duke's mayo, yellow mustard, Hunt's ketchup — thicker than Heinz, and yes, it matters — and a splash of pickle juice.
Before we go any further, a word on Velveeta: the FDA classifies it as a "pasteurized prepared cheese product" — the food labeling equivalent of calling a hot dog a "tube-shaped meat experience." It is not cheese. It is what cheese becomes when it makes bad decisions. Use the Kraft Deli Deluxe. You deserve real cheese.
The Pub Burger: Patience, Smoke, and Payoff
The pub burger goes back centuries.
Middletown Man Catches His Way into the Record Books
Jesse Miller of Middletown was fishing near the Middletown Dam on the Great Miami River on April 1 with a spinning rod, six-pound test line, and a minnow under a bobber when he pulled up a 4.27-pound hybrid crappie — and accidentally broke Ohio's state record in a category that did not even exist before he caught it. (Fish)
The Back Page
Do you like smash burgers or pub burgers more?
Previous Poll Results
Do you think Van Wert made the right decision to allow the construction of the data center?
- Yes - 40%
- No - 20%
- Unsure - 40%
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]