Report. Reflect. Respond.
Wednesday, May 6th, 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 May 6th, 2013, Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight were rescued from a house on Seymour Avenue in Cleveland after having been kidnapped and held captive for over a decade.
The Ohio Primary results are in. Find them in the Top of the Fold.
Ohio is expected to lose 675,000 residents by 2050. Read why in our Business and Government section.
Top of The Fold
Ohio Primary Results Are In — Here's What You Need to Know
Yesterday's Ohio primary featured high-stakes races for governor, U.S. Senate, and a full slate of statewide offices, including attorney general, auditor, secretary of state, and treasurer, with both parties choosing their November candidates.
Across the state, local ballots were packed with school levies and public safety funding requests.
$10 Billion Data Center Could Mean Jobs and Tax Relief for Van Wert Schools
A proposed $10 billion data center in Van Wert, Ohio, would bring up to 250 permanent jobs and more than 1,000 construction positions to the small city.
The project would also generate new tax revenue at a time when Van Wert schools, like most in Ohio, are under pressure to find funding outside of property tax levies.
Van Wert City Council could vote as soon as next Monday on whether to annex and rezone the nearly 900 acres needed for the facility to move forward.
Environmental Group Acquires Columbus-Based Oil Company
Miller Environmental Group, a national waste and environmental services company, has acquired Columbus-based Central Ohio Oil, expanding its Midwest footprint in liquid and solid waste treatment, used oil recycling, and disposal services.
For more on this story, click here.
Page One
National
DC - According to a report by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, U.S. debt held by the public reached $31.27 trillion at the end of April, edging past the country's GDP of $31.22 trillion. This marks a milestone not seen since the end of World War II. The Congressional Budget Office projects that debt could climb to $53 trillion within a decade, driven by tax cuts, rising interest payments, and the growing cost of Medicare and Social Security. (More)
National - A federal Medicaid billing database released by HHS in early 2026 shows Ohio spent approximately $1 billion on home health care in 2024, with the state's waiver program allowing family members of Medicaid recipients to be paid as caregivers with limited ability to verify whether services were actually rendered. (More)
Statewide
State House - Governor Mike DeWine shut down a proposal to suspend the state gas tax — a decision that is drawing scrutiny, given current economic pressures on Ohio households. (More)
Statewide - Ohio ranked fifth in the nation for the largest decline in international student enrollment this past year, according to a new study from Manifest Law. (More)
Statewide - The invasive Asian jumping worm, also known as the "crazy worm" or "snake worm," has reached Ohio. Officials advise gardeners to check newly purchased soil for signs of the pest, which degrades soil quality and kills plants. (More)
Licking County - A judge sentenced Katelyn Ann Strohacker, an employee at Over the Rainbow Children's Center, to 8 to 12 years in prison after a jury convicted her on 31 counts, including kidnapping and child endangerment. (More)
Columbus - A wrong-way driver in an allegedly stolen vehicle struck another car head-on Monday night, killing a senior city attorney and leaving two others in critical condition. (More)
Miami County - Miami County Public Health confirmed a bat found inside a home tested positive for rabies, marking the county's first confirmed case since 2022. (More)
Business/Government
Ohio Expected to Lose 675,000 Residents by 2050, Economists Blame Lack of Jobs
By The Pennant Staff
Ohio is on track to lose 675,000 people by 2050, according to a 2023 report from the Ohio Department of Development. Economists say a weak job market is the main reason people are leaving.
In a December survey by Scioto Analysis, 20 economists agreed that job opportunities are a major driver of Ohio's population decline. Only one disagreed.
The state's labor force shrank by 91,000 workers between 2000 and 2020, according to a 2022 report by the Greater Ohio Policy Center — a sign that the job market has struggled for decades.
Kathryn Wilson, an economist at Kent State University, said the numbers tell a clear story. Counties near Columbus, where jobs are growing, are also gaining residents. Most other Ohio counties are losing both.
"Areas around Columbus that are seeing population growth are also seeing job growth," Wilson said. "Other areas of the state with less job growth are seeing a net migration out of people."
Andy Welki of John Carroll University put it simply: "People follow economic opportunities."
The Ohio Department of Development projects that Georgia and North Carolina will both pass Ohio in population around 2030. Ohio is currently the seventh most populous state.
Editorial
Give Ohioans a Break at the Pump — Now
By The Pennant Editorial Staff
Ohio gas prices hit $5 a gallon in Columbus last week. That is not a minor inconvenience. That is a crisis.
According to GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan, Ohio saw the second-largest gas price increase in the nation last week — 94 cents per gallon in seven days. Families are feeling it. Truckers are feeling it. Small businesses are feeling it at the counter, not just the pump.
Rep. Ty Mathews, R-Findlay, is right to push for a temporary suspension of Ohio's 38.5-cent-per-gallon gas tax. It won't solve everything, but it will show Ohioans that Columbus is paying attention.
Gov. DeWine calls it a "grave disservice." We disagree. The grave disservice is asking people who are already drowning in property taxes, school levies, and rising costs to keep treading water while the state does nothing.
Ohioans have hit a wall. School levies keep appearing on ballots like Girl Scouts outside a grocery store selling Thin Mints and Samoas — we believe in the cause, but there is a limit to how many cookies one family can buy. Until Ohio resolves its property tax crisis, schools need to find another way. And right now, drivers need relief, not another bill.
The Iran conflict is driving global oil prices higher. This is a temporary problem that calls for a temporary fix. Three months. Thirty-eight cents a gallon. That is not radical — that is reasonable.
Every Ohioan except, apparently, the governor can see it.
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The Back Page
Previous Poll Results
Did you or anyone you know attend Kent State University?
- Yes - 50%
- No - 50%
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.
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