Report. Reflect. Respond.
Friday, June 19th, 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 this day in 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers won their first NBA title, rallying from a 3-1 deficit to beat Golden State in Game 7 and end Cleveland's 52-year championship drought.
Ohio officials have blocked more than 5.3 gigawatts of wind and solar over the past dozen years. Find out why in the Top of The Fold.
Also, Father’s Day is this Sunday. Read about how the economics of this holiday compares to Mother’s Day in our Peach section.
Top of The Fold
Ohio's Renewable Energy Blockade Is Costing Residents
COLUMBUS — Ohio officials have blocked more than 5.3 gigawatts of wind and solar over the past dozen years, including a recent Ohio Supreme Court decision halting what would be the state's largest solar farm.
A new analysis says residents are paying for it in higher energy costs.
Social Security Failing Could Lose Ohioans Thousands
COLUMBUS — The average Ohioan stands to lose about $487 a month if Social Security isn't shored up, according to a new report.
The programs are projected to become insolvent by 2033, which could push thousands of Ohio seniors into poverty.
Lawmakers Attempting to Make Cheating Illegal
COLUMBUS — Ohio lawmakers are moving to penalize companies that sell homework answers and exam help to students, part of a wide-ranging Senate bill targeting academic cheating and truancy.
Senate Bill 311 would also clarify when districts can maintain, sell, or demolish vacant school buildings.
Page One
National
WASHINGTON — Commercial ships are moving through the Strait of Hormuz again after President Trump and Iran's leader signed a memorandum of understanding to reopen the waterway and begin broader talks. See what's holding up a lasting peace.
CHICAGO — The Obama Presidential Center opens to the public today on Chicago's South Side, capping a star-studded dedication and a roughly $850 million project that includes a museum, a library branch, and gardens. Step inside the new center and see what's there.
DALLAS — Extreme heat is shaping up as the biggest health threat at the World Cup, with officials warning of dangerous conditions for players and fans as host cities like Dallas face heat index values up to 110 degrees. See how players and fans are fighting the heat.
Statewide
COLUMBUS — A second suspect in the Toledo mass shooting was arrested Wednesday, authorities said. Read what investigators have revealed about the arrest.
COLUMBUS — Les Wexner, the chairman and namesake of Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center, has not attended a hospital board meeting in more than a year, according to records. Find out whether his absence violates state law.
DUBLIN — The Dublin Police Department pulled the plug on its $67,548 robot cop after less than a year on patrol in a city parking garage — the machine never flagged a single incident. Watch the bot that couldn't.
MARION — Honor Flight Columbus marked its seventh annual Honor Flight at Home in Marion, gathering 24 veterans over the age of 65 for a day of recognition and tribute. See who was honored and how the day unfolded.
COLUMBUS — Former Toledo women’s basketball star Courtney Ingersoll is in intensive care after a hit-and-run driver ran a red light and struck her electric bike on June 9 in downtown Columbus. Read more from WTOL.
STATEWIDE — This Saturday and Sunday is Ohio's free fishing weekend, when residents can fish any public waterway in the state without a license. Grab your rod and find out where to go.
Dad's Day Is Here, but Mom Still Gets the Big Show
By The Pennant Staff
Let's be clear up front: people love their dads. Their wallets just don't shrink the way they do for Mom.
Americans are expected to spend a record $27.9 billion on Father's Day this year, averaging about $227 per person, according to the National Retail Federation. That sounds generous until you set it next to Mother's Day, when shoppers dropped roughly $38 billion. Dad comes up about $10 billion short, and he does it year after year without much complaint.
The gap shows up everywhere, right down to the card aisle. Mom gets the brunch reservation, the flowers, and a card with a heartfelt poem inside. Dad gets pointed toward the grill and handed a card that makes fun of his napping, his 17-year-old lawn-mowing shoes, or how much hair he's lost raising us.
The receipts miss the real story, though. When CivicScience asked fathers what they actually wanted, 46% said the same plain thing, and it wasn't a tie or another mug. They wanted time with their kids or their partner, and that number keeps going up every year.
So don't overthink it on Sunday. Fire up the grill, hand him the remote, and let him pick — John Wick, the U.S. Open, or the World Cup. That's the one he's been angling for anyway.
Walmart Cuts Gotrax Electric Scooter to $198
Walmart has knocked $100 off the Gotrax Rival Adult Electric Scooter, dropping it to $198 with free shipping.
A solid last-minute gift for the dad on the move, the foldable scooter runs on a 250-watt motor that hits 15.5 mph and covers about 12 miles per charge.
Editorial
The World Cup, Food, Fun, and Everybody Is Getting Along
By The Pennant Editorial Staff
Something strange and wonderful is happening. The world showed up for the World Cup, and it turns out the world kind of loves us.
Just ask Freddy. The German soccer fan has been lighting up the internet since he landed in the U.S., documenting his road trip on X with the unabashed joy of a man who has discovered Buc-ee's, Waffle House, and a soda fountain offering more than 100 drink combinations. He found country musician Ella Langley and scored an invite to her June 18 concert. Lives, he reports, "were changed" at a Raising Cane's.
America noticed, and Freddy's earnest gratitude has snowballed into things he never saw coming, including that concert trip and a swanky hotel suite courtesy of the Houston Texans' own J.J. Watt.
He's not alone. Europeans who spent years rolling their eyes at American life are now posting tearful 2 a.m. reviews of Waffle House. A group of Germans reportedly got emotional over free refills. A Spaniard tried sweet tea and, by all accounts, has not shut up about it since.
The Back Page
Previous Poll Results
With the case now before the U.S. Supreme Court, should the Trump administration be allowed to end Temporary Protected Status for Haiti?
- Yes - 40%
- No - 20%
- Unsure - 40%
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