Friday, June 5th, 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 2004, Ronald Reagan, the 40th president and former actor known as the "Great Communicator," died at his Los Angeles home at age 93.

Today, we salute the city of Cincinnati – from Chili to Sainted nuns. Check out our Peach Section and Religion Section for more.

COLUMBUS — Ohio State University has agreed to pay $100 million to 279 former students who say campus doctor Richard Strauss sexually abused them decades ago.

The university's board approved the deal, ending years of litigation over abuse that a 2019 report found stretched from 1978 to 1998.

See the settlement here.

COLUMBUS — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Medicaid chief Dr. Mehmet Oz announced 14 fraud indictments Thursday in central Ohio, including four people accused of bilking Medicaid out of more than $75 million.

Officials said a tip from former Attorney General Dave Yost cracked open the case.

For more, go here.

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Senate has approved a proposal to write the state's voter ID requirements into the constitution, accepting a driver's license, state ID card, or U.S. passport.

If the Ohio House also passes it, the measure goes to voters in November.

Ohio remains one of the best states in the country for drive-in movies, with more operating screens than nearly anywhere else. The Lynn Auto Theatre near Strasburg, built in 1937, is the oldest operating drive-in in Ohio and one of the oldest in the world. 

Northeast Ohio has the heaviest concentration, with theaters clustered around Cleveland, Akron, and Youngstown — including the three-screen Elm Road in Warren and the Midway Twin in Ravenna. The Dayton area offers the Dixie Twin in Vandalia and the Melody 49 in Brookville, while Columbus keeps the South Drive-In on South High Street, one of the few urban drive-ins left. Near Cincinnati, the Holiday Auto Theatre in Hamilton and the Starlite in Amelia have run for decades. 

Most open spring through fall, with double features after dusk.

There are debates that divide families, end friendships, and ruin Thanksgiving dinners. Skyline versus Gold Star is all three. It's right up there with UC vs. Xavier. Today, we take an objective look at chili — we'll get into basketball next winter.

When you talk about chili with people from Hamilton County, they are typically opinionated and, if challenged, get emotional. Either way, here we go.

First, the controversial position: Cincinnati chili is not chili. It is a spiced meat sauce served on spaghetti, topped with a mountain of shredded cheddar that is somehow both a foot tall and not technically melted. People from Texas have seen it — some wept, others guffawed. People from The Queen City have eaten this almost-chili concoction three times a week since age four and seen absolutely no problem with it.

Now, the actual culinary evaluation.

Skyline is the smoother, sweeter option. The chili runs darker, the secret-recipe cinnamon hits harder, and the cheese feels lighter and finer, like an angel grated it with a really long Microplane zester. Skyline loyalists will tell you that Gold Star is just a pile of room-temperature taco meat that gave up halfway through becoming a sloppy joe.

Gold Star is basically meatier, chunkier, and, frankly, has more girth. The chili tastes like someone's grandmother made it on purpose. When comparing the two, Gold Star regulars will first tell you what high school they attended and then explain how Skyline tastes like a wet candle dipped in motor oil.

Sadly, there is no real winner. There is only your family, your neighborhood, the place your dad took you to after Little League, and the brand you swore allegiance to in the third grade. You will defend that choice for life, against all logic, against your spouse, your in-laws, and against your cardiologist.

A real Cincinnatian is said to have tried both. A really committed Cincinnatian still orders the same one every time, with oyster crackers on the side and Tabasco within arm's reach.

We're not picking sides.

But Skyline is probably better… we think.

Questions, comments, and angry letters are welcome. Email [email protected].

CINCINNATI — Vatican theologians have voted unanimously to advance the cause for sainthood of Sister Blandina Segale, a Cincinnati nun famous for building schools and hospitals across the Wild West frontier in the 1800s. The decade-long effort still faces a long road, though supporters say 54 miracles have already been linked to prayers to her since 2014.

Has your electric bill been higher than normal recently?
- Yes - 57%
- No - 15%
- I don’t know - 28%

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]