Monday, March 16th, 2026

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The Ohio State Board of Education has appointed a new superintendent. Find out who it is below.

Tomorrow is Saint Patrick’s Day, but one Ohio city has been celebrating since Saturday and went for a world record. Find out how they did on Page One.

Three Ohio National Guard identified three Columbus-based airmen killed when their KC-135 tanker crashed following a midair collision over western Iraq on March 12. More on this story here.

The Ohio Department of Higher Education audited university teacher preparation programs for their alignment with the science of reading.

The science of reading, grounded in decades of brain research, is an approach that systematically covers the alphabetic principle, phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.

As of January 2025, Ohio teacher preparation programs were expected to align with specific standards. The audit included reviewers visiting campuses, observing classes, and interviewing staff. Colleges also submitted syllabi, materials, and assignments for review.

According to the audit, five institutions were partially aligned, while 33 were fully aligned.

The Ohio State University had the most noncompliance, with violations across 17 course sections.

"The audit … identified a limited number of cases where outdated curricular materials do not fully align with (science of reading) standards," university spokesperson Chris Booker said. "Those materials are being updated to fully comply with the new standards."

Ten institutions were found to be out of alignment — meaning each had at least one violation for teaching the three-cueing approach, a banned teaching practice in Ohio. Ranked from most to fewest violations were Ohio State University, Ohio Christian University, Central State University, Defiance College, Bowling Green State University, University of Toledo, Wright State University, Cleveland State University, Ohio Dominican University, and Ohio University.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine addressed the findings at a press conference.

"We have an obligation to act with great urgency to make sure every future teacher is taught by our colleges and universities the best way to teach reading," DeWine said. "It will make future generations of children also better readers. Teacher prep programs at our colleges and universities need to be using only the science of reading."

Ohio has a new top education official, and he’s already signaling where his priorities will land.

The Ohio State Board of Education appointed Dr. Philip Wagner as the state’s new superintendent of public instruction, according to a report by Susan Tebben of the Ohio Capital Journal. Wagner, currently superintendent of Johnstown-Monroe Local Schools, will step into the role in late July.

Wagner brings more than a decade of district leadership experience, having previously led Licking Heights schools and served in various roles at Beachwood City Schools. Board president Paul LaRue called him an “experienced leader” who would help position Ohio to have excellent educators in classrooms statewide.

Wagner said his focus will be on teacher workforce development and increasing the number of people entering the education field — a pressing concern as Ohio school districts continue to face staffing shortages.

For the full story, go here.

The Ohio State Buckeyes kicked off spring practice last week. Two practices in, the turnover shaped up to be a banner season for program vendors outside Ohio Stadium. The old saying "you can't tell the players without a scorecard" may have actually been true this year.

Between true freshmen and transfer portal additions, there were 51 new faces on the roster, and even some returning players changed jersey numbers.

That number did not include new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, new wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton, or new special teams coordinator Robby Discher.

Tuesday after practice, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said it took him a moment to figure out who everyone was, including returning players like sophomore linebacker Riley Pettijohn.

"I saw him in 5 today, when I'm used to seeing him in 20. Who's this guy, No. 5?" Day said.

Another familiar face in a new number was Kenyatta Jackson, a fifth-year senior defensive end who switched his jersey number from 97 to 2. Jackson was expected to be a key leader on the Buckeye team and was one of just two players remaining from the 21-member 2022 recruiting class.

Jackson said looking around the locker room and realizing he and center Carson Hinzman were the only remaining members of that class left him a little shell-shocked.

"It made me feel old, man," Jackson said after practice Thursday.

Northwest Ohio, more specifically District 9, you have a problem. It is called Madison Sheahan. And like most problems, it arrived from somewhere else.

This publication does not exist to carry water for either party. But when you are witnessing the political equivalent of "Apocalypse Now" playing out in a congressional district, we feel obligated to say plainly: we don't like the smell of incompetence, morning or afternoon.

Let's trace the roots, shall we? Sheahan grew up in Curtice, graduated from Genoa Area High School in 2015, and headed off to Ohio State. Noble beginnings. After that, however, her career reads less like a rising public servant and more like a utility infielder bouncing around the minor leagues, hoping someone calls her up to the show.

After Ohio State, Sheahan planted herself in South Dakota, where she served as political director for then-Gov. Kristi Noem, and later as executive director of the South Dakota Republican Party. Then it was on to Louisiana, where she became secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries under Gov. Jeff Landry. To her credit, she did create a special operations group that responded during the 2025 New Orleans truck attack. That is genuinely commendable.

Then came the big promotion. In March 2025, Noem, now Homeland Security secretary, tapped Sheahan as deputy director of ICE. You know the Department of Homeland Security, the agency whose media and advertising budget appears to exceed the gross domestic product of most developing nations. Sheahan fit right in.

Before you buy a car, you look under the hood. A look under Sheahan's hood reveals a DHS tenure highlighted by the purchase of 2,500 vehicles with taxpayer dollars that no one could actually use. That is not a policy disagreement. That is a punchline.

She lasted less than a year. On Jan. 15, 2026, Sheahan announced her resignation as deputy director. Her reason? She was heading back to Northwest Ohio to run for Congress. How convenient. How sudden. How very, well, political.

Proximity to power is not the same as qualification. Riding the coattails of Kristi Noem across two states and a federal agency does not make someone fit to represent the people of Northwest Ohio, not by osmosis or any other process. Ask Noem herself how that brand is aging. Ask Corey Lewandowski. The résumé speaks for itself, and what it says isn't particularly flattering.

No one on The Pennant editorial board attended clown college. But we certainly know a clown show when we see one.

Would you try soy sauce on ice cream?
- Yes - 50%
- No - 25%
- I already have - 25%

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