Friday, March 27th, 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.

High school athletes and NIL pay, a federal investigation into Ohio State's medical school, and a growing fight over data centers. It is all inside today's Pennant.

And when you are done, flip to the Peach Section. Apparently, we are not alone.

Two Ohio lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow high school athletes to be paid for the use of their name, image, and likeness.

House Bill 745 would set up rules for contracts and limit certain endorsements, like alcohol and gambling, with athletes under 18 needing a parent's permission to sign any deals.

The proposal puts lawmakers on opposite sides of a growing debate, as a separate bill — House Bill 661 — would do the exact opposite and ban all NIL pay for students in grades 7 through 12.

Both bills have been sent to the House Education Committee, where the public will have a chance to weigh in. Read more here.

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the Ohio State University College of Medicine over allegations that the school discriminated against applicants based on race in admissions decisions.

The University says it follows all laws and does not discriminate. The Medical School must turn over admissions records dating back to 2019 by April 24 or risk losing federal funding.

You can read more about this story here.

Ohio lawmakers from both parties have introduced three bills in the past two weeks to put limits on data center construction, targeting concerns about water use, electricity costs, and tax breaks.

The bills would make data centers pay for their own water and energy costs, require state approval before construction, and ban new tax exemptions — all in response to residents who say the massive facilities use too many resources without creating enough jobs.

Find more about this here.

The truth may be out there. Last week, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency registered two new domains: alien.gov and aliens.gov. The domains were registered a month after the Trump administration planned to release some new UFO-related files.

Back in February, President Trump directed various government agencies "to begin the process of identifying and releasing government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters."

According to the Kashi betting market, at the time this article is written, there is a 20% chance that either the Trump administration or someone from his cabinet will confirm the existence of aliens by January 1st, 2027. Until then, the truth may be out there; we just might find out on Twitter.

On Wednesday night, HBO Max released the much-anticipated teaser trailer for their upcoming series adaptation of Harry Potter. The series is set to release on streaming this Christmas. Click here to view the trailer.

It seems nobody can write a funny sitcom anymore – at least that’s how we feel here in The Peach Section. 

Streaming services and TV networks have spent years filling up schedules with dark dramas (NCIS Everywhere), reality shows filled with bachelors, housewives, and a dermatologist popping zits — and worse, hours of below-average programming packed with cultural and political messages.

The result? Viewers are tuning out and looking backward. Turns out, people just want to laugh.

Hollywood has started to get the hint — maybe.

The beloved sitcom "Frasier" returned on Paramount+ with Kelsey Grammer stepping back into his leather chair as the snooty but lovable psychiatrist. While only lasting two seasons, the reboot delivered plenty of laughs. Across town on Hulu, "Scrubs" is finding a brand-new audience of younger viewers who are discovering what fans already knew — a show about doctors can be both hilarious and heartwarming without taking itself too seriously. "Scrubs" also gave us great music scores from the likes of the Shins, Guided by Voices, and Keane.

And then there is "Everybody Loves Raymond."

Last November, the cast reunited for a special that had fans everywhere talking. Cleveland native and Ohio State University graduate Patricia Heaton returned as the sharp and funny Debra Barone, reminding everyone why the show was appointment television in the first place. No agenda. No lectures. Just a family driving each other crazy in the most relatable way possible.

For some reason that TV executives have yet to fully explain, 72-year-old Tim Allen continues to attract viewers whenever he shows up on screen. The man is simply funny, and audiences have not forgotten it.

What do all of these shows have in common? They were funny. Genuinely, consistently, laugh-out-loud funny. They did not try to teach lessons or start debates. And if there was any political subtext, it was subtle enough that you hardly noticed.

Viewers are sending a clear message to Hollywood — skip the politics and ideology, put down the agenda, and write something that makes people smile for 22 minutes (30 with commercials).

America does not need more things to argue about. It needs more reasons to laugh. There must be someone out there who creates sitcoms and believes in funny programming. At least one. Anyone?

Should Drag Queens Be Allowed to Host Reading Hours for Children?
- Yes - 28.57%
- No - 57.14%
- Unsure - 14.29%

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