Report. Reflect. Respond.
Tuesday, June 16th, 2026
Welcome to Tuesday’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 1993, the U.S. Postal Service held a first-day-of-issue ceremony in Cleveland for its rock 'n' roll and rhythm and blues stamps, honoring the city that would open the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the next year.
Iran and the U.S. have reached a peace deal, but gas prices haven’t dropped yet. Find out why in the Top of The Fold.
Also, Ohio lawmakers have approved a sweeping Medicaid fraud bill. Read what’s in it in the Government section.
Top of The Fold
After the Deal with Iran, Shouldn’t Gas Be Cheaper?
COLUMBUS — Ohio was one of just three states to see gas prices rise last week, with Columbus-area stations averaging $4.17 a gallon, up 6.4 cents but still $1.07 higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy.
Prices fell almost everywhere else as oil costs dropped on a potential U.S.-Iran deal, but Ohio is a "price-cycling" state, where stations jack prices up sharply and then let them drift down a few cents at a time, so the brief jump bucked the national slide before rejoining it.
New York Retailer Indicted in $643K Ohio SNAP Skimming Scheme
CUYAHOGA COUNTY — A Brooklyn, New York, store operator has been indicted on charges he stole more than $643,000 in SNAP benefits from Ohio residents, including $260,000 in Cuyahoga County.
Investigators say Raed Subhi Abu Mohammad, 52, used a fraudulent federal permit number and stolen EBT card data to run 2,823 transactions over about 10 months, the Ohio Department of Public Safety said.
Ohio Capital Budget Heads to DeWine With Money for 815 Local Projects
COLUMBUS — Ohio lawmakers have sent Gov. Mike DeWine a $3.7 billion capital budget that pays for state buildings, schools, and parks over the next two years.
The plan sets aside $208 million for 815 community projects in all 88 counties, from community centers and pools to zoos, museums, and trails, with awards ranging from $10,000 to $2 million. (WYSO)
Readers can look up the projects funded in their area in the full text of Senate Bill 450.
Page One
National
GENEVA — The U.S. and Iran will sign a deal Friday to end nearly four months of war, halting military operations and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, though Israel and some Republicans have criticized the terms. Read more from The Associated Press.
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve is expected to hold its benchmark rate at 3.50% to 3.75% on Wednesday at the close of new Chair Kevin Warsh's first meeting, with markets watching for signals on what comes next after May inflation hit 4.2%. Read more from Chase.
BUTLER, Mo. — A pilot and 11 skydivers were killed when their plane crashed shortly after takeoff near Butler Memorial Airport, in one of the deadliest U.S. skydiving plane crashes in decades. Read more from CNN.
Statewide
COLUMBUS — Michael Lunsford Jr., 19, has been arrested about 12 hours after Columbus police named him as the suspect in Saturday's fatal shooting of 22-year-old Avante Copeland outside a South Linden day care. Read more from NBC4.
COLUMBUS — Ohio State's trustees approved extending leases at two near-campus apartment complexes, StateHouse Highline and The Point on Lane, to house students while Taylor and Drackett towers are renovated and Jones Tower comes down. Read more from NBC4. Additional coverage from The Lantern.
CUYAHOGA FALLS — A vehicle reported for reckless driving fled a traffic stop early Sunday and crashed near Tallmadge Circle and Northwest Avenue, sending the driver and a passenger to area hospitals. Read more from Cleveland 19 News.
COLUMBUS — More than one-third of Ohio households, about 1.7 million, did not earn enough to afford basic expenses in 2024, according to a new report from United for ALICE and United Way of Central Ohio. Read the United for ALICE report on Ohio.
CEDARVILLE — Gov. Mike DeWine hosted the 50th and final ice cream social of his time in office Sunday at his Cedarville home, continuing a family tradition that began in 1976 with ice cream, homemade pie, entertainment, and games. See coverage from the Xenia Gazette.
WATERVILLE — Gary Lay, executive chef at StoryPoint Waterville, won a silver medal at the American Culinary Federation's Roland E. Schaeffer Culinary Classic, scoring 87 percent in just his second competition.
Government
Ohio Toughens Medicaid Fraud Penalties, Shields Family Caregivers
By The Pennant Editorial Staff
COLUMBUS — Ohio lawmakers have approved a sweeping Medicaid fraud bill that hands the state new enforcement tools while dropping the most contentious provisions that drew opposition during debate.
Senate Bill 315, sponsored by Sen. Tim Schaffer, R-Lancaster, strengthens oversight, raises penalties, and adds technology and reporting requirements aimed at catching improper payments. The House passed it 85-10, and the Senate unanimously agreed to the House changes.
The final version differed sharply from earlier drafts. Lawmakers stripped a provision that would have barred family members from being paid to provide personal care to relatives through Medicaid waiver programs, and they exempted live-in family caregivers from certain GPS tracking requirements tied to electronic visit verification.
The bill makes all Medicaid fraud a felony, replacing the current law that treats fraud under $1,000 as a misdemeanor. Fraud above $750,000 becomes a first-degree felony with a mandatory $150,000 fine and a presumption of prison time. It also adds Medicaid fraud to the state's list of offenses that can qualify as corrupt activity.
The Ohio Department of Medicaid must expand data analysis, conduct site inspections before enrolling certain home-based providers, and investigate unusual billing patterns. The Department of Insurance will establish an all-payer claims database.
Supporters said the measure protects both taxpayers and the Ohioans who depend on the program, which makes up about half the state budget. Democrats backed the final bill after raising process concerns. The legislation also moves Ohio's SNAP benefits to chip-enabled cards to curb theft.
Editorial
What Is Price Cycling, and Why It Isn't Price Fixing
By The Pennant Editorial Staff
COLUMBUS — Drivers across central Ohio have grown used to a strange pattern at the pump: prices shoot up overnight, then slip back down a few cents at a time over the following days. Analysts call it price cycling, and it explains why Ohio gas can climb even when costs are falling nearly everywhere else.
Last week, Ohio was one of just three states where prices rose, even as the national average dipped below $4 a gallon for the first time since mid-April, according to GasBuddy. Columbus-area stations averaged $4.17, up 6.4 cents on the week but still $1.07 higher than a year ago.
In a price-cycling state, stations raise prices sharply and in unison, then undercut one another in small steps until the price bottoms out and the cycle starts over. The spikes are sudden. The declines are slow.
The Back Page
TRIVIA: Which is the oldest public university in Ohio (and one of the oldest west of the Appalachian Mountains)?
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