Monday, May 4th, 2026

Welcome to Monday’s edition of The Pennant. To listen to this newsletter, click the “Listen Online” link in the top right corner of this email.

On May 4, 1970, the Ohio National Guard shot into a crowd of unarmed student protesters at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others during a Vietnam War protest.

The Ohio Primary is tomorrow. Find your polling location in the Top of the Fold.

Also, it’s graduation season! Scroll down to our Education section to find out how the Ohio Universities are celebrating.

Ohio voters head to the polls Tuesday for the state's May primary election, with competitive statehouse and congressional races on the ballot across the state.

There is no early voting today — polls open tomorrow at 6:30 a.m.

Find your polling location here.

Ohio's Supreme Court unanimously ruled that utility company AEP can keep nearly $75 million charged to customers to prop up two aging, money-losing coal plants — rejecting a consumer watchdog's argument that the company had overcharged ratepayers and that regulators had pressured an auditor to soften findings against AEP. (Ruling)

The Kent State community will gather to mark the 56th anniversary of the day Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on anti-war protesters, killing four students and wounding nine others.

A moment of silence will be observed at 12:24 p.m. This year's commemoration includes a rare focus on the stories of the guardsmen who were present that day.

Read more on Kent State’s history here.

For thousands of Ohio families, the month of May means folding chairs in a stadium, a name called over a loudspeaker, and four years of work finally finished. The Class of 2026 is walking into a state that just overhauled higher education from the ground up.

Here is how Ohio's universities are marking the moment:

The Ohio State University holds its ceremony on Sunday, May 10, at noon. The speaker is E. Roe Stamps IV, philanthropist and founder of the Stamps Scholars Program, who will also receive an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree. 

The University of Cincinnati is celebrating a record spring class, recognizing 7,836 graduates earning 7,967 degrees. Nearly 46% of those degrees are in STEM and medical fields. The youngest graduate is 17, earning an associate degree. The oldest is 69, earning a bachelor's. About 17% are first-generation college students.

Ohio University holds three ceremonies May 1–2 at the Convocation Center in Athens, with entrepreneur and private astronaut Larry Connor — a distinguished OU alumnus — delivering the keynote. Connor will also receive an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.

Miami University hosts its 187th Spring Commencement on Saturday, May 16, at 10:30 a.m. at Yager Stadium in Oxford — rain or shine. President Gregory P. Crawford will preside, with the keynote address delivered by John Harbaugh '84, head coach of the New York Giants and member of Miami's prestigious Cradle of Coaches.

Case Western Reserve University's commencement convocation takes place May 13 at the Veale Convocation Center, with school-specific diploma ceremonies following May 15–17. Delivering the address is Rebecca Liebert, president and CEO of Lubrizol — a Berkshire Hathaway company and global specialty chemicals leader headquartered in Northeast Ohio

BGSU holds four ceremonies over two days at the Stroh Center on the Bowling Green campus. Spring 2026 enrollment at BGSU stands at 19,484 — the largest spring enrollment in nearly 20 years — with a record 93% student retention rate, meaning this is one of the largest graduating classes in recent years for the Falcons. No keynote speaker has been publicly named for the ceremonies.

Whatever happens next across the state, the Class of 2026 earned this. Whatever happens next across the state, the Class of 2026 earned this — students who came from over 80 countries and every corner of Ohio, sat in classrooms as bills were debated in the Statehouse, and finished anyway. The harder question is whether the students who come after them will have the same opportunity. This is something Ohio is still working out.

On Thursday, the Cleveland Browns broke ground on a new stadium in Brook Park. It will take years to build and will need thousands of workers — electricians, plumbers, ironworkers, carpenters, and HVAC technicians. 

Ohio had better hope it can find them. Right now, it can't.

A new report from global real estate firm JLL found that by 2030, more than 2 million skilled trade jobs across the country could go unfilled — and the U.S. Department of Education puts the potential economic loss at $1 trillion a year. For every five workers retiring from construction and manufacturing, only two replacements enter the workforce.

Ohio is feeling that squeeze. Central Ohio is the economic engine of the state, with data centers, a growing semiconductor industry, and now a major stadium all demanding workers who can build, wire, and maintain.

Meanwhile, Ohio Senate Bill 1 is forcing public universities to cut any degree program that doesn't meet minimum enrollment targets. The law came with a hard deadline, requiring schools to notify the state last fall about programs on the chopping block. 

Continue reading the Editorial here.

Have you gotten peaches from The Peach Truck before?
- Yes - 50%
- No - 50%

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]