Wednesday, April 8th, 2026

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

Ohio’s businesses seem to be on the up. Find out how in the Top of The Fold.

Also, a grassroots organization is collecting signatures to get an Ohio Constitutional Amendment on the November ballot that will ban large data centers. Find the story in the Top of the Fold and our Editorial section.

Ohio finally got its first Buc-ee's, and people lost all sense of reason, showing up before sunrise on Monday to line up at the doors of a gas station, which is something Ohioans have been waiting their whole lives to do.

The giant 74,000 square foot store has 108 fuel pumps, amazing food, and the world's cleanest bathrooms. Even Gov. Mike DeWine showed up to cut the ribbon at noon because, apparently, that is what counts as a big deal when you are the governor.

And just in case one Buc-ee's was not enough, Mansfield's mayor is already working to bring a second location to I-71.

Evidently, a new Buc-ee's opening in Ohio hits exactly like a Taylor Swift concert, except the friendship bracelets are made of beef jerky.

To see the inside of the store, click here.

Ohio recorded 55,635 new business filings through the first quarter of 2026, according to Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office.

This signals strong entrepreneurial momentum across the Buckeye State as communities, large and small, continue to see new businesses being launched.

Click here to read more.

A group of rural southwest Ohio residents is working to get a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would ban the construction of large data centers in the state.

The Ohio Ballot Board unanimously certified the "Prohibition of Construction of a Data Center" amendment, allowing petitioners to begin collecting signatures. The amendment would ban any new data center using more than 25 megawatts of electricity per month.

Organizers have 90 days to collect more than 413,000 valid signatures from voters in at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties before a July 1 deadline. At least 11 other states are considering similar legislation.

For more information, read here or scroll down for our editorial.

Several Ohio colleges are asking the state for tens of millions of dollars to build new facilities. At the same time, a man running for governor says Ohio has too many colleges and wants to close some of them.

Miami University wants $40 million to build a new school focused on job training, with labs and spaces where students can work with businesses. Youngstown State wants funding to expand its dental clinic because Ohio does not have enough dental workers. Shawnee State and Wright State are also asking for millions to fix up their health and science buildings.

All of these schools say they need the money to train workers for jobs that Ohio needs to be filled. They believe the state should keep investing in them.

But Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running for governor, disagrees. He says Ohio has too many colleges — 14 four-year universities, plus dozens of smaller campuses and community colleges. He believes this spreads money too thin and creates programs that duplicate one another. He wants to create a smaller number of really strong schools instead.

Ohio also has another big problem coming. Fewer babies were born after 2008, which means fewer students will be graduating from high school in the future. This means colleges could have a hard time filling their seats.

Governor Mike DeWine does not agree with closing schools. He and others worry that shutting down campuses would hurt people in smaller towns who depend on nearby colleges.

So, Ohio is stuck between two very different ideas. Colleges want to grow and get more money. Ramaswamy wants to cut back and make fewer, stronger schools. Whatever happens in the next election could change the future of college in Ohio for a very long time.

It started in the hills of southern Ohio.

A small group of rural residents grew frustrated watching large corporations quietly buy up thousands of acres of their land to build massive data centers. Village officials hid behind secret agreements and dodged questions at town hall meetings. Nobody told residents what company was moving in or how many jobs it would create.

Their anger was real. Their movement was real. But what started as a true community revolt has become something much bigger and far more politically driven than a group of concerned neighbors.

The question every American should be asking is: Who is really pulling the strings?

Follow the Money

More than 230 environmental groups have demanded a national ban on new data centers. The groups leading this charge include Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and Food and Water Watch. They claim to be fighting for ordinary Americans struggling with rising power bills. But a closer look at who funds these groups tells a very different story.

Greenpeace has received tens of millions from left-leaning foundations backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and the Rockefeller family. Friends of the Earth has been directly funded by George Soros, whose foundations have funneled hundreds of millions into left-wing causes. Food and Water Watch receives money through the Tides Foundation, another vehicle tied to Soros.

This is not a grassroots movement. It is a well-funded political campaign dressed up as one.

What Do These Groups Really Want?

These organizations have spent decades fighting coal, natural gas, fracking, nuclear power, and pipelines. They want to stop American industrial and economic growth altogether. Data centers power artificial intelligence, cloud computing, medical research, and national defense. At least 16 major projects worth $64 billion have already been blocked. Every one of them helps China in its race to dominate global technology.

Where We Stand

The Pennant Editorial Staff believes local governments must be transparent with their citizens. Communities deserve straight answers. Power companies owe customers honesty about the future of utility bills.

But when organizations like these show up to support a local movement, they bring money, political influence, and a national agenda that goes far beyond your electricity bill. When they attach themselves to a local cause, that cause becomes part of a much larger political machine.

Real reform starts with transparency and honest government. It does not start with billionaire-funded organizations using small towns as a launching pad for a national political movement.

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