Friday, October 23rd, 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.

On this day in 1941, Disney’s “Dumbo” premiered, and in 1998, Britney Spears released “...Baby One More Time,” the debut single that made her a pop superstar.

Top of the Fold: 60 treated after a still-developing Toledo chemical leak, Intel’s Ohio plant hits a milestone, and Vance tells GOP critics to “stop whining.”

And in today’s Peach Section: Slaybrook Manor’s 148-page scare, four Ohio stadiums worth a Saturday road trip, and Charlie’s sorry.

TOLEDO — At least 60 people were treated for symptoms possibly tied to a chemical leak at MC Tank Transport in North Toledo. 

The Ohio EPA said glycidyl methacrylate, a flammable chemical used to make plastics and paints, escaped from a 5,500-gallon tank during a transfer error. 

Nearly 1,000 residents were evacuated. Officials lifted a shelter-in-place order Wednesday and cut the evacuation zone to a half-mile while letting the reaction run its course. 

An expert said the chemical should dissipate within days. To read more, go here.

NEW ALBANY — Intel has installed the first major structural truss at its Ohio One chip factory, a sign of progress at a project now at least five years behind schedule. 

The company announced the $20 billion plant, with 3,000 jobs, in 2022, promising production by 2025, but has since pushed the opening to 2030. 

Intel called the milestone a significant step toward expanding U.S. chipmaking capacity. 

It’s the company’s second update this year without word of another slowdown. More on this story.

CINCINNATI — Vice President JD Vance defended Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad featuring Democrat Amy Acton’s birth mother calling her a liar, telling fellow Republicans to “stop whining” and win the race. 

Ramaswamy’s campaign is spending $4 million on the ad, which questions Acton’s account of a hard childhood. Acton called it “despicable,” and Sen. Jon Husted said he wouldn’t have run it. 

Court records confirm Acton’s stepfather was arrested in 1978. He became a fugitive and died in 2004. 

Acton, meanwhile, has questioned Ramaswamy’s residency. This story continues here.

GENOA TOWNSHIP — Ghosts and ghouls are one thing. A stack of township paperwork is scarier than a visit from the HOA president on Christmas Eve.

The Delong family turned their home into Slaybrook Manor, a family-friendly haunted house with no gore, no cursing, and, by the family’s count, 4,200 brave visitors over a month in 2024.

Then came the violation notices. In their defense, the Delongs say they fixed every one, refunded tickets, and scaled back to five nights in 2025.

This year, they reached out to the township in May, offered to move the haunt to a township park and settled on a single night: Saturday, Oct. 24. On Oct. 16, something more frightening than the closet scene in “Halloween” hit their mailbox: a 148-page packet from the township.

“The goal post just kept moving,” Mailei Delong said.

The township hasn’t publicly explained its side. Meanwhile, somewhere an 11-year-old zombie’s mom is stuck on page 97, wondering whether his costume needs a permit.

With the Buckeyes off this Saturday and Slaybrook Manor still wading through 51 pages of permit purgatory, it’s a good weekend to check out another in-state team. If you have the time and means for a fall football road trip, four Ohio schools are at home, and three play in some of college football's oldest stadiums.

Kent State vs. Akron — Dix Stadium, Kent (1 p.m. kickoff)
This is the Wagon Wheel game, a rivalry trophy since 1946. Dix opened in 1969 as Memorial Stadium and cost $3.5 million. It’s named for Robert C. Dix, publisher of the Record-Courier and a Kent State trustee for more than 30 years.

Ohio vs. Eastern Michigan — Peden Stadium, Athens (4 p.m. kickoff)
Peden opened in 1929 and is the oldest stadium in the MAC. It’s named for Don Peden, who coached Ohio from 1924 to 1946 and won 121 games, still the best record in school history. After World War II, the stadium housed veterans who enrolled at the university.

Toledo vs. Western Michigan — The Glass Bowl, Toledo (noon kick)
The Glass Bowl was built by the WPA and opened in 1937 with 8,000 seats. It’s named for Toledo’s glass industry, which is why glass blocks and a glass scoreboard were built into it. The stone towers at the north end once housed the team. For a truly Toledo touch, Tony Packo’s is the official hot dog of the Glass Bowl.

Cincinnati vs. No. 8 Texas Tech — Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati (noon kick)
This is UC’s 100th Homecoming game. UC has played on the site since 1901. The stadium is named for Jimmy Nippert, who died of blood poisoning after being spiked in the 1923 game against Miami. His grandfather, James N. Gamble of Procter and Gamble, paid to finish the stadium in his memory. If the game gets boring, the Nippert Market stand has Cincinnati favorites, including Skyline Chili, Milton’s Donuts and Rhinegeist beer.

Last week in the Peach Section, we had a few words for Indiana receiver Charlie Becker about his postgame “O-H” reply at the Big Ten title game. We called him a potty mouth and suggested the Buckeyes teach him the proper response. 

It turns out Charlie reads the Peach Section.

After Ohio State beat Indiana on Saturday, Becker found Ryan Day on the field and apologized. He told reporters Tuesday he’d been thinking about it since the morning after last year’s title game.

“I never really want to be on anybody’s bad side. That just wasn’t my character,” Becker said. “But there’s a place and a time, and that wasn’t it.”

He didn’t post a notes-app apology or have his agent send a statement. He walked across the field and said it to the man’s face, the way people used to do it.

Here’s Charlie discussing the apology.

When you vote, how (if at all) do you research the ballot beforehand?
- Extensively through multiple sources online - 17%
- Quickly before voting, usually through Ballotpedia or something similar - 50%
- By discussing the candidates/issues with friends/family - 16%
- By scanning the sheet for whatever/whoever aligns with my political party - 17%
- I don't vote - 0%

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