Friday, April 3rd, 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 Good Friday, in 1865, Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre. The President died the following morning. Two weeks later, an estimated 50,000 Ohioans paid their respects as Lincoln's body lay in state at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.

Rising Bills, Ballot Deadlines, and Easter Weekend. AEP is seeking  a rate hike, voter registration closes Tuesday, Good Friday is observed statewide —

Ohioans gear up for egg hunts and family traditions. "The Ten Commandments" marks its 70th anniversary on ABC Saturday at 7 p.m. ET

Your electric bill may be on the rise. Ohio utility regulators are meeting again on Wednesday afternoon, with a request from American Electric Power to raise electric rates, a move that could increase bills for customers across the state. (More)

Ohio voters have until Tuesday, April 6 — with boards of elections open until 9 p.m. — to register for the May 5 primary. Early voting kicks off April 7, and a new law requires absentee ballots to be received by the time polls close on Election Day, eliminating the previous four-day grace period. This story continues here.

Today, Ohioans observe Good Friday, a state holiday with schools and many government offices closed, as Christians solemnly mark the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and hold fast to the hope that Sunday's resurrection will confirm what they believe above all else: that love is stronger than death. More

Gov. DeWine pushed back on his endorsed successor's idea to consolidate Ohio universities, saying he is not in favor of consolidating or doing away with any of the state's 14 public universities. GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy had floated the consolidation idea. This story continues here.

Scattered showers are hanging on over northern and northwest Ohio, with more rain and thunderstorms expected to hold on through today. Combined rainfall through Saturday could reach up to two inches, with another frontal system arriving Saturday afternoon and colder air blasting in behind it on Easter Sunday.

Good Friday is one of the most important days on the Christian calendar. It falls on the Friday before Easter Sunday and tells the story of something Christians believe changed the world forever.

When Jesus died, the sky went dark, the ground shook, and inside the temple, a huge curtain tore right down the middle. For Christians, that torn curtain meant something powerful: the wall between people and God had come down.

That might seem like a strange name for such a sad day. But Christians call it good because of what it means.

Christians believe that Jesus, the Son of God, had no sin of his own. Yet he chose to die so that every person's wrongs could be forgiven. It was the greatest act of love anyone could ever show. As Paul wrote, "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Without Good Friday, there is no Easter. The cross had to come before the empty tomb. The darkness had to come before the light.

On Good Friday, Christians go to church, pray, fast, and reflect quietly on what Jesus went through. Many churches walk through the Stations of the Cross so people can truly feel what happened rather than know it.

But Good Friday isn't just about looking back. It's about what we carry forward. For more than two billion Christians on Earth, this isn't just an old story. It is the very foundation of their hope.

Right now, our society is divided. We argue, we distrust, and we talk past each other. But faith has always been a place where people find common ground. The message of the cross is not "I am better than you." It's "we all need the same thing."

A shared faith can be a powerful connector.

Happy Good Friday. May we carry a little more grace into the world today.

On TV:

The 1956 classic film "The Ten Commandments," celebrating its 70th anniversary, is scheduled to air on ABC on Saturday, April 4, at 7 p.m. ET.

Streaming:

You can stream "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown" on Apple TV. You can rent or purchase it on Amazon Prime Video

Columbus

For the 78th year, the Columbus Southeast Lions will sponsor their annual Easter Egg Hunt at Schiller Park for children ages 10 and under, with a special appearance by the Easter Bunny and the Columbus Fire Department on site. The siren sounds at 10 a.m. sharp to start the hunt.

Toledo

Toledo Zoo Animal Egg Hunt: The Toledo Zoo is hosting its Animal Egg Hunt on April 3 and April 4, from 9 to 11 a.m., at 2 Hippo Way in Toledo. Cost is $35–$50 based on age and zoo membership. More here.

Cincinnati

BB Riverboats is offering an Easter Brunch Cruise featuring a buffet meal, a relaxing atmosphere, and outstanding views of the Ohio River. You can enjoy a hearty brunch earlier in the day or a traditional Easter dinner cruise. More information here.

Yellow Springs

Young's Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs celebrates more than 40 years of a one-of-a-kind Ohio tradition, hard-boiling and dyeing over 10,000 real farm-fresh eggs for its free Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday. Details here.

Fremont

The Hayes Easter Egg Roll will be held on Saturday, April 4, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museum. The annual event is inspired by the White House Easter Egg Roll tradition started during President Hayes' administration. More on this event here.

The church campuses at Fremont and Maumee host their Egg Drop on Saturday, April 4 at 5 PM, as a helicopter drops over 75,000 candy- and toy-filled Easter eggs — bring your own basket for this free event. More information and registration can be found here.

By Tom Orr

Buckeye Huddle

Julian Sayin put together one of the most statistically impressive passing seasons in Ohio State history in 2025, completing 77 percent of his passes for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns against just 8 interceptions. But when the Buckeyes faced elite defenses late in the season, their offense bogged down.

In the Big Ten Championship Game against Indiana, the Buckeyes got inside the Hoosiers’ 20 four times and scored only one touchdown. Once, they kicked a field goal, once they missed a potential game-tying field goal, and once Sayin’s knee grazed the turf behind the line of scrimmage on a 4th-and-1 quarterback sneak.

Conversely, when Ohio State faced Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, Hurricanes QB Carson Beck picked up 28 crucial yards on the ground, including an 8-yard scramble to start the ‘Canes’ first touchdown drive, and an 11-yard scramble to convert a critical 3rd-and-11 in the fourth quarter as Miami was clinging to a 17-14 lead.

Only five of the last 20 national champions had a quarterback who rushed for less than 200 yards over the course of the season, and all five of those were coached by Nick Saban. So does Ohio State need Sayin to run the ball more in order to take home the title this fall?

OSU head coach Ryan Day knows a little bit about being a running quarterback. He averaged about 300 rushing yards per season as a starting quarterback at the University of New Hampshire. Tuesday after practice, Day called the quarterback run game “the X factor” for a defense to have to deal with and said there are two ways Sayin can make it happen.

“One is when it breaks down, escaping the pocket, keeping your eyes downfield, or then escaping and getting a few yards in the rivalry game. He had a big scramble down the sideline for a first down. That was huge,” Day said.

“Then there's also the run game, where whether it's a design run or he's reading somebody in the box, equating numbers. So, the more we can do that, the better.

“Again, is that going to be the first thing we do with him? No, but he needs to be able to do that. All of our quarterbacks do.”

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