Tuesday, August 18, 2026

National Guard Deployed, Buckeyes Rank No. 1, and Saving Baby Animals

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1864, President Abraham Lincoln addressed Ohio’s 164th Infantry Regiment at the White House, thanking the Ohioans for their service.

The Ohio Wildlife Center in Powell has taken in more than 150 orphaned or injured animals after the recent storms. Learn more in Around Ohio.

Before you pour the coffee, go take a look at your thermostat. Do you know why it's set to that number, or did you pick it years ago and never touch it again? You're not alone. A federal energy survey found that only 12% of American households program their thermostats to match their actual schedules. Everyone else runs one flat number all day on the single biggest expense in their power bill. There's a specific setting, a certain number of degrees for a certain number of hours, that unlocks real savings with no new equipment. Ayla has the numbers on today's podcast. Tune in here!

Later today, watch for a message from our partner Fisher Investments on 13 common retirement investing mistakes that could quietly cost you over time, and how to spot them before they derail your long-term plans.

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Guard Deployed as Floods Hit Again

Gov. Mike DeWine sent Highway Patrol troopers, Ohio Department of Transportation crews, and Ohio National Guard members into Perry, Muskingum, and Morgan counties late Sunday after a second round of flooding hit southeast Ohio.

Guard members are sandbagging and handing out food, ODOT crews are clearing debris from roads and bridges, and troopers are directing traffic. Local officials requested each.

Last week's storms dumped 6 to 7 inches of rain on the region and displaced an estimated 380 people in Crooksville and Rose Farm, drawing help from more than 40 agencies. One person died in Roseville after floodwaters kept responders from reaching them during a medical emergency.

Crooksville Mayor Chris Moller expects the cleanup to stretch on. "Weeks. Months. It's going to take a while," he said.

Nvidia Backs Pike County AI Campus

Nvidia will guarantee the buildout of an OpenAI data center campus in Pike County and invest $1.5 billion in developer SB Energy, the companies announced Monday.

OpenAI signed a 20-year lease as the customer. SB Energy will build, own, and operate the campus on the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant outside Piketon, where crews broke ground in March.

Nvidia's credit support covers an initial 4.25 gigawatts of computing capacity, with an option on 3.75 more. The guarantee discussed in late July ran to roughly $250 billion; it fell below $120 billion after shareholders balked at the exposure.

OpenAI projects 35,000 construction jobs through 2032 and 2,500 permanent ones, plus $40 million for a community fund matching SB Energy's own $40 million. SB Energy is spending $4.2 billion on AEP Ohio transmission work and says other ratepayers won't cover it.

Buckeyes Ranked No. 1

Ohio State will open the 2026 college football season as the nation’s No. 1 team in the preseason AP Top 25, marking the program’s first preseason No. 1 ranking since 2015.

The Buckeyes received 40 first-place votes, comfortably ahead of No. 2 Oregon. Georgia, Notre Dame, and Texas round out the AP top five.

Ohio State’s regular-season schedule includes six opponents ranked in the preseason top 25: Oregon, Texas, Indiana, USC, Michigan, and Iowa. The Buckeyes will kick off the year against Ball State before an early-season road test at the fifth-ranked Longhorns.

Ohio State also claimed the No. 1 spot in the preseason Coaches Poll, while quarterback Julian Sayin and star receiver Jeremiah Smith are considered Heisman Trophy contenders.

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➤ Toledo: Police say vandals cut down or damaged three Flock license plate cameras in east Toledo on Aug. 15 and 16. The City Council votes next week on expanding the program to 14 schools. (More)

➤ Cleveland: Emily Moreno filed a federal lawsuit against her ex-husband, U.S. Rep. Max Miller, and his attorney, alleging they published an unredacted nude photo of the couple's 2-year-old daughter in a Dropbox folder Miller shared on X. Miller's attorney, Aaron Minc, has taken responsibility for the folder's contents. (More)

➤ Delaware County: The Ohio Wildlife Center has taken in more than 150 animals since last week's storms, most of them orphaned squirrels, rabbits, and songbirds with minor injuries from falls, and is seeking donations. (See Photo)

➤ Youngstown: Mahoning County Juvenile Court is giving away free backpacks to students from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday in the Mahoning Valley Community School parking lot at 2026 South Ave. It's a drive-thru pickup. (More)

➤ Geauga County: A grand jury indicted Richard Vandevander, the Hambden Volunteer Fire Department's former treasurer and assistant chief, on five felony counts including aggravated theft. Prosecutors say he took about $1.6 million over 3.5 years. (See Details)

➤ Gallia County: The Old School Cofé employs half a dozen women in recovery, training them in restaurant work with money from a OneOhio Recovery Foundation grant. Nonprofit Field of Hope plans to add a print shop and a salon this fall. (Read Story)

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➤ Cincinnati Bengals rookie cornerback Ceyair Wright left the team this weekend to pursue a lead role in a major film. He told coach Zac Taylor he plans to return to football after filming wraps in late October. (More)

➤ All four local singles players have been eliminated from the Cincinnati Open, including Mason native Peyton Stearns and Madeira native Caty McNally. (More)

➤ The Cleveland Browns signed tight end Jermaine Terry, an undrafted rookie out of Oregon State who was waived by the Giants earlier this month. Cleveland waived tight end Brenden Bates with an injury designation to make room. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA | Tennis

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➤ Madison and St. Clair townships have moved to create a tax increment financing district on 600 acres that Trenton wants to annex for a proposed Amazon Web Services campus. Because TIFs stay with the entity that created them, the townships could keep the revenue even after annexation. (See Details)

➤ Ultium Cells, a Lordstown battery plant, restarted EV cell production Monday after a seven-month shutdown, with about 1,400 workers on site. Ultium laid off 1,334 hourly employees in January when GM scaled back EV output; workers began returning in phases starting July 27. (More)

➤ Construction has begun on more than 300 apartments near the Ohio State University Airport, the first portion of a larger northwest Columbus development that will eventually add 474 homes. (See Rendering)

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➤ Architectural Digest picked Put-in-Bay as Ohio's prettiest town. The Lake Erie resort has about 150 year-round residents and is best known for Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial, the 352-foot column marking the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie. (Read Story)

➤ A custom-built house in Burton that's styled like a storybook castle has hit the market for $1.495 million, and photos of it are going viral thanks to social media account Zillow Gone Wild. (See Photos)

➤ The Mahoning Valley's first Lego convention drew families to the Metroplex Expo Center over the weekend for master builders' displays, meet-and-greets, and bins of loose bricks to build with. (See Video)

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➤ What’s the Best Breakfast Food in 2026? Oatmeal, eggs, cereal, coffee…The best breakfast choice may not be what you think and how you prepare it could make all the difference. A leading cardiologist reveals his surprising breakfast recommendation, plus one simple morning change that may help support a healthy metabolism and your weight-management goals. See the Full List of Breakfast Recommendations >> "

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Most Americans never program their thermostats, and it's costing them. There's an exact degrees-and-hours setting that can trim real money off heating and cooling costs. (Hear Setting)

➤ Newly declassified files show the FBI stumbled onto former Rep. Eric Swalwell's affair with a suspected Chinese spy while trying to recruit her as a confidential informant. (Hear Story)

➤ A popular Maryland state park is partially closed after rabid beavers attacked two teens. Experts say there are warning signs to watch for. (Hear Warning Signs)

Would you live in a fairytale-inspired castle?

Yesterday's Results:

Have you ever attended the Cincinnati Open?

No: 65%
Yes, in past years: 14%
Not yet, but I'd like to: 11%
Yes, this year: 10%

How does the Ohio Revised Code define the state’s official beverage?

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NASA Moon Grant, Goolrick’s Reopens, and WWII Warbirds

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2026

Good morning! On this day in 1774, explorer Meriwether Lewis was born at Locust Hill in Albemarle County. He served as Thomas Jefferson’s secretary before co-leading the Corps of Discovery with William Clark to the Pacific from 1804 to 1806.

A Virginia Tech engineer landed a grant to help NASA astronauts work through the moon’s two-week night. Learn more in Top Stories.

VT Engineer Lands NASA Moon Grant

NASA has chosen a Virginia Tech engineer for one of 18 grants to develop insulation that could keep robots working through the moon’s two-week night.

Austin Phoenix, mission systems division director in the university’s National Security Institute, will study a concept called ECLIPSE under NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program, which is giving up to $175,000 for each nine-month study.

The moon swings roughly 500 degrees between lunar day and the frigid two-week night, and today’s rovers burn scarce power on heaters and batteries to survive it. ECLIPSE would replace much of that with a passive material—a variable-conductivity metamaterial triggered by shape-memory alloys—that traps heat when it turns cold and sheds it as it warms.

Phoenix earned two degrees at Virginia Tech and spent nearly a decade at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. NASA says the payoff could reach beyond the moon to satellites, electric vehicles, and energy-efficient buildings.

Arrest Made in VSU Shooting

Police have arrested Camron Harris, 19, in the mass shooting at Virginia State University in Ettrick that wounded five people early Saturday.

Chesterfield County police found Harris hiding in a closet in the university’s Seward Hall at least 12 hours after the gunfire and charged him with eight felonies. He’s being held without bond.

Five people were shot, including one VSU student. One man was critically injured, and the other four are expected to recover. Investigators say more than one person fired, and they are still searching for others involved.

On Sunday evening, VSU President Makola Abdullah addressed the historically black university in a letter, writing that “The safety and well-being of our students and our entire campus community remain among our highest priorities.” Classes at the Ettrick campus began Monday.

Speaker Johnson Campaigns for Kiggans

House Speaker Mike Johnson visited Virginia Beach Monday to campaign for Rep. Jen Kiggans in Virginia’s competitive 2nd Congressional District.

The race is a rematch of 2022, when Kiggans defeated Democrat Elaine Luria. Analysts say the high-profile stop underscores Republicans’ priority on retaining the seat and their House majority.

The district leans Republican but remains a target, with Democrats showing recent strength there ahead of early voting on Sept. 18 and Election Day on Nov. 3.

Johnson is also launching a “Contrast for America” nationwide tour and website. The effort aims to educate young voters on the historical failures of socialism and communism while highlighting differences between the parties.

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➤ Statewide: Virginia's median household income of $93,170 slightly exceeds the estimated $92,266 needed to comfortably buy a median-priced home, leaving a thin $904 affordability surplus. (See Data)

➤ Eastern Shore: As Accomack and Northampton counties spotlight their history for the nation’s 250th anniversary, VDOT is reminding travelers that its highway signs remain key to navigating the Eastern Shore's growing network of heritage trails. (More)

➤ Hampton: Officials pushed back against a $4.2 billion Army Corps flood-mitigation plan that would voluntarily elevate 4,000 homes, calling the city's $1.5 billion share unaffordable and pushing for structural solutions instead. (More)

➤ Lynchburg: Lynchburg Regional Airport received an $8 million FAA grant to expand its terminal, adding a wider TSA exit lane and elevator to improve passenger flow and accommodate future growth. (More)

➤ Richmond: Virginia Union University is asking the city for permission to develop the former Richmond Community Hospital property, pledging to preserve the historic hospital building. (More)

➤ Smith Mountain Lake: Three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries Saturday night when their center console boat ran ashore, prompting a marine rescue response and hospital transport for all three occupants. (More)

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➤ Washington Commanders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota sprained the MCL in his right knee during this weekend’s preseason opener against the Dolphins and will miss the rest of the preseason. (More)

➤ UVA sophomore Sara Curtis collected six medals at the European Swimming Championships in Paris, including gold in the 50-meter backstroke in a world-record time of 26.56 seconds. She set two world records and five individual Italian records across the meet. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, incoming UVA tennis freshman Jack Kennedy won the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships, earning a wild card into the main draw of the 2026 US Open. He’s the No. 1 recruit in the country. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA | Tennis

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➤ Goolrick’s soda fountain has reopened in downtown Fredericksburg after a four-year renovation of its historic Caroline Street space. (More)

➤ Denver-based Four Mile Capital is suing River’s Edge developers, alleging fraud over persistent water leaks and shoddy construction at the 212-unit Manchester riverfront tower it purchased for $50 million. (More)

➤ HoneyBloom Company, a maternity clothing boutique, is opening its first standalone storefront at Stony Point Fashion Park after Painted Tree Boutiques’ national chain abruptly closed all locations. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

Flying together with our sponsor

A Small Upgrade You'll Use Every Day

Learn more about the Sonic Glow Brush and see if it's right for you today.

➤ Two World War II-era warbirds, including a 1942 Boeing Stearman biplane, landed at New River Valley Airport in Dublin, offering static displays and rides to the public. (Watch Report)

➤ Virginia ranks 43rd and among the eight worst states for women’s equality in a study of 50 states measuring metrics such as pay gaps, leadership roles, education and health outcomes. (More)

➤ Norfolk musician Scott Medina plans to release Slow Fast, his final collaboration with Tony Camarillo, donating proceeds to Camarillo’s grieving family after his shooting death. (More)

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➤ Most Americans never program their thermostats, and it's costing them. There's an exact degrees-and-hours setting that can trim real money off heating and cooling costs. (Hear Setting)

➤ Newly declassified files show the FBI stumbled onto former Rep. Eric Swalwell's affair with a suspected Chinese spy while trying to recruit her as a confidential informant. (Hear Story)

➤ A popular Maryland state park is partially closed after rabid beavers attacked two teens. Experts say there are warning signs to watch for. (Hear Warning Signs)