Monday, September 21, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1970, the first-ever NFL Monday Night Football game was played in Cleveland between the Browns and the New York Jets.

🐴 The two newest members of Cleveland’s mounted police unit are of the miniature variety. Meet Valor and Grace in today’s Et Cetera section.

The cost of living is the quiet force behind almost every financial decision you make, and lately it's been an uphill battle. Why does your paycheck buy less than it used to? Why is home buying suddenly out of reach for you or your loved ones? And who exactly decides what the cost of living is in the first place? In the latest episode of Flyover Focus, we take a deeper look at the number everyone quotes and how it will continue to affect your budget. (Tune in here)

Today’s sponsor is LMNT. We’ve talked about LMNT before, usually by telling you how much our team likes it. But that might not be the most useful thing we could tell you. So today, we’re taking a different approach and publishing what may be the saltiest advertisement in Flyover history.

Court Blocks Data Center Vote

Wilmington residents won't get to vote on data center rules this November after the Ohio Supreme Court blocked a citizen-led measure from the ballot in a 6-1 decision issued Friday.

The proposed ordinance would have set city limits on data center noise, water use, and backup generators. It also would have let residents sue over zoning violations, which is not allowed under Ohio law.

The ruling arrives as local pushback on data centers spreads, with at least 138 municipalities and townships holding active data center moratoriums as of Sept. 17.

A Bowling Green State University poll found 78% of Ohioans favor pausing construction until the effects are better understood, while The Buckeye Institute argues the state should reject moratoriums and instead require developers to carry their own costs.

Ohio Starts Accepting Crypto Payments

Ohioans can now pay state fees with cryptocurrency, making Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office the first in state government to accept digital assets for routine business.

The change came through a “payment modernization project” LaRose announced earlier this year that also added Apple Pay and Google Pay. It covers transactions from registering a new business to securing a trademark or a minister's license.

Crypto payments run through a digital wallet called Buckeye Billfold. Digital currency converts to U.S. dollars the instant a transaction clears, so the state never carries volatile assets on its books.

CVG Named Ohio's Best Airport

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International was named the best airport in Ohio by travelers in a new North American satisfaction study, finishing No. 7 overall in its size class.

John Glenn Columbus International ranked No. 12, and Cleveland Hopkins International placed No. 14. All three compete in the medium category, which covers airports handling 4.5 million to 9.9 million passengers a year.

The rankings drew on nearly 25,000 surveys of American and Canadian travelers, weighing how easily passengers move through a terminal, how much they trust the place, and what the facilities are like.

A companion study of airport lounges found a more mixed picture, with free food drawing 39% of travelers through the door but 46% reporting that the lounge they use most often is usually crowded.

Flying together with our sponsor

Fair Warning: Your First Sip May Surprise You

LMNT is salty. Each packet contains 1,000 mg of sodium, 200 mg of potassium, and 60 mg of magnesium, with zero sugar.

That first sip may catch you off guard, especially if you’re used to brightly colored sports drinks that taste more like liquid candy. But the salt isn’t something LMNT is trying to hide. It’s the entire point.

LMNT was created for people who want a meaningful amount of electrolytes without loading their water with sugar, artificial coloring, or a long list of unnecessary ingredients.

We reach for it before workouts, after sweating, while traveling, and on days when another glass of plain water just doesn’t sound appealing.

See why LMNT tastes different from the electrolyte drinks you grew up with. Order LMNT today and get a free sample pack with your purchase.

➤ Statewide: Half of Ohio's deer permit buyers took at least one animal last season, an “unprecedented” success rate, but permit sales have fallen 22% since 2011, leaving fewer hunters to check herd growth. (More)

➤ Southeast Ohio: Flash flooding forced evacuations in Pickaway and Hocking counties early Sunday, starting near state Route 56 around 2 a.m. (More)

➤ Cincinnati: A retired Cincinnati fire chief, 83, saw flames on his front porch last week, grabbed his son's dog, and escaped through the basement to safety. (See Photos)

➤ Toledo: Fire Chief Allison Armstrong was seriously injured Friday on her way to a firefighters memorial in Colorado when a driver struck her car at high speed. (More)

➤ Clayton: City officials warned residents about an AI-generated video pushing a fake federal program to freeze property taxes for older homeowners. (See Details)

Enjoy reading The Ohio Flyover? Click here to share with your friends and family.

➤ The Cleveland Browns defeated Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-19 after a weather delay with two minutes remaining halted play for more than two hours. Rookie Denzel Boston caught five passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. (More)

➤ Ja’Marr Chase caught two touchdown passes, while Joe Burrow overcame five sacks to lead the Cincinnati Bengals to a 20-6 road win over the Houston Texans. (More)

➤ Federal prosecutors listed 18 pitches thrown by Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase across 17 games as the core of their gambling case against him, which goes to trial in November. One came in a 2024 playoff game against the Detroit Tigers. (See Games)

➤ Heidelberg stunned No. 8 Mount Union 37-34 in Alliance on Saturday, its first win over the Purple Raiders since 1988. (More)

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➤ Why landscape contractors, retirees, and first-time homeowners are walking past every rubber and expandable hose at the hardware store and putting one of these on the spigot instead. Garden Maestro's Elite Garden Hose is built from steel! The same 304 grade steel used in industrial piping. Won't kink, won't tear, won't quit. Learn More

Flyover Focus takes a deeper look at the topics that matter. Click the link to watch this week’s full episode.

➤ Your grocery bill, your mortgage, and your retirement check all move with the cost of living. So what's actually behind that number? (Tune in here)

In the latest episode of Flyover Focus, we get into how the cost of living is measured, why the official figure doesn't always match what you see at the register, and whether the yearly raise to Social Security checks actually keeps anyone afloat. We also look at who's feeling the squeeze hardest, and whether there's any relief in sight. (Watch Now)

In case you missed it, last week on Flyover Focus, we broke down artificial intelligence, tune in here.

➤ L3Harris won a $60 million Air Force contract to build proximity sensors that let aircrews set a munition's exact detonation altitude. Production is set to run through a plant in Clermont County. (More)

➤ Cincinnati-based Kroger plans to invest $253 million over three years in Harris Teeter, renovating stores across the Carolinas and opening three new ones. (More)

➤ Fifty West plans to close its Chillicothe taproom by year's end, citing financial difficulties after six years in operation. (More)

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➤ Home Safety Alert: It Kills While Families Sleep. Protect yours with Vital Carbon Detector. It tracks carbon monoxide, natural gas, and propane in a single device. Learn More

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We’ve Been Endorsing LMNT the Wrong Way

Instead of simply telling you we like LMNT, here’s the better endorsement: we actually use it. Packets end up in our gym bags, desks, cars, and suitcases. Everyone has a favorite flavor, and the best ones have a habit of disappearing first.

It has become one of those simple products we keep around because we regularly reach for it. Fair warning, though: once ordinary water starts tasting boring, don’t blame us.

Order LMNT today and get a free sample pack with your purchase. It’s an easy way to try more flavors and find your favorite.

➤ Kart racers descended on Lorain this weekend from more than 20 countries for the U.S. Pro Kart Series championships, the first national event at a track built on a former landfill. (More)

➤ Cleveland police welcomed two miniature horses, Valor and Grace, into a mounted unit that traces its history back to 1911. The pair will patrol neighborhoods and work community events. (See Horses)

➤ Young adults are skipping the family doctor, with more than a quarter of Gen Z patients in a study commissioned by The Ohio State University reporting having no primary care provider. (More)

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➤ Why Do Bruises Suddenly Show Up After 50? You don't remember bumping into anything—yet another bruise appears. While many people chalk it up to aging or medication, easy bruising may be a clue worth paying attention to. It's one of 7 commonly overlooked warning signs that can become more noticeable with age. See all 7 warning signs—and what they could be telling you.