Vance Returns to Middletown Steel Plant

Vice President JD Vance returned to his hometown Friday to promote a $1 billion investment in Cleveland-Cliffs’ Middletown Works, where his grandfather worked for nearly 40 years.

Cleveland-Cliffs and the federal government will split the project’s cost evenly, with the Energy Department rescoping a $500 million grant. Planned upgrades include the blast furnace, material handling systems, artificial intelligence-enabled process controls, and a cogeneration facility designed to lower energy costs.

Vance said the former Armco Steel plant is part of his family’s story and argued that Trump administration policies helped preserve facilities like it.

Cleveland-Cliffs says work will begin within weeks, and the project will support more than 1,500 construction jobs at its peak while preserving 2,300 existing jobs. The blast furnace rebuild is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2030.

Dad Catches Son’s First Pro Homer

Cincinnati native and McNicholas High School graduate Sawyer Strosnider launched his first professional home run Wednesday for the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, and his father, Scott, caught the ball in the right-center-field party deck.

When guests on the deck told Scott the area was reserved for a private party, he replied that his son was about to hit a home run that he would catch.

The Milwaukee Brewers’ 2026 second-round pick turned an 85 mph changeup into a 103.6 mph shot in the seventh inning.

The Timber Rattlers posted video of the home run and later shared his father’s point of view.

Poacher Must Apologize on TikTok

An Ohio hunter who bragged about his hunting skills online was ordered to post an apology on TikTok after pleading guilty to 17 wildlife charges stemming from a multistate poaching investigation.

Federal wildlife officials said Carter J. Hickey, 21, of New Philadelphia, violated wildlife laws in at least 17 states. His offenses included taking animals out of season, hunting without permission, spotlighting wildlife, and using a motor vehicle to help kill game.

Hickey was ordered to pay at least $33,500 in restitution, fines, penalties, and a contribution to Ohio’s Turn In a Poacher program. He also received 15 days in jail, 80 hours of community service, two years of probation, and a five-year hunting and trapping ban.

The sentence also required Hickey to write an apology to the city of Dover for trespassing and unlawfully taking a 10-point buck in a public park.

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Statewide: Gov. Mike DeWine asked FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration to begin damage assessments after repeated storms left mounting damage across Ohio. (More)

➤ Buckeye Lake: Officials issued a 24-hour mandatory evacuation Thursday night for properties west of the State Route 79/State Route 360 intersection after major flooding threatened homes and roads. (More)

➤ Columbus: Les Wexner stepped back as chair of Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center Board and will remain on the board as chair emeritus, with Robert H. Schottenstein succeeding him. (More)

➤ Highland Heights: A part-time dispatcher resigned after an internal investigation uncovered numerous unauthorized Flock camera searches. (More)

➤ Springfield: Mayor Rob Rue confirmed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has made arrests in Springfield and said the agency told city officials that targeted immigration enforcement operations would continue across Ohio. (More)

➤ Erie County: Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose broke a 2-2 tie on the Erie County Board of Elections and certified Caleb Stidham as the Republican candidate for Ohio House District 89. (More)

➤ Cleveland: An overnight fire destroyed the 132-year-old vacant Friendship Baptist Church, which was built in 1894 as Willson Avenue Temple. It was Cleveland’s oldest surviving synagogue building. (More)

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

➤ Princeton football snapped a 19-game losing streak to Archbishop Moeller with a 31-24 win at Paycor Stadium on Thursday, claiming the King of the Block trophy for the first time since 1991. (More)

➤ Elyria and Lorain moved their Aug. 28 varsity football game to noon Aug. 29 at Ely Stadium as a precaution following the recent fatal shooting of two Elyria teenagers in Lorain. (More)

➤ Hamilton West Side fell 6-5 to the Mountain region team from Nevada in its Little League World Series opener and will face a team from Bridgewater, Massachusetts, in an elimination game at 3 p.m. today. (More)

➤ Ohio State added 6-foot-9 Argentine forward Lee Aaliya to its 2026-27 men’s basketball roster. He has played professionally overseas for the past five years. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NFL | MLB | WNBA | Golf | Little League World Series | Soccer

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Life Insurance Without the Hassle. Getting covered shouldn’t take weeks or a medical exam. Ethos makes it simple to get a life insurance policy in as little as 10 minutes, all online, with no needles and no waiting rooms (just answer few health questions online). Affordable Term Life coverage up to $3M. Click here to get your instant quote and help protect your family’s future today.

Flying together with our sponsor

How Solving Camping’s Biggest Problem Earned $150M+

Most people love the idea of being outdoors. Almost nobody loves what it takes to get there.

Campsites book months in advance. Gear’s expensive and collects dust. RV ownership’s a financial and logistical burden. Hotels are comfortable, but lose the very thing people were chasing in the first place.

AutoCamp solves all that. Guests arrive with a suitcase, check in like a hotel, and wake up at an iconic outdoor destination like Yosemite or Joshua Tree. But instead of hard ground and outhouses, they have a boutique room or custom-designed Airstream trailer with a spa-inspired bathroom.

And travelers can’t get enough, with 1M+ happy campers so far. That’s earned $150M+ in location revenue for property owners operating with the Company’s Brands since inception. 

Now you can invest as AutoCamp works to scale from 9 locations to 100+.

➤ Catholic schools across the Diocese of Columbus are expanding as the diocese prepares to open its first new elementary school in 30 years, with a new high school also planned. (More)

➤ The Justice Department sued a Hancock County chinchilla breeder after inspectors said they found about 1,147 animals and repeated alleged Animal Welfare Act violations. (See Details)

➤ Mosquito Lake State Park in Trumbull County opened a two-building nature center complex offering wildlife exhibits, classes, safety courses, birding activities, and community programs. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Swollen Feet and Ankles? There May Be Another Approach. Tight rings and swollen ankles are often blamed on salt, standing, or aging. But researchers are exploring how a specific type of Antarctic omega-3 may help support the body’s natural response to age-related swelling. Discover why adults over 50 are taking a closer look at this unique omega-3. Learn More >>

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

➤ How long will you live? Decades of research say your daily habits already know. (Hear Details)

➤ The Pentagon and independent trackers are telling two very different stories about oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz. (Listen Now)

➤ Eight people were aboard a charter plane headed for a remote Alaska military radar site when it crashed. (Podcast Available)

How often do you visit nature centers, parks, or wildlife areas?

1. Frequently
   
2. Every so often
   
3. Rarely
   
4. Never

Yesterday’s Results:

How comfortable would you be having packages delivered to your home by drone?

1. I’d have to see it: 41%
2. Not a fan: 39%
3. I’d like it: 20%

Which two Cincinnati neighborhoods were named in connection with an observatory?

Show me the answer