Catching Our Eye News Roundup, March 23, 2026

Every morning in the Ohio Capital Journal’s free newsletter, The Eye-Opener, we round up the news and commentary from across Ohio and around the country and world that is catching our attention. We call this feature Catching Our Eye, republished here.

Please subscribe to our free daily newsletter to get all the Ohio news you need to know right to your inbox every weekday morning.

If you already subscribe, please share with your family and friends so they know about the Ohio Capital Journal too: https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/subscribe/

Catching Our Eye

Teaching Christianity in schools. Cleveland.com’s Karan Singh reports, “Religious education bill honoring Charlie Kirk introduced in Senate following swift House approval.”

A polarizing initiative to alter Ohio’s education standards based on the belief that Christianity was a building block of the United States is advancing rapidly at the Statehouse.

Drafted by Republican Reps. Gary Click of Sandusky County and Berea’s Michael Dovilla, House Bill 486 is currently cosponsored by 34 other representatives of the same party. Packaged as a tribute to late conservative figure Charlie Kirk, it would permit school and college instructors to teach students about the influence of Christianity on the nation’s history and values.

Prices. ABC News reports, “What soaring diesel costs amid war with Iran mean for meat, vegetable and fruit prices.”

Sticker shock has plagued drivers at the gas pump since the outbreak of war with Iran, but higher prices could soon follow them to the grocery store, the mall and just about everywhere else they shop, some economists told ABC News.

The reason for that is a surge in the cost of diesel fuel, which powers many of the trucks, trains and ships that transport products across a vast global supply chain. The price hike for any individual item will likely be modest, but the pileup of extra costs could weigh on wallets, they said.

Solar blocked. WOSU’s Katie Geniusz reports, “Ohio Power Siting Board blocks construction of Morrow County solar farm.”

The Ohio Power Siting Board has denied construction of the Crossroads Solar project in Morrow County.

The decision referenced “consistent and substantial opposition to the project by the local population and as expressed through the local governmental entities.”

Legitimacy of local opposition to the project has been brought into question. Local township boards all voted to oppose the project, but reporting by Canary Media has found that public comment claiming to be from residents does not align with voter registration records. Canary Media also reports that false email addresses were provided.

Gas plant. The Statehouse News Bureau’s Sarah Donaldson reports, “Feds announce huge natural gas plant, data center project in southern Ohio.”

Two federal agencies say a recently proposed $33.3 billion, 9.2-gigawatt (GW) natural gas plant in southern Ohio will eventually power a data center.

The facilities, including the behemoth proposed 10-GW data center, will be constructed on revitalized U.S. Department of Energy land in Piketon, where the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant was.