Why People Aren't Buying New Trucks, Ohio's Sales Tax Holiday, and More

Tuesday, August 4th, 2026

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The average light vehicle on American roads is 12.8 years old, according to a 2025 report from S&P Global Mobility.

There are several reasons, and one of the biggest is that keeping an old truck running now costs less than financing a new one. A new full-size pickup starts around $37,000, and monthly payments at that price run well past what most owners spend on repairs.

So Americans are pouring billions into aftermarket parts and shop labor to keep aging pickups on the road.

See how many billions.

Ohio's sales tax holiday runs Friday through Sunday, Aug. 7-9. Clothing priced at $75 or less is exempt, along with school supplies and instructional materials priced at $20 or less.

The price limits are strict. A shirt at $75.01 or a calculator at $20.01 is fully taxable.

Last August, the break ran two weeks and covered most items priced at $500 or less. Lawmakers returned it to the traditional three-day back-to-school format this year.

Less generous than last summer, but we'll take a break where we can find one.

Assisted living is a housing option for older adults and people with disabilities who need help with daily tasks but not the round-the-clock care of a nursing home. It is not a late-night party service.

The Minnesota Department of Health is investigating an assisted living center accused of serving a resident in its care 18 shots of liquor and a beer over 19 hours before a scheduled medical appointment.

His doctor sent him to the hospital, where his blood alcohol content measured 0.23, nearly three times the 0.08 legal limit for driving. Staff wanted to keep him overnight for evaluation. He declined, saying he would rather go home and keep drinking.

Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for governor, has announced her position on data centers.

If elected, she would impose a conditional moratorium under which new data centers must cover their own gas, water, and electricity costs, meet Ohio's environmental standards, and drop the nondisclosure agreements that keep residents from learning who is behind a project.

And be built and maintained exclusively by union labor.

That last one is the tell. Nationally, roughly 9 in 10 construction workers don't belong to a union. Acton says she wants to "bring jobs to former industrial areas that have been left behind," and her plan to do so starts by deciding which Ohioans are allowed to bid.

Tired of the union-exclusivity narrative yet?

Should the legal voting age be lowered?