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Ohio Statehouse Won't Have The Annual 9/11 Memorial This Year

Nearly 3,000 flags were placed on the Ohio Statehouse lawn by volunteers every year since 2002, including last year.
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Nearly 3,000 flags were placed on the Ohio Statehouse lawn by volunteers every year since 2002, including last year.

For the past 18 years, the Ohio Statehouse has memorialized 9/11 with a flag display on the West lawn. But the 2,977 American flags, one for each life lost in the terrorist actions of that day, won’t go up this year. 

Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board Spokesman Mike Rupert says the decision not to plant those flags this year was made in conjunction with the group of volunteers that sets them up. 

“We decided together that we would not have the event this year, probably because of the coronavirus situation and also with the pop-up protests and things in that area," Rupert says.

The annual display, which is placed in a way to resemble the twin towers of New York City and the Pentagon, began in 2002. Visitors from around the state come to see it each year. 

Copyright 2020 The Statehouse News Bureau

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment.