A new grant will help give Hocking County’s emergency services a boost in an effort to help address tourism strains. The Tourism Impact Emergency Services grant used lodging tax funds to provide 13 $25,000 grants to organizations in the county that support public safety.

School districts are warning constituents that changes to local property tax passed at the end of last year could cause some major budgeting challenges. “It’s a complete disaster for all of us,” said George Wood, superintendent of Federal Hocking school district in Athens County.

Another legal action has been filed in court as two rival governments in Nelsonville lay claim to their legitimacy. The latest action was filed earlier this month on behalf of the members of what is known as the statutory government.

The operator of two recovery homes in Athens told members of the Planning Commission she regrets getting off to a bad start with the city and would like a chance to set things right.

After a fire caused severe damage to Hotel McArthur in July, the historic building is now back on track for a renovation.

The lawsuit alleges that OhioHealth uses its market strength to force insurers to include OhioHealth in all their commercial insurance networks. That practice prevents insurers from offering lower-priced health plan options, the lawsuit alleges.

Athens will not support an expanded drone program for first responders after a 5-2 City Council vote rejected the measure. The council chamber was packed with residents opposed to the proposal, and they listed concerns around civil liberties, immigration enforcement, cost and surveillance.

Early Sunday morning, one of the Mine’s brick walls partially crumbled, causing the building to lean to one side. Several neighboring businesses were forced to close, including FullBrooks Cafe, the Dew House and Rhapsody Restaurant.

The Athens Planning Commission is looking to develop some zoning rules to regulate the location of recovery homes in the city. This comes as some residents have complained about two recovery homes that have been the subject of several police calls over the past few months.

It’s looking like the city won’t have the cash on hand it needs to meet the medical expenses projected in the 2026 budget adopted in December, said Andy Stone, the city’s service-safety director. This doesn’t mean the city is unable to pay its medical bills right now, Stone said.

It’s not often blowouts happen in the MAC, especially in the conference’s best season in recent memory.

A project to fund improvements in uptown Athens was cancelled after being put out to bid four times without receiving a single proposal.

There are some state resources available to support former foster kids. But the primary one, Bridges Ohio, requires that a person already have a job or be enrolled in an educational program.

Hamilton Township is one of many across the region grappling with the data center industry’s rapid growth in Ohio. The state of Ohio has the fifth-largest number of data centers in the country, with 191 operating and 102 more planned.

Some protesters are asking for measures to increase safety after Saturday’s Stop War Crimes protest in Athens. Although no violence was reported, a silver truck did pull up alongside protesters lined up on East State Street and spewed black smoke onto them – an act referred to as rolling coal.

WOUB Public Media has laid off three employees and will not be replacing three others who left for other reasons, a consequence of a loss of federal funding. WOUB also anticipates receiving less funding from Ohio University for the coming fiscal year.

Meta, the parent of Facebook, announced on Friday a multi-billion dollar investment in a company’s plans to build nuclear power plants in southeast Ohio. Electricity generated by these plants would help power Meta’s data centers in Ohio.

Somehow, some way, the Bobcats keep finding ways to win. After starting 1-6 against tough competition, Ohio has rattled off eight wins in its last nine games to completely flip the team’s fortunes this season.

Authorities have released security footage of a person of interest in the killing of a Columbus couple who were found shot to death in their home last week. Police in Columbus found Dr. Spencer Tepe and Monique Tepe with gunshot wounds in their home on Dec. 30.

Duluth, Minnesota–based singer-songwriter Charlie Parr has spent more than two decades shaping one of the most compelling catalogs in contemporary American roots music.

Child care providers in the region say they’re experiencing strains after the state’s publicly funded child care system saw changes to its reimbursement model.

“We are thrilled to announce John Hauser as our next head football coach,” Athletic Director Slade Larscheid wrote in a press release Friday. “John is committed to developing our team while continuing to build on the strong foundation.”

“City Council must rescind recent actions taken to overturn the will of the people with regard to Charter Government,” the board of the Nelsonville Chamber of Commerce wrote in a letter sent to local media.

Thank you Emily Votaw & @woubnews.bsky.social for the wonderful article. Read below: woub.org/2025/12/19/m...

Ohio University fired head football coach Brian Smith for alleged extramarital affairs, one with an undergraduate student, and alcohol use on campus, according to documents obtained by WOUB via public record requests.

Things were going so well, they considered expanding into Amesville. This would have put even more demands on their time just as Berardi was adjusting to another big change. “I have a 2-year-old son. I want to grow my family. My mom is 74. She really needs to retire,” she said.

Ohio University has fired Head Football Coach Brian Smith “for cause.” “The termination follows an administrative review of allegations that Smith violated the terms of his employment agreement by engaging in serious professional misconduct...”

A former law enforcement officer in Pike County was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison for leading a drug trafficking ring dealing steroids and cocaine. Mark Anglemyer Jr. ran a drug trafficking operation out of Waverly from 2019 to 2024, according to a U.S. attorney's office.

Ohio University paid $400,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a former journalism professor who was fired over claims that he sexually harassed two female students. Yusuf Kalyango filed the lawsuit in federal court in April 2022, one year after the university’s board of trustees voted to fire him.

In an update to this story, Smith's attorney claims the university still has not provided a formal reason for his leave. And court documents now under seal claim his ongoing divorce is not directly tied to Smith's leave.

🎉Thank you for your Giving Tuesday generosity!🎉 Thanks to your donations, we were able to raise $49,761 for the current student experience at WOUB. Still want to make a donation? There are many ways to show that you're #WOUBProud through the year: woub.org/support-woub/

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The city of Athens has been hit with another big, unexpected expense at the end of the year that could impact hiring decisions moving forward. The City Council learned at its meeting Monday night the city owes a $750,000 income tax refund to a business.

Our Giving Tuesday goal is within reach: bit.ly/WOUBProud2025 Thanks to your generosity, we've passed 70% toward our goal of $50,000 to benefit the current student experience at WOUB.

WOUB has been unable to learn much about the proposed data center. It appears most of the details are covered under a nondisclosure agreement that prevents people in the know from talking about it.

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The owners of the Triple Nickel Diner in Chesterhill announced early Monday afternoon they will be closing the restaurant for good in the spring.

Rumors are circulating on social media that federal immigration agents raided at least one Ohio University dorm and possibly student apartment complexes in Athens.

The Bobcats possess the second longest active home winning streak in college football. With 12-straight wins on the Frank. “I’m excited that we’re playing at home,” head coach Brian Smith said. “We’re a different team right now when we’re playing on the Frank.”

The lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court by the owner of a group recovery home located in a residential neighborhood in the city. Earlier this year, the city filed criminal charges against the owner, alleging the group home violates city zoning code.

Seasonal visitors help support local economies. When they come for the scenery, tourists spend on lodging and local restaurants. In Hocking and Guernsey counties, tourism makes up 15% and 10% of all jobs.

A judge in Franklin County has for now blocked Gov. Mike DeWine’s short-term “intoxicating” hemp ban for products with psychoactive ingredients, such as delta-8 THC and THC-A.

Treasurer Taylor Sappington wrote in an email last week to the county commissioners that he wanted to give them a heads up on the reinvestment decision before they saw it in the quarterly update on investments.

July delivered close to 9 inches of rainfall in the Athens area, well above the normal amount in years past. But does it make sense to talk about normal and use past weather patterns to help predict — and prepare for — the future?

In case you missed it: Ohio University Football entered week two of Mid-American Conference play off a 35-20 win over Bowling Green. The Bobcats (4-2, 2-0 MAC) offense struggled immensely in the second half and fell 20-14 to Ball State (1-4, 0-1 MAC) for the first time since Nov. 14, 2012.

If you’ve ever wondered what your hometown might look like as part of a nuclear wasteland, the popular video game series Fallout may soon give you the chance.

In case you missed it: As a defending conference champion, Ohio University Football expects to get the best effort from all of its opponents. And that was the case Saturday afternoon at Peden Stadium as Bowling Green rolled into Athens for Eddie George’s first Mid-American Conference game.

Mid-American Conference play is always delivers exciting results and coming into week five of the season there have already been a couple of MAC Football games. This week, both Ohio (2-2) and Bowling Green (2-2) will open their conference schedules against one another in Athens.

This database, named the Peaceful Encounter Program, went live recently, and since then people have been signing up at a pretty steady clip.