You are viewing the September 4, 2013 daily archives

Ohio Using Driver’s Licenses To Identify Faces In Surveillance Images
Say cheese! You've seen it on social media websites when facial recognition technology allows you to pick out your friends from hundreds of photos in a matter of seconds. Now, the Ohio State government can do the same thing, using Ohio drivers license photos as a way to recognize faces in surveillance videos. It's a… Read More

County Officials Dispute Over Evidence Storage
By: Megan Moseley
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Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly and County Commissioner Lenny Eliason are at odds over the pace of efforts to free up additional space for evidence storage for the sheriff’s office. Kelly said he’s getting fed up with the cramped evidence room in the county courthouse building. A marijuana bust last week added 13 pounds of… Read More

Seven Indicted In Drug Trafficking Ring
By: Bill Rockwell | Perry County Tribune staff reporter
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More charges may be pending from a spring 2011 drug bust that already netted seven arrests. The Perry County Grand Jury handed down indictments to those seven county residents suspected in a prescription drug trafficking ring. The Central Ohio Drug Enforcement Task Force and agents with the Ohio Board of Pharmacy conducted an investigation into… Read More

Ohio Women’s Basketball Releases Conference Schedule
By: Erick Starkey
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Ohio Women’s Basketball released its Mid-American Conference schedule Tuesday for the 2013-14 season. Ohio begins its conference schedule by traveling to Northern Illinois on Jan. 4. The Bobcats have a big game set for Feb. 2 as they travel to Central Michigan to face the defending MAC Champion Chippewas. Ohio closes its regular season schedule… Read More

Regional Foodbank Raising Awareness About Hunger
The Southeast Ohio Foodbank and Kitchen is joining in a nationwide effort to raise awareness about food security issues during Hunger Awareness Month. The theme this year is “Together We Can Solve Hunger”. They will kick off this Thursday with a wear orange for hunger event. “Our main goal is to raise awareness so that… Read More

Man To Be Retried In Arson Death Of Laurelville Man
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Vinton County Courier
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Months after a deadlocked jury led a judge to declare a mistrial, Robert Schall will again face murder charges in Vinton County Common Pleas Court. Schall, formerly of Hillsboro, is on trial for the October 2011 death of Laurelville resident Michael Hunt, as well as arson and robbery. Hunt was found dead and badly burned… Read More

OU Field Hockey Practicing On Tennis Court, Playing All 2013 Games Away
By: Grant Burkhardt
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The Ohio University field hockey team will play all of its scheduled games in 2013 away from Athens because of construction at Pruitt Field. As WOUB reported Aug. 28, Ohio University is spending $540,000 extra to replace the drainage system below the turf field, and construction isn't expected to be complete until the end of… Read More

Commissioners To Ask For State Hearing On Injection Well
By: Steve Robb - Athens Messenger staff reporter
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A public hearing on a permit application to drill an injection well in Troy Twp. is being sought by the Athens County Commissioners, who also approved a resolution Tuesday in support of legislation that would ban disposal of fracking waste in injection wells. Both actions were requested by the Athens County Fracking Action Network (ACFAN),… Read More

Afternoon Audio Update for September 4
The Athens City School Board and the mother of an autistic girl have reached an agreement over the issue of a service dog in the classroom. A man who had cared for the creatures released and killed in Ohio's headline-making exotic animal escape in 2011 says someone intentionally freed his 400-pound lion from its cage…. Read More

Countywide Accountability System Brought To First Responders
By: Susan Tebben | The Athens Messenger
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After seven months of debate, the county fire departments and other first responders now have a uniform system of accountability for emergency response. The Passport is a system that keeps an incident commander aware of where individuals are during an emergency situation, through use of tags from fireman’s helmets or medic identification badges. According to… Read More

New Athens County Treasurer Starts Job This Week
By: Athens Messenger staff reports
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When Bill Bias reported for work Tuesday, it was as Athens County’s new treasurer, although he’s had several months to prepare for the role. Bias was elected treasurer in last November’s general election, but under Ohio law the term does not begin until September. Bias sought the post after long-time treasurer JaVon Kittle Cooper announced… Read More

Man And Woman Arrested For Meth Operation In Circleville
By: Trish Bennett | Circleville Herald
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A man with felony cases already pending in Pickaway County Common Pleas Court was arrested again Tuesday on meth-related charges. Brian C. Fout, 31, is being held in the Pickaway County Jail on charges of manufacture or cultivation of illegal drugs; illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs; trafficking in drugs;… Read More

Think Globally, Rock Locally: Your Guide To The Aquabear County Fair
By: Bryan Gibson
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The annual Aquabear County Fair, a celebration of Ohio music, returns to Athens this weekend, featuring 14 local and regional bands. WOUB's Bryan Gibson talks with Aquabear Legion co-founder Brian Koscho about the Fair's origins, this year's lineup and why it's important to support local musical talent.

Rio Drops Five-Setter 3-2 After Controversial Call
By: Cody Linn
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The Rio Grande RedStorm lost their Mid-South Conference opener in a five-set match to the Shawnee State Bears 23-25, 25-20, 26-28, 25-15, 15-11. The Bears won a dramatic fifth set after a controversial call left the RedStorm (0-2, 0-1) deflated. The final set saw Shawnee State grab a 15-11 lead and, thus, the match. “I don’t… Read More

Steampunk Spectacle to Bring Together History, Fantasy
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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For Jessica Cyders, Steampunk is a way to make history “sexy,” where the Victorian era meets modernity, technology and, most of all, creativity. Think of H.G. Wells, whose 19th century time machines brought readers’ imaginations beyond the plain of reality. Think of the year 1870, when author Jules Verne dreamed up a submarine that could… Read More

Caged Lion Freed From Ohio Home
By: Associated Press
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A man who had cared for the creatures released and killed in Ohio's headline-making exotic animal escape in 2011 says someone intentionally freed his 400-pound lion from its cage. Fairfield County sheriff's Lt. Tim Voris tells the Zanesville Times Recorder that a neighbor of owner John Moore found the 2-year-old lioness in his yard Sunday… Read More

WV Gas Prices Up 9 Cents
By: Associated Press
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Gasoline prices have risen an average of 9 cents per gallon in West Virginia over the past week. AAA East Central says the price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas is $3.64 in the state. That's 25 cents cheaper than one year ago. Prices range from $3.55 in Clarksburg to $3.88 in Martinsburg. Nationally,… Read More

Ohio Treasurer Reviews Work Of Predecessor’s Aide
By: Associated Press
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Ohio's state treasurer has ordered an internal review of all business a former deputy state treasurer was involved in following the man's indictment in a bribery scheme. Republican Treasurer Josh Mandel said Tuesday the analysis seeks any additional evidence of alleged fraud by Amer Ahmad, a top deputy to Mandel's Democratic predecessor Kevin Boyce, and… Read More

Ariel Castro Commits Suicide
By: Associated Press
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Ohio corrections officials say Ariel Castro who held three women captive in his home for nearly a decade has committed suicide at a state prison facility. Spokeswoman JoEllen Smith says 53-year-old Castro was found hanging in his cell around 9:20 p.m. Tuesday at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient. Prison medical staff performed CPR before… Read More

New Athens County Treasurer Takes Office
By: Associated Press
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When Bill Bias reported for work Tuesday, it was as Athens County’s new treasurer, although he’s had several months to prepare for the role. Bias was elected treasurer in last November’s general election, but under Ohio law the term does not begin until September. Bias sought the post after long-time treasurer JaVon Kittle Cooper announced… Read More