You are viewing the July 2, 2014 daily archives

Ohio Medical Marijuana Amendment Won’t Make Ballot
By: Associated Press
Posted on:
A push to place a medical marijuana question before Ohio voters this fall has failed. Ohio Rights Group president John Pardee says the campaign managed to collect about 100,000 signatures by Tuesday's deadline, short of the roughly 386,000 valid signatures needed to qualify. Pardee said supporters of the Ohio Cannabis Rights Amendment plan to continue… Read More

Federal Hocking Asks Commissioners To Declare Holzer Agreements Void
By: Steve Robb - Athens Messenger staff reporter
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The Athens County Commissioners are being asked to declare prior actions the board of commissioners took relating to Holzer Clinic to be void from the time they were adopted. Tom McGuire, a member of the Federal Hocking School Board and an attorney, made the request Tuesday of the commissioners. Federal Hocking is currently embroiled in… Read More

Nelsonville Residents React To Doctors Hospital Closing
By: Sara Brumfield | Athens Messenger
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With the news of OhioHealth deciding to close Doctors Hospital and replace it with a new urgent care facility, some Nelsonville residents are concerned. OhioHealth announced Monday that it plans to stop inpatient services before the end of the year at the Nelsonville hospital. A new urgent care facility will be built in Nelsonville by… Read More

Squirrel Takes Out Substation, Leaving 3,200 Without Power
By: Teresa Salizzoni | Logan Daily News
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Several local businesses closed temporarily and thousands of area residents had to sweat out the heat without air conditioning after an AEP substation went out on Logan’s west end Tuesday morning. A squirrel made its way into the substation “crossing wires that should not have been crossed,” said Jeff Rennie, AEP spokesperson. AEP reported the… Read More

Ohio’s Gas Business Is Booming
By: Joanna Richards | Ohio Public Radio • WCPN
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This past year was a huge one for oil and gas development in Ohio. The state released data today showing just how huge. The enormous growth is due mostly to the new horizontal wells being drilled deep into eastern Ohio’s shale formations through the process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. In the state’s major… Read More

Cincinnati, Columbus Draw High TV Numbers For U.S.-Belgium Match
By: WOUB Staff Writer
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Two Ohio cities are helping drive television ratings of the 2014 FIFA World Cup being played in Brazil. Of the top 10 cities in terms of viewers of Tuesday's United States-Belgium game in the round of 16, Cincinnati ranked sixth with an average metered score of 11.4, and Columbus placed eighth with a 10.8 average…. Read More

Perspectives: ‘Of Course I’m Magic!’
By: Atish Baidya, WOUB Visuals
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Rebecca Darling, an Ohio University student, gives her perspective on living with albinism, a rare condition that takes away skin and hair pigment. Her albinism has also contributed to her her visual disability and sensitivity to light. This video was produced by Atish Baidya and Julia Rabe and is part of WOUB’s ‘Perspectives’ series. View… Read More

Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty To Felony Drug Charges
By: WOUB Staff Writer
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A Jacksonville man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Forty-six-year-old Bert C. Sharrer, Sr. pleaded guilty to two third-degree felonies of aggravated trafficking in drugs and one first-degree felony engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. The charges resulted from a joint investigation into a drug ring running from Detroit through Columbus. Sharrer… Read More

Proposed Voters’ Rights Amendment Won’t Be On Ohio Ballots This Fall
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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Ohio voters won’t get the chance to vote this fall on a proposed constitutional amendment that would give voters a bill of rights. Democratic State Representative Alicia Reece is with a group that’s been collecting signatures for that campaign said it doesn’t have enough to put the issue on the ballot this fall. We are… Read More

New Funding Model Starts For Community Colleges
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
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Starting Tuesday, the way community colleges in Ohio earn the money they get from the state has changed. While the shake-up might sound challenging, school leaders are on board. The new formula for community colleges ties state funding to student achievement. Funding used to be based on enrollment, but it’s now based on milestones such… Read More

Prairie Home Companion’s 40th Anniversary Special
This Saturday, July 5, will mark the 40th anniversary of A Prairie Home Companion. To celebrate the event, WOUB Public Media will air a three-hour extended version of the show Saturday evening from 6 to 9 p.m. live from the campus of Macalester College, the site of the original broadcast. The first show, created by… Read More

Charges Dropped Against Steubenville School Employees In Football Rape Case
By: Associated Press
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Charges have been dropped against two Steubenville school employees as part of an investigation into whether other laws were broken in the rape of a 16-year-old West Virginia girl by two Steubenville football players. Seth Fluharty, a strength and wrestling coach and elementary school teacher, had been accused of failing to report the August 2012… Read More

Prosecutors Announce Largest Federal Murder Indictment In Ohio History
By: Karen Kasler | Statehouse News Bureau
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Prosecutors and law enforcement in central Ohio are talking about what they say is the largest federal murder indictment in Ohio history. Seventeen alleged members of the Short North Posse are accused of 12 unsolved murders and 23 attempted murders in six central Ohio cities since 2005. They’re accused of committing those crimes to control… Read More

Ohio Ends Fiscal Year With $800 Million Surplus
By: Associated Press
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Ohio has ended its budget year as expected with a nearly $800 million surplus, money set aside to fund tax breaks and any unexpected Medicaid expenses coming from federal health care reform. State budget director Tim Keen said Wednesday Ohio beat projections for the fourth consecutive fiscal year through spending cuts and better-than-expected tax revenues…. Read More

Cooper Agrees To Terms With Russian Club
Former Ohio point guard D.J. Cooper agreed to terms with Russian basketball club Enisey Krasnoyarsk, his agent said Wednesday. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, other than that there is a provision for Cooper to transfer to any Euroleague club before July 10. Cooper, who was granted Bosnian citizenship to allow him to compete… Read More

Glouster Police Chief Pleads Not Guilty To Charges
By: Susan Tebben | The Athens Messenger
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Glouster's chief of police was placed on a recognizance bond after pleading innocent Wednesday in Athens County Common Pleas Court to allegations that include harboring a woman wanted by law enforcement. Lucas Mace, of Glouster, waived formal reading of his indictment on three counts of obstructing justice, six counts of dereliction of duty, and one… Read More

Athens County Board Of Developmental Disabilities Moves Forward With Levy Plan
The Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities has selected the levy option it will present to the Athens County Commissioners. After looking at budget projections and deficit spending, the ACBDD determined that it would ask for a 1.5 mill tax levy to continue program operations. If the commissioners approve the levy, they will send it… Read More

Court Orders Review In Ohio Birth Control Case
By: Associated Press
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The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered further review in a case involving Ohio business owners who challenged the birth control mandate under the new federal health care law. The order comes after its ruling Monday that businesses can now lodge religious objections to the coverage. The case involves two brothers, Francis and Philip M. Gilardi,… Read More

Symposium On Opiate Addiction Focuses On Coordinated Effort
By: Stephanie Beougher
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Ohio’s response to the devastating effects of opiate abuse continued on June 30 as more than 800 state and local leaders came together to learn about promising judicial practices and options for treatment, including medication-assisted treatment. Judges from 83 Ohio counties and their community partners attended the Ohio Judicial Symposium on Opiate Addiction, presented in… Read More

Commissioners Want ER To Remain In Nelsonville
By: Steve Robb - Athens Messenger staff reporter
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Athens County officials want OhioHealth to include an emergency room in an outpatient facility to be built in Nelsonville. On Monday, OhioHealth announced it will close Doctors Hospital Nelsonville – which has an emergency room – after the new facility is built. The commissioners voted Tuesday to send a letter to OhioHealth asking that the… Read More

‘Cancer Sucks’ 5k To Be Held At Hocking College July 19
By: Athens Messenger staff reports
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The fourth annual Cam & Sue Cancer Sucks 5K Run/Walk will be held at Hocking College this month to remember two Athens County residents who lost their battle with cancer and to raise funds and awareness for cancer research. The race, which will be held July 19 at 9 a.m., was designed to honor the… Read More

Union Dropping Grievance Over Firing Of Athens Fire Department Lieutenant
By: Steve Robb - Athens Messenger staff reporter
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A union has decided not to pursue a grievance it filed over an Athens Fire Department lieutenant who was fired after bringing an assault rifle to a city fire station and, in an unrelated incident, allegedly threatening a firefighter. Lt. Charles Adams was fired April 8. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees… Read More

Nelsonville-York Elementary Archers Make First Trip To World Competition
By: Sarah Hawley | Athens Messenger staff reporter
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The third year has been the charm for the Nelsonville-York Elementary archery team. Less than two months after making its inaugural trip to the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) National Tournament, the archery team from Nelsonville-York Elementary School is continuing to re-write the record book. The program will be making it’s first trip… Read More

Canterbury Appeals Rape Decision
By: Susan Tebben | The Athens Messenger
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After numerous requests for extensions to file his appeal, the attorney for a convicted rapist says his client did not receive a fair trial. Based on alleged "misconduct" by the prosecution, along with "ineffective assistance" from his own attorneys, Levi Canterbury was never allowed the right be presumed innocent, according to public defender Eric Hedrick,… Read More

Committee Wants More Public Access To The Ridges
By: Sara Brumfield | Athens Messenger
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Members of The Ridges Advisory Committee emphasized the need for more public accessibility at the former mental health facility as the university works to complete The Ridges Master Plan by next February. The advisory committee is working alongside the Ridges Master Plan Committee to establish a master plan and make recommendations to OU President Roderick… Read More