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Bed and Breakfast Open In Historic Home
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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Nelsonville has a new bed and breakfast, located in one of the town’s most unique, historic houses. The Little B Bed and Breakfast is open and welcoming guests to its three suites at 88 Fort St. near the Public Square. Innkeeper Miki Brooks and her husband, Jay, have spent significant time renovating the house as… Read More

Community Arts Space To Open For Final Friday
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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A new community arts space is set for downtown Nelsonville, with an official grand opening scheduled for this week’s Final Friday celebration. Around the Corner Studio, located at 49 W. Washington St., will host visitors Friday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. The studio was inspired by Jennifer L’Heureux, who said the goal is to have… Read More

Auditor Thompson Sworn In To 5th Term
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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Calling public service a “blessing,” Athens County Auditor Jill Thompson was sworn in to a fifth term Friday, cementing her status as one of the county’s longest-tenured auditors. The ceremony at the Athens County Courthouse was highlighted by the presence of Dave Yost, Ohio auditor of state, who administered the oath of office. Thompson thanked… Read More

Students Compete in Battle of Trades
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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Dakota Harris tried to block out the chaos surrounding him, a dozen hammers and saws flying all over the place, and focus on his work. Confined to a small 10-foot-by-10-foot work space, the Alexander High School senior at Tri-County Career Center had four hours to build a miniature house. Finally the bell sounded around noon… Read More

In Shade, Contra Dancing Lives On
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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The contra family dance at the Shade Community Center on Sunday was truly as advertised. Fathers danced with daughters and mothers with their sons. Couples of all ages locked hands and sometimes two children were rather precariously paired together. It was the kind of dance where you thank the band. It doesn’t appear too strenuous… Read More

Color In The Hills Festival Provides Action-Packed Weekend
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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It was a sword-swallowing, sheep-wrangling, stilts-wearing good time throughout the weekend at Glouster Community Park. Yes, the third annual Appalachian Color in the Hills Festival was action-packed. Even still, the emerging fall colors surrounding the festival were such that no one would have blamed a visitor for taking a quiet moment to take it all… Read More

OU Impacts Poverty In Athens County
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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A recent study that showed Athens County having the highest percentage of low-to-moderate income residents in the entire state is deeply affected by the city of Athens being the home of Ohio University. Data shows that off-campus students indeed skew the numbers, showing a major increase in poverty levels throughout the area. This article is… Read More

Fair Set To Bring Music, Food, Fun To Athens County
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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Go Ohio Valley is a free app produced by Adams Publishing Group of Ohio and presents an avenue to explore numerous categories and activities in the region. This week’s feature listing is the Athens County Fair, held in Athens. The 163rd annual Athens County Fair is slated to kick off a week of games, rides… Read More

Covered Bridges Provide A Scenic Journey Through Vinton County
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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The Cox Covered Bridge, located just off Route 93 north of Creola in Vinton County (photo: Tyler Buchanan) Go Ohio Valley is a free app produced by Adams Publishing Group of Ohio and presents an avenue to explore numerous categories and activities in the region. This week’s feature listing is the Vinton County Convention and… Read More

Democrats Garrison, Howard Face Off In 6th District Primary
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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Two Democrats will square off in the upcoming primary election for the chance to unseat Republican Bill Johnson for the U.S. House of Representatives’ Ohio 6th District. Campaigning to become the Democratic nominee are Jennifer Garrison, a former state representative from Marietta, and Greg Howard, an engineer who operates a farm in Meigs County. Garrison… Read More

International Street Fair Dishes Out Culture On Court Street
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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Sarah Al-Harrasi's traditional Omani dress stood out among the bricks of Court Street, drawing the attention of passersby by the dozens looking in wonder at the array of intricate embroidery and beadwork. "Would you like to hear about Oman?" she inquired to them, pointing to a series of posters and graphics providing an insight into… Read More

Glouster Community Carries Local Teen Through Bone Disease
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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What does Austin Shifflet say after his new prosthetic legs gave him the chance to walk and live without pain? The Glouster 17-year-old says little. He smiles, a cluster of friends surrounding him, a community of support — no, positively a crowd — bustling and eating and auctioning all day Saturday at the village's Eagles… Read More

Athens Cancer Survivor Honored As ‘Hero’ By NHL’s Blue Jackets
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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John Wills strutted down the runway in a stylish, gray sweater vest alongside a hockey defenseman twice his size, dishing out high fives in the town he knows as the place he was treated for cancer. But the Athens 7-year-old harbors no ill feelings toward Columbus, especially not on this night. He is a child… Read More

Republican To Challenge Phillips For 94th District Seat
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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A Washington County nurse and school volunteer has announced she will challenge Rep. Debbie Phillips for the Ohio 94th Congressional District seat this November. Yolan Dennis, of Warren Twp. in Washington County, filed petitions Thursday, Jan. 30 to the Athens County Board of Elections to formally jump in the race as the Republican challenger. Dennis… Read More

Local Veterans Honor Pearl Harbor Anniversary
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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Members of the American Legion Post 21 stood resolute along the West Union Street bridge Saturday morning, a ceremonial wreath floating below them down the Hocking River bearing infinite sorrow. To those who lost their lives, to the thousands injured in the attacks, to the initial feeling of despair galvanizing courage among millions – 72… Read More

OU Student Walking Coast-To-Coast For Climate Change
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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OU senior Benjamin Bushwick is going coast to coast for climate change action. The nearly 3,000-mile odyssey he’s participating in, organizers say, will be the largest march of its kind in American history. The Great March for Climate Action is set to begin next March 1 in Los Angeles. At a pace of 15 miles… Read More

Local Activist Group Calls For Direct Action In Fight Against Fracking
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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Preparing for an ongoing fight against powerful environmental foes in the ARTS/West basement in Athens Saturday afternoon, one guest said her participation in the direct action protest workshop stemmed from a previous anti-fracking gathering. "I was mad as hell at police," the person who opted not to give her identification explained to the rest of… Read More

Local ODOT Workers Prepare For Winter Months
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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The video above is from the Ohio Transportation YouTube channel. The story below is Tyler Buchanan's – for the Athens Messenger – from Oct. 30. With calm October skies and a temperature in the sixties, Monday afternoon seemed a curious time for the Ohio Department of Transportation to rev up the snow plows. But with… Read More

Nelsonville’s Ballot To Feature Capital Improvement Tax Renewal
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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Nelsonville residents will decide on the November ballot whether to renew a .25 percent tax levy, one that would go toward capital improvement throughout the city and does not represent any new tax for local citizens. “Fifteen years ago (the city) put a quarter of a percent tax on to pay for the debt of… Read More

Texas Roadhouse Gets Thumbs Up From Athens Planning Commission
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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Plans to open a Texas Roadhouse restaurant in Athens moved a step closer this week, following unanimous approval from the Athens Planning Commission Thursday in what the city calls a Title 41 review. In this review, Athens Code Director John Paszke outlined comments from various municipal entities, including the Engineering and Public Works Department and… Read More

Glouster’s Color In The Hills A “True Appalachian Fest”
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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Affordable, local and a host of entertainment, including Waylon Jenning’s grandson — all this makes for a big weekend in Glouster for the Second Annual Appalachian Color in the Hills Festival coming up Oct. 4-6. The helicopter rides are back, with food and crafts throughout. But the biggest draw, as it was last year in… Read More

Local Officials Support Synthetic Drug Ban
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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Many synthetic drugs advertise themselves as the “legal alternative” to their illegal counterparts, but that sales pitch may not last much longer. Local law enforcement officials are supportive of legislative efforts from U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who has recently co-sponsored a bill to curb synthetic drug use nationwide. The bill, called the Protecting Our… Read More

Deal Made For 92-year-old Facing Eviction
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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A happy ending is in sight for John Potter, the 92-year-old World War II veteran who this year has been facing eviction by his own daughter. His granddaughter, Jaclyn Fraley, who has been helping Potter through the eviction process, has confirmed to The Courier that an agreement has been made to keep him living in… 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

Armed Bank Robber Still Unidentified
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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Police are still looking for the identity of a man who robbed an Athens bank Monday, but local officials may not be the only ones searching for the suspect. On Monday afternoon, an armed, white male described as being in his late 30s, to early 40s robbed the Chase Bank on East State Street and… Read More