Week seven has come to a close, and some noteworthy news events might’ve been overshadowed by Bill Clinton’s visit to Athens and impending Homecoming Festivities.
Here are the news narratives from Athens you might’ve missed:
Life is a two-way street, and Jeff Hill will be, too
The infamous Jeff Hill will soon become a two-way street, contingent on the completion of a construction project at Jefferson Hall.
Jeff Hill has been a one-way street since the early ‘90s. At the time, the street was brick, which made it “pretty slick for downhill traffic” when it rained or snowed, Andy Stone, city engineer and director of Public Works, told The Post.
The transition could be complete as early as this December or as late as next summer.
‘A lot of liquor permits’
A new smoke shop on Court Street has applied for a license to sell beer.
Silver Serpent Exotic Gifts at 55 N. Court St. applied for a C-1 liquor license, which would only allow for the sale of carry-out beer in its original, sealed container.
“It’s a lot of liquor permits for a three-block radius,” city councilwoman Michele Papai, D-3rd ward, said at a city council meeting.
Papai said in the past, City Council has tried, unsuccessfully, to limit the number of liquor permits sold in the city.
Right now, the shop sells various tobacco accessories and trinkets, and is home to snakes, lizards and tropical fish, which are not for sale.
Requesting (technological) back-up
In early 2017 the Athens County Sheriff's Department should begin using body cams — a first for a law enforcement agency in the county.
The department will purchase 19 cameras at $400 a piece. Counting fees and storage, it will cost a total of $12,000.
Across the nation, police departments are increasingly trying to implement body cameras, though the cameras bring about interesting results.
Neither the Athens Police Department nor the Ohio University Police Department plan to use body cams in the near future, heads of those organizations told The Post.
Icing on the cake
A few (or, well, a lot of) Bobcats broke a world record Wednesday.
More than 250 students gathered outside Baker Center on Wednesday to participate in a cake walk of record-setting size. The event was sponsored by Bobcathon, a year-long fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House.
If you’re not familiar, the way a cake walk works: A DJ plays music while walkers plod along on numbered pieces of paper. When the music stops, the person standing on a winning number wins a cake. Find a video of the event below.
