LOCAL

Incumbent goes door-to-door to get face-to-face with voters

Editor’s note: This is the third of a three-part series about campaigning for office in Athens.

Council candidates present differing opinions on city revenue fixes

As Athens City Council prepares to finalize its budget plans for the upcoming fiscal year, 3rd Ward candidates believe council should utilize innovative approaches to create more revenue for the city.

Elections 2011: Issues

Candidates dispute over opening of Bobcat Lane

There is a roadblock keeping Ohio University from extending Bobcat Lane, the strip of street that runs from the Peden Stadium parking lot and dead ends in front of Baker University Center, into Richland Avenue. But that block is more than just the physical curb owned by the city.

Halloween tamer than past years

Angry birds, Zanesville exotic animals, and university and city officials ambled away from Court Street after a quieter-than-usual Halloween jubilee. Arrests were down from last year, and there were no major incidents throughout the night, officials reported.

Declining population creates two Ohio primaries before November 2012 elections

With congressional redistricting in Ohio delaying the date that candidates can register to be on the ballot, state residents will hit the polls twice before reaching the November 2012 elections.

Portable lights illuminate Athens for now

Although city officials believe it’s a bright idea to bring in lights for increased safety during Halloween weekend, those thoughts will not translate into any permanent lighting changes around town.

The Athens Campaign Trail: Mayoral hopeful uses Web to build campaign support

Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part series about campaigning for office in Athens.

Mayoral candidates: Small-business growth key postelection

With Athens County experiencing a 9.6 percent unemployment rate and 32 percent poverty rate, both Athens mayoral candidates agree there needs to be a focus on economic change after this November’s elections.

Invasion of the tree-nutrient snatchers

In less than five years, Southeast Ohio could lose a significant source of natural beauty and timber to the emerald ash borer.

Poll shows support for repeal

With a recent Ohio poll showing a widening gap between supporters and opponents of Ohio Senate Bill 5, local politicians are taking sides on the controversial law.

W.Va. cities face same fracking fears as Athens

Morgantown, W.Va. has more in common with Athens than its college-town charm.

Energy company explores responsible fracking, sites

With the ability to recover 85 percent of the contaminated water used in the hydraulic fracturing process, Cunningham Energy and Ohio senators hope to promote positive economic effects despite public outcry.

City Council: Athens pays off 31-year-old fine

After paying off nearly $2 million worth of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fines, Athens City Council is breathing a sigh of relief. However, the sigh isn’t coming from an increase in budgetary breathing room, but rather an end to more than three decades worth of fine payments.

Contenders stress communication

Long-Awaited Homecoming

President Barack Obama announced Friday he would withdraw all American troops from Iraq by the end of 2011, but for members of Ohio University’s Army ROTC program ending more than eight years of conflict isn’t so cut-and-dry.

Man charged with sex crime unfit for trial

A 39-year-old man charged with gross sexual imposition will have his trial delayed for one year while his competency to stand trail will be tested at a Columbus behavioral health care center.

Aftermath of exotic escape: Rep. Phillips to push legislation limiting private owners in Ohio

With officials statewide making a push for exotic-animal regulations following Tuesday’s Zanesville fiasco, Rep. Debbie Phillips, D-92nd, will propose legislation today that would ban new private ownership of exotic animals in Ohio.

Suspects in rape, robbery both plead not guilty to their charges

A Gallipolis man charged with raping an Ohio University student and a local man charged with robbing a gas station at knifepoint both pleaded not guilty at their arraignment hearings yesterday.

A Grave Undertaking

For some, retirement means leaving the working world and picking up a general hobby. But for Marcia Van Bibber and her husband, Eddie, it means taking that hobby and transforming it into a small business.