All information is current as of The Scoop’s production on Tuesday morning. Click the links for the most up-to-date information. The Athens County Independent believes the cited sources of information are reliable; however, these sources are responsible for the accuracy of their own reporting.
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News roundup
Local
Athens County Common Pleas Judge George McCarthy ruled for the second time that Nelsonville must place an initiative on their November ballot that would change the city’s government. McCarthy gave the city council until Monday, Sept. 16, to complete the action. (WOUB)
Pickerington man Michael Rinthalukay was indicted last week by anAthens County grand jury. He is accused of threatening Ohio University students and will be held in the Nelsonville regional jail until his arraignment in the Athens County Court of Common Pleas. (WOUB) Update from the prosecutor’s office: According to a Sept. 13 press release from the Athens County Prosecutor’s Office, Rinthalukay’s bond was set at $500,000. A status conference is set for Oct. 3.
- Update from the prosecutor’s office: According to a Sept. 13 press release from the Athens County Prosecutor’s Office, Rinthalukay’s bond was set at $500,000. A status conference is set for Oct. 3.
Ohio University’s enrollment is now at its highest ever, at 29,625 students — an increase of 14% over last year. It also hit a 20-year peak in students who re-enrolled this year, with an 84.1% retention rate. (Ohio University)
Libby’s Pumpkin Patch, a popular fall attraction near Albany, won’t open this year due to the region’s exceptional drought. The farm had trouble growing everything from sunflowers to corn. (WOUB)
- Indy context: Libby’s isn’t the only regional farm that’s struggled in this year’s drought. The lack of rain has also had a range of local environmental impacts, from more potent acid mine drainage to algae blooms.
Regional
The Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council received additional federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support plans to add around 50 electronic vehicle charging stations across Southeastern Ohio. (The Post)
Nearly 55,000 households in East Palestine have filed claims in a $600 million settlement with Norfolk Southern for damages caused when one of the company’s trains derailed in 2023, releasing toxic chemicals across a 20-mile radius. (Associated Press)
State
Baseless claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield started as fourth-hand neighborhood gossip posted on a private Facebook group. A user posted a screenshot of the post on X, where it was picked up by conservative influencers — and, eventually, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. (NewsGuard)
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Ohio Ballot Board must rewrite part of the summary of Issue 1 that will appear on the Nov. 5 general election ballot. The anti-gerrymandering group behind Issue 1 — which would replace the Ohio Redistricting Commission, composed of politicians, with a 15-member citizen commission — sued the ballot board after it accepted a summary written by Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who opposes the measure. (Ohio Capital Journal)
Ohio is one of 10 states targeted in a $25 million push by Democrats to protect their narrow majority in the U.S. Senate in the Nov. 5 general election. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s re-election is a top priority for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s effort. (Associated Press)
FirstEnergy will pay $100 million to settle with the Securities and Exchange Commission for its role in the HB6 bribery scandal. Former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones still faces individual fraud charges from the SEC. (Statehouse News Bureau)
Ohio legislators are considering a bill that would allow universities to negotiate agreements directly with student athletes, who would be paid by their schools for use of their names, images and likenesses. (NIL Daily)
- Indy context: Rep. Jay Edwards, who played football at Ohio University, is one of the bill’s primary sponsors.
Boeing and other companies which manufacture weapons have sought steep penalties for a group of five people who disrupted the company’s Licking County facilities to protest Boeing’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza. (Prism Reports)
- Indy context: The five protestors include two Athens County residents, a representative from the group’s legal defense team told the Independent in an email.
