All information is current as of The Scoop’s production on Wednesday 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.
Submit news and information to info@athensindependent.com by noon on Mondays for inclusion in Tuesday’s issue of The Scoop.
Local
According to leaked documents, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are considering a drastic change to school district eligibility for a school meal program. If it goes through, the change would mean the end of federal support to provide free meals for all students in the Athens, Alexander and Federal Hocking school districts. (WOUB)
Construction is set to begin this month on a new building for Athens County Children Services. (Athens Messenger)
Community theater company ABC Players will put on a production of The Full Monty at Stuart’s Opera House this weekend and next. The play follows six unemployed Buffalo steelworkers as they prepare a strip act, as well as the relationships between them. (ABC Players)
Regional
Rural farms in Ohio are experiencing financial uncertainty amid a federal funds freeze, which includes money for solar projects from the Rural Energy for America Program by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wooly Pig Farm Brewery in Coshocton County, for example, owes $292,000 for a solar array, half of which was to be covered by the funding – and could face further financial strain under proposed tariffs. (The Reporting Project)
Forgotten Black leaders are being remembered for their personal achievements and contributions to history in places like Upper Arlington High School, which was built over a Black cemetery. (The Ohio Newsroom)
State
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has asked the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to enact Ohio Medicaid work requirements. (Ohio Capital Journal)
A fracking well under Valley View Wildlife Area in Carroll County is the first in a preserved state wildlife area in the state to be drilled, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said this week. The well, owned by Texas-based Encino Energy, has not yet produced oil or gas. (Cleveland.com)
Ohio lawmakers are considering a bill that would make protestors liable, under civil penalties, for building damage incurred during demonstrations, as well as limit government officials from interfering with police activity during such events. Senate Bill 53 is the third of its kind to be introduced in the state by Sen. Tim Schaffer, with the other bills stalling beyond committee discussions in prior legislative sessions. (Statehouse News Bureau)
The Ohio House Finance committee passed a bipartisan-built transportation budget last week, with priority agendas that includes construction on interstates, the Ohio Turnpike and state highways. Additionally, the budget allows Ohio to rejoin the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission. Under the bill, BMV workers are barred from asking noncitizens if they’d like to register to vote. (Statehouse News Bureau)
Hackers targeting Ohio’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits have resulted in the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services paying out more than $12.6 million since 2022. Lawmakers are calling on Congress to step in and work quickly to allocate federal funds to help repay SNAP recipients whose benefit cards were compromised, also asking for enhanced security digital protections and technology upgrades to help prevent future fraud. (Statehouse News Bureau)
