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.
Submit news and information to info@athensindependent.com by noon on Mondays for inclusion in Tuesday’s issue of The Scoop.
Local
The city of Nelsonville is requesting that a judge dismiss a legal action filed by Andrea Thompson Hashman, a candidate for auditor who asked the court to ensure the city’s transition to a statutory form of government could proceed. The city argued in its request that because Thompson Hashman has not been elected but remains a candidate, she has not suffered actual harm and the case is therefore premature and speculative. (WOUB)
- Indy context: Thompson Hashman’s case followed the Ohio Supreme Court sidestepping a decision on Nelsonville’s government transition. The Nelsonville mayoral race is also contested this year, though the relevance of the outcome also hinges in part on what happens in the courts.
Three people were injured in a three-car accident late Saturday night on SR 50 just west of Athens. A driver headed the wrong way collided head-on with a state trooper, then hit a west-bound car in the aftermath. (WSAZ3)
Devin Sudman has been appointed executive director of Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville, succeeding Melissa Wales, who served since 2020. Sudman has been the nonprofit’s education director since 2021. (Stuart’s Opera House)
- Indy context: Most recently, Sudman directed last week’s run of Cabaret.
Regional
The Columbus Zoo and The Wilds released 116 endangered giant salamanders, known as hellbenders, into streams in eastern Ohio and West Virginia over the summer. The Ohio Hellbender Project aims to return the species to much of its native range in southeastern Ohio. (Athens Messenger)
Southeast Ohio transit riders will soon have access via the GoBus to a suite of new destinations, from Yellow Springs to Toledo and Pittsburgh, following an expansion of routes by the Ohio Department of Transportation and Hocking Athens Perry Community Action. (ODOT)
State
The Ohio Redistricting Commission, charged with approving a bipartisan congressional map by Oct. 31, failed to agree on its meeting rules during its first session. Without rules in place, the next phase of map-drawing remains stalled. (Statehouse News Bureau)
A letter calling to repeal the death penalty has gained support from more than half of the living Ohio lawmakers who helped pass the state’s capital-punishment statute in 1981. (Statehouse News Bureau)
Ohio’s public school districts continue to face a major bus driver shortage, with the number of licensed drivers falling from about 25,700 before the pandemic to 18,817 as of August. Districts are combining routes and changing schedules to manage the shortage. (Statehouse News Bureau)
Two Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio affiliates formally objected to the Ohio Department of Medicaid’s decision to end their status as Medicaid providers after receiving termination letters from the agency. The state cited its authority to exclude providers for “any reason or no reason at all.” (Signal Ohio)
- Indy context: Planned Parenthood told the Independent in July that a quarter of Athens Planned Parenthood patients rely on Medicaid coverage for their visits.
Refugees in Ohio will lose their SNAP benefits next month under the federal “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which limits eligibility to only U.S. citizens and certain green card holders. The policy affects refugees, asylum recipients, and survivors of human trafficking. (Ohio Capital Journal)
Bills introduced or passed:
- The Ohio House passed two bills supporters say will provide more than $2 billion in property tax relief over three years. The measures now move to the Ohio Senate for consideration. (Statehouse News Bureau)
- The Ohio House passed Senate Bill 56, which reaffirms recreational marijuana legalization while adding strict new rules for intoxicating hemp products related to licensing, testing, age limits, and taxes. Hemp industry representatives have criticized the proposed changes as overly harsh. The bill now moves to the Ohio Senate. (Signal Ohio)
- The Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 156, which would require schools to teach students to graduate, get a job, and marry before having children. The bill now moves to the Ohio House. (Ohio Capital Journal)
- Republican Andy Brenner has introducedSenate Bill 93, which would overhaul school funding by eliminating local property taxes, replacing them with a statewide property tax and a 1.75% sales tax increase. The plan would also expand open enrollment and require standardized testing for public, private and charter students, among other changes to school operations. (Statehouse News Bureau)
