All information is current as of The Scoop’s production on Monday afternoon. 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
Athens County sold the former OhioMeansJob office to Integrated Services for Behavioral Health. The Athens County Department of Job and Family Services has been attempting to auction off the property for about a year. (Athens Messenger)
- Indy context: JFS eliminated five positions in January to contend with its financial challenges, including the agency’s struggle to sell the OhioMeansJobs office. Additionally, an Athens County commissioner previously estimated the state owes about a million dollars to the state due to problems the state identified with the agency’s reporting on reimbursements.
Hundreds of people attended a fundraiser last week to support The Mine Tavern following the building’s partial structural collapse less than two weeks prior. Evan McCune, a local musician who typically plays a monthly gig at The Mine, organized the fundraiser. (WOUB)
Last year’s changes to state property tax law have caused budgetary challenges for school districts throughout the state. Federal Hocking Superintendent George Wood described the changes as “a complete disaster.” (WOUB)
The City of Athens will build eight homes on Hudson Avenue that it will sell to low-income buyers for $180,000 each. (The Athens Messenger)
A collaboration between high schoolers in the Nelsonville-York Drama Club and adults in ABC Players will bring Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Stuart’s Opera House later this month. (WOUB)
Regional
Washington County township and water district officials requested a moratorium on new fracking waste injection wells in a letter they delivered to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine last week. The officials asked for further study on the wells’ impact. (Cleveland.com)
- Indy context: Activists, oil and gas well operators and local officials in Washington County have fought against new injection wells tied to a state senator for about a year. Concerned in part because the new wells were permitted under outdated rules, the coalition has fought the wells through various means, including in court.
As tourism continues to strain Hocking County infrastructure and emergency services, 13 public safety organizations in the county received Tourism Impact Emergency Services grants awarded by the Hocking Hills Tourism Association. The grants used lodging tax funds and were made possible by a recent change in state law. (WOUB)
Organizations throughout Southeast Ohio, including in Athens County, received a total of nearly $180,000 in 2025 grant funding to “help prepare high-value industrial sites for development,” awarded by the Ohio Southeast Economic Development. (OhioSE)
State
Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio will begin offering appointments for medication abortion via telehealth. (Statehouse News Bureau)
None of Ohio’s Senate candidates endorsed U.S. President Donald Trump’s war on Iran. (Ohio Capital Journal)
From the statehouse:
- A new bill aims to create a pass that will grant benefits to Ohio tourists in time for America250 celebrations July 4. (Statehouse News Bureau)
- A new bipartisan house bill seeks to prevent data centers from increasing utility costs for other customers. (Statehouse News Bureau)
- Lawmakers will attempt to override a DeWine veto in order to eliminate a sales tax break for new data center construction. (Statehouse News Bureau)
- A new bill would reform bail in Ohio, including by blocking nonprofits such as The Bail Project from paying bail. (News5Cleveland)
