Local
Three Athens County residents have been indicted on murder, arson and related charges in the death of 20-year-old Ethan Vernon, whose body was found inside a burned pickup truck on Hemlock Grove Road in Meigs County last year. Investigators believe the fire was intentionally set to conceal the homicide. (WOUB)
Ohio University secured $10 million to expand healthcare workforce training and career pathways in rural Ohio via the state’s first Rural Health Transformation Program award on July 1. (Office of the Governor)
State wildlife officials are reminding residents to report black bear sightings after reports of a bear wandering an Athens neighborhood. Sightings continue to rise across Ohio. (WOUB)
Goodwill of South Central Ohio has opened its second Athens store in the former Athena Grand movie theater on East State Street. It is the organization’s largest retail location in its eight-county service area. (WOUB)
Regional
State and local authorities removed 16 children from a Vinton County home and charged four family members with felony child endangerment after executing a search warrant during an unrelated investigation. The children are currently in protective custody. (WOUB)
More than 10,000 acres of state-owned land in eastern Ohio were approved for fracking, including a state park and wildlife area. The five-member Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission made its decision over pleas of environmental activists June 29. (Statehouse News Bureau)
State
Just 23% of Ohio 18-year-olds are registered to vote, one of the lowest rates in the nation, according to a new analysis on youth voter registration ahead of the 2026 election. (Signal Ohio)
