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 owners of the Triple Nickel Diner in Chesterhill announced they will close the restaurant in the spring. (WOUB)
Nelsonville residents may build tiny homes in designated residential areas thanks to a new council-approved ordinance. The ordinance applies to structures between 400 and 1,000 square feet and allows for one home per lot. (WOUB)
The city of Athens has identified two adjoining parcels on Hudson Avenue where it hopes to build affordable homes using seed money from the state. Up to eight homes may fit on the two parcels. (WOUB)
Regional
A volunteer citizen group seeks support from Gov. Mike DeWine and Auditor Keith Faber in its efforts to urge the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to dredge Lake Logan, which they say is overrun by vegetation and silting. Problems identified with ODNR’s dredging program two years ago have not yet been corrected, they say. (Logan Daily News)
Norfolk Southern plans to work with Youngstown State University to establish a $20 million first responder training center in East Palestine, where the railroad company’s 2023 derailment produced days-long train car fires. The center will prepare first responders to deal with derailments that result in hazardous chemicals spills. (Associated Press)
State
Ohio residents can now sign up to receive alerts when a so-called “bad batch” of drugs is in the area and report tainted drugs through the statewide SOAR Initiative’s Bad Batch Text Alert system. (WOSU)
A federal court decision will protect grant funding and federal support for the State Library of Ohio, along with funding for libraries nationwide. The court blocked an order from the Trump administration aimed at dismantling the Institute of Museum and Library Services. (Ohio Capital Journal)
In the Statehouse:
- A bill to provide public school students with free academic intervention services passed unanimously in the Ohio Senate and now moves to the House. (Ohio Capital Journal)
- A new bill would expand oversight and regulations for puppy mills. Ohio has one of country’s highest numbers of documented puppy mills. (NBC4 WCMH)
- Less than 24 hours after the Ohio High School Athletic Association announced new bylaws allowing for name, image and likeness benefits for high school student-athletes, a House lawmaker proposed a bill to ban the benefits. (Ohio Capital Journal)
