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
Ohio University film professor Tom Hayes was removed as the instructor for his course after he was detained by Israel for trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza on an international flotilla. OU says Hayes was removed due to a faculty handbook violation. (The Post)
Fall colors are nearing their peak in much of Ohio, including Athens, showing vibrant early-to-mid foliage. Residents and visitors can expect peak color in the coming weeks. (Ohio Department of Natural Resources)
Regional
Jay Edwards, a Republican candidate for Ohio State Treasurer who grew up in Nelsonville, spoke before the Hocking County Republican Party last week, touching on rising property taxes and on underrepresentation of southeast Ohio at the state level. (Logan Daily News)
A former Perry County school district treasurer was indicted for personal use of district funds. (WOUB)
A Washington County man was sentenced for a decades-old double murder, after the 1995 cold case was reopened in 2019. (WOUB)
State
Water resources are under strain as a result of Ohio’s booming data center industry, with facilities like those in Marysville consuming up to 10% of the city’s daily water capacity. Ohio ranks fifth nationally in data center volume. Less than a third of the state’s centers track their water usage, complicating oversight and management. (Statehouse News Bureau)
“No Kings” rallies across the state this weekend dwarfed the previous round of protests in June. The biggest was in Columbus, where over 10,000 people gathered to protest the policies of the Trump administration. (Statehouse News Bureau)
A lawsuit by Wayne High School football player Jamier Brown against the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) claims he missed out on over $100,000 in name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. The legal challenge will force the state’s high schools to vote on OHSAA NIL rules. Forty-four states and Washington D.C. already allow high school students to profit from NIL deals. (Statehouse News Bureau)
The Ohio House has passed House Bill 162, the “My Child-My Chart Act,” requiring healthcare providers to give parents access to their minor children’s medical records. The bill now moves to the Ohio Senate for consideration. (Statehouse News Bureau)
Ohio’s abstinence-focused sex education policy has been linked to higher birth and syphilis rates than the national average. Health experts argue that limited education contributes to increased health disparities and risks among youth. (Ohio Capital Journal)
Ohio Republicans are proposing several bills to expand cryptocurrency use, including allowing residents to pay taxes in Bitcoin and use crypto to pay for goods and services. Some lawmakers are cautious about the push due to the volatility and risks of the digital currency, while Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague says it’s necessary for Ohio not to get “left behind.” (News5Cleveland)
Ohio spent $1.09 billion on five private school voucher programs in fiscal year 2025, with nearly half going to the Education Choice Expansion program, which now serves over 100,000 students. In that time, public school enrollment fell 1.1% as nonpublic school enrollment rose 4.6%. (Ohio Capital Journal)
Lawmakers introduced House Resolution 148 urging residents to safely store firearms amid recent child gun deaths throughout Ohio. The resolution acknowledges gun risks but does not impose mandatory laws; Gov. Mike DeWine has signed every bill loosening firearm restrictions that has crossed his desk. (News5Cleveland)
Three incarcerated individuals at Richland Correctional Institution in Mansfield are rehabilitating orphaned Virginia opossums and gray squirrels, part of a program unique to Ohio prisons. The animals have been admitted by the Ohio Wildlife Center, cared for by participants reporting improved mental health and a sense of purpose. (Ashland Source)
