Athens County, OH

NELSONVILLE — Thom Williams, co-owner of TMCR Broadcasting LLC alongside his wife Marianne and career radio personality, is celebrating 50 years in the radio business on June 17, 2021. He has worked at 28 different stations across his 50 years with 22 of those spent in southeast Ohio. Williams has...

ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Athens County remained at 5,233 total cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic after no new cases were reported for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The Ohio Department of Health confirmed the news on June 14, 2021. There are 20 known active cases in the...

Memories of taking part in the summer programming at your public library are of a potent variety. That icy cold air conditioning washing over you as you sit fully enveloped in a story unfolding on the pages of a book – the only sound being the comforting hush of the library, occasionally punctuated by someone’s coughing or the folding of a newspaper – that’s good stuff. Athens County Public Library System Youth Services Coordinator Taryn Lentes agrees.

3:20 p.m., Athens — Deputies responded to Allison Road, in Athens, for a male who was being disorderly. Deputies spoke with the caller, who stated that her grandson was out of control. She advised that he was upset due to her not allowing him to use the restroom while they were out doing errands. She said when they got home, he started making threats to kill her and his grandfather. She stated that he has mental health issues. The male was blue slipped, and transported to O’Bleness Hospital for a mental evaluation.

ATHENS – Josiah Bellar, 24, appeared in Athens County Common Pleas Court Thursday and was issued a $100,000 bond from an indictment charging rape and gross sexual imposition, according to a release from the Athens County Prosecutor’s office. Bellar pleaded not guilty to the offenses. He was indicted last month...

To start, I want to expressed my profound thanks to Kaitlin Thorne for her time here with The Messenger and wish her only but the best of luck as she moves on to her new position with WOUB and Ohio Valley ReSource covering criminal justice for 55 counties across three states. I consider her not only an incredibly talented colleague, but also a dear friend. I can’t begin to thank her enough for the guidance and friendship she has given me.

The Ohio State Controlling Board approved $250,000 in grant funding Monday for the Athens County Land Bank to facilitate the removal of old gas station equipment from a property in Glouster. The Abandoned Gas Station Cleanup Grant, a program that is part of the Ohio Development Services Agency, provides up...

A Glouster man was sentenced to nearly five years in prison in Athens County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday related to a string of theft, drug possession and burglary charges. Eli Mayles, 32, of Glouster, pleaded guilty to theft, a fifth-degree felony, burglary, a third-degree felony, and possession of heroin,...

CHAUNCEY, Ohio (WOUB) — On one end of the main street that runs through the village of Chauncey is a trailhead for the newly developed Baileys Trail System. The system currently has 26 miles of trails for hiking and mountain biking and will have 88 total miles when completed. Baileys was developed with the hope of bringing in tourists who will spend money and stimulate the economy of Athens County.

Effective immediately, Athens Public Transit is restoring the Line 5 morning route. A detailed schedule can be found at hapcap.org/athens-public-transit. Download the DoubleMap app to track the buses in real-time. If you or a loved one need assistance with transportation options during this pandemic please contact the Athens County Mobility...

An Athens County judge set a $100,000 bond for the fourth member of the Bellar family charged in a sexual abuse case involving children. Josiah Bellar pleaded not guilty in court Thursday on charges of rape and gross sexual imposition. The charges came during an investigation into the disappearance of...

ATHENS, Ohio — Bond has been set at $100,000 for a fourth member of an Athens County family charged in a sexual abuse investigation. Josiah Bellar, 24, appeared in Athens County Common Pleas Court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to three first-degree felony charges of rape and two fourth-degree felony counts of gross sexual imposition.

ATHENS — The Line Five morning route of the Athens Public Transit system is being restored effective immediately. A full schedule can be found at hapcap.org/athens-public-transit. Download the DoubleMap app to track the buses in real-time. If you or a loved one need assistance with transportation options during this pandemic...

ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Athens County remained at 5,233 total cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic after no new cases were reported Friday. The Ohio Department of Health confirmed the news on June 11, 2021. There are 22 known active cases in the county as of Friday...

ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — From rolling hills, to pawpaws, to bricks, to “ditch lilies,” there are a lot of symbols that students think of when they think of Athens County. These ideas, and the communities they represent, will be intertwined in a mural created by local students and teachers. Students’ ideas about their communities are at the heart of the project, consisting of eight panels they painted that were then attached to aluminum sheets by their teachers.

ALBANY, Ohio (WOUB) — The Alexander Local Board of Education was forced to balance the interests of its constituency against federal health recommendations Monday night when a passionate dialogue on mask mandates emerged at a special meeting. The district is one of many across the nation seeking reasonable coronavirus prevention...

ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – The Athens County Sheriff’s Office announced it will crack down harder on traffic violations in June. “Many Americans believe they won’t be ticketed if they drive within a ‘buffer zone’ above the posted speed limit. But now law enforcement will be targeting and ticketing speeding drivers,” according to a release from the Sheriff’s Office.

The Southeast Ohio Foodbank, a program of Hocking Athens Perry Community Action, provides basic food help to about 19,000 different people each month across its 10-county service area. More than one in four people we serve are seniors. Even as we continue to see historically long lines at the food bank and our member food pantries, we know the situation could have been much worse over the past 14 months. Thankfully, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act on a widely bipartisan basis in March 2020.