LATEST NEWS

Nov. 7–Dec. 1. Listed prices do not necessarily reflect actual property values. • Barbara J. Vorhees, 28444 Blackjack Road, to Steve and Lisa Armitage, $210,000. • Bonnie Bainter, 9939, 9881, 9913, 9953, 9943, 9927, 9923, 9913 and 9911 state Route 93, to Robert Bryan Bainter, exempt, to evidence a gift, in any form, between husband and wife, or parent and child, or the spouse of either. ...

Two incidents occurred in Hocking County, Ohio this week. In the first incident, prosecutors are seeking to hold a man without bail or bond due to his involvement in an armed standoff. The prosecutors argue that he poses a significant risk to the community. In the second incident, a woman has been indicted for murder and assault following an incident in October. The charges carry potential prison sentences and fines.

GLOUSTER — The Winter Crisis Program at Hocking Athens Perry Community Action (HAPCAP) will accept applications until March 31, 2024. This program is designed to help households facing an emergency maintain or restore their primary heating source, including electric or gas service. This program also provides bulk fuel (propane, wood, coal, fuel oil, kerosene) for eligible households. An emergency situation is defined as having a disconnect notice on your electric or natural gas or having less than a 25% (tank) supply of bulk fuel such...

Food safety tips for the holiday. Unsafe handling and undercooking of food can cause foodborne illnesses. By following four simple steps at home, says the Hocking County Health Department, you can help keep your holiday meals safe and delicious. See column, page A5. Way beyond clap on, clap off. Savvy Senior columnist Jim Miller advises that smart home products — such as smart lights, video doorbells and voice-activated speakers — can add safety and convenience to a senior’s home by providing voice and app-controlled operation. See column, page A4. Former PUCO chair facing charges. The former chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has been indicted by a federal grand jury on bribery and embezzlement charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio announced in a news release Monday. Learn more on page B6.

HOCKING HILLS — Over Thanksgiving at the Hocking Hills State Park Lodge, a holiday celebration for one couple turned into a frightful scene — potentially a deadly one, if not for the heroism of one quick-thinking waitress. “We left her a huge tip, but obviously whatever it is, it’s not enough,” said Colleen Lampton-Brill, of Dayton, Ohio. She works at Wright State University as a fund raiser for its renowned arts and theater program. She and her husband, now empty-nesters, have been frequent visitors of...

LOGAN — The Hocking County Honor Guard will host a Pearl Harbor Day ceremony at noon on Dec. 7, on the Falls Mill Bridge on River Street in Logan.

LOGAN — The special prosecutors handling the case of a Logan man who is charged in connection with an armed standoff have asked a judge to order him held without bail or bond. In a motion filed Tuesday in the case of Steven Hardbarger, Cynthia Ellison and Erik Spitzer of the Ohio Attorney General’s office argue that Hardbarger “poses a substantial risk of serious physical harm to any person or the community,” which justifies keeping him behind bars while he awaits trial. ...

Visit Madagascar via Nelsonville. This weekend ABC Players Jr. will stage “Madagascar Jr.,” a musical based on the DreamWorks Animation movie about a group of animals who escape from their home in New York’s Central Park Zoo and find themselves on an unexpected journey to Madagascar. Learn more on page B3. County’s budget numbers continue to look good. Hocking County’s financial position continued to look fairly solid last year, though it carried less of a budget surplus than it had the year before, according to a state audit for 2022, which has the county budget showing an increase in net position of around $12.5 million. See story, page A3. Logan Elm enjoys its new school. The Logan Elm School District’s Logan Elm’s newly completed K-12 school has been operating since the start of the school year. With that in mind, APG Media reached out to some staff members for their thoughts on how things have changed for Logan Elm. See story, page B1.

LOGAN — Two Columbus men who were indicted on felony drug charges after being stopped by authorities while traveling through Hocking County on the way to West Virginia have been scheduled to go on trial together in January. Malik Bryant and Dayshawn Bland, both 26, were each indicted in February on two counts of aggravated drug possession with a major drug offender (MDO) specification. After the Uber vehicle in which they were traveling was stopped by Hocking County Sheriff’s officers on Feb. 1 for erratic...

M&M Diner, at 34 West Main St. in Logan, once again donated this year to a program at the Hocking County branch of Integrated Services, a regional social work organization, that buys Christmas gifts for struggling families that Integrated serves. This year M&M donated $1,450 to the program, which came from a fundraising campaign that kicked off during the diner’s annual free Thanksgiving meal that took place on Nov. 22. This year the diner also used some of what it received in donations to provide $600 to the Maxx Bar and Grill in Logan to support its charitable holiday programs. From left, Tisha Elick of Integrated Services; M&M owner Michelle Bourne; Tena Boals of M&M Diner; and Brittany Bayes of Integrated Services.

A retired judge from Hocking County has been appointed to determine if the proposed jail site across from the Muskingum County Fairgrounds will be confirmed or if another location will need to be selected. The county is bringing the challenge after the Zanesville Board of Zoning Appeals denied their initial...

LOGAN — Hocking County Auditor Christopher D. Robers has announced that 2024 Hocking County dog licenses will be on sale Dec. 1, 2023 through Jan. 31, 2024. If you registered a dog last year, renewal applications were mailed Nov. 30. If you wish to renew by mail, verify that the application is correct and return it with a check to the Hocking County Auditor, 1 E. Main St., Logan. You may also renew in person at either the county auditor’s office in the courthouse, or at the Hocking County Humane Society. Be sure and bring your application to either location. Licenses can be purchased using a credit/debit card. Visit auditor.hocking.us and click on “Licensing.” Blank applications can also be completed and printed from this site. For additional information, call the county auditor’s office at 740-385-2127.

In the serene landscapes of Hocking County, Ohio, the Historic Bloomville Railroad Depot beckons history buffs and travelers alike. A monument of yesteryears, this depot was once the vibrant heart of the local economy, a crucial node in a network that powered the growth of surrounding communities. Its walls, infused with the legacy of the Columbus & Southern Railroad, narrate stories of prosperity, tragedy, and resilience. The tragic trestle collapse of 1907 and the eventual cessation of operations in 1916 mark the poignant chapters in its history, yet its significance as a community symbol endures.

LOGAN — A New Lexington man charged with rape in Hocking County pled to reduced charges on Oct. 19, and will be sentenced in December. Isaiah Kade Boyer, 27, was originally indicted on two counts each of rape, a first-degree felony, and sexual battery, a third-degree felony. The indictment alleged that to keep his victim from resisting when he had sex with her, he gave her “a drug, intoxicant, or...

LOGAN — Just six weeks since its campaign launched, the Lake Logan Association has passed 1,600 signatures on its online petition to save the state park’s lake, which in recent decades has shrunk and fallen into disrepair. The organization, started in October by Maria Diaz Myers, now has 31 members, and Myers said they are working with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) to jumpstart the lake’s repair. Back in July, the Logan Daily News reported that ODNR’s plan to begin dredging the lake...

GLOUSTER — The Winter Crisis Program at Hocking Athens Perry Community Action (HAPCAP) began on Nov. 1, 2023. Residents of Hocking, Athens, and Perry Counties may schedule their appointments by calling 740-868-1908. This program is designed to help households who are facing an emergency situation to maintain and/or restore electric or gas service. This program also provides bulk fuel (propane, wood, coal, fuel oil, kerosene) for eligible households. An emergency situation is defined as having a disconnect notice on your electric or natural gas, or...

Hocking County’s financial position continued to look fairly solid last year, though it carried less of a budget surplus than it had the year before, according to a state audit of the county for 2022. As previously reported in The Logan Daily News, the prior two annual state audits of Hocking County have both shown it ending the year under review with an increase in net position — which is basically revenues minus expenditures. In 2020 this number was a little over $7 million, and...

Nov. 20–22. Listed prices do not necessarily reflect actual property values. • Patrick L. and Diana L. Boice, 17238 state Route 93, to Patrick L. and Diana L. Boice, trustees, exempt, to evidence a gift, in any form, between husband and wife, or parent and child, or the spouse of either. • Penny Zlatkind, 9992 Voris Road, to Penny Boyer, exempt, to evidence a gift, in any form, between husband...

LOGAN — A judge has ruled that the Hocking County Prosecutor’s Office may use evidence obtained by sheriff’s officers during a traffic stop that resulted in two Columbus men’s being charged with felony drug offenses. Malik Bryant and Dayshawn Bland, both 26, were arrested on Feb. 1 after the Uber vehicle in which they were traveling on U.S. 33 through Hocking County was stopped by a sheriff’s officer for alleged erratic driving. When the officer detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle,...