Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost sued the U.S. Department of Education this week over recent changes to Title IX, the law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools. The U.S. Department of Education released the new rules April 19 which will offer increased protections to LGBTQ+ students and staff. They are set to take effect Aug. 1 and will offer protections from discrimination based on gender identity and harassment protections for pregnant women and student parents. ...

MCARTHUR — More than 100 local and state-level community leaders joined Governor Mike DeWine this morning at the future home of Rio Grande’s McArthur Center. The Governor announced that Rio will be receiving a $12,000,000 grant from the state’s Appalachian Community Grant Program. Spanning 22,000 square feet, the McArthur Center will serve as a beacon of opportunity, offering affordable education in critical areas such as healthcare and manufacturing. Located in close proximity to Vinton County’s only public high school, the center will provide essential resources...

Brennan Center redistricting expert Yurij Rudensky just coauthored “Ohio’s Gerrymandered State House Districts Lack Electoral Competition,” an analysis of the lack of electoral competition built into the state’s district lines going into the 2024 election. Although Ohio’s race for U.S. Senate is likely to be competitive, Rudensky and his coauthor Gina Feliz found that the down-ballot races probably will not be. Among their findings: 77% of Ohio residents live in...

Ashely N. Holdren: Type: Traffic; Driving under suspension violation; Restraint: Pled not guilty: Hearing set for 5-6-2024 at 8:30 am. Brittany L. Campbell: Type: Criminal; assault: Obstruction of business: Pled guilty: Found guilty Hearing set for 5-6-2024 at 9:30 am. Eddie W. Everhart: Type: Criminal; Domestic threat; Pled not guilty: Hearing set for 5-6-2024 at 9:30 am. ...

Waverly Village Council met in regular session Wednesday evening with a number of issues to discuss. First, Waverly Police Chief John Winfield approached council about the purchase of two new police vehicles. “We (the police department) were approved for these back in 2022, but there were some issues with getting the vehicles,” Winfield said. “Right now we have two vehicles waiting for us. Those will be outfitted, with council’s approval,...

Graduating college? If you’re like many young adults, this is the first time you’ll be managing your finances independently. There’s more to it than ensuring you have enough money in the bank to pay for your next bill. CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals say these five strategies can help you hit the ground running during this transitional phase of life: 1. Live without regret ...

COLUMBUS — The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) Thursday is encouraging Ohioans to review their energy choice options ahead of electricity supply price changes taking place on June 1, 2024. Most customers of Ohio’s regulated electric distribution utilities can choose their own energy supplier. Customers who do not choose their own energy supplier or participate in their local government aggregation program have their electricity priced for them by their local utility, known as the “standard service offer”. ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Wild turkey hunters across Ohio have harvested 10,574 birds so far during the 2024 spring season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Hunters checked an average of 9,214 turkeys during the same period in the previous three seasons (2021 to 2023). Hunters harvested 10,351 birds through the same time in the spring of 2023. This year’s total includes results from the two-day youth season April 13-14, nine days of hunting in 83 counties following the season...

This week’s average prices for a gallon of unleaded gas in South Central Ohio average is $3.543. The average price per gallon last week $3.657. The average price a year ago, during the week of May 1was $3.482 per gallon. Pike County has the second highest average price in the state, according aaagasrices.com, with a average price of $3.631. Only Athens County with an average price $3.671 per gallon. ...

WAVERLY, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal’s Fire & Explosion Investigations Bureau continues to investigate the fire that occurred in the apartments above Perry Glass, located at 213 Market St. in Waverly. The exact cause of the fire remains undetermined; however, investigators do not suspect foul play as a factor. In addition, accidental causes cannot be ruled out. The blaze, which originated at approximately 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 21 in the residential units above Perry Glass, a local...

The Pike County Commissioners met with Pike County Engineer Denny Salisbury to hold the bid opening for the county chip and deal project, and Salisbury brought up to the panel a driveway permit request for plots on the old Waverly Golf Course property. The engineer’s estimate for the chip and seal program came in at $1,283,217. Four bids were submitted by the deadline and only one came in under the engineer’s estimate. SC Construction out of Seaman was the lowest bid at $1,189.399.10, nearly $100,000...

Pike Lake State Park Naturalist Matt Minter will be leading his annual “Spring Wildflower Trilogy” of hikes on Saturday, May 4. Minter has led the wildflower hike at Pike Lake State Park since 1977. Once again, Minter will lead a series of three hikes. While on the hikes, visitors will also hear stories of local folklore — some Native American and some based on local events since the time of the white settlers in the 1790s and Civil War era. ...

BATAVIA — Early Monday , April 29, at 1:30 a.m., the Batavia Dispatch Center of the Ohio State Highway Patrol received a report of a pedestrian struck on state Route 125 westbound near state Route 222 in Monroe Township, Clermont County. Upon trooper’s arrival on scene, the pedestrian had succumbed to fatal injuries. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office, Clermont Fire Department and the Clermont County Coroner’s Office. If you have any information regarding this crash, please contact the Ohio State Highway Patrol Batavia Post at (513) 732-1510. The crash remains under investigation.

Ohio’s Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comments — and will answer questions in virtual sessions today and tomorrow, on a draft environmental assessment about the impacts of opening up 40,000 acres of Wayne National Forest to oil and gas leasing. The lands are located primarily in Monroe, Noble and Washington counties. Environmental advocates — like Roxanne Groff, a member of the Athens County’s Future Action Network — said...

Aid for Ukraine may be the most consequential part of the foreign aid measures Congress recently approved, and President Joe Biden signed into law, but U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is highlighting a different policy change wrapped into the effort. The Ohio Democrat’s FEND Off Fentanyl Act was part of a wide-ranging bill including provisions to use frozen Russian assets and potentially force the sale of TikTok. “Our legislation would impose new, more powerful sanctions targeting the entire fentanyl supply chain,” Brown said in a recent...

The Scioto Paint Valley Mental Health Center (SPVMHC) will soon search for anExecutive Director to replace retiring Executive Director Dr. Barabara A Mahaffey, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with Supervision credential. The new hire will be expected to oversee the community mental health agency’s services that include 6 outpatient clinics, three residential facilities, several residential and community-based case management treatment services, and its Crisis Center that is located at 4449 SR 159 in Chillicothe. ...

Democrats in the Ohio House say they are looking to boost the rights established in the reproductive rights constitutional amendment while awaiting the elimination of certain state laws that restrict reproductive health. State Rep. Dr. Anita Somani, D-Dublin, and fellow Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio, D-Gahanna, are also looking to use new legislation to respond to an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that declared frozen embryos used for in-vitro fertilization to be considered people for whom civil damages could be collected in the event the embryo is...

Paul D. Hatfield: Type: Traffic; Operating vehicle under the influence: Refusal: Failure to assure a clear distance: Pled not guilty: Case set for arraignment on 4/24/24. Casey N. Brown: Type: Traffic; Speeding: 79/60: Case set for arraignment on 4/24/24. Joy N. Jones: Type: Traffic; Speeding: 81/60: Pled guilty: Case set for arraignment on 4/24/24. Pamela...

The Waverly Fire Department was dispatched to a structure at 116 Sunrise early Tuesday morning. On arrival, FD personnel found a single story dwelling heavily involved with fire, according to a report from the Waverly Fire Department. The fire had already self vented through the roof and personnel deployed handlines to start extinguishing the blaze. Once a water supply was established, a deck gun was used to knock down hot spots. ...

Waverly — An eight-person team from Pike County participated in a three-day workshop designed especially for towns and communities bordering national or state parks, forests, and other treasured public lands in the Appalachian Region. During the workshop the team heard from national and regional experts on destination stewardship, asset development, arts and culture, natural and recreation resources, and community branding. The team also developed a focused approach to build on their specific opportunities created by proximity to public lands and their confluence of resources. ...