Ohio's First Powerball Winner The winning numbers: 4, 9, 14, 39 and 43. Those five numbers resulted in more than 261 million dollars for the first Powerball winner in Ohio's history. Ohio became the 44th U.S. lottery service to sell the tickets, which began on April 16 of this year. The jackpot will be reset to $20 million for Saturday.
Ohio House passes Childhood Obesity Bill A new bill in the Ohio Legislature looks to provide healthier food options in school cafeterias. The House dropped a mandate from the bill that would have required 30 minutes of exercise a day for students. The exercise mandate is now optional, and any school may opt into the pilot program. The bill will not return to the Senate for a final vote.
Fatality Confirmed in Zanesville Bus Crash A school bus accident has left one child dead after the bus lost control seven miles north of Zanesville. Authorities confirm that at least seven other kids were harmed during the accident. The students were on the way to a field trip when the bus rolled into a ditch. Highway Patrol is still investigating the crash.
Ohio Football Player Suspended Redshirt freshman Melvin Payne has been suspended indefinitely after allegedly breaking into 159 Mill Street this past Saturday. Payne told authorities that the cuts sustained during the break-in were from a stabbing attempt. Payne fled town the next morning by Greyhound bus. He turned himself in to authorities this morning. Payne is being charged with a second-degree felony.
Thousands of people across America do something every day that according to some experts is extremely hazardous to their health, and it's all for beauty reasons.
This "beauty ritual" is tanning. The industry estimates that 30 million Americans go to commercial tanning salons every year. That means 30 million Americans are at a higher risk of getting the most deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma. According to an article from Web MD, people who use commercial tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get this deadly form of cancer than people who do not commercially tan.
The higher the pressure of a tanning bed, the higher the risk is. Most tanners that are serious about getting their tan to be beach perfect use high pressure beds. These beds increase the pressure of the lights used, which increases the output of UVA rays, the most dangerous form of radiation. Women under the age of 30 are the most popular users of commercial tanning, and with melanoma diagnosis rates rising by 2 percent every year, more and more Americans can become susceptible to this nasty disease.
Representatives from the tanning industry dispute some of these melanoma claims. They say that the studies do not factor in occasional use of tanning beds or account for those who tan that are already at high risk for skin cancer. Those deemed "high risk" are people with very fine hair, fair skin, a large number of moles, red hair, or all or some of the above. There are not exact numbers on which groups of people tan and how often they tan, only that the indoor tanning industry has exploded in the past 20 years, and that a vast majority of users are under the age of 30.
Brett Ferguson, a tanning receptionist at Attractions Tanning Salon in Athens says he thinks people go tanning to escape everyday stresses. People come into the salon to tan while taking a nap or listening to music. It's also a way to save time for those people who do not have the time to traditionally lay out in the sun.
No matter why Americans tan or don't tan, people should still be warned of the risks and consequences of indoor tanning. Here are some stats from skincancer.org.
However, if you are aware of the risk factors and still want to tan in an indoor salon, there are several tanning salons around town besides Attractions, like Outer Glow on Court St and Tropical Tanning on State St.
As the economy continues to change, businesses are looking for new and affordable ways to adapt to it, whether it be downsizing or upgrading and expanding. Bigger businesses or chains may not suffer as much as, say, locally owned businesses. For restaurant chains or department stores, it may mean closing one location, or opening up another. But for smaller, locally owned businesses, it could mean losing a lot more than just a few customers during the recession.
One local business in Athens, The Pigskin Bar and Grill, recently bought out its next-door-neighbor, Bali Karma, in order to expand its business, and to create more of a ?restaurant-type? atmosphere. Other businesses have also taken the initiative to expand their locations to increase business.
About a year and a half ago, Jackie O?s took over the space that was once known as Skipper?s. Brad Clark has been Brew master at Jackie O?s since 1996, and says that the bar has increased many aspects of their business ? beer sales, food sales, and expanding their menu. He says that they hope to offer an area where people are more comfortable eating in a kitchen/restaurant-type setting.
While renovations and expansion have proven to be successful for Jackie O?s, and potentially The Pigskin, other local businesses have not been so fortunate ? 19 South and The Blue Gator, both on Court Street, were unable to keep their doors open, even though their locations were in the middle of the hustle and bustle of uptown Athens.
One of the things that Clark says that keeps some local businesses alive is the fact that there is an appeal to uniqueness. He says that there?s always a possibility that if you grab a salad at Jackie O?s, there is a good chance that there is someone here [in Athens] that had something to do with the greens that went into it. Having locally grown products in local businesses also cuts down on food costs, saving money for the restaurant, and even the customers.
Other local restaurants, such as Casa Nueva and Village Bakery & Cafe, also use locally grown items, to save costs and deliver wholesome products to the community. Village Bakery uses locally grown and organic items, in order to give customers healthier options. Eating healthy outside of the home is possible after all.
In an unstable economy, saving money is the goal of many, including business owners ? and using local products can help. At first thought, spending money to make renovations and changes to a business might seem like a waste, especially because of the recession. But considering that the changes Jackie O?s made proved to be successful, who?s to say that it couldn?t be the same for others?
Last night at East Elementary, East Side residents met to learn about and discuss the possibility of adding the East State Street and Elmwood Place district to the National Register of Historic Places. Mayor Paul Wiehl and other city officials also attended the meeting, where Susan Tietz from the Ohio Historical Society gave a presentation regarding the application process. She then took questions regarding what changes could be coming if the area is accepted to the register. Here is a look at our nation's list of historic areas and the application process.
The Long and Winding Road to Registration
To be considered for the National Register, sites must be nominated by the location's respective State Historic Preservation Office. From there, the office will start a process that usually lasts a minimum of 90 days to evaluate whether the proposed listing meets specific historical significance criteria. The office will also contact residents of the area for comment. If the majority of residents respond negatively, the area cannot be listed.
Once a nomination has been deemed acceptable by the state office, it will be sent to the National Park Service to be reviewed by the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places. A final decision will be made within 45 days.
Historic A-Listers: What to Expect
There aren't many federal guidelines affecting an owner or their property once it is listed in the National Register. Unless the listing has any involvement with federal funds, owners of registered property are free to do whatever they choose with it. However, the designation does invite a number of incentives:
Qualification for a number of different tax breaks
Eligibility for federal grants regarding historic properties
Comment by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in the event of federal action concerning the property
By receiving approval for the National Register, a site joins over 80,000 properties, representing 1.4 million individual historic elements, joining landmarks like Valley Forge, Yellowstone National Park, and Athens' own Cutler Hall.
Athens County: A Goldmine of Federally-Recognized History
Almost every county in America is home to at least one nationally-registered historic place. Athens County boasts a grand total of 29 listings, so the East State Street and Elmwood Place district, if approved, would be number 30. To find the complete listing, visit the National Register of Historic Places database and search for Athens County in Ohio. Some familiar locations include the Downtown Historic District, The Hocking Valley Railway Historic District, Stuart's Opera House, and Ohio University Campus Green.
East State Outlook
The proposed historic area includes 94 residential homes and was nominated by the Athens Historical House Tours Committee.
A house on East State St. under some renovation
Some residents of the area are concerned about possible city codes requiring or restricting certain property modifications, but city officials at the meeting were quick to point out that no ordinances currently exist to regulate the area. However, if the area does become listed in the Register, Mayor Wiehl said that new ordinances could be enacted.
A Runaway Melvin J. Payne was scheduled to appear in court on a felony charge yesterday but he may have fled town. This Ohio University football player faces a second-degree felony trespassing charge after police say he broke into a home on Mill Street Saturday night through an unlocked door. A sleeping resident woke up when a man matching Payne's description forced his way into his bedroom. Police say the suspect ran through a glass door, leaving a trail of blood behind.
Payne went to O'Bleness Memorial Hospital and was treated for injuries. He allegedly told the hospital staff he was stabbed outside Weld Hall.
Athens County Municipal Court Judge William Grim has issued a second search warrant for Payne after he failed to appear in court. Payne cannot pay more than 10 percent of the $25,000 bail to get out of jail.
Deadly Beating 26-year-old Bryan Stevenson died after being severely beaten outside a restaurant. Stevenson, a Maumee, Ohio native, was a 2005 graduate of Eastern Kentucky University. Four men ganged up on him and beat him to death Sunday afternoon after a softball tournament in Louisville. He played left field for a team called 'The Good Guys.' A Kentucky newspaper reported four Louisville men were charged with the murder.
Cyclists Soon to Invade Athens Athens will be a popular city for about 3,000 cyclists this summer. The 22nd annual Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure is a bike tour project of Columbus Outdoor Pursuits. Participants will bike about 50 miles a day for a week on a loop through different areas of Ohio, including Athens. Cyclists will bike through Athens June 23 to 25.
Athens hosted the tour in 1997 and Nelsonville hosted it in 2001. Local business owners say bringing the tour back to Athens creates a positive energy for the city and brings in revenue.
Visiting cyclists will camp at the Athens Community Center and have many entertainment options. On June 23, people can go to the Dairy Barn Arts Center to eat Kister's BBQ Shack and view the Barn's quilt collection. A shuttle to and from uptown Athens will be available for participants who would like to explore the city.
Expanding Business on Court Street The Pigskin Bar and Grill has bought out Bali Karma, located right next door. This is in hopes of expanding the Pigskin Bar and Grill's business and shifting its kitchen over and creating a more restaurant-like atmosphere.
The Pigskin Bar and Grill isn't the only business on Court Street to expand. Jackie O's expanded into the space used by Skippers a year and a half ago. Jackie O's employees say pretty much every aspect of their business increased after the expansion- beer and food sales went up, and they were able to expand their menu choices. Jackie O's now offers customers a more comfortable, restaurant-type setting.
