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This page offers blog posts, news articles and events surrounding Athens County economic and community development efforts.
County to distribute $1.5 million in federal aid
June 26, 2020 Thanks to the federal CARES Act, Athens County alongside municipalities in the county will receive a total of $1.5 million, County Auditor Jill Thompson reported Thursday. This funding is a portion of the $350 million distributed as relief funding for Ohio. The funds can only be used for unexpected expenditures incurred by […]
Read MoreOU researchers return to their labs, seeking potential COVID-19 treatments
May 30th, 2020 Several Ohio University researchers have received permission for an early return to their labs to conduct research on potential treatments for COVID-19. While most on-campus research activity was paused under the state’s stay-at-home order, the university has allowed a limited amount of essential work to continue — with close attention to safety. […]
Read MoreHocking Hills sites to reopen June 15
May 26, 2020 By Staff LOGAN — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is making a number of modifications to the popular Hocking Hills State Park trails system to better accommodate social distancing. Trails scheduled to open on June 15 include Cantwell Cliffs and Rock House at the state park. The park’s most beloved […]
Read More$1.7 million federal grant to assist older Ohioans through COVID-19
May 27, 2020 By Staff The Ohio Department of Aging announced on Tuesday that it has received a $1.7 million federal grant to strengthen services that support the health, safety, and independence of older Ohioans challenged by the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency. The grant, issued under the federal government’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic […]
Read MoreOhio University plans to return to campus this fall
May 14 2020 Kristine Varkony ATHENS, Ohio– Ohio University says they will open their campuses this fall semester. “With the health and safety of our University community at the top of our minds, we are planning for our new normal,” President M. Duane Nellis said in a statement. “It is our hope and intention that […]
Read MoreARC Announces $3.75 Million for Emergency Business Response Assistance Program to be Administered by Appalachian Community Capital
May 2020 WASHINGTON, D.C., May 11, 2020—Today, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced a $3.75 million grant to Appalachian Community Capital (ACC) for the ARC-ACC Emergency Business Response Assistance Program to strengthen and stabilize the Region’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and other mission-driven development finance lenders serving small businesses impacted by COVID-19 related losses. Through this […]
Read MoreQuidel’s Rapid Covid-19 Antigen Test Scores Emergency FDA Approval
May 10, 2020 Ben Maheny, Yahoo News Quidel (QDEL) has now received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the US FDA for its Sofia 2 SARS Antigen FIA, a rapid point-of-care test for suspected COVID-19 infection. According to the FDA, this is a new category of tests that will now be available for use in the […]
Read MoreIndustrial park receives $2.9M investment from JobsOhio
May 7, 2020 By Heather Willard The Bill Theisen Industrial Park will be reaching a new phase of development thanks to a $2.9 million investment grant from JobsOhio, the Athens County Port Authority announced Wednesday morning. JobsOhio, Ohio Southeast Economic Development (OhioSE) and the Athens County Port Authority together announced site development at the Bill […]
Read MoreAthens County Industrial Park Receives $2.9M Site Development Grant to Attract New Business
Athens, Ohio: May 6, 2020 –– JobsOhio, Ohio Southeast Economic Development (OhioSE) and the Athens County Port Authority today announced that site development at the Bill Theisen Industrial Park in Athens County will be supported with a $2.9 million JobsOhio Grant. The grant will support site preparation for building construction by business occupants. Work will include […]
Read MoreOU researchers receive grant funding; seek treatment for possible fatal complications of COVID-19
OHIO News May 1, 2020 Faculty researchers from Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and Russ College of Engineering and Technology have received a $100,000 grant to investigate possible treatments for mitigating the severity of COVID-19. Kelly McCall, Ph.D., and Douglas Goetz, Ph.D., will measure how effective a number of different chemical compounds are […]
Read MoreTrying to Stay Afloat: Small Businesses in Rural SE Ohio Cope with a Pandemic
April 24, 2020 By Elise Hammond | Taylor Bruck ATHENS (WOUB) – The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we interact with one another. Birthdays are celebrated on video chats, and suspicious glances are exchanged when someone gets too close at the grocery store. We are told to stay in our homes and away from each other. But […]
Read MoreDeWine: We have a plan to start opening Ohio back up starting May 1
By 10 TV Web Staff April 16, 2020 COLUMBUS, Ohio – During his briefing Thursday afternoon, Gov. Mike DeWine credited Ohioans for doing a great job at flattening the curve and saving lives. As he continued, he made one point clear: “We must get Ohio’s economy moving again. We must get people back to work.” DeWine […]
Read MoreWhite House says new small business loan program is out of money, leaving many firms grasping for lifelines
From the Washington Post April 16, 2020 A new lending program for small businesses maxed out Thursday morning and stopped accepting claims, but a bitterly divided Congress looked unlikely to address that growing problem as the nation plunged into unemployment levels not seen since the Great Depression. The Small Business Administration said on its website that […]
Read MoreCOVID-19 in Appalachia: The state of businesses
April 7, 2020 By Tyler Buchanan When the Farrar brothers of Marietta were forced to close their glass repair shops, they stopped working on cars and decided to change gears. Instead of fixing car windshields, co-owners Dennis and Ron Farrar started making face shields. In the week that followed, personal protective equipment was sent out […]
Read MoreQuidel gets nod for emergency launch of COVID-19 test
Quidel Corporation, an Athens-based company that creates cellular-based testing assays, announced Thursday that it has received Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to market a new, faster version of the COVID-19 test. The test is called the Lyra SARS-CoV-2 Assay and is a real-time RT-PCR test intended for the “qualitative detection of […]
Read MoreCommissioners to give one-time funding to ORCA
February 26, 2020 By Heather Willard The Athens County Commissioners have once again discussed funding for the Baileys Trail Project. Commissioners Charlie Adkins and Chris Chmiel voted approval of earmarking $90,000 to go to the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia, of which Commissioner Lenny Eliason is a member. Because of this position, Eliason has removed […]
Read MoreCounty engineer sees issues with potential fiber project
February 15, 2020 By Heather Willard For residents of rural Ohio, internet access can be spotty or non-existent outside of city limits. A project from the Ohio Department of Transportation aims to bring fiber internet through Athens County on non-state routes. However, the project would not provide the area with the upgraded internet, County Engineer […]
Read MoreCommissioners tour Baileys trailhead, with long-term funding in doubt
February 20, 2020 By Conor Morris The Athens County Commissioners on Tuesday visited the trailhead in Chauncey for the first part of the Baileys Trail System construction in the Wayne National Forest, even as two of the Commissioners said last week that they’re not going to support the “pay for success” model that has been […]
Read MoreFiber optics coming to Logan
February 13, 2020 By John Stran LOGAN — A project involving fiber optic cables is expected to happen in Logan in a few months. In either April or May, Logan City Mayor Greg Fraunfelter said there will be an installation project for underground fiber optic cables. For the most part, the installation process will involve […]
Read MoreCommissioners decide against Baileys funding
February 13, 2020 By Heather Willard Stakeholders who have been anxiously holding their breath in hope that the Athens County Commissioners would provide $1.8 million over the next 20 years for the Baileys Trail Project can release that breath, but not in relief. During the Tuesday morning meeting, Commissioner Charlie Adkins said he is not […]
Read MoreWest Union Street improvements open house planned
February 10, 2020 By Heather Willard An open house has been scheduled by the city of Athens’ Department of Public Works for a proposed project that would extend Herrold Avenue to West State Street, as well as improve West Union Street. The planned improvements would provide an alternative roadway access to the West State Street […]
Read MoreSpectrum Internet® Launches in Rural Athens County, Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Feb. 7, 2020 – Charter Communications, Inc. today announced that following the completion of its all-digital network upgrade, it has launched Spectrum Internet and other service offerings for more than 2,400 homes and business in rural Athens County, Ohio, enabling true broadband speeds there for the first time. The announcement was […]
Read MoreRural Action CEO outlines economic development program connected to Baileys Trail
January 8 2020 By Conor Morris Debbie Phillips, CEO of Rural Action, delivered a status update to the Athens County Commissioners Tuesday on a grant-funded economic development project connected to the Baileys Trail System in the Wayne National Forest. Rural Action is the lead partner on a $1.235 million Appalachian Regional Commission POWER grant that […]
Read MoreOhioHealth personnel shift in wake of higher minimum wage
January 21, 2020 By Heather Willard The world of business is never easy. Unfortunately for some OhioHealth O’Bleness employees, it’s been edging away from the humdrum day-to-day grind toward a uncertain future. However, for others, a pay raise is on the horizon. Several departments of employees are being impacted by the hospital’s new “One patient, […]
Read MoreDeWine’s leadership role with key Appalachian group welcome news around Ohio
January 16, 2020 By: Tyler Buchanan Just how important is the Appalachian Regional Commission? There’s an old line that Andy Kuhn believes sums it all up: “A toilet doesn’t flush in rural America or rural Appalachia without ARC funds.” That’s how critical the Commission is to infrastructure advancement, the executive director of the Southeastern Ohio […]
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