Jury finds ex-OU student innocent of rape, kidnapping
Written by Jim Phillips
Friday, 06 November 2009 16:20
After deliberating for about five and a half hours Friday, a jury in Athens County Common Pleas Court found 21-year-old Matthew Kulchar, a former Ohio University student, not guilty of rape or kidnapping in connection with an alleged sexual assault on a female student in September 2008.
The six-woman, six-man jury did find Kulchar guilty of complicity to evidence tampering, a third-degree felony.
State rep updates Student Senate on college-connected measures
Written by Alissa Paolella
Friday, 06 November 2009 11:06
Ohio University Student Senate welcomed state Rep. Debbie Phillips, D-Athens, to its weekly meeting last Wednesday, with Phillips updating the group on the Ohio House of Representatives’ recent passage of the Education Funding Protection Act.
If passed, the bill will help fill an $871 million gap in the state’s current biennium budget by delaying the final phase of a planned tax reduction until 2011, Phillips said. The state would raise about $844 million in revenue, she noted.
State audit issues findings of recovering in Hocking College case
Written by Athens NEWS Staff
Thursday, 05 November 2009 10:43
In a special audit of Hocking College just released, the Ohio Auditor of State found that three HC officials – Roxanne DuVivier, Lynette Hull and Myriah Short – each improperly paid herself $9,224 in salaries from a grant fund.
The audit also found, among other problems, that the college had improperly paid $530 worth of miscellaneous travel expenses for then President John Light to travel to his second home in Shelter Island, N.Y., and $72 in personal expense reimbursements for two purchases on a college credit card.
The Athens County Commissioners discussed a series of changes to the county flood-plain regulations Tuesday with county Planner Bob Eichenberg after flood-plain maps for the area were altered.
The biggest factor in these changes, Eichenberg said, was for people who are going to be in a flood plain if they weren’t before. These people have a chance to save on insurance costs if they purchase their policies in time.
The decision by the new president of Hocking College to place a longtime college official on administrative leave for alleged wrongdoing has apparently created some tension between the president and a member of his trustee board.
Ron Erickson, who recently took over as Hocking’s second president in history, placed Cindy Baden, executive director of the HC Foundation, on paid administrative leave, pending a hearing to see if she loses her job.
4th Ward winner Fahl hopes to continue working on code update
Written by Athens NEWS Staff
Thursday, 05 November 2009 00:07
Now that Democrat Christine Fahl looks to be heading back to Athens City Council to represent the Fourth Ward for two more years, she says she’ll continue working with the city planner to update city laws as they apply to development.
“Immediately, we have to look at the budget; that’s what we’re doing right now,” Fahl said Wednesday morning. “But a longer-term project is going to be updating the code to make it much more proactive and understandable by both developers and citizens of the city.”
The Athens City-County Health Department has received a shipment of more than 2,000 of H1N1 flu vaccine in various types, and is already busy distributing it to high-risk groups throughout the county.
Director Charles Hammer said that the department is holding vaccination clinics at area schools and is planning on holding two clinics next week for high-risk members of the community.
Apparently victorious Athens City Council member Christine Fahl said prior to Tuesday’s election that though she was serving on the board of the Athens Conservancy when she voted on a council resolution that potentially helped the non-profit, she believes there was no illegal or unethical conflict of interest in the vote.
The vote, she noted, involved no expenditure of city money, but merely put City Council on record that if the Conservancy managed to buy a piece of land off East State Street, behind Cook Drive, council would support granting the site a city right-of-way, because otherwise it would be landlocked.
Athens County Crime Solvers Anonymous has listed the below crimes as Crimes of the Month for November 2009. The information comes from a press release.
• During the past several years, Athens County has seen an increase in the use of heroin, and several deaths have occurred due to heroin overdoses. Athens County law enforcement agencies are requesting information regarding the person or persons responsible for transporting the heroin into Athens County and for those who are selling the heroin once it arrives in our county, according to the news release.
Walk this weekend to help Gathering Place, mental health
Wednesday, 04 November 2009 23:55
The Gathering Place and NAMI Athens are hosting the 10th annual Walk the Walk for Mental Health Awareness and Support this Saturday.
The walk will help fund the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and The Gathering Place while raising awareness about mental illness. Ohio Sen. Jimmy Stewart, state Rep. Debbie Phillips and Athens Mayor Paul Wiehl will speak at the event. The walk will begin at 10 a.m. with a rally at the Athens County Courthouse steps.
City Council mulls grant application for stimulus money
Written by David DeWitt
Wednesday, 04 November 2009 23:52
Athens City Council spoke about three ordinances Monday that would allow Mayor Paul Wiehl to submit grant applications to fund transportation and energy-conservation projects with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
One ordinance would allow Wiehl to apply for stimulus grant funds through the U.S. Department of Energy in awards of $1 million to $5 million for a revolving-loan fund for the city to help pay for solar-energy and energy-efficiency for homeowners and perhaps commercial businesses as well, said at-large member Elahu Gosney.
As Kulchar testifies, dorm rape trial taking longer than expected
Written by Athens NEWS Staff
Wednesday, 04 November 2009 23:50
The trial of a former Ohio University student charged with raping a female student in her dorm room will go longer than expected, with closing arguments possibly not coming until Friday.
Defense attorney K. Robert Toy, who represents 21-year-old Matthew Kulchar, said Wednesday that the lawyers in the case “seriously underestimated” how long the trial would take.
Ohio University is not the only school in the state that has experienced significant enrollment growth this year. Statewide, enrollment grew by 9.3 percent, according to a study released Wednesday by the Ohio Board of Regents.
This 9.3 percent growth is three times the growth the state saw in 2008-2009.
Athens community members and Ohio University students, faculty and staff brainstormed yesterday on potential goals for the university’s comprehensive sustainability plan.
Group input emphasized a unified public transportation system, solar panels, a zero-waste campus, local food sources and sustainability curriculum.
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