A majority of Ohio University students left town by last Tuesday's primary election, and numbers from the Athens County Board of Elections reflect the low turnout that resulted.

City of Athens voters will get some options this November after all. With the filing of independent candidate Troy Gregorino last Monday, the race for the three at-large City Council seats will now be contested.

The winners of Tuesday's Athens Democratic Primary election on Wednesday morning expressed gratitude for voter support, graciousness to their opponents and anticipation of a now-contested November general election.

The night went to the incumbents, with Athens City Council members Christine Knisely and Steve Patterson, both Democrats, winning their party's nomination for re-election Tuesday night. Challenger Jennifer Cochran took the party's third nod in unofficial results posted by the Athens County Board of Elections around 9:15 p.m.

At-large City Council Democratic primary candidate Michael Bart this week secured himself the Elahu Gosney bump, for whatever it's worth, taking the endorsement of the outgoing council member.

Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald didn't mince words about incumbent Republican Gov. John Kasich during a visit to Athens Saturday.

The city of Athens has some major infrastructure projects lined up for the near future, with massive renovations to its wastewater treatment plant, repairs to Columbus Road and a rehabilitation of Richland Avenue south.

The at-large Democratic primary for Athens City Council has one new candidate in Michael McSteen, whose petitions were recently certified by the Athens County Board of Elections.

All five candidates in the Democratic primary for City Council's three at-large seats expressed support over the weekend for the efforts of the local Bill of Rights Committee to ban horizontal hydraulic fracturing in Athens and potentially in the watershed that supplies drinking water to Athens.

Though the filing deadline is fast approaching, only one new candidate for Athens City Council has emerged, local DJ and manager at Avalanche Pizza Michael Bart.