Appalachian Understories hosts first annual Fall Fungi Festival

By Trinity Trimble Mushrooms grow on decomposing material, like tree trunks. Photo Credit: @Victy at Freeimages.com Appalachian Understories will hold the first annual Fall Fungi Festival on Saturday and Sunday.    The festival will be at the Tenderfoot Learning Lab in Athens, Ohio. Appalachian Understories is a social enterprise of Rural Action that organizes guided tours of the Appalachian region. The Fall Fungi Festival will be … Continue reading Appalachian Understories hosts first annual Fall Fungi Festival

Watch the partial solar eclipse at John Glenn Astronomy Park

By Trinity Trimble A partial solar eclipse only covers a section of the sun, making it look like there was a bite taken out of it. Photo credits @hisks at Freeimages.com Residents of southeast Ohio will be able to view a partial annular solar eclipse on Oct. 14. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, blocking the sun. … Continue reading Watch the partial solar eclipse at John Glenn Astronomy Park

An Ohio River Valley Epidemic: Ethane Cracker Plants

By Liz Partsch For decades, dwellers have scavenged the Ohio River Valley for its plentiful resources. From the 17th to 18th century when Native Americans used it as a means for fur trading and agriculture purposes to 19th century when it was used as a means for pioneers to travel westward — the Ohio River Valley has always been important for trade, agriculture and transportation. Eventually … Continue reading An Ohio River Valley Epidemic: Ethane Cracker Plants

The Revolution Generation Film Review

By Eren Crebs Millennials are the hero generation.  No, seriously. That’s what Neil Howe and William Strauss, demographers and authors of the book “Generations,” claim in the movie “The Revolution Generation,” which kicked off Ohio University’s Sustainability Series for the 2022-2023 school year.  Howe and Strauss explained the cyclical nature of generational experiences that fall into four main archetypes: the “hero,” the “artist,” the “prophet” … Continue reading The Revolution Generation Film Review

Confetti that Cares

By Emma Stefanick Confetti. Something so small and trivial that, for many, it goes unnoticed. But year in and year out, confetti makes its appearance on Ohio University’s campus.  For Era Bakia, a fourth-year student studying biology, confetti popped into the forefront of her mind after she began working for Ohio University Grounds Services. She noticed that there was a drastic influx of confetti litter … Continue reading Confetti that Cares

Rerouting the Hocking River: Did the River Take a Turn for the Worse

By Ellie Shanklin In 1968, 13-year-old Tebes Caul and his older brother were told by their father, “By no means do you go anywhere close to the floodwaters.” Disobeying this command, the two brothers playfully trudged through four-foot-deep water near their home in Athens, Ohio. They brought along their water-loving German shepard for a swim in the floodwaters of Richland Avenue.  “It was a bad … Continue reading Rerouting the Hocking River: Did the River Take a Turn for the Worse

COVID-19 and Ohio University

The number of COVID-19 cases across Ohio and the United States are surging, and hospital admissions are spiking. However, Dr. Gillian Ice —Ohio University’s Special Assistant to the President for Public Health Operations—reported in her Nov. 3 weekly public health update that Ohio University campuses “continue to have relatively low numbers of positive COVID-19 test results from students and employees. [Also,] the rates in Athens County have come down from the high a couple of weeks ago.” Continue reading COVID-19 and Ohio University

Mossville Film Review

By Maddie Hellwig The second film in the Athena Cinema’s Fall Sustainability Series was “Mossville,” a haunting documentary about the fenceline community of Mossville, Louisiana. It follows two Mossville residents, Stacey Ryan and Erica Jackson, who struggle to fight for their community against big oil companies like Sasol. Mossville first served as a safe haven for freed slaves to escape racial violence after the end … Continue reading Mossville Film Review