Good morning, Vinton County. Mark your calendars for a splash of riverfront nostalgia as the historic Pomeroy Sternwheel Regatta returns September 18-21. This beloved four-day festival promises everything from live music and $500 frog jumping championships to the traditional Sunday sternwheel races that showcase our region's rich river heritage. While this celebration plans to bring communities together, another local story involves a very different kind of visitor – a runaway donkey creating quite the commotion in Athens County, outmaneuvering sheriff's deputies while bathroom vandals and scrap metal disputes kept law enforcement busy elsewhere.
In more concerning developments, environmental officials are scrambling to address what they're calling a "worst case scenario" at Chillicothe's Pixelle paper mill. The August closure threatens to disrupt the plant's decades-long containment of cancer-causing chemicals underground. Though authorities insist drinking water remains safe, the situation highlights the complex environmental challenges sometimes hidden beneath our community's surface – with officials now racing to develop new remediation strategies.
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☕️ What's Brewing Locally
🚢 Historic Pomeroy Sternwheel Regatta brings four days of riverfront fun. The festival returns to Ohio's riverfront September 18-21, featuring live entertainment, food vendors, and family-friendly competitions. Highlights include the Jim Sisson Memorial Fire Trucks Parade, performances by Carl Acuff Jr. and other bands, plus exciting contests like the Southern Ohio Frog Jumping Championships with $500 prizes. The event culminates Sunday with church services and traditional sternwheel races on the Ohio River, hosted by Pomeroy Eagles Aerie 2171.
🐴 Donkey on the loose creates chaos in Athens County. Sheriff's deputies responded to reports of the animal in Longview Heights, but it fled when they tried to approach it. Meanwhile, a bathroom vandal caused extensive damage to sinks and toilets at Jacksonville Park, prompting an investigation. Other incidents included a scrap metal theft between siblings, suspected bones under a home (later determined to be animal remains), and an online scam attempt involving Apple gift cards for "extended warranties."
⚠️ Closing paper mill threatens to unleash toxic chemicals underground. Chillicothe's Pixelle plant, shuttering in August, has been containing cancer-causing chemicals from a former cookware manufacturer for decades. The Ohio EPA warns this closure is a "worst case scenario" as the plant's water usage prevented contaminants from migrating into farmland, residences, and the Scioto River. Officials insist there's no immediate threat to residents' drinking water, with Mayor Luke Feeney emphasizing that monitoring efforts are in place. Authorities are now working with responsible parties to install additional monitoring wells and develop a revised remediation approach.
🏡 Real Estate Reveals
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Trophy hunting cabin retreat Ohio: Priced at $285,000, this secluded one-bedroom cabin on 14 acres in southern Ohio offers rustic-modern living with all amenities, fully furnished sleeping space for 6-8, and turnkey hunting features including blinds and documented trophy buck sightings.
Remote wooded retreat near Hocking: Priced at $75,000, this 71-acre wooded retreat near Hocking Hills offers a rustic escape with a pole barn accessible via a rugged lane, just 14 miles from the state park, though utilities are limited.🗓️ Happenings & Hoopla
🍞 Daily Bread Crumb
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
-John 3:16
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