Features – Southeast Ohio

Features

Afroman breaks it down

Written by Hannah Campbell, Photos by Ashley Beach Adams County’s great entertainer talks fame, fortune and front doors. Unlike many rap artists, Joseph Foreman, better known as Grammy-nominated artist Afroman, prefers a laid-back lifestyle rather than the hustle and bustle of a major city, such as L.A. He wanted somewhere where he could work, worship […]

Features Photo Essay

Where the wild things live

Written and Photos by Anna Millar Concealed by the winding roads of Pedro, Ohio, is Barker Farm Zoo, an exotic oasis meant to share experiences with animals and wildlife education throughout the state. Kate Barker and her husband began the farm in 2016 with Daniel, their dromedary camel and first exotic addition. Since then, Barker […]

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Cherokee Valley Bison Ranch’s a-grazing

Written by Alex Ifft, Photos by Zach Vogeler From the brink of extinction to a remarkable resurgence, the history of bison is a testament to time. Bison faced annihilation in the early 19th century. However, thanks to the dedication of conservationists as well as help from farmers and ranchers, their numbers have rebounded. As years […]

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Southeast Ohio’s newest farmers turn their passions into full time jobs

Written by Donovan Hunt, Photos by Ashley Beach Julie Sharp has dreamed of starting a farm for many years and about 18 months ago, she made her dream a reality, but some of the hardest lessons have come from as she says her dreams hitting reality. One day, Sharp had nearly finished bush-hogging her pasture […]

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The famous mineral springs of Adams County

Written and photos by Lillian Barry In 1840, just south of present-day Peebles, Charles Matheny stumbled upon a spring that winded through Peach Mountain, dipped his hands into its waters, and drank. What he found would prove to be invaluable — Matheny believed he had discovered medicinal gold.   Matheny’s Medicine According to Mineral Springs: Adams […]

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46 years gone: What happened to Joanna Jenkins?

By Maddie Harden [Click here to access the interactive timeline] Joanna Jenkins was last seen at the Bridge Inn in Oak Hill on Nov. 1, 1977, her missing person poster reports. Jenkins has been missing for 46 years. The only official information available on her case is her description— 23-years-old, five feet tall, blonde, blue-eyed, […]

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The “Arrow Sniper” of Jackson County

By Bennett Snyder, Photos by Owen McDermott By Bennett Snyder, Photos by Owen McDermott Broken arrows and targets scattered across the range show evidence of an arrow sniper at work. Elsa, a German Shepherd guards Josh O’Dell’s workspace. While at first glance she appears as a fierce presence, she is a true sweetheart; petting her […]

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Ohio School Districts Split on Merits of Consolidation

By Ethan Bloomfield, Photos by PJ Marolt Elementary school students in the Jackson City School District wake up on a Monday morning and make their way to school by bus, by car or on foot by 8:55. Whether Northview, Westview or Southview, each student reports to an elementary school built with their generation’s needs in […]

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Exploring the roots, impact of bluegrass in Southeast Ohio

By Katie Millard, Photos by Lena Kalantzis Fiddles and banjos underscore Southeast Ohio, with a surprising history connected to the region. Coal and soot fell from stomping boots as miners, factory workers and families were swept up in rising fiddles and train-whistle harmonies. After long shifts, the blue-collar workers who made Southern Ohio often relaxed […]

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An account of Southeast Ohio’s lesser-known roadside museums  

By Ethan Bloomfield, Photos by Danielle Smith and Milton Lindsay Stepping up to the second floor of the Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center, I’m faced with an immense oil painting of a table set for eight. The plainly dressed family, solemn with their heads bowed, sit before empty plates ready for cool milk, fresh […]

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The Price of Plastic

Petrochemical Industry Looks to Expand in Appalachia Written and photos by Liz Parstch For years, Southeast Ohio has been a hub for fossil fuel jobs that the industry claims employ millions. With the rise of coal mining in the 19th century and the fracking boom of the 2000s, the industry presents its latest push: plastic […]

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The Women of Appalachia Project features art for the soul

by Kate Mauer, Photos by Jesse Jarrold-Grapes

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Ohio Poet Laureate is rooted in poetic justice

Gunter-Seymour speaks of her career as a gift she attributes to her family, but her journey to embracing poetry wasn’t a straight shot.

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Food networks unite to provide food to Southeast Ohio communities

By Anna Birk, Photo by Joe Timmerman

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Cleaning Up Coal

By Joe Timmerman and Tre Spencer

The future of coal in a small village along the Ohio River looks bleak as the General James M. Gavin Power Plant contaminates groundwater with coal ash.

Features

The Barn Artist

Having grown up drawing, Hagan took on painting during high school. At age 19, he decided he wanted more of a challenge.

“I just was starting to figure out that I liked painting things that were on the bigger scale,” Hagan says. “The biggest thing I could find to challenge myself was the side of [my] dad’s barn there.”

Now, he is known as “Barn Artist.”