Petrochemical Industry Looks to Expand in Appalachia by Liz Partsch 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 production. Now, petrochemicals have their sights on a new destination in Appalachia: Belmont County, located in southeastern Ohio, to accompany an existing plant in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. In Belmont County, a global chemical company from Bangkok, PTT Global Chemical, has proposed plans to construct an ethane cracker plant […]
Ohio’s Most Perfect Tree
In Pike County there stands a tree that is so perfect that it has been claimed to have been featured on Ripley’s Believe it or not. After that, it was rumored to be the world’s most perfect tree. It may not be the world’s most perfect tree anymore, but it is known as Ohio’s most perfect tree now. It has no official recognition, but people in the Pike County area describe this 200-year-old tree as the most perfect in the state. What makes it so perfect? “The shape,” John Samson, the owner of the tree for the majority of his life, says. The giant tree’s knotty trunk and uniform branches stand out prominently. Spring and summer bring out […]