WOUB News & Culture, Ohio University/Radio Television Building/35 S College Street, Athens, OH (2026)

08/24/2026

Human growth hormone has an impact on how osteoarthritis develops in our bodies. A researcher at Ohio University has a goal of developing methods to prevent this degeneration of our joints.

Shouan Zhu is a professor at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and director of the Osteoarthritis Research Laboratory. He recently received a large grant to study how blocking growth hormone expression may help protect against osteoarthritis and the pain that comes with it as we age.

Zhu sat down to speak with WOUB’s David Forster for “Modern Science.”

Zhu recently received a large grant to study how blocking growth hormone expression may help protect against osteoarthritis.

08/24/2026

American Electric Power (AEP) said last week five major data center owners will contribute $17 million to an existing bill assistance program over the next five years.

The Neighbor to Neighbor program awards one-time grants, of $500 or less, to eligible low-income residential consumers who have outstanding bills with AEP Ohio that are late by 30 or more days. Right now, that’s more than 200,000 households statewide, said Julia Ivinskas, director of customer experience for AEP Ohio.

“It is called the Neighbor to Neighbor program, and we serve these communities, and the data centers are in these communities,” Ivinskas said in an interview Thursday.

According to AEP Ohio, Meta contributed $10 million over five years and QTS contributed $3 million over three years. And there were one-time, one-year donations made by Amazon of $2.5 million for 2026, SoftBank Energy of $1 million for 2026 and Google of $500,000 for 2026.

AEP Ohio will also contribute $1 million.

To be eligible, residential consumers must fall below an income threshold, about $96,000 for a four-person family, and be at least at risk of disconnection. And per $1 million, AEP estimates awarding assistance to about 2,000 families—likely a fraction of those eligible.

AEP said five major data center owners will contribute $17 million to an existing bill assistance program over the next five years.

08/21/2026

The Athens Art Guild has a new place to call home.

In this episode of "Conversations from Studio B," WOUB's Emily Votaw talks with Athens Art Guild President Marjorie Lee about the organization's first permanent headquarters.

Located in the historic Mansfield House at 667 E. State St. in Athens, the new space gives the guild a central location for classes, exhibitions, meetings and community events.

It also includes a gallery shop featuring handmade work by guild members and other local artists.

Lee discusses the years of planning that led to the new headquarters and her hopes for what the space can become for Athens and the surrounding region.

She also talks about the guild's efforts to make art more accessible through affordable classes, educational programs and opportunities for local artists.

The organization hopes the headquarters can become a hub for community art and help build on Athens' potential as an arts destination.

The Athens Art Guild will celebrate the new space with a grand opening Sunday, Aug. 30.

Athens Art Guild President Marjorie Lee talks with WOUB about celebrating the grand opening of the organization's headquarters.

08/21/2026

A grand jury issued indictments Friday in the Vinton County child endangerment case, and it came with some surprises.

The parents of 16 children found living in deplorable conditions in a rental home have been indicted on two charges each of unlawful sexual contact with a minor child. The child is not a member of their immediate family.

The parents, Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders, also each face two charges of sexual battery in connection with that child.

It was the investigation of those alleged crimes, beginning in May, that led law enforcement to execute a search warrant at the Siders’ home in the village of Hamden on June 30. They were there to get a DNA sample of Gary Jr. for genetic testing, according to Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer.

Once inside the home, officers found 16 children in a room that according to law enforcement was filthy and contaminated with human f***s.

Gary Jr.’s parents, Gary Siders Sr. and Christina Siders, also lived in the home.

Gary Jr., Elizabeth and Christina have now been indicted on 12 charges each of felony child endangerment and seven charges each of misdemeanor child endangerment.

Gary Sr. was indicted on 10 felony and six misdemeanor charges of child endangerment.

The investigation that led to the charges against Gary Jr. and Elizabeth involving another child itself stemmed from an investigation into two men that began in December. That investigation involved allegations of sexual abuse involving two children.

“This case all started with diligent Dollar General clerks calling authorities with concerns over children they observed,” Archer said in a recorded statement.

The two men were arrested Friday and the grand jury issued indictments against them as well. Both are from South Bloomingville in Hocking County.

A grand jury issued indictments Friday in the Vinton County child endangerment case, and it came with some surprises.

08/21/2026

The Ohio Supreme Court declined to take up a case that challenged the state’s new reproductive rights constitutional amendment. But supporters and opponents of the amendment agree on one thing; it’s not the end for lawsuits related to the 2023 voter-approved constitutional change on abortion.

The court’s six Republicans and one Democrat dismissed the lawsuit filed by Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations/Juvenile Divisions Judge David Engler. The Republican judge, who was elected to the court in 2024, claimed the amendment approved the year before took away his authority the parental notification provision for minors seeking abortions. He had sued two statewide officials, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and former Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, in lower courts. Engler said those two Republican leaders approved flawed ballot language. Yost and LaRose asked the Ohio Supreme Court to dismiss the case, arguing Engler didn’t have standing and had waited too long to file the case anyway.

Ohio Right to Life Board member Mike Gonidakis said he’s not surprised the court didn’t take up the case.

“It was dismissed on procedural grounds, not on the merits of his arguments, not on the debate that we’ve been having for decades in Ohio, but the way it was filed and the person [who] filed the case,” Gonidakis said in an interview.

“This case was ridiculous from the beginning,” said Abortion Forward Executive Director Jaime Miracle. “And this court saw just how ridiculous it was and recognized for once that the Ohio constitution protects these rights and should not be challenged by other elected officials in our state.”

A lawsuit filed in Butler County is pending, filed by anti-abortion activists who said the amendment illegally modified state law

08/21/2026

Captain Chucke & the Cadillac South will celebrate the release of its new album, “Tiny Towns,” Friday at Nelsonville’s Parade of the Hills.

The folk-punk band will perform from 4 to 5 p.m. on the festival’s library stage.

Attendees can pick up a free copy of the “Tiny Towns” CD during the set.

The six-track album draws from frontman Charles Whaley’s personal experiences over several difficult years, exploring themes including grief, self-doubt, and neurodivergence.

Captain Chucke & the Cadillac South will mark the album’s release in the community that helped inspire it.

Catch the band Friday from 4 to 5 p.m. on the Parade of the Hills library stage and pick up a free copy of “Tiny Towns.”

Captain Chucke & the Cadillac South explores grief, self-doubt and optimism on its new album, “Tiny Towns,” out Aug. 21.

08/21/2026

In this edition of “Now Playing” for WOUB Culture, Dr. Gordon Briggs reviews “The End of Oak Street,” a dinosaur thriller starring Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway and directed by David Robert Mitchell, the filmmaker behind the critically acclaimed 2014 horror film “It Follows.”

The film follows a suburban family whose 1982 neighborhood is mysteriously transported to a prehistoric era.

Briggs examines how the movie contrasts the familiar surroundings of suburban America with the dangers of an untamed prehistoric world.

The review highlights the film’s use of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures within ordinary neighborhood settings.

Briggs also considers how the Platt family’s existing economic and marital struggles shape their fight for survival.

Anne Hathaway’s performance as a mother determined to protect her family receives particular attention.

The review explores the film’s combination of monster-movie thrills, family drama and dark humor.

Briggs discusses how the movie draws on the style and imagery of 1980s adventure and monster films.

He also examines how the story complicates nostalgia for the decade and the idea of returning to a simpler past.

Read the latest edition of "Now Playing" for Briggs’ full review of "The End of Oak Street".

'The End of Oak Street' blends dinosaur thrills, family drama and dark humor while challenging nostalgia for the seemingly simpler '80s.

08/20/2026

One of two cases that sought to overturn Ohio’s voter-approved amendment guaranteeing abortion access and reproductive rights has been dismissed. The Ohio Supreme Court unanimously turned away a lawsuit filed by a Republican Youngstown-area judge.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — One of two cases that sought to overturn Ohio’s voter-approved amendment guaranteeing abortion access and reproductive rights has been dismissed. The Ohio Supreme Court... Read More

08/20/2026

An Ohio bill would set the ceiling for statewide reimbursements within the foster care system, though it likely faces a tough road this legislative session.

Placement costs are “rising and uncontrolled,” said Scottie Powell, a Scioto County commissioner. And the state’s 88 counties bear the bulk of the legal and financial burdens for care, although their funding comes from a mix of federal, state and local dollars.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — An Ohio bill would set the ceiling for statewide reimbursements within the foster care system, though it likely faces a tough road this legislative... Read More

08/19/2026

Transgender Ohioans who want to update the gender indicated on their driver’s licenses or state IDs can no longer do that with a form that’s been used for years. And the state’s leading LGBTQ+ advocacy group says that’s a sudden and cumbersome change.

Equality Ohio said it found out Tuesday that the declaration of gender change form signed by a medical or mental health provider that’s been in use since 2009 will no longer be accepted by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to change a gender marker.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Transgender Ohioans who want to update the gender indicated on their driver’s licenses or state IDs can no longer do that with a form... Read More

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