World’s largest natural gas generation facility planned for Ohio / pg. 2
US Headlines Russia inactive in Iran conflict, SAVE America Act FINN SMITH FOR THE POST
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Russia remains inactive in the US-Iran war As fighting intensifies in the war between the U.S., Israel and Iran, Russia has largely limited its response to criticism and calls for diplomacy, according to The Associated Press. President Vladimir Putin remains focused on the war in Ukraine, although Moscow condemned the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Russia, however, is already benefiting from the surge in energy prices caused by disruptions to tanker traffic and damage to energy facilities in Gulf countries. Russia hopes conflict can provide both financial support for and a major distraction from the Russia-Ukraine war.
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FBI obtains 2020 election records from Arizona The Republican leader of the Arizona state Senate officially handed over the 2020 presidential election records to the FBI, signaling President Donald Trump’s continued belief that he lost the 2020 election to former President Joe Biden. The records were from Maricopa County, and mark the second time this year the FBI obtained records regarding the 2020 election from the most populous county in one of the battleground states Trump lost, the AP reported. Some Republican lawmakers aligned themselves with the false belief the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, even hiring a private firm to investigate, coming up with nothing, the AP reported.
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Trump, Republicans disagree on plan to win midterms At his golf course Monday, Trump explained a plan to Republicans who are concerned they might lose their congressional majority in the coming midterms, the AP reported. His two-fold plan includes building on national voter identification laws to ban mail ballots and restrict transgender rights. House Republicans released their plan shortly after, which deviated from Trump’s, not continued pg 3
THEPOSTATHENS.COM
MARCH 17, 2026
VOLUME 116, ISSUE 26
Rough Patch band makes debut / pg. 8
Council says no to drones LAYNEE ESLICH FOR THE POST Athens City Council voted 5-2 on Feb. 17 to not move a proposed drone technology grant for the Athens Police Department to regular session, according to a previous report by The Post. The Ohio Department of Transportation offered the grant through DriveOhio, an initiative that supports technology aimed at improving safety and mobility across the state.
DriveOhio developed the grant, called the Drones for First Responders Pilot Program, in September and October 2025 under Ohio House Bill 96. The program is designed to allow law enforcement, fire departments and medical services to assess emergency scenes before ground units arrive. Athens Police Chief Nick Magruder said drones could provide aerial imaging during
emergencies and improve response times. For example, Magrudar said drones could help officials assess damage from a car crash, determine the needs for the situation and identify the fastest route for responders to reach the scene. Though overall crime rates have remained steady, Magruder said car break-ins have become a more recent issue in the city.
“With our headlights on and someone’s breaking into cars, they usually kind of hide in between cars or get behind buildings,” Magruder said. “I mean, this (search) could have been up above where they would have never known it was there, and we could have been monitoring that, and that’s been a huge issue for residents and students lately.” continued pg 3
Talisa Lemke fuses coaching, artistry SOPHIA ROOKSBERRY MANAGING EDITOR Since she was a teenager, Talisa Lemke has pursued diving and the arts in equal measure. Lemke is a five-time Mid-American Conference Diving Champion, an actor in award-winning German films and the Ohio diving coach with the best MAC Championship results since 2013. Lemke started her diving career while growing up in Berlin, Germany, in the early 2000s. At the age of six, her grandmother recommended she start taking diving lessons at the community pool to expend her excess energy. “It was fun in the beginning to do it a couple times a week,” Lemke said. “I used to be scared of water, but I think the way they handled it made me not see it as something fearful anymore.” Lemke (right) coaching a member of the Ohio Swim and Dive team. Provided by Ohio Athletics | Alaina Dackermann
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Athens public libraries sustain education MARIA SAUNDERS FOR THE POST
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hrough shelves of stories and countless activities, Athens’ seven public libraries provide areas for residents to connect and communicate. Although most Ohio University and Hocking College students are not in Athens year-round, Athens County Public Libraries view them as valuable members of the area, striving to create engaging events. “Our libraries are for everybody in the community,” Myca Roberts, the branch
manager at the Plains Public Library, said. “(It) doesn’t matter if you’re here for life, if you’re here for four years, or here for two. Anyone who is here in the area, we want you to come in and to bring your ideas and tell us ways that we can make your experience in this community better, or help you learn things to further your own education or your own goals.” ACPL’s outreach services manager, Sean Kidd, works to build the community collection in Athens. continued pg 4
Bookshelves in Alden Library, located in Athens. Feb. 24, 2026. (JOHN FOUSS | FOR THE POST)
Bobcats and Ballgowns creates magic across Athens CAITLYN VANCE FOR THE POST
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president, said. “I feel like it’s just so much more valuable when you’re visiting kids who already are in such a hard time to show them happiness and just positivity for just a few minutes, I think that’s really impactful.”
Since its formation last fall, Bobcats and Ballgowns is working to bring magic to Athens through princess performances. According to its website, Bobcats and Ballgowns is a volunteer-based club striving to bring positivity to local children through community events and character visits.
Zajdel has experience with character performing and participated in events dressed as Elsa from Frozen, which sparked her interest.
“Our goal is to create magical experiences while promoting kindness, imagination and confidence in the children we meet,” the website states.
When touring various colleges, she visited Indiana University. There, she was introduced to Royal Encounters, an organization of students who dress up as characters and make visits across the area.
What began as a Snapchat post searching for interested students blossomed into a club with hopes to soon visit children in hospitals, decked in gowns and tiaras. “I’m hoping to go to Nationwide (Children’s Hospital) in Columbus,” Magdolyn Zajdel, a freshman studying social work and Bobcats and Ballgowns
“I really liked that idea … and where I went, I wanted to try to start something like that,” she said. Provided by Bobcats and Ballgowns
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