November 25, 2025

Fighting the opioid epidemic for free with Narcan… pg. 7-9 Breaking down wild MAC mayhem… pg. 10 A spellbinding, ‘Wicked’ adaptation…

With the end of the government shutdown that spanned from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has started resuming its services to families with lower incomes across the country, including Ohio. Before the shutdown, about 1.4 million Ohioans received roughly $264 million in food benefits from SNAP every month, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Ending the government shutdown, the House passed the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions act Nov. 12 with a 222-209 vote.

“This legislation provides critical funding to support America’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities and it ensures both USDA and FDA can safeguard our nation’s food and drug supply,” Andy Harris, the chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies subcommittee, said in a press release.

ODJFS announced Nov. 14, the Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Services, which administers SNAP, will ensure Ohio citizens will receive full SNAP benefits for November by this week.

In the weeks leading up to the reopening of the program, businesses in Athens took it upon themselves to

Food for thought

Athens restaurants filled SNAP benefits gap during government shutdown

As the government shutdown paused SNAP benefits for millions, several Athens restaurants offered free meals to residents who rely on the program.

House and Taco John’s.

According to Taco John’s facebook, the restaurant offered a community support special including a free beef or bean burrito and one Jr. Potato Oles, to customers from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2.

Hot Box also offered free meals to SNAP recipients. Dave Voge, a manager at Hot Box, said they donated between $18,000 and $20,000 in free meals within the span of two weeks.

The first week, starting Nov. 1, customers with SNAP identification received any type or amount of food they could order. The second week,

customers were limited to one meal per person.

“Kevin (McNamara), the owner, he’s the one who started it,” Voge said. “He was just trying to help people out while the government was shut down and doing nothing. He just wanted to make sure people in Athens had something to eat.”

According to the Pew Research Center, the government spent almost $65 billion on SNAP benefits through the first eight months of fiscal 2025. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins told Newsmax citizens will have to reapply for benefits to verify the amount spent will be for those in need of the program.

Despite the reissuing of benefits, Ashley King, a manager at Larry’s Dawg House, said the restaurant plans to continue offering food for any citizen affected by the loss of SNAP benefits. The family meal includes six short dogs with sauce on the side, 20 chicken nuggets, a quart of ice cream, a bag of chips and a cookie for each member of the family.

King said they also recently bought Cuties Citrus and apples for free meals, as well.

Ashley King has worked at the restaurant for 10 years, while her husband, Dillan King, the general manager, has been there for 20 years. Dillan King initially suggested offering the free meals to a few families each day, which began Nov. 7.

So far, Larry’s Dawg House donated to about 40-50 families, as well as individuals..

“We also were completely thrown off by the community and our customers that came in,” Ashley King said. “We have people donating to that cause, which is really, really cool, because looking at the food cost, that’s what we pay for food, and taking that into consideration, we’re able to turn somebody’s $10 that they donate, and I can still feed for (the cause).”

Ashley King said another staff member told her one customer said, “If I can buy a hot dog for myself, I can buy a hot dog for someone else.”

Police blotter: Arrests, alleged ATVs, abandoned vehicle

KAITLIN HOGG NEWS STAFF WRITER

14 Fri ________________________

Broken windows

Athens County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call from Chauncey regarding to broken car windows.

At the time the media report was released, there were no leads.

That’s my car

Deputies of the Athens County Sheriff’s Office responded near Chauncey after receiving a report of an abandoned vehicle.

Once on the scene, deputies made contact with the caller and learned the car belongs to a resident of the property.

15 Sat _________________________

Man with a gun?

Athens County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Chauncey after reports of a man walking on the main streets carrying what appeared to be a long gun.

Deputies patrolled and attempted to make contact, but were not able to locate the individual.

Stop being loud

Athens County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to Union Lane in The Plains regarding a loud noise complaint.

It was determined that the noise was coming from utilities outside of an apartment building. The caller was told to contact the property manager.

16 Sun ________________________

Breaking and entering

Deputies with the Athens County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to Liars Corner Road in Millfield after receiving a third-party report of a breaking and entering.

Deputies on the scene spoke with a man who told deputies he saw another individual attempt to get into the house, then went up the street. Deputies patrolled but did not find anyone.

Thief!

Athens County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to state Route 56 in New Marshfield in regards to a complaint of theft.

Deputies on the scene spoke with individuals and took a report.

17 Mon________________________

Warrants of the week

The Athens County Sheriff’s Office has warrants of arrest out for Ricky McGee and Jimmy Stepp.

McGee is wanted for theft, receiving stolen property and obstructing official business. Stepp is wanted for engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, possession of criminal tools, two

counts of trafficking drugs and having weapons while under disability. Anyone with information on either man is to contact the Sheriff’s Office immediately.

18 Tue ________________________

ATV in the street?

Athens County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to Depot Street in New Marshfield after receiving reports of an all-terrain vehicle in the street.

Deputies patrolled for a while but did not find the ATV.

Arrested!

Deputies of the Athens County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Athens County Prosecutor’s Office, were sent to Meadowbrook Road in Albany to locate a woman with an active warrant of arrest for endangering children. Jessica Pyke was located and arrested, then taken to the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail.

19 Wed ________________________

No more vape

Athens County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Federal Hocking High School to collect and destroy a THC vape that had been confiscated from a student.

You do the crime, you do the time.

Deputies with the Athens County Sheriff’s Office responded to Dowler Ridge Road in New Marshfield after receiving a trespassing complaint.

Upon arrival at the scene, deputies made contact with several witnesses and the suspect. Eventually, the suspect was arrested for criminal trespassing and menacing by stalking. The suspect was then taken to the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail.

20 Thur ________________________

Narcan can help

Athens County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to Depot Street in Albany after a report of a drug overdose.

EMS administered two doses of Narcan. The individual became more alert and was then taken to the hospital.

Pitbull(s) sighting

Deputies of the Athens County Sheriff’s Office responded to state Route 682 near The Plains regarding a call about two dogs running near the road.

Deputies on the scene were able to locate a brown and white pitbull and a brown pitbull by the road. An attempt was made to catch the dogs, but they ran off, and deputies were unable to relocate them.

U.S. Weekly Headlines: Epstein Files, Trump’s plan for Gaza

17 Mon _________________________

FAA removes restrictions on commercial airlines, resumes regular schedule

According to the Associated Press, the Federal Aviation Administration announced the removal of all restrictions placed on commercial flights in 40 major airports during the government shutdown.

The restrictions imposed during the shutdown were in place due to safety concerns as staffing shortages climbed. The orders were in place since Nov. 7 and impacted thousands of flights across the U.S., the AP reported.

The order was lifted on Nov. 16, with normal flight schedules beginning Nov. 17.

18 Tue _________________________

Trump’s plan for Gaza receives UN approval

The Trump administration’s plan for establishing security and peace in Gaza was presented at the United Nations and approved in the U.N. Security Council on Nov. 17, the AP reported.

The resolution includes measures such as the approval of an international stabilization force that aims to provide security in the region of Gaza. Additionally, it includes a transitional authority known as the Board of Peace, which would be led by President Donald Trump.

Palestine and many Arab nations negotiated on the wording included in the resolution for weeks. The proposal does not include a timeline for the establishment of an independent state of Palestine, but states this is only possible after reconstruction in Gaza and reforms to the Palestinian authorities.

According to the AP, Trump made plans to announce members of the Board of Peace in the coming week.

19 Wed _________________________

Trump continues plan to dismantle Department of Education

Following Trump’s campaign promise of dismantling the Education Department, many main offices are being taken apart and assigning responsibilities to other federal agencies, the AP reported.

Officials from the Education Department said the Department of Labor will take over some of the federal funding given to schools and colleges, including Title I grants.

Other initiatives, such as a grant program for parents attending college and funding for foreign language programs, will be handed off to the Department of Health and Human Services and the State Department, respectively.

Student aid through Free Application for Student Aid will remain unchanged at the moment, though government officials have signaled the possibility of moving the role to another organization, according to the AP.

20 Thur _________________________

Trump signs bill to compel the release of Epstein case files

Trump signed a bill requiring the Justice Department to release all of the files and communications relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and the investigation into his death within 30 days, according to the AP.

The decision to sign the bill comes after months of Trump opposing the release of Epstein-related files. The bill passed the House with a 427-1 vote and passed the Senate unanimously.

21 Fri _________________________

Federal judge orders the removal of National Guard deployment in DC

U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb ruled the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops in Washington was illegal and intruded on local officials’ ability to enact law enforcement on Thursday, the AP reported.

The deployment of troops began in August after Trump issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in Washington. Since then, thousands of troops from eight states and the capital were brought in to patrol the city.

District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb led the lawsuit against the Trump administration and argued a dangerous precedent would be set if military troops are used for domestic law enforcement.

Cobb’s order is on hold for 21 days to allow for an appeal, according to the AP.

23 Sun _________________________

South Carolina abortion bill would be most restrictive in the country

According to the AP, top officials from the U.S. and Ukraine announced progress being made to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Officials met in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stating the talks were the most productive they have been thus far. The U.S. has proposed a plan to achieve peace that has been criticized by many for being too placatory toward Russia.

Trump said Ukraine has until Thursday to respond to the plan, but suggested there is room for negotiation and the deadline could slide if progress is made, the AP reported.

OU faculty prepare for new workload rules under SB 1

DREW ROBERTS FOR THE POST Senate Bill 1 requires Ohio universities to implement new systems for tracking faculty workload and post-tenure review.

The Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, or Senate Bill 1, signed into law earlier this year, requires state universities to adopt a posttenure review policy and implement new systems for documenting faculty workload.

The specific workload-reporting system is not yet in place at Ohio University. Instead, OU is in the process of developing the mandated posttenure review and workload policies.

SB1 also required OU to eliminate its diversity, equity and inclusion programs and centers. The university’s Pride Center, Multicultural Center and Women’s Center were officially closed at the end of the spring 2025 semester.

The law requires every state university to report faculty work in terms of credit hours, standardizing how universities measure teaching and other responsibilities. The workload policy must include “an objective and numerically defined teaching workload expectation based on credit hours,” according to the bill.

At OU, some professors in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism said the reporting requirements are changing how they account for the hours they spend teaching, advising and other responsibilities.

Nerissa Young, an associate professor of journalism, said the new requirements formalize tasks that previously were not tracked in detail. “I see this as a really empowering development because it allows us to document and get credit for the many things that we do,” Young said. “It appears to me there’s an impression among the general assembly members that all we do is show up in class, maybe six or seven hours a week, and lecture, and that’s all, and without being able to quantify work units, it doesn’t recognize the myriad of other things that we do often on outside contract days and during summer break.”

Young said the requirement to log hours and tasks highlights the breadth of work faculty complete outside the classroom.

She said the tasks faculty must now report include advising student organizations, attending meetings, writing recommendation letters, responding to student emails and completing creative or research projects. The reporting also covers recruitment and retention work, such as Bobcat Student Orientation, attending conferences, class-related field trips and other activities.

Some faculty expressed concern over how detailed reporting may affect their workflow. Kelly Ferguson, an associate professor of journalism, said much of

her job takes place outside scheduled class hours.

“I teach two classes, and that’s three hours a week I’m in this classroom teaching,” Ferguson said. “We’ve tried to come up with all the glacier parts of our job, right? All the things that people don’t see that we do. I feel like nitpicking that minute by minute, hour by hour, again, is a waste of my time, and I’d like to see other jobs have to do that. I don’t feel that administrators or politicians have to document their day, so I don’t know what it’s going to look like.”

Young said she hopes lawmakers consider faculty input as implementation continues.

“Maybe we should have talked to faculty and university administrators about it before we drafted this bill and voted for it, and Gov. DeWine signed it,” Young said. “Because I’m going to follow that law, and when I time out, I’m going to lock my office door and go do something else.”

Hans Meyer, director of the Scripps School, said the bill reflects a misunderstanding of the work faculty do beyond the classroom.

“We’re super busy,” Meyer said. “SB1 didn’t really take into account that. They just thought, ‘Oh, they’re just teaching classes,’ when that mission of a university to help students develop critical thinking skills goes so far beyond the classroom.”

However, Meyer said the journalism school is currently working with the provost to categorize faculty output into “work units.” A three-credit-hour class equals three work units, meaning faculty would need to teach five classes per semester to meet the law’s 30-unit benchmark unless other duties are formally counted.

“You start to think about all the little things that you did before and just did because they were part of the job, and now you’re trying to add up, ‘Oh, is this part of the work units that I need to fill so that I can meet my quota?’” Meyer said.

However, he said he does not anticipate a shift in faculty commitment.

“People go into the profession of journalism or teaching journalism because they love it, because they have a passion for it,” Meyer said. “You could tell them, ‘Hey, don’t work so hard,’ and that’s just not going to happen. They’re going to work hard. They’re focused on students.”

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Severe lawyer shortage impacts rural Ohio

Rural Ohio has been experiencing a severe attorney shortage, impacting access to legal services. Eightytwo of Ohio’s 88 counties are currently underserved, meaning they do not have one lawyer for every 700 residents, According to the Ohio State Bar Association.

In Ohio, a majority of the lawyers are confined to the large metropolitan areas, such as Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati. Cuyahoga County, Franklin County, Hamilton County, Lucas County, Montgomery County and Summit County are the only counties not labeled as underserved.

Those six counties, while only making up 42% of the state’s population, contain almost 75% of Ohio’s private practicing attorneys, according to the OSBA. All counties in the Southeast Ohio region are designated as underserved, with Athens having one lawyer for every 1,283 residents, according to a Sep. 30 Ohio Bar report.

The OSBA recently organized a one-time Rural Practice Gap Task Force. For over a year, the task force, containing stakeholders across the state and legal profession, collaborated and analyzed the issue, developing data and compiling possible solutions which they provided to the OSBA for recommendation.

Larry Hayman serves as the director of legal engagement and pre-law program at the Center for Law, Justice and Culture at Ohio University. Hayman was a member of the task force and discussed how the lawyer shortage impacts residents of rural counties.

“At the heart of it, this is an access to justice issue, so folks who need representation are not able to find lawyers that are willing to, or able to do the work, because they’re just not here,” Hayman said. “I think in some counties in Southeast Ohio, we are down

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to something like five or six attorneys, and some of those are the judge and the prosecutor in the town, so if folks are looking for private representation or advice, they’re not able to find it.”

According to the Rural Practice Gap Task Force report from January 2024, the top three recommendations were to create and further support rural practice pipeline programs in high schools across rural areas, create a position within the Ohio Bar that coordinates support for rural practice and develop mentorship programs for new rural practitioners.

Hayman discussed how OU has responded to the issue through the creation of a pipeline program known as the Summer Law and Trial Institute. He said the program provides important opportunities for students interested in law, and maintains a preference for students in Appalachian Ohio.

In October, the Ohio Bar appointed Amy Milam to the role of rural and general practice council for the OSBA.

The OU chapter of pre-law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta and the Center for Law, Justice and Culture welcomed Milam to speak in Bentley Hall on Nov. 18. Milam discussed the issue and its impact, as well as shared the ongoing programs implemented to address it.

Milam mentioned a student loan forgiveness program, an initiative the Ohio Bar is implementing to help bring newer lawyers to underserved counties. The Rural Practice Incentive Program offers applicants with up to 12 years of experience the opportunity to receive student loan repayment of up to $10,000 per year for 3 to 5 years.

“This was developed by the previous General Assembly and the initial run of the program awarded $1.5 million in law school student loan relief to 44 new attorney applicants and 11 graduating law school applicants who would commit to serving the underserved counties there,” Milam said during her speech.

The third recommendation by the task force, which urged the creation and support of mentorship programs for rural practitioners, came as a result of the aging population of lawyers across the state.

The median age of a private practice attorney in Ohio is around 54.5 years old, according to the OSBA report. The OBSA’s task force recommends the implementation of mentorship programs to support younger people interested in law.

Carys Voinovich, a senior studying philosophy, is a pre-law student and member of Phi Alpha Delta. Voinovich attended the event, but had heard about the issue before.

“I come from Summit County, which has an abundance of lawyers, but coming to Athens, it was kind of a stark difference,” Voinovich said. “I kind of realized that from earlier meetings and talking to lawyers who came from underserved communities and went back to them, and it was kind of just black and white from my personal experience in my hometown, versus coming to an Appalachian region.”

Milam addressed concerns that rural areas do not bring in as large a profit as Columbus or Cincinnati, stating that the issue is more nuanced and rural areas can often be as profitable as urban areas.

“Maybe right out the gate it may not be as much as perhaps an associate at a big law firm in downtown Columbus, but cost of living coming into effect, the overhead costs for your office, for your employees and for any of your other concerns, much lower,” Milam said. “The ability for them to grow that business, should they choose to go out on their own as well. So that’s kind of the flip side of it’s really, truly just a perception issue that needs to be talked about as well.”

Although issues such as medical deserts and food deserts are widely talked about, Voinovich said there is not enough discussion regarding legal deserts. She argued there should be more awareness about the growing gap in representation.

“I think food deserts and medical deserts, as (Milam) was saying, are much more well understood, and people don’t really understand the practical implications of a legal desert, whether it’s on the criminal side or she was saying other private practice and just businesses not going to rural communities because they don’t have the supportive network of a legal profession who can help establish them in those communities,” Voinovich said.

According to Milam, lawyers who want to be anonymous should not serve in a rural area. She said if you serve in a rural community, you will likely be asked to serve on the board of foundations, be a leader in the community, become a judge or even be an elected official.

Benefest celebrates music, mental health awareness

The 14th annual Benefest fundraiser raised money for Stuart’s Opera House and The Gathering Place with features from many local bands and artists.

LIBBY SHOEMAKER FOR THE POST

The Union Bar and Casa Nueva hosted the 14th annual Benefest on Friday and Saturday, gathering local musicians to support youth music education and community mental health.

Event proceeds were donated to Stuart’s Opera House afterschool music program and the Gathering Place, a local mental-health advocacy space.

Night one hosted bands including The Laughing Chimes, The Zeitgeist, Rylee Bapst Band, Feline Frenzy, SubZero and Pretty Incident. Night two’s lineup included Blush, Space Kid, Jone & the Hissyfits and Hourglass.

Stuart’s AMP “welcomes students ages 12 through 21 and provides them access to a recording studio, practice rooms, instruments and guidance from multiple instructors,” according to a previous report by The Post. Throughout the week, about 65 students gather at the opera house to practice.

The Gathering Place, supported by the Athens-Hocking-Vinton Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board, the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health and other grants, provides “peer support, linkage services, advocacy, mental health education, opportunities to affordable housing,” and more. The Gathering Place is registered under Athens Mental Health Inc. and had $1,204,984 in assets at the end of 2022. It made $433,880 in revenue that same year, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

Benefest concerts not only raised

money for local organizations, but gave passionate musicians the platform to perform.

The Laughing Chimes, who specializes in indie-pop, said they have a strong connection to Benefest. The Seurkamp brothers, inspired by their own experience in the Stuart’s Opera House AMP, formed their indie-pop band The Laughing Chimes in 2020, noting their close connection to Benefest.

Evan Seurkamp, a junior studying music production at Ohio University, said his experience with the Opera House was nothing short of memorable.

“My brother and I did the after school program at Stuart’s when we were in highschool,” Seurkamp said. “That got us into playing music in a band. It’s a really great program and I teach there now.”

Seurkamp said this was the band’s fourth year performing at Benefest.

“Benefest is a good cause,” Seurkamp said. “It’s an event that brings together a lot of bands from around Athens, and it is really nice to see everyone come together.”

Rylee Bapst, an OU alumnus, also performed on night one. Bapst started as a solo singer and songwriter, but welcomed four additional band members later.

Bapst, who played Benefest solo and in collaboration with others in previous years, said the band specializes in“soul, country and rock and roll” music.

“This is not my first Benefest, I have done it a lot,” he said. “I love it. I think it’s awesome because it’s for a good cause. I definitely would have loved to have a rock school deal going on.”

Both nights brought together an audience of high schoolers from Stuart’s AMP and locals to support the musicians and fundraiser.

Despite the plethora of returning performers, some musicians celebrated a charitable cause and made their debut. For the band Space Kid, Benefest served as a fresh experience to make connections.

Patrick Gallaugher, a freshman studying outdoor recreation and education, is a vocalist and guitarist for Space

Kid, playing alongside two additional members.

Gallaugher said he and the members played music together throughout high school. Benefest allowed them to connect with locals and other musicians in the area.

“We’ve had a handful of buddies and their bands play (at Benefest) in years past and we’ve always heard good things,” he said. “There’s a really supportive community here, and that’s been great to be a part of.”

Create to Donate provides innovative outlet, support for locals

FIONA PETTICREW HUMAN INTEREST STAFF WRITER

Working with clay can be a therapeutic and creative experience for anyone who needs an activity to pass the time.

The Dairy Barn Arts Center hosted a series of “Create to Donate” events where participants learned to mold and glaze clay bowls that will be donated for use at several community events.

Located at 8000 Dairy Lane, The Dairy Barn aims to provide Athens with creative endeavors and crafty activities while also supporting local businesses and charitable works. Dairy Barn raised $532,203.18 in revenue in 2023, and collects donations on a onetime, monthly or membership basis.

This is the Dairy Barn’s second year offering the Create to Donate events with Chip Wagner, once a Summer Art Camp attendee, hosting the series. Create to Donate offers a free, family-friendly, twohour experience for anyone over age 8, with those under 18 required to attend with an adult.

Columbus Clay makes this experience possible for the community with its donations to The Dairy Barn Arts Center, donating clay and glazes for the classes involving ceramics. The finished bowls are donated to local organizations and charities, such as the Athens Area Mediation Service for its Souper Bowl event, which was suspended in 2025 due to a lack of bowls, and the Amesville Elementary School for the Amesville Empty Bowls Event.

Rebekah Halbirt, the assistant education director and studio manager at Dairy Barn, said she knew Wagner when she was a teaching assistant at Ohio University. Once Halbirt started working at the Dairy Barn, Wagner became the summer art camp instructor and received the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio’s Growing Home fellowship. This fellowship is meant to ensure community members and leaders are committed to making Appalachian Ohio thrive.

“When Chip got that fellowship prize, they came to us and they were wondering what type of ceramic they could do,” Halbirt said. “We were already doing a Create to Donate event. And so it was kind of just second nature to have Chip go into that and be the instructor for all of those Create to Donate events, both the hand building of the bowls and the glazing processes.”

Halbirt said The Dairy Barn is very busy and many people are interested in becoming a ceramic member artist. There is not enough space to serve everyone interested, and this event gives these

people the opportunity to get their hands dirty and enjoy creating a bowl from a slab of clay.

During the class, Wagner walks participants through the process of creating a bowl from a premade slump mold. Instead of using a wheel to spin the clay to shape and mold, participants will shape the bowl with their hands to create a one-of-akind dish. The bowls are then fired in the kiln, and a separate class glazes the bowls.

“It’s kind of interesting, because you don’t really know what the people who have created the bowl were thinking, but then when somebody new gets the bowl to glaze like it’s kind of interesting to see

what their interpretation of what the kind of creative impetus was … to kind of make a good bowl,” Halbirt said.

With this event, The Dairy Barn is trying to promote accessibility to the arts, and provide people with the materials, space and community to express their creativity. Halbirt said having people visit for this free event might encourage them to come back and try another class or activity they have available.

Carol Dawson, an artist member at The Dairy Barn, goes to the Create to Donate events a few times a year and often creates ceramic and pottery pieces in the Dairy Barn studio. She said she recently made a coffee mug and glazed it to her liking. Dawson said she appreciates that The Dairy Barn gives back to the community.

“They’re very supportive of local artists, and they have developed a wonderful community of artists here that is very supportive of each other,” Dawson said.

Athens local Drea Renzelli said she visits The Dairy Barn every couple months and enjoys doing anything involving ceramics.

“Everyone here is so supportive and helpful and kind, and I think they try really hard, if somebody’s interested in something specific to try to find some way to bring that to us,” Renzelli said.

Halbirt said The Dairy Barn can be a safe place for people to let off steam creatively.

“I think that creative expression is something that is really kind of important,” Halbirt said. “If we can be a safe place for people to come and kind of express themselves or maybe even use the act of creativity as a way of processing things that they are seeing happening in our environment, in our political field, all over our country … that’s what we are aiming to do, is to provide that place for people to come.”

MM336621@OHIO.EDU

Dirty Girl Coffee inspires Glouster residents, Athens customers

For 10 years, Dirty Girl Coffee has filled the Glouster air with the rich aroma of its craft-roasted beverages, welcoming locals with every cup.

Dirty Girl Coffee, located at 82 High St. in Glouster, follows the belief that “where women thrive, communities thrive.”

Dirty Girl Coffee serves both the Glouster area and a wider audience through its in-person location, offering freshly brewed drinks like their popular $5.50 strawberry matcha, and its online shop, which sells coffee beans from $12 for an eight-ounce bag to $115 for a six-pound bag, plus merchandise and pour-over packets.

“I have not visited the actual brick-and-mortar store … that being said, we order their beans regularly,” a review on the Dirty Girl website by Mary, a business owner from out of the area, said.

Miley McKee, Dirty Girl barista, said the company’s

mission is important to the area because of its emphasis on empowering women.

“Between the customers and the business, we support each other,” McKee said. “What Dirty Girl is based on is supporting women and helping women out. It is a woman-owned business, that’s actually what I love about it most.”

Jane Cavarozzi, alongside her wife, Kara Tripp, cofounded the business in 2015. Montana Stake, the roaster at Dirty Girl, said the business provides a sense of community.

“We have a lot of regular customers who have been coming since we opened, and I feel like that’s a warm thing to bring to the community,” Stake said.

Stake said the couple started the business in their home.

“The underneath section of their house ... they started roasting and doing wholesale,” Stake said.

After about seven years of home production, Stake said, they restored a building in Glouster and founded the shop. Dirty Girl moved to its current location in July 2023, according to a previous report by The Post.

Some of Dirty Girl’s missions include, “captaining” projects to improve conditions in Glouster, working with local organizations to help women pursuing entrepreneurship and running for political office and supporting other small businesses.

Dirty Girl also works with the Glouster Revitalization Organization, developing a 3,000 square-foot food collective with a kitchen for food entrepreneurs to get an affordable start in town.

Maddock Carrasquillo, a senior studying communications at Ohio University, also said the coffee

shop is also an LGBTQIA+ friendly environment.

“It was a really big deal to have LGBTQ+ representation in the area,” Carsquillo said. “It is very welcoming.”

While Carrasquillo is from Elyria, he said he has family members living in Glouster and often visits Dirty Girl with them. He said it is a place of bonding and relaxation.

“Seeing my mom’s town, my grandma’s town … and everybody having that space, it was important for me,” Carrasquillo said. “We all own a bunch of their merch and everything.”

Roughly 20 minutes from Uptown Athens, Dirty Girl might not be a convenient coffee stop for Athens locals; however, its products can be found across the county. Dirty Girl beans are stocked on the shelves at OU’s Jefferson Marketplace, the Union, Donkey Coffee and other locations across town.

“It is so important to me that Glouster is represented in Athens County ... students may not realize … Dirty Girl is from around here, but being in those spaces is important,” Carrasquillo said.

Carrasquillo also said selling products from businesses located outside of Uptown Athens is important to bridge a divide between OU students and locals.

Monday through Friday, customers can stop at Dirty Girl from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for a coffee or pastry. On weekends, Dirty Girl is open from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

SOLUTIONS

Campus, city resources offer free Narcan in opioid harm reduction efforts

Ohio University and Athens County host multiple services that provide free Narcan, a drug which can reverse opioid overdoses.

SOPHIA ROOKSBERRY MANAGING EDITOR

ELIZABETH TALAGA COPY CHIEF

MICAH FENNER FOR THE POST

Editor’s Note: This story is the first in a series of solutions stories The Post is publishing as a part of the Solutions Journalism Network’s Student Media Challenge. Stay tuned for more stories about Narcan resources and other solutions to the opioid epidemic in the coming months.

WHAT IS NARCAN?

In Ohio, there were 452 unintentional drug overdose deaths in 2023, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Narcan, the brand name of naloxone, is one tool helping reduce this number across the state.

Berkeley Franz, a professor in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and research faculty member, said naloxone is an effective tool for treating overdoses. According to Franz, naloxone works as an opioid antagonist by binding to opioids such as heroin, fentanyl and morphine in the body and removing them. Naloxone works to reverse an overdose by restoring regular breathing patterns.

“It can actually reverse an overdose and bring somebody out of an opioid overdose, and so it has a really incredible potential to help,” Franz said. Jack Fishman helped develop naloxone alongside Moses J. Lewenstein based on research from Harold Blumberg. Fishman and Lewenstein applied for one of the first naloxone patents in March 1961. The Food and Drug Administration approved naloxone as an overdose treatment in 1971. The FDA later approved Narcan nasal spray as a prescription drug in 2015. It was approved as an over-the-counter nasal spray in 2023.

“Initially, there were really strong feelings about naloxone, especially in this region or the broader Appalachian region,” Franz said. “There were some feelings that the medication would only enable people to keep using drugs if they knew they could be brought back from an overdose.”

Franz said it took a long time for people to embrace harm reduction efforts like Narcan, but as the opioid epidemic grew, acceptance of naloxone increased as a growing number of people began having firsthand experiences with overdoses. In 2023, the number of people who died from an opioid overdose was 10 times the amount of people who died from an opioid overdose in 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I think there’s a lot of good evidence on this in social science that having a

firsthand experience with something makes you less judgemental,” Franz said. “You’re less likely to hold stigma toward something, and so I think, unfortunately, that so many people have had that kind of contact with the opioid epidemic that it has made people more understanding.”

As this acceptance began to permeate across the state, the benefits of Narcan continued becoming more apparent.

“I would say it’s probably one of three of the most important tools in addressing the opioid epidemic,” Franz said. “Some (communities) will see a bit of a rolling off and reduction in overdose deaths because naloxone has really saturated communities in a really helpful way as more people have access to it.”

Although public support for Narcan has come a long way, there are other obstacles that present challenges in overdose treatment. Narcan is effective for treating an overdose; however, Franz said it’s crucial people call 911 before or immediately after administering Narcan.

“Some people make the mistake of administering it, and then somebody comes back and they think everything is fine, but naloxone actually has a very short mechanism of action,” Franz said. “So somebody can be fine for a minute and then go back into an overdose because it stops working.”

Franz said people are often afraid to seek medical attention and get in legal trouble for using illegal drugs, but it is necessary to seek treatment even after receiving Narcan. She said emergency departments are trained to treat overdoses in such a way where the focus is on the patient’s health and not the law enforcement.

Franz said the average price for a Narcan kit in the U.S. is around $40, which can be a steep price for some to pay. Fortunately, there are several resources on campus and in broader Athens County offering free Narcan and other harm reduction tools.

CAMPUS RESOURCES

The Ohio University Office of Health Promotion provides Narcan resources and offers training for students, faculty and staff interested in learning to keep themselves and others safe from drug overdoses.

The programs were officially implemented in 2023. Ann Brandon, the office’s associate director of prevention and education, said OU uses a twopronged method of prevention and support. The first prong is the training, which is meant to be an entryway into what students should do in these situations.

“(The training) is kind of a basic 101,” Brandon said. “This is what fentanyl is and what an opioid is and how it affects the brain. This is what the symptoms of someone experiencing an overdose would look like. This is how you use the Narcan … just a very brief 101.”

The 30-minute training also covers what to do in non-opioid related emergencies, and can be requested at the Office of Health Promotion’s website, although many who request it tend to be faculty.

“A lot of times professors or faculty have us come into their classrooms when they’re teaching substance use disorder or things like that,” Brandon said. “We’ll just go into classrooms and talk, but anyone can ask us to come and do it.”

The second prong of the prevention comes in the form of Narcan cabinets found across

Ohio has big choices ahead

Sherrod Brown is running to replace a Trumpy guy as Senator from Ohio. The primary takes place 5 May 2026, and the election takes place 3 November 2026. Jerrad Christian is running to replace a Trumpy guy as Representative for Ohio’s 12th District.

Meanwhile, here’s a Thanksgiving tale worth passing along

with Hard Work, You Can Pay Tuition for One Student and Learn Enough for Two.

The rival baseball teams of Keene and Hinsdale (both of New Hampshire) hated each other. In an 1898 game played at Keene, Hinsdale player Alfred G. Doe batted against Keene pitcher Bill Griffin. Mr. Griffin threw the ball and hit Mr. Doe in the ribs, then Mr. Doe threw the bat at Mr. Griffin.

Mr. Doe and Mr. Griffin were fighting when Mr. Doe suddenly became aware that several angry Keene fans were starting to come after him, so he ran clear out of the ballpark. Being a sprinter, he outdistanced the angry mob, but he was growing tired when he spied a house with the front door wide open. (This was before air conditioning and daily TV crime horror stories.) He ran through the open door and convinced the lady of the house, Mrs. Tom Finan, to let him hide from the angry mob there. Afterward, for many years, Mr. Doe sent Mrs. Finan a turkey just before Thanksgiving.

campus. Students and faculty in need of Narcan can head to Alden Library, Baker University Center, Boyd Hall, Nelson Commons or the Charles J. Ping Recreation Center, where cabinets filled with Narcan supplies can be easily acquired in case of opioid related emergencies. The cabinets are free for anyone, regardless if they’ve taken training or not.

The cabinets were set up in partnership with organizations across Athens County and Southeast Ohio, including the Ohio Opioid Alliance and the Southeast Ohio Hope Center. OU works in conjunction with these organizations to make sure Ohioans are safe and prepared for any drug emergency that might arise.

However, the programs are not without roadbumps. One of the biggest, Brandon said, is the lack of data on drug use at OU.

“You have to have a baseline, and a baseline would mean everyone would submit information on their drug use, and we don’t have a baseline,” Brandon said.

The surveys OU conducts on topics such as drug use are largely selfreported by participants, meaning it is difficult to determine if the information is accurate. Without that data, it’s hard to determine the definitive impact of training.

Another roadblock the program faces is the waning number of people taking the training.

“When we first launched it … we probably did about 300 folks, but I think it’s dwindled since then,” Brandon said. Brandon estimates approximately 5060 people take the training each year, representing less than 1% of OU’s total population. Meanwhile, there were 26 opioid-related deaths in Athens County in 2022 and 33 in 2023, according to the Athens City-County Health Department. OHP also sees issues in the speed in which the drug market moves. Brandon said common drugs change all the time, and the usefulness of Narcan shifts depending on what is popular.

“Narcan is not going to have an effect

on stimulants,” Brandon said. “It’s not going to have an effect on cocaine overdoses. It’s not going to have an effect on other drugs that are being used, and so we’re going to need to stay on top of that.”

Brandon said OHP is committed to making sure it remains proactive in protection services. The staff is working to ensure their training is up to date with trends in drug use to keep harm to a minimum.

Although issues still remain with how much is known about these programs’ effectiveness, Brandon expressed she still sees the ways in which these programs make an impact.

Educating people and helping them feel comfortable talking about drug use and providing help comes with its own benefits.

“That’s the important thing, to have a conversation,” Brandon said. “Destigmatize. We just want lives saved. If you’ve got (Narcan), you can save a life.”

ATHENS COUNTY RESOURCES

In addition to resources provided at OU, students and other residents of Athens County can look beyond campus to find access to free Narcan and other harm reduction tools.

One of those resources is Integrated Services for Behavioral Health, which has locations across Southeast Ohio, including two in Nelsonville and two in Athens, located at 11 Graham Drive and 5 Charles St. Molly Chaffin has been the Substance Use Disorder and Peer Program Manager at ISBH for the past year.

“Our agency is built around harm reduction,” Chaffin said. “Harm reduction is what we take pride in. We don’t expect someone to be completely abstinent and perfect when they walk through our doors, and we know the reality is some people are still using. Just

because they enroll in services doesn’t mean they automatically stop, that’s why we’re there.”

Since January 2025, Chaffin said the agency has distributed about 442 boxes of Narcan, including 90 kits in Athens County, a number three times larger than the reported opioid deaths in Athens County in 2023.

“We don’t have any barriers for anybody that needs Narcan,” Chaffin said. “We have an open door, if somebody in the community walks into our office and asks for it, no questions asked. We give it to you as many times as you need it.”

These kits are supplied by Project DAWN, a “network of naloxone and drug checking test strip distribution programs that provide opioid overdose education and harm reduction services coordinated by the Ohio Department of Health.”

“(Project DAWN) has increased community access to free Narcan,” Chaffin said. “It has directly contributed to more reported reversals or early interventions for those that are in use. Many families and individuals

express feeling more empowered and supported.”

Project DAWN also has a location at the Athens City-County Health Department, located at 278 W. Union St.

Lauren Denner, a public health nurse, was put in charge of the Narcan program 11 years ago when she arrived at ACCHD. The free Narcan program looks incredibly different now from when it first began over a decade ago.

“You had to get a script from the doctor and then you would get that at the pharmacy,” Denner said. “You could get these little naloxone vials that you had to put an atomizer on and push it up and only do half in one side of the nose and half in the other, which is cumbersome, to say the least, when you’re in a situation that you’re trying to respond to an overdose.”

Since the FDA approved Narcan as an over-the-counter nasal spray in 2023, Narcan has become easier to obtain and use. People can come into the department and request the product, along with a short training in administering Narcan and the basics of CPR and rescue breathing.

The ACCHD supplies Narcan to many services across the county, including Health Recovery Services, The Carlson Center, local schools, uptown bars and Hocking-Athens-Perry Community Action, located at 3 Cardaras Drive in Glouster. Director of Community Services Jessica Stroh has been with HAPCAP since 2002.

“We have been in conversations around harm reduction and support of folks that are potentially affected by substance abuse disorders for a very long time … it became really apparent that so many people were being affected by the opioid crisis, whether it was parents and grandparents of kids or children whose parents are (affected) themselves, and harm reduction programming is a really important part of a community’s response to substance abuse and use disorders in the community,” Stroh said. HAPCAP advertises its free Narcan services via a weekly newsletter and through word of mouth, but still faces limitations in finding people who are willing to ask for the resources.

“People are a little bit afraid of how to use it, and it’s actually super, super easy and there’s a little training video,” Stroh said. “I would recommend everybody

… watch it whether you’re a friend, a grandma, a parent. I’ve heard of other parents in the community that just feel like if they have a teenage child they should have it in their home, just in case.”

Narcan is a valuable resource to keep on hand not only for those looking to be proactive, but also for people in active addiction or in recovery. Chris MacNeal is the executive director for Recovery Connections of Southeast Ohio, a “recovery community organization … that is run and led by people with lived experience and recovery from substance use disorder.”

“There’s this intersection between harm reduction and recovery,” MacNeal said. “One of the ladies that worked very closely with us, she told me this one time: ‘Dead people do not recover.’ So, if we can save a life with Narcan, that gives somebody a chance to recover. It may take more than one of those chances, it may take two or three or 10 chances, but it’s a safety net.”

Recovery Connections provides free Narcan for anyone who asks for it, and also gives out the product when tabling at events and festivals.

“We got an order … of about 1,200 kits at the beginning of the summer, and through the summer and into the fall we’ve gone through most all of those,” MacNeal said.

Despite the success of its distribution, Recovery Connections has also seen free

Narcan programs face pushback from various stigmas surrounding addiction and recovery.

“Our location in Nelsonville is actually in a house that we rent in a residential area, and we’ve got some pushback from time to time, like, ‘We don’t want those kind of people around here, we don’t want the Narcan being publicized,’ because that stigma is there,” MacNeal said. “That’s part of what we want to do is educate people in the community that we’re there to save lives, we’re there to help people.”

Similarly, Denner has noticed

limitations at the ACCHD due to a lack of understanding about Narcan.

“We’ve had some backlash from people who just don’t like Narcan or don’t understand the purpose of it, and that’s fine, you can have your opinion,” she said. “But our job here is just to make sure everybody has access to it, so that’s what we do.”

Chaffin has seen similar stigmas at ISBH, but she believes Project DAWN is invaluable to combatting those misconceptions.

“Project DAWN’s expansion has normalized overdose response training

in the community,” she said. “... There is still some stigma but … people are understanding the need of (it) and I think their presence and being in the communities has shown that.”

Through Project DAWN and other resources, free Narcan programs across Athens County exist to continue destigmatizing recovery and providing residents with life-saving tools.

“Athens has such an amazing network of providers and organizations that are working on this, helping to make sure that people go from using this to the bridge to actually getting help,” Stroh said.

CAMPUS EVENTS

Social

Making sense of the madness in MAC title race

CHARLIE FADEL | SPORTS EDITOR

Events for Students, by Students

Discover what’s happening across campus—concerts, guest speakers, club meetings, and more. The Student Org Events Calendar has something for everyone.

Engagement & Student Org Events SCAN to see what’s happening this week

The Mid-American Conference is known by most as a college football entity that is always on its own time. The games played in nearly empty stadiums in 30-degree weather on windy Tuesday nights in November have become the flagship product the MAC produces, bringing in fans to watch some of the wildest and sloppiest football played at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.

This year, that wildness is on full display. To make it even better, the MAC play has very real implications on the line for many teams in the conference, Ohio being one of them.

At the time of writing this, there are still five teams in the race to Detroit to play for the MAC title, those teams being Western Michigan, Miami, Toledo, Central Michigan and Ohio.

Not all teams can make it, and with the Broncos sitting at 6-1, they are a near lock, leaving four teams in realistic contention for a spot in Detroit.

It is worth noting the MAC has been absolutely radio silent on what is actually going on with the scenarios each team needs in order to make it to the championship game. There has not been one post on X or a press release clearing up what has been an extremely confusing process for fans of these teams, which is especially shocking considering the list of tiebreakers the MAC introduced last year with the elimination of divisions.

This has left fans and journalists alike to do their own digging and calculations to find out what the path is for each team left in it. For Ohio’s sake, it needs to win against Buffalo on Black Friday and receive a lot of help around the conference to have a chance to defend its title.

The help Ohio needs is complicated, and it will all be meaningless if the Bobcats are not able to beat Buffalo this week, but here is a rundown of what needs to happen.

It starts on Black Friday in Dekalb, Illinois, where Northern Illinois needs to beat Kent State on the same day Ohio needs to beat Buffalo to have a chance going into Saturday.

If those two things happen, Ohio needs Ball State to pull off a huge upset against Miami in Oxford, and Central Michigan needs to beat Toledo at home.

If those four results happen, Ohio heads back to Detroit against, presumably, Western Michigan. If not, the Bobcats look ahead to the bowl game for their final game of the season.

It is quite poetic that the least-likely result that Ohio needs next week is Ball State toppling Miami, with the Cardinals being the real team that played spoiler to Ohio’s season all the way back in early October.

That game was a disaster of a loss when it happened, but with Ohio being so close, and yet so far, from a spot in Detroit now, it is an absolutely crushing loss against a team that hasn’t looked great outside of the upset against Ohio.

From my lens, the most likely matchup in the title game is Western Michigan against Miami, a matchup that would be a real shame considering Miami has not beaten Ohio or Toledo this year, meaning the RedHawks would be getting in on a tiebreaker between the three schools.

The Bobcats need an all-time MAC-miracle to get back to Ford Field, but time will tell if the MAC delivers more chaos.

Volleyball’s season comes to an end against Bowling Green

BRANDON GROSS | SPORTS STAFF WRITER

Ohio (14-17 overall, 12-6 Mid-American Conference) lost to Bowling Green (17-15, 10-8 MAC) with a set score of 1-3. This loss marks the end of what was a huge turnaround season for the Bobcats. At one point early on in the season, Ohio was 2-14, starting out 0-4 in the MAC. After dropping those first four games, Ohio went on a huge 12-2 streak throughout the MAC, defeating numerous big teams, including giving Ball State its only loss in the conference and also making its other game against Ball State a close one. Bowling Green was one of the teams Ohio did lose to in its six MAC losses.

Both teams wanted this win badly entering the first set. Bowling Green and Ohio were close in conference record, and they played each other in Ohio’s first MAC game of the season, which was a 3-1 win for Bowling Green.

Both teams were familiar with each other, and it showed. New strategies had to be brought out, but Ohio had a target on its back from how hot it had gotten over the past month, and Bowling Green struck.

Bowling Green got the first points on the board for the game and soon followed that up with a five-point scoring run, which brought the score to 7-2, giving Bowling Green control of the set. Bowling Green used that to its advantage. Ohio got in a hole early on, and the Falcons enjoyed a more relaxed style of play, while the Bobcats had to fight for any extra they could get.

Despite a late set 4-0 run for Ohio, with Bryn Janke contributing two service aces, it was too late as that only brought the score to 21-18, and Bowling Green still held a lead. Bowling Green wouldn’t lose the lead and secure the set with two attack errors from Ohio, giving it the 1-0 set lead. The first set ended with a score of 25-20 in favor of Bowling Green.

The Bobcats struggled a lot more in the second set. The Falcons instantly scored four points, three of them being kills, to put Ohio into a hole once again. Throughout the season, one thing Ohio struggled with was playing from behind early on in games, and Bowling Green used that

to a tee, forcing them to play from behind in both sets. Ohio did not get much going, and Bowling Green soon jumped up to a seven-point lead, scoring five more points to Ohio’s two. Ohio got the lead down to five points, but as Bowling Green entered the 20-point territory, Ohio only scored 11 points. The Falcons dominated the set completely and took the second set, bringing up match point. The final score of the second set was 25-16, showcasing Bowling Green’s overwhelming offense.

With Ohio’s back against the wall and a set away from getting knocked out of the MAC tournament, it turned up the intensity in the third set. The Bobcats opened the set with two kills from Sierra Evans to match Bowling Green’s two points, and Ohio never allowed Bowling Green to get a huge point run, something that was essential to taking this set.

Ten points away from a set victory, Bowling Green and Ohio were tied up at 15-15, but Ohio managed a 5-1 run, allowing for more wiggle room. This gave Ohio control of the set and thus allowed for a comfortable victory of six points. The next set would still be a match point, as Bowling Green won two sets. The final score of the third set was 25-19 in favor of Ohio.

The fourth and final set of the game was Ohio’s last stand. The set opened poorly for Ohio as it got into a three-point deficit almost instantly, with Bowling Green having three kills and a service ace.

Despite the score being tied numerous times during this set, Bowling Green was never down points and it showed. It played under control and with confidence while Ohio tried to force too many plays to get much-needed points. There were numerous times where Ohio got dangerously close to tying the game; however, late into the set with the score 18-16, Bowling Green decided it was time to end the game.

The Falcons rattled off six straight points, with Lauryn Hovey having three back-to-

back kills. The Bobcats tried to rally with the score 24-16, but traded points with Bowling Green to end the set with a score of 25-17, giving Bowling Green the victory and another game in the MAC tournament.

Numerous Bobcats played their hearts out in this game, with Bailey Blair and Emily Waddell both scoring 11.5 points. Blair also had 10 kills. Waddell and Gentry Brown rounded out the top three with eight apiece.

Brown also had nine digs of her own, and Kendall White contributed another five digs. Throughout the season, both Waddell and Blair were bright spots and were honored; Blair got the MAC freshman of the year, and both Blair and Waddell got All-MAC honors.

Despite the crushing defeat in this game, Ohio showed lots of promise this season after a concerning start. The team looked like it gelled together with a first-year interim head coach and now official head coach, Kenzie Brinkman.

Men’s Basketball: What to know for the Sunshine Slam

Ohio (1-4 overall) is back on the road following its most recent game at home in The Convo, a 76-73 loss to Bethune-Cookman, to head south to Daytona Beach, Florida, to compete in the 2025 Sunshine Slam.

The non-conference schedule has not been great to Ohio, as the Bobcats’ only win came in the second game of the season against Illinois State.

The most recent loss against Bethune-Cookman featured some poor shooting. Ohio shot just 2-17 from three against the Wildcats.

Moving forward to the Sunshine Slam, Ohio first faces off against George Mason on Monday night, and then moves on to play either Florida Atlantic or Loyola Marymount, two very solid teams.

The Bobcats need to get back in the win column to save some momentum, so let’s take a look at the competition in the Sunshine Slam.

Meet the Opponent: George Mason Patriots

Head coach: Tony Skinn (third season)

Projected Starters:

#02 Jahari Long

#03 Kory Mincy

#04 Dola Adebayo

#13 Malik Presley

#35 Riley Allenspach

George Mason Notes

The Patriots are, yet another very tough task for Ohio in the non-conference schedule, as they have been red-hot to start the season, getting off to a 5-0 start. Skinn did a great job in his first two years as head coach, and now he has his team playing well again.

Junior guard Kory Mincy is the engine to the machine George Mason is so far this season. He is averaging 17.6 points per game while shooting over 50% from the field and from three per game.

Meet the Opponent: Florida Atlantic Owls

Head coach: John Jakus (second season)

Projected Starters:

#01 Devin Williams

#02 Isaiah Elohim

#17 Xander Pintelon

#18 Kanaan Carlyle

#22 Devin Vanterpool

Florida Atlantic Notes

Florida Atlantic rebounded nicely after losing a good majority of its Final Four team that made the huge run in 2023. After losing head coach Dusty May to Michigan and multiple other players to the portal, John Jakus has the Owls playing very well in his second season.

They started the year off strong, knocking off Boston College in overtime before beating a very solid College of Charleston team. Their only loss is to Liberty, but they are riding a two-game win streak

heading into the Sunshine Slam.

Redshirt Sophomore guard Devin Vanterpool has been leading the way for the Owls so far this season, averaging 16.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Meet the Opponent: Loyola Marymount Lions

Head coach: Stan Johnson (sixth season)

Projected Starters:

#01 Jalen Shelly

#02 Rodney Brown

#04 AJ Thomas

#16 Aaron McBride

#22 Rick Issanza

Loyola Marymount Notes

The Lions are, incredibly, another team that was great to start the 2025-26 season. Loyola Marymount is 6-0, and no matter who Ohio plays in this tournament it will surely be tested with a great squad.

The Lions’ most recent wins came against UTEP, Troy and UC Santa Barbara, with the game against the Gauchos being the most tight game of the season, ending with a final score of 78-74.

Leading the undefeated start for Loyola Marymount is redshirt senior guard Myron Amey Jr. The former San Jose State Spartan has been on fire to start the year, putting up 17.5 points per game while shooting 49% from the floor and 42.6% from three.

2026 Met Gala theme announced

Here’s what we know so far about The 2026 Met Gala and its “Costume Art” theme.

The 2026 Met Gala theme was announced Monday, Nov. 20. The long-awaited theme for fashion’s biggest night is “Costume Art.”

The curator in charge of The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Andrew Bolton, told Vogue the goal for the theme “Costume Art” is to feature the significance of the body, pushing against certain idealized versions of what the body should look like. Bolton believes fashion as a form of expression beats out art as “it is about one’s lived, embodied experience.”

“Costume Art” mainly focuses on Western art from prehistoric times to the present. The collection will be organized into a series of different body types that reflect how they appear to be everywhere and remain resilient throughout different eras.

Though the theme of the exhibit is not necessarily a strict dress code for guests of The Gala, the individual angles in attendees’ style choices consistently attract the attention of viewers. Some predictions for this year’s guests’ outfits include references to famous art pieces, historical costuming and human anatomy.

Viewers tune in to see their favorite celebrities take on the year’s theme. One of the most anticipated parts of seeing celebrities walk the steps each year is seeing what “Dune” star Zendaya, and her stylist Law Roach, create each year.

Some of Zendaya’s most iconic looks include 2018’s “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” where she dressed as Joan of Arc and 2019’s “Camp: Notes on Fashion” where Zendaya was Cinderella and Roach dressed as her fairy godmother.

As Yves Saint Laurent is one of the event’s main sponsors, fashion fans may be in for a treat with the possibility of the brand’s ambassadors appearing at the Met Gala carpet. The brand’s ambassadors include Austin Butler, Hailey Bieber, Rosé and Zoë Kravitz.

The cochairs for the 2026 Met Gala have not been announced yet. Viewers should be on the lookout for cochairs, honorary chairs and members of The Gala Host Committee within the upcoming months. Some memorable past cochairs have been Colman Domingo and Pharrell Williams for 2025’s “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”

The hosts of the 2026 Met Gala red carpet also have not been announced. Similarly to the cochairs they will be announced in the upcoming months. For the 2025 Met Gala, Comedian Ego Nwodim and Singer-Actor Teyana Taylor hosted Vogue’s official livestream.

The two garnered tension from Bollywood fans, due to some feeling they did not give enough recognition to actor Shah Rukh Khan, who is ranked the fourth richest actor in the world by the Financial Express.

Though both women did acknowledge him to be the first male Bollywood star to attend the Met Gala, the rest of their questions for him were general questions. Some fans believe what really made the interaction uncomfortable was Khan’s stylist, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, accusing the two women of not knowing who he was.

This past year Anna Wintour stepped down from her 37-year position as Vogue’s editor-in-chief and handed the reins over to Chloe Malle. Wintour is still Vogue’s editorial director, meaning she will still oversee The Met Gala alongside Bolton.

The Met shared the Met Gala is Monday, May 4, 2026. This is not surprising considering the Met Gala typically takes place on the first Monday in May. There are a couple exceptions to that such as in 2021 the gala was moved to September due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Met also shared starting May 10, 2026, museum goers will be able to see “Costume Art” and the artworks it features from across The Met collection combined with garments from The Costume Institute.

@E.G.FRANK7 EGFRANK7@GMAIL.COM

The Game Awards announce game of the year nominees

On Dec. 11 The Game Awards will host it’s 12th annual ceremony, celebrating the best video games the industry offered in 2025. In preparation for this year’s show, the self-proclaimed “Gaming Oscars” announced its nominations for all categories Nov. 10, with some games lining up to potentially win big.

The Game of the Year award is the pinnacle of awards one can achieve at TGA. It’s given to games that represent the best in creative and technical achievement across the year.

“Clair Obscure: Expedition 33,” released April 24, was the debut game of French indie developer “Sandfall Interactive” and took the world by storm. Set after a massive calamity wipes out a large portion of humanity, a mysterious entity called the Paintress, slowly disintegrates the last vestiges of human civilization. Taking the role of the titular “Expedition 33,” players must navigate their way through this broken world to end the paintress’ destruction once and for all.

The game received rave reviews for its riveting story, art design, characters and soundtrack. Its themes of grief resonated deeply with its player base and many expect the game to win at least one award.

Their expectations aren’t unfounded either. The game received 12 nominations in 10 different categories, including Best Narrative, Best RPG, Best Soundtrack and three in Best Performance. This is the highest number of nominations any game has received in TGA history, with the second highest being 2022’s “God of War: Ragnarok.”

The latest game released by Hideo Kojima, “Death Stranding 2: On the Beach,” was in high demand over the summer. The post-apocalyptic adventure across Australia tells a story of reconnecting after everything has fallen apart.

Players loved the game for many of the same reasons they loved “Expedition 33,” noting its tone, world design and story. The game was exclusive to PlayStation consoles on its release, but that didn’t stop players from experiencing the game through streamers and let’s play videos.

The game received seven nominations, including Best Action/Adventure and Best Narrative.

With the release of their newest console, the Switch 2, Nintendo released “Donkey Kong Bananza” to show off what its new hardware could do.

The game follows Donkey Kong on his journey to the center of the Earth. Controversy marked the game’s initial release due to pricing decisions by Nintendo, but the game still found a sizable audience to enjoy its family-friendly fun.

The game is up for two awards, Game of the Year

and Best Family Game. It has the lowest number of nominations among all the Game of the Year nominees. “Hades II,” the sequel to the critically acclaimed roguelike game “Hades,” has players battle their way through the underworld and Olympus to help the Greek Gods defeat the Titans once and for all.

The game was in early access from March 2024 until its official release Sept. 25. Upon release, the game received critical acclaim for its visuals, intense gameplay and character designs. Players loved the game’s fast-paced action and witty humor that kept them invested every time they booted up the game.

At TGA, “Hades II” received six nominations, including Best Action Game and Best Indie Game.

A game seven years in the making, “Hollow Knight: Silksong” was met with surprise when its release was announced for Sept. 4. As the successor to the wellreceived “Hollow Knight,” the game had some large shoes to fill, but it filled them well.

Although some complained about the game’s difficulty, very few said the game was bad. Many praised it for its art direction and boss fights, while others highlighted the loveable characters you meet along your journey in Pharloom.

“Silksong” was nominated for five categories, including Best Indie Game and Best Score.

“Kingdom Come: Deliverance II” came to many as a wildcard nomination for Game of the Year, but that’s not to say the game is not deserving of it.

The medieval open-world adventure game was released Feb. 4 to fantastic reviews. The game’s grand story entranced its audience, and its realistic mechanics impressed historians and players alike. Though its release was overshadowed by other games this year, its gameplay and visuals still place it above many of its peers.

“Kingdom Come: Deliverance II” received three nominations this year, with the other two for Best Narrative and Best RPG.

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‘Wicked: For Good’ sets the bar for musical adaptations

“Wicked: For Good”, the movie adaptation of Act Two of the Broadway musical “Wicked,” came to theaters on Nov. 21. It was the exciting ending to the movie adaptation of Act One, “Wicked,” which was released on Nov. 22, 2024.

The movie, directed by Jon M. Chu, captivated audiences with thrills, adventure, deception and an unexpected sense of helplessness that kept viewers on the edge of their seats. With love and friendship, pain and loss, “Wicked: For Good” had something for everyone.

The movie got its name “For Good” from the musical’s famous duet between Elphaba and Glinda, “For Good.” The song portrays the friendship between the two girls and how they don’t know if it has changed them “for the better,” but because they knew each other, they have “been changed for good.” It is a very fitting name for the end of their heartwarming story of friendship.

“Wicked: For Good” evoked a range of emotions from the audience. It was immersive. For two hours and 17 minutes, the audience could live in Oz and experience great joy, fuming anger, warm passion and overwhelming sadness.

Stars Ariana Grande, Glinda, and Cynthia Erivo, Elphaba, portrayed their characters’ behind-the-scenes friendship as all of Oz makes an enemy of The Wicked Witch of the West, extremely well. The movie also starred Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard, bringing his comedic talents to the screen yet again, even as the villain.

The budget for the movie was about $165 million. That included the salaries for the cast and crew, as well as sets and costumes, production costs, promotional content and distribution to theaters.

The movie’s costumes and sets amplified the otherworldly essence of Oz. The use of the entire color spectrum in Munchkinland, as opposed to the use of only green in Emerald City, was breathtaking, as well as the tulip fields around Munchkinland, which were made of over nine million real tulips grown specifically for the movie. The scenery in the film was incredible.

The dresses Glinda wore in the movie did not disappoint, adding to the sense of polished elegance for her character. This contrasted greatly with Elphaba’s dark outfits, adding to the earthly look associated with

the character and showing that, just like in the first movie, the two friends took different paths.

The silver slippers in the Wicked movies were a nod to the book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” In the book, the slippers were silver; however, in “The Wizard of Oz” movie adaptation, they were changed to ruby slippers due to the movie being made using Technicolor. The studio wanted to use a variety of colors. The “Wicked” movies haven’t strayed from the book. Though at one point in the second movie, the shoes changed color to red, which was a nod to the movie.

Audiences also got to see the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion in “Wicked: For Good.” They also learned how they came to be and what motivated them to want to go to the Emerald City.

Also explained is the Yellow Brick Road and what caused the tornado that swept Dorothy and Toto out of Kansas. Many aspects of the original movie were explained further in the two “Wicked” movies, which gave a dark history to the lighthearted story.

The story in “For Good” was full of twists and turns, featuring a love story between the unexpected, a story of friendship that ended in tragedy, and a story of justice for the oppressed.

It was a deeper dive into the world of Oz than ever before.

AS715024@OHIO.EDU

Live Laugh Lily Chase on the Case

Female friendships are essential Mamdani will change American progressivism

LILY MILLER FOR THE POST

Sisterhood is a word with many meanings and memories. When I think of love, that is where it resides: in the cradled arms of the word sisterhood. Many consider it common sense that friendship enriches your life, but the benefits of female friendship go far beyond what one would consider obvious.

Research suggests strong and lasting bonds with women are crucial for both mental and physical well-being. A study from UCLA proposes women who have support from female friends during stressful times may live longer than those who don’t. Another study found women diagnosed with breast cancer who had more social connections had a higher survival rate than those without. Much of this comes from the benefits of emotional support women can offer. Women often discuss emotional experiences and can process them with the help of their friends. This reduces the impact of a chronic stressor and negates its influence.

Interactions between women lead to increases in brain chemicals such as oxytocin that inspire boosts in mood, positive behavior and overall health. This emotional surge can lead to a “tend and befriend” instinct, a need to protect and connect with other women. For many, an easy stress reliever includes catching up with their favorite girls.

Many women you know can attest to these benefits from firsthand experiences, including myself. My female friendships are the backbone of every decision, every problem solved, every breakup gotten over and every dead horse beaten at 2 a.m.

A lack of social support is shown to have lasting impacts, such as depression later in life, with men being more at risk for depression than women. It’s quite interesting to consider the benefits of female friendships in relation to this, as women are quick to develop deep emotional connections that foster support.

Not only do these relationships provide mental health support, but they also nurture professional life. Women with strong personal networks are shown to have an edge in business. Research indicates women who have a support system they can lean on and look to for guidance are more likely to hold leadership positions. Specifically in male-dominated fields, having other women to lean on is an important resource.

I find my female relationships to be some of my most treasured. My friendships with the women I love are not born from obligation or blood ties. I wake up every morning and choose them, and I am lucky enough to have them choose me back.

Whether this devotion is showing up for events, celebrating accomplishments, responding to the late-night text or sitting silently through your hardest moments. Female friendship is built on acts of devotion that don’t require recognition to be meaningful. Every time I wait impatiently for a guy to text back, I take a moment to remember the most important lesson: you are covered in love every day, drowning in it. When my stomach hurts from laughing too hard, and I’m rattling off the same overused inside joke with my girlfriends we have repeated a million times, I realize this is what we are made for.

Humans are made to love. My girlfriends have listened to every desire, devotion and demand. Sat patiently as I cried over someone who never cared to show a fraction of what they had given me. They look at me with all of the love I prayed for at night, pleading with the stars to send me someone even half as amazing as every woman I am lucky enough to call a friend.

Female friendship is the soft chorus that hums when life gets loud. You must remember the melody, as it will carry you through the darkest of times.

CHASE BORLAND FOR THE POST

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has to face the ultimate uphill test: proving progressivism on the national stage. His mayoral win in NYC wasn’t just a win for local progressives, but a potential turning point for progressives within the Democratic Party.

Mamdani was born in Uganda and raised in New York City, moving there at 7 years old. In 2018, he became an official American citizen. Mamdani was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020 and has run as a democratic socialist since.

Progressives are more liberal on the American political spectrum than the average Democrat, and their policies are more extreme. Progressives get a bad rep for being radical, but their platform tends to be based on transforming current democratic institutions, not completely dismantling them.

According to conservative-leaning media, Mamdani runs on a radicalised platform. However, when examining what extremists are, Mamdani isn’t necessarily extreme, just progressive. Mamdani doesn’t want to dismantle the NYC governmental system, but rather use it to help New Yorkers achieve growth.

Some of the biggest issues Mamdani wants to tackle include affordable housing, early childhood education, taxing corporations and the safety of New Yorkers.

Affordability is completely out of reach in NYC; 50% of residents cannot afford the true cost of living, with 16% living below the poverty line as of 2021. Mamdani plans to freeze rent prices in NYC for rent-stabilised tenants, which have gone up by 12.6% since Mayor Eric Adams took over. Mamdani also aims to build more affordable housing to help with rent control and working-class citizens.

Mamdani also wants to focus on creating free childcare for all children from 6 weeks to 5 years old. In the same vein, he wants to distribute resources

and funding to all K-12 public schools equally across the city, while ensuring schools are fully equipped with teachers, nurses and mental health counselors.

Safety has always been a topic of conversation for New Yorkers who feel unsafe walking down the street. Mamdani wants to create the Department of Community Safety, which will focus on preventing violence before it happens.

Many of these social programs and housing plans depend on public funding from the city. Mamdani wants to raise the corporate tax rate to match New Jersey’s 11.5%, which will help bring in almost $5 billion.

The progressive platform of America is built on supporting human rights, promoting healthcare for all, protecting voters and economic equality. Americans can relate to many of these issues, but progressives struggle to promote their platform.

Here at home, Athens residents and Ohio University students are faced with increasing prices in rent, groceries and nightlife. A progressive platform has run both successfully and unsuccessfully in recent local and state elections.

Micah McCarey ran a successful city council campaign with a relatively progressive platform, running on the issues of racial equity, environmental issues and supporting small businesses. The primary concern progressives have to focus on when presenting their platforms is the cost of governmental regulations and programs. Many taxpayers across the nation don’t want increased taxes on themselves, which can cause significant hardships for middle-class Americans. Having clear guidelines on tax funding redistribution and taxing specifically the 1% can help many Americans relate to progressive candidates.

As Americans, we should focus on supporting one another. Coming from a more centrist Democrat, I’m excited to see the outcome of Mamdani’s New York; it has the potential to uplift the hundreds of progressive platforms that are bound to come.

Oh Well | Avoid bringing someone new home for Thanksgiving

Cuffing Season is still in full swing and the pressure is on. Cuffing season covers five holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and Valentine’s Day. Rushing into a relationship for couples costumes, meeting the family, gifts and a New Year’s kiss can cause decisions that mistake a temporary love for something more serious. Save yourself the hassle, and go solo to family gatherings.

Meeting the family can be rewarding, but it’s also very stressful. If you are choosing to bring a new significant other to Thanksgiving, realize the pressure that both of you are under. Families can have tension, so it is best to get a lay of the land from your partner

first on how to interact with their family and vice versa. Ensuring your partner understands your family’s values is important, especially if your values differ.

With a new partner’s family, there is a lot of pressure to make a good impression. Going into a family that is not your own means taking a lot of tests, and dealing with protectiveness. It seems you need to be extra polite, try every favorite dish, play every game and also try to be yourself at the same time. It’s challenging, especially when the relationship is new.

A new partner added during cuffing season might not be the best to bring to these family gatherings. It is uncertain if your new partner truly is lasting or an anecdote for loneliness during the romantic holidays. Instead of worrying

about how your partner will react to your family and vice versa, avoid bringing new relationships to family holiday functions.

When I brought a partner into my celebrations, it was more relaxed. I felt the pressure, though, of going to a partner’s house for the holidays; it was unbalanced. I had to be perfect and love even the worst of food, but my partner just got to have fun. For someone new in your life, it might be too much pressure to ask them to integrate into your family gatherings for the night.

Even after introducing yourself, you have to make your own judgments. Try to see if you can see yourself in your partner’s family. Pay attention to how your partner acts around family or ask them if this is an uncomfortable time for them. The rewarding part is opening

up and seeing what your partner is like in their hometown. You can enjoy traditions with them they might have always dreamed of you being a part of. Traditions can be delicate and introducing your partner to them is a big deal. Wanting to involve someone is not a bad thing, but the wrong person can discourage you from introducing the right person. If you bring your new partner to Thanksgiving, make sure they fit into your family and traditions. Bringing your partner home for Thanksgiving can reveal a great deal about the relationship and how family plays into it. This year, if your partner is new, I’d avoid the trouble. But, oh well, I don’t have to bring anyone to Thanksgiving this year.

SUDOKU

Editorial Journalists aren’t pawns, they’re people

THE POST EDITORIAL BOARD

This year, 103 journalists and media workers were killed, according to the International Federation of Journalists.

As of the beginning of the year, 99 of those were killed in the course of their work: 50 in Palestine, eight in Ukraine and six in Sudan. The targeted attacks are deliberate attempts at silencing and punishing media personnel.

The deaths have sparked international condemnation from human rights organizations, and statements were issued about humanitarian law and the grounds on which journalists and media workers report.

Reporters Without Borders, an international non-profit organization, informs about the press freedom situation. RSF found more than half of the world’s population lives in a country where press freedom is in a “very serious” situation. The organization found 4.25 billion people in 42 countries live in dangerous places for press freedom.

This has become an increasing concern journalists and media personnel have about the course of international humanitarian law. This law offers protection to all journalists as civilians.

Media outlets are often barred from covering war zones due to violence and government restrictions on access; however, there’s a concern this is limiting the public’s right to know about the realities of war.

Such restrictions include political authorities deliberately banning access to conflict zones to monopolize information for the public, which can control public opinions. War correspondents have even seen their accreditation, press passes and visas to enter a country refused by local authorities.

“Reliable information about wars and conflicts is essential for the well-being of local populations and is necessary to enlighten the world on the forces behind wars and the toll on civilians,” Nick Turse, a fellow for the Type Media Center, said.

Coverage by journalists and media workers is important to showing the human costs of conflict and corruption.

On Aug. 10, a targeted Israeli airstrike killed six Palestinian media workers in their tent near Gaza City’s al-Shifa hospital. Anas al-Sharif, a 28-year-old journalist, was among the six.

JACKSON PENNINGTON | FOR THE POST

“My brother fulfilled his mission and his duty, despite the constant threats he faced from the Israeli army,” Mahmoud al-Sharif, Anas al-Sharif’s brother, said to The Guardian.

Mohammed al-Khaldi, a 36-year-old journalist, was also among the six who were killed. A family member told The Guardian that from the beginning of his journalistic career, and during previous wars, al-Khaldi absolutely refused to film body parts or people screaming. He said his heart could not bear such pain.

The urgency to humanize wars in conflict zones has become a necessary part of on-the-ground reporting. When journalists and media workers are deliberately targeted, it’s considered a war crime, according to International Humanitarian Law.

The necessary steps to hold those in power accountable began with unions and organizations writing to the government to urge for action. An open letter written by the National Union of Journalists, the IFJ and the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, alongside 488 journalists from 244 publications from across the globe, addressed Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper directly.

The letter condemns the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza and calls for the UK government to “exert pressure for international journalists to be allowed in and out of Gaza, and urges UK government action to uphold press freedom and human rights.”

As a result of the persecution of journalists and media workers, newsrooms everywhere are shrinking because of what is known as a chilling effect. It’s causing journalists and news organizations to self-censor their coverage because of the killings of journalists and the intense political pressure to document the conflict.

Journalists and media workers who have put themselves in the middle of war zones to capture humanity at its lowest are not there to mock the government; they are there to inform the public. The presence of these watchdogs is to convey to the public in words, images and videos how dangerous the conflict is.

The Post editorials are independent of the publication’s news coverage. The Post can be reached via editor@thepostathens.com

The Weekender

Thanksgiving meals, music and games

CAITLYN VANCE FOR THE POST

TUESDAY, NOV. 25

Ohio University’s Chillicothe campus is hosting a Surviving the Holidays Health and Wellness event at Bennett Hall from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. This event is for those who need to relax ahead of the busy season.

Admission: Free

Men’s basketball plays in the Sunshine Slam in Daytona Beach at 5 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. The Bobcats face either Florida Atlantic University or Loyola Marymount University. The two games will be streamed on CBSSN.

Admission: $16-60

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 26

Students and faculty in the restaurant, hotel and tourism program are hosting the 2025 Home Away From Home Thanksgiving meal from 12-2 p.m. in collaboration with the Patton College of Education.

A total of 150 free meals will be served for both takeaway and in-person dining. Meals include turkey, green beans and more. Dining includes a blend of cultural and dietary restriction-friendly meals. Any concerns about dietary needs can be shared on the online registration form.

Admission: Free

The Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts is hosting the Undergraduate Juried Exhibition through Dec. 5. Stop by RTEC rooms 101 and 109 on the first day of Thanksgiving Break to enjoy a less crowded viewing of work by

undergraduate students in the School of Art + Design.

Admission: Free

THURSDAY, NOV. 27

The 17th annual Athens Turkey Trot kicks off Thanksgiving Day festivities. Hosted by the Athens Athletics Club, the event supports the Athens Bulldogs cross country and track and field athletes. Packet pickup and registration is Wednesday evening at the Ohio Valley Running Company at 20 Station St. There is pre-race registration beginning at 7 a.m. The race begins at 8:30 a.m. and lasts until 10 a.m. The top three finishers in each category are rewarded with pumpkin pies.

Admission: Free for children 12 and under, $25 for others

Jefferson Marketplace is offering a Thanksgiving-themed hot bar for lunch from 12-2 p.m. The market accepts meal swipes and is entirely cashless.

Admission: Free

FRIDAY, NOV. 28

Ohio travels to face the University of Buffalo in its last regular-season football game. Kickoff is scheduled for noon. The game will be streamed on ESPNU.

Admission: $15-49

The Union Bar is hosting musician Darrin Hacquard and friends, William Matheny and Adam Remnant, at 8 p.m. All events at the Union are ages 18+; identification will be checked upon

entry. There is an upcharge if you are under 21.

Admission: $17.68 for under 21, $14.50 for over 21

SATURDAY, NOV. 29

Athens students and locals can shop for vegetables, jams and seeds at the weekly Athens Farmers Market held at the community center, 701 E. State St., from 9 a.m.-noon. The Athens Art Guild also has various hand-crafted pieces for purchase. SNAP/EBT is accepted.

Admission: Free

SUNDAY, NOV. 30

Women’s basketball faces Davidson College at 1 p.m. in North Carolina. The game will be streamed on ESPN.

Admission: $5.52 youth, $10.04 adult tickets

The SideBar at 24 ½ W. State St. Will is hosting a game night from 6-10 p.m. The event features a wide variety of retro game consoles, cards and board games.

Admission: Free

The Side Bar is hosting a book club for their November read, “Breath” by Donna Napolie. Enjoy half-price appetizers and discuss the story with fellow readers from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Admission: Free

MULTIMEDIA OF THE WEEK

HOLIDAY SHOPPE FEATURES THE ATHENS ART GUILD

HUNTER GILLISPIE HAYLEY MITCHELL

The annual Holiday Shoppe was at the Athens Community Center on Saturday-Sunday. The Holiday Shoppe features members of the Athens Art Guild selling pieces and a raffle to support local artists.

BAKERY 323 FEATURE LILLY MARINSKI

Bakery 323, an awardwinning bakery owned by OU alumni, is the perfect place to enjoy freshly baked treats.