Ohio

Malcom Hall

PIKE TWP. — A land owner’s desire to create a park for motor bike riding cannot — so far — get into motion as a Stark County judge rendered an unfavorable ruling.

Stark County Common Pleas Judge Frank Forchione has upheld a Pike Township Board of Zoning Appeals’ decision to deny a conditional use permit to property owner Matthew Hollinger.

Sam Shawver

More than 60 Bartlett area residents met with Ohio Rep. Debbie Phillips, D-Athens, at the Wesley Township Fire Hall Thursday to air their concerns about speeding and other traffic issues.

They are concerned about speeding on local township and county roadways as well as along Ohio routes 550 and 555.

Steve Stephens

LOGAN, Ohio -- Sometimes, a quiet, leisurely walk in the woods isn't enough.

Sometimes, the hills seem to call out for a bit of motorized horsepower.

Most of us would rather have a good relationship with our neighbors, be it an active, friendly-type or a passive, civil one.

As long as you and your neighbors are on good terms, your neighborhood is a nice place to live.

All-terrain vehicle lovers take note: don't break the law or you could lose your ride.

Anyone convicted of a felony related to ATV riding can have their vehicle confiscated by the Ohio State Highway Patrol and subsequently destroyed.Wednesday, troopers at a salvage yard watched as another ATV was crushed.

Celeste Baumgartner

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ron Clifton, Pickaway County, was planting a field when he saw a kid on an all terrain vehicle (ATV) on his property. He yelled at the kid, who took off.
“It made me mad,” Clifton said.

He called the sheriff. Fortunately, an officer was driving by at the time. Clifton accompanied the officer to see the parents.

Mark Mechling

On July 1, Ohio law contains new provisions on criminal trespass, registration and operation of all-purpose vehicles (APVs).

Rural landowners will have interest in the new criminal trespass sections, which increase fines when a trespass occurs with an APV. The law's license plate program will require APVs to display a license plate and validation sticker like other vehicles. APV operators will pay higher registration fees, but on-farm APVs used as a farm implement will be exempt from registration.

James Hannah

Morrow County farmer Eddie Lou Meimer is hoping a new Ohio law that toughens penalties for people who drive off-road vehicles on farms without permission will prevent more damage to her crops and ease her worries about being sued in case of an accident.

Meimer, who owns a farm just south of Mount Gilead, said Thursday she has been victimized by off-roaders. They smash her crops and pose a threat to her maple-syrup operation, she said, and they've knocked over her neighbor's electric fence, allowing cows to run loose.

"They come in on the back and ride through any crops that are there," she said. "Catching them is nearly impossible. If you see them in the distance, they're gone by the time you get there."

Chris Kick 

With their many wide-open fields and confined areas of woodland, area farms make prime territory for a long list of recreational activity, including the riding of all-terrain vehicles, horseback riding, walking, picnicking and hunting.

But admittance to these places is not on a go-as-you choose basis and recent legislation in Ohio is rightfully making that clear.

Ohio is expected to see new updates to its all-purpose vehicle laws beginning July 1, according to Peggy Hall, director of Ohio State University's agricultural resource law program.