By Miles Layton

Random thoughts…

Since I’ve lived in many places between Athens, Ohio, and Wheeling, WV, and now in coastal Carolina and Tangier Island, VA, here are a few things that caught my eye over the past week or so. 

First, from North Carolina, Chowan County Commissioner Anthony Shaffer and his new bride, Arlene, were married July 4th in Virginia. Congratulations!  Photo by Dustin Lewis Images.

Next, I flashback to the Bear Lady, may she rest in peace. For folks who read my columns but don’t know about the Bear Lady, Kay Grayson, she had built a reputation—and no small amount of controversy—for feeding the black bears that roamed the dense forest around her trailer in Tyrrell County, NC. In late January of 2015, she was found dead, her remains discovered scattered along a logging road not far from her rural, off-the-grid home – her death a mystery. Earlier in life, before Grayson made the woods her home, I’m told she had lived aboard a converted barge that served as a houseboat on the Alligator River.

That barge is still there — one of our readers sent me photos of it — and it’s not in good condition, anchored in place. I’m told it’s in a cove not too far from the Alligator River Bridge project. Someone said the state owns the barge – I don’t know.  

Next, I found this link about base pay for Ohio University employees.

In days of yore, inspired by reporting from the Athens News, which is now defunct because… well… you know that story… I wrote stories for the local media about salaries for folks at City Hall or Cutler Hall – that historic building housing OU’s administration. The intent behind these stories was not only to report the highest salaries but also to conduct a transparency check through a public records request. For folks in North Carolina, I’ll be doing similar stories in the weeks ahead.  

Base salaries below may have changed since the most recent database posting from 12/31/25 and updated in March. And there may be other perks or salary enhancements as add-ons not included with the database. For example, if I remember correctly – since I can’t check the Athens News’ archives anymore without buying a subscription to read the stories that I wrote – President Gonzalez had a housing allowance, maybe a wine and cheese budget too… who knows what perks university administrators get these days…

Story’s photo comes from Gonzalez’s inauguration in October of 2023.  

When considering that the OU faculty is trying to unionize, though running into a brick wall, the same as Norma Rae did, maybe this information will fire up the troops seeking better pay in Athens.  

Based on the most recent database from 12/31/25 – last updated in March – here are a few salaries of note:

OU President Lori Gonzalez — $624,240 — that figure doesn’t include other presidential perks.

Jeffrey Boals — Head Men’s Basketball Coach — $604,000 – I’ve seen other news outlets report that Coach Boals gets paid more, but that figure is what is reported in the database.  

John Hauser — Bobcats’ Football Coach — $600,000

Kenneth Johnson — Vice President for Health Affairs and Senior Strategist for Health Partnerships — $470,672

Slade Larscheid — Director of Intercollegiate Athletics — $365,000

Stacy Bennett — General Counsel — $311,000

John McCarthy — Dean, College of Health Sciences and Professions — $259,996

Eric Burchard — Executive Director of Government Relations — $204,255

Cary Frith – Executive Vice President and Provost – $174,098

Next up, 171 East State Street is for sale in Athens, Ohio – that’s nothing new. It’s a grand house – one of those iconic homes that folks remember seeing as they travel up and down East State Street. List price is $399,000 for the five-bedroom, 3.5 bath house – yes, there is off-street parking. And no, the home is not in a “student zone” but it is a quick hop to downtown and Ohio University, home of the Bobcats. Good neighbors, too.  

According to land records from the Athens County Auditor’s Office, Levi Raichik bought the home in 2023. A little bit about him — before coming to Athens in 2015, Rabbi Raichik had ministered to students in Israel to Argentina and then U.S. students in Michigan and Illinois.

I remember interviewing Rabbi Raichik a time or two — he and his wife Chanee established a Chabad on Campus chapter, a Jewish student organization, at Ohio University. Chabad is an international Jewish organization dedicated to teaching Judaism and promoting Jewish values. This new chapter operated alongside Hillel, which has supported Jewish students at OU since 1938, giving students an additional avenue for spiritual growth and Jewish religious life.  

Lastly, a bit of West Virginia news – bad flooding is reported in Southern West Virginia. Saturday night, flooding was already affecting rivers, creeks, streams and low‑lying areas, including the Tug Fork, Guesses Fork, and Guesses Fork Rd in Hurley, and is expected to worsen in places such as Gary, War, Bradshaw, Iaeger, Jolo, Avondale, Panther, Coalwood, Stacy, Cucumber, Hurley, Roseann and Elbert. In February of 2025, McDowell County and vicinity experienced major — MAJOR — historic flooding that cost at least three lives.

West Virginians are a resilient group of folks.

Prayers for these Mountaineers!

Speaking of Coalwood, I watched October Sky again this past weekend — a very inspiring movie about a group of high school students who build a rocket. Homer Hickam, who grew up in Coalwood, wrote an autobiographical account of his life there.

McDowell County’s Welch Hospital is having financial issues, as folks there know. Same as rural hospitals everywhere, including Martin County, NC. It’s amazing how rural hospitals worked for years until government meddling, exasperated by Obamacare and corporate mismanagement, has jeopardized these critically needed medical outposts.

Remember when you could pay out of pocket to see a doctor about a broken leg or how childbirth was affordable!? Not anymore. The same thing happened to a college education — students used to be able to afford tuition with a summer job and maybe waiting tables during the school year. Not anymore.

Farming, coal mining and fishing — harder and harder to make a living at that these days.

Anyway, send any news tips to mileslayton1969@gmail.com