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Documentary Examines Life In Cheshire After AEP Buyout

A Cheshire, Ohio resident sits on her porch to talk about the buyout of the town.
EVE MORGENSTERN
/
CHICKEN & EGG PICTURES
A Cheshire, Ohio resident sits on her porch to talk about the buyout of the town.

The story of a small town along the Ohio River being bought out by a large electric utility is now being told on the big screen. The documentary examines the buyout and the residents effected by pollution.

The film is aptly titled “Cheshire, Ohio” and it explores what’s happened to the small Appalachian town more than 10 years after the $20 million AEP buyout.

Most of the residents decided to move because of the air pollution problems created by the nearby coal plant.

Eve Morgenstern, the film’s director, says those who moved and those who stayed all have important stories to tell.

“They are the witnesses to what happened, they also suffered the terrible loss of their town. A town that people lived in for generations, a centuries old village,” said Morgenstern.

AEP says it has worked with the movie producers over the years but officials have not seen the film.

Andy Chow is a general assignment state government reporter who focuses on environmental, energy, agriculture, and education-related issues. He started his journalism career as an associate producer with ABC 6/FOX 28 in Columbus before becoming a producer with WBNS 10TV.