Parkersburg

In the southeastern corner of Ohio, there’s a skate park like no other place on earth. Twenty years ago, professional skateboarder Brewce Martin created Skatopia on 88 acres of woods and farmland in Meigs County. But Brewce recently suffered a traumatic injury and changes are coming to his utopia. “I’m out here to survive, give people freedom and try not to go to Walmart,” said Martin, during a recent tour of Skatopia. “Well, I’m not allowed in Walmart, they kicked me out.” Martin is a short, strong man, 52 years old but looks younger.

The first of two test cases that could potentially help settle more than 3,500 similar lawsuits against chemical giant DuPont has begun in Ohio federal…