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Scioto County Daily News
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  • Public Safety

    “Next Time, I Won’t Call Police” 

    good cops

    🚓 From Disturbance to Compassion: Portsmouth Police Step Up to Help Woman in Need 

    scam alert

    🚨 SCAM ALERT: Fake Cop Wants Your Cash – Don’t Fall for It! 🚨 

    Sheriff sticker

    Domestic Disputes, Prowlers, and Pileups: Busy Sunday for Scioto County First Responders 

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

    Busted! 06/09/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

    Illustrative Photo

    🔥“I’ll Burn It Down!” — Landlord Reports Scary Comment After Eviction Hearing 

    Death investigation

    Tragedy on the Trail: UTV Rollover Claims Life of Kentucky Woman 

    CREEPY KISSES & SHIRTLESS STRANGER: Nervous Grandma Calls Cops on Suspicious Men 

    🚨 BUSTED WIRES & BREAK-IN BLUNDERS: THIEVES ON THE LOOSE IN PORTSMOUTH! 

    Holiday Inn

    Holiday Inn or Homeless Hub? Ongoing Incidents at Downtown Hotel Raise Big Questions for Portsmouth’s Future

    🔥Pizza Parlor Feud Explodes: Alleged Threats, Health Complaints, and a Slice of Retaliation 

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    Busted! 06/07/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

    scioto county rehabs in the news

    Kicked Out, Nowhere to Go: Rehab Discharges Fuel Homeless Crisis in Portsmouth 

    Mental Health

    🚨 MENTAL HEALTH MELTDOWN: Rehab Chaos, 911 Calls, and a Woman Hiding in an Ambulance 

    Fentanyl

    Ice Cream, Advil, and Fentanyl: Busted at Speedway with Knife and Drugs

    Stranger in the Bed? Portsmouth Man Calls 911 Over Bizarre Break-In — But There’s a Twist 

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    🚬 Cigs and Sanity: Portsmouth Cops Defuse Late-Night Mayhem with a Pack of Smokes 

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

    Busted! 06/06/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

    “STRANGER IN BLACK” RETURNS TO HISLE PARK — RESIDENTS STILL ON EDGE AFTER BREAK-IN, GUNSHOTS, AND SECOND ENCOUNTER 

    Scioto County Court Coverage 08

    🚨 TODDLER FOUND WANDERING — Woman Arrested, Sentenced in Disturbing Case 

  • Lawrence County
  • Politics
    Cathy Coleman

    ‘Small Steps, Big Faith’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Edges Closer to Recovery 

    ‘Praise God!’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Shows Remarkable Progress After Harrowing Weeks

    Cathy Coleman

    Cautious Hope and Harsh Realities: New Details Emerge on Commissioner Cathy Coleman’s Condition 

    Scioto County Commissioners Cancel This Week’s Meeting 

    Robert Horton

    Sudden Twist: Horton Court Dates Scrapped Ahead of Trial 

    ‘A Sign of Hope’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Shows Small Improvements Amid Ongoing Critical Condition 

    Recorder Gary Jenkins

    Scioto County Recorder Gary Jenkins Unveils New Office Website 

    Staggering 236 Recovery Houses in Area — and the Fight for Reform Faces Pushback 

    Cathy Coleman

    Community Urged to Pray For Cathy Coleman as Family Faces Devastating Update 

    Scottie Powell

    Commissioner Scottie Powell on Trans Sanctuary Resolution: “Symbolic, Not Substantive” 

    Cathy Coleman

    Update from the Scioto County Commissioners on Commissioner Cathy Coleman 

    What Did Portsmouth’s LGBTQ+ Sanctuary Resolution Really Say? 

    Portsmouth Rehab

    Portsmouth Rejects LGBTQ+ Sanctuary City Status in Heated Council Vote 

    Cathy Coleman

    It’s a Miracle! – Scioto County Rallies Around Commissioner Cathy Coleman After Medical Crisis Turnaround 

    Scioto County Rallies in Prayer for Commissioner Cathy Coleman After Tragic Crash 

    Risky Business? City Wants to Sell $4.5 Million in Bonds

    Portsmouth LGBT Sanctuary City Proposal Scrapped – New Resolution Coming

    Portsmouth Council Takes First Step Toward Homelessness Task Force 

    Scioto County Commissioners Cancel Without Explanation 

    Davis Ready for Flying Cars: Scioto Commissioner Eyes Future of Air Mobility at County Airport 

  • Feel Good

    Escape to the Hills: A Summer Reading List Set in Appalachia 

    Scioto County Champs: Lady Trojans and Word Wizards Bring Home the Gold 

    “I Held Those Keys Tight” — One Man’s Harrowing Journey from Addiction to Hope 

    Three girls in quinceañera dresses stand beside one another. The one in middle has a gold dress while the other two wear pink.

    Tips for Selecting the Color of a Quinceañera Dress

    The Day the Streak Ended: Lakers’ 1987 Record Broken

    An angler standing at the edge of a lake just after sunset with three fishing rods resting on the ground next to him.

    Night Fishing: Who Is It for and How Do You Start?

    good cops

    Cops Rescue Lost Man 

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    Kid Misses Bus, Deputy to the Rescue 

    A group of people stands outside with their arms in the air. They hold their hands together, making a pyramid shape.

    Hidden Gems: Community Strategies for Mental Wellness

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    Man Says He’s Trapped in Armory 

    Good Samaritan 2

    Good Neighbor and Officer to the Rescue 

    Portsmouth Flood Wall Stars

    Meet the New Flood Wall Stars! 

    A bearded man is sitting on the floor and comforting his dog in a wheelchair. The dog has his ears pinned back.

    Training Tips To Help Your Dog Get Used to Their Wheelchair

    U.S. housing market

    Tips for Making Your New House Feel Like a Home

    The Best Freshwater Fish To Catch This Summer

    The Best Freshwater Fish To Catch This Summer

    A man approaching the bowling lane with a red bowling ball as his three friends in the background cheer him on.

    How Bowling Can Improve Your Mental Health

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    Lost Kid Calls Cops for Help 

    Backyard camping

    Backyard Adventure: Unforgettable Family Camping

    Sunshine or Snowflakes: Which Season Wins America’s Heart?

    Best Party Lakes in North America To Visit This Summer

    Best Party Lakes in North America To Visit This Summer

  • Obituaries
    Martha Byers Yost

    Martha Byers Yost, 84, of Portsmouth

    Patricia Ann Burchett

    Patricia Ann Burchett, 83 of Hillsboro

    Constance V. McQuay

    Constance V. McQuay, 89, of Waverly

    Jerry Paul Igaz

    Jerry Paul Igaz Sr. 55, of West Portsmouth

    Barbara Williams

    Lori Smith, 56 of McDermott

    Tina Marie Gollihue

    Tina Marie Gollihue, 61 of Franklin Furnace,

    Nichole Leigh Blanton

    Nichole Leigh Blanton, 41 of Portsmouth

    Deborah Sue Ratliff Bell

    Deborah Sue Ratliff Bell, 66 of Portsmouth

    Brenda K. Bentley

    Brenda K. Bentley 75 of West Portsmouth

    Rex Fitzgerald

    Rex Fitzgerald, 67 of Portsmouth

    Diana Lynn Redden

    Diana Lynn Redden, 57 of Vanceburg

    Richard Lee Biggers jjr

    Richard Lee Biggers, Jr.75 of Wheelersburg

    Ruth Evelyn Burns

    Ruth Evelyn Burns, 83 of Grove City

    Carolyn Sue Martin

    Carolyn Sue Martin, 77 of Portsmouth

    Paul White Wagner, 99 of Wheelersburg

    Barbara Williams

    Lola Rawlins Ferrell, 74, of South Webster

    David Allen Belveal

    David Allen Belveal, 28, of Sciotoville

    Diana Lynn Allen

    Diana Lynn Allen, 69 of New Boston

    David Allen Belveal, 28, of Sciotoville

    Amanda Jo Fuller

    Amanda Jo Fuller, 41 of Piketon

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BOGUS BILLIONS: Pizzulli draws criticism from Republicans over fake funding bill

Staff Report by Staff Report
1 year ago
in Ohio
Pizzulli
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Appointed State Representative Justin Pizzulli and many of his House colleagues drew heavy criticism from Republicans this week after statements were released claiming Pizzulli “secured” over $6 million in state funding for capital projects in Scioto, Adams, and Brown counties. Pizzulli’s claim is, of course, entirely untrue – no capital budget has even been negotiated, let alone signed into law. 

H.B. 2 passed the Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday with Justin Pizzulli’s vote, as well as the votes of every Democrat representative. The bill would spend a whopping $2 billion of taxpayer money on capital projects across the state, but Republican-aligned groups and individuals are coming out strongly against the bill. 

For a capital budget bill to become law, it must pass the Ohio House of Representatives, pass the Ohio Senate, and be signed by the Governor. Currently, H.B. 2 has only been passed by the House, and the Senate has no plans to touch the bill. So, no funding has been “secured,” as Pizzulli claimed.

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Senator Terry Johnson, a former member of the House, indirectly rebuked Pizzulli in a statement released Friday. 

“It’s important to clarify that no funding has been guaranteed for any projects through HB 2,” Johnson said. “In fact, this bill was created without any input from the Senate, breaking a long-held tradition in the General Assembly of both chambers working together on a capital funding bill. While some in the House of Representatives have claimed that funding has been ‘secured’ for local projects, this is simply not the case.”

Americans for Prosperity Ohio, a conservative group that backs Republicans, claimed that H.B. 2 is being pushed by Pizzulli and other representatives for personal gain.

“It appears that the bill was intentionally rushed to allow members to appropriate $350 million for pet projects in their home districts ahead of a competitive March primary election,” said Donovan O’Neil of AFP-Ohio. “Legislation released in the dark of night and moved at breakneck speed only serves to sow distrust in what should be an otherwise transparent government process.”

H.B. 2 spends most of the money on projects in the districts of Democrat members and members who defected from the Republican Party in 2023 to elect a Speaker of the House chosen by the Democrats. Justin Pizzulli is a hand-picked member of this group of Republican exiles, and the Democrat-selected Speaker of the House, Jason Stephens, is supporting Pizzulli.

Why is this important? On March 19th, voters will go to the polls to vote in the 2024 Primary Election. Here in the 90th District, Rep. Justin Pizzulli is being challenged for his seat, and money is pouring into the district from Democrat-selected Speaker Jason Stephens’ campaign slush fund, known as OHRA. Following the Speaker’s lead, left-wing groups, including many that endorsed President Joe Biden for re-election, have donated thousands to Pizzulli’s campaign according to a recent campaign finance filing. 

The argument Republicans are making is that Speaker Stephens rushed H.B. 2 in order to give his supporters (including Pizzulli) bragging rights and a political boost ahead of the March election. This is, of course, in spite of the fact that no money was actually secured for the 90th District.

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Justin Pizzulli made headlines two weeks ago after the Ohio Republican Party voted to remove him from its slate of endorsed candidates due to concerns over his votes in support of left-wing positions on several bills currently pending in the state legislature. The bills involved issues including gender ideology, critical race theory, and small business regulation.

Pizzulli was also surrounded by a firestorm of controversy after his appointment to the 90th District seat last year. During that process, 30 of Pizzulli’s Republican colleagues in the Ohio House voted against appointing him to the seat. That controversial vote was taken after some of his past statements emerged, showing Pizzulli’s opposition to President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, as well as his support for the BLM/Antifa and LGBT movements.

While the conservative Senate’s leadership is concerned about H.B. 2, it plans to move forward with a capital budget process after the March election. In a letter obtained by Scioto County Daily News, Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) expressed his frustration and emphasized that no capital budget deal has been reached. 

“The House believes there is an agreement with the Senate on House Bill 2, the spending bill, that was brought to the floor by the Speaker today. To be clear, there is no such agreement,” Huffman said. “The Senate will continue to follow its timeline announced in December for this year’s Capital Budget process which includes the additional $700 million for the One Time Strategic Community Investment Fund, with the goal of both chambers passing a single agreed-upon bill later in May or early June.”

Huffman also noted his disappointment that the House chose not to work with the conservative-dominated Senate in crafting a budget bill.

“Approving a large spending bill without additional debate would be irresponsible and an abdication of the duties of the Senate,” Huffman said. “Normally, both chambers work together to create an agreed-upon bill. For unknown reasons, the House chose to break from that process.”

Tags: ElectionFeaturedgovernmentLawNewsletterScioto CountySouthern Ohio
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