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Wednesday, September 24
Scioto County Daily News
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  • Public Safety

    Two Rollover Crashes Keep Scioto County First Responders Busy 

    Ohio House Bill 247

    DOG DAYS & DISPUTES: Wave of Incidents Highlights Strain on Scioto County Animal Control 

    Southern Ohio Medical Center

    Crisis in the Parking Lot: Officers Help Escort Woman Into Treatment 

    From Buffalo Wild Wings to a Machete at the Campground: Portsmouth Police Handle Day of Madness 

    Assault at Scioto County CTC: Why School Safety Matters 

    Alex Ivan Ortiz Morales

    Deputy Rescues Trafficking Victim: But Suspect Walks Free on Bond???? 

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

    Busted! 09/23/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

    Ohio Board of Pharmacy Steps Up Crackdown on Medi-Spas: What’s Legit — and What’s Risky

    Sheriff night 1

    Parolee’s Four-Wheeler Joyride Ends in Jail

    Shots Fired Over Stolen Truck: The Dangerous World of Tow Drivers 

    Haley Schackart Borders

    $90,000 Fine, License Revoked: New Details Emerge in Pike County Spa “Skincare” Shot Case 

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

    Busted! 09/22/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

    Shots Fired Into Wheelersburg Home Leave Residents Shaken 

    “I’ve Got a Gun”: Yelling on Dorman Drive Ends in Arrest 

    handcuffs jail arrest

    Convicted Killer Arrested at Portsmouth Homeless Shelter

    Haley Borders Schackart

    New Indictments Revealed in Pike County Spa ‘Black-Market’ Weight Loss Shot Bust 

    Scioto County

    Mugshots and Press Releases: Why Was Haley Borders Treated Differently Than Scioto County Commissioner? 

    Michael Jenkins Ironton

    Drugs, Guns, and a Laundry List of Charges Land Pair in Scioto County Jail

    SCDN File Photo

    Eagle-Eyed Officer Spots Missing Woman at Speedway 

    Fingerprinted and Freed: Commissioner Bryan Davis Out on Bond 

  • Lawrence County
  • Politics
    weird strange absurd

    Parking, Murals, and an Indicted Commissioner: Sparks Fly at Portsmouth City Manager’s Conference 

    Bryan Davis Due Back In Court October 21 

    Sean Dunne Next Mayor of Portsmouth?

    Dunne: “It’s Time for Portsmouth to Speak Up” on Davis Resignation 

    confused woman

    Portsmouth Council Weighs Asking Davis to Resign 

    Turning Point USA

    Student Democrats Deny Role in Petition to Ban Turning Point USA at SSU 

    Turning Point USA

    Portsmouth Politics Escalate: SSU Students Petition to Ban Turning Point USA

    Recorder Gary Jenkins

    Scioto County Recorder’s Office Increases Fees 

    Scottie Powell

    Commissioner Powell Responds to Conflict of Interest Questions 

    FOP Endorses Malone, Neff in Portsmouth City Election 

    Bryan Davis

    Where’s Bryan Davis? GOP Says Step Down — Court Says Suspended

    SCDN File Photo

    Where’s Bryan Davis? After Two Missed Meetings, GOP Says It’s Time to Step Down 

    This bench is a different bench located near Jim Dandy's

    Exclusive: The Bench Is Back — But the Political Drama Isn’t Over 

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    Where’s Bryan Davis? Commissioners, Citizens Ask the Same Question 

    Scioto County Commissioner Bryan Davis

    Bryan Davis Arraignment Set, New Judge Assigned 

    Bryan Davis

    Why Commissioner Davis Staying in Office Raises Big Problems 

    Scottie Powell

    Powell Calls on Commissioner Davis to Resign 

    Scioto County Bryan Davis Scandal

    🗓 Timeline of a Scandal: How Scioto County’s Economic Development Crisis Unfolded 

    Bryan Davis

    Commissioner Bryan Davis and Wife Indicted in Scioto Scandal 

    Joey Sandlin

    Joey Sandlin Announces Inauguration Ceremony  

    Erie Canal Lock 50

    After Nearly a Decade of Talk, Scioto County Moves Closer to Restoring Historic Lock 50 

  • Feel Good
    A man sitting in a vehicle is handing over an ID card to a female police officer standing by his window.

    Tips for Staying Calm During Police Encounters

    Cyn Mackley

    Cyn Mackley Channels Haunted Appalachia

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    Creative Ways To Host Outdoor Events This Summer

    A family of two parents and a young boy and girl are playing laser tag with vests and laser blasters in an arena.

    What Activities To Offer at a Family Fun Center

    Shawnee State University SSU

    Shawnee State University Joins New Athletic Conference, Adds Football to Lineup 

    BREAKING: Commissioners Make Shocking Decision—Halloween to Remain on Halloween 

    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

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

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    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 

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    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

  • Obituaries
    Gary Ray Pyles,

    Randall Eugene Herdman 66, of New Boston

    Anna Elizabeth McClintic

    Anna Elizabeth McClintic, 92 of Wheelersburg

    Barbara Williams

    Betty Ruth Childers, 98 of Lucasville,

    Paul R. Humphrey, 87 of Wheelersburg

    Robert Lee Barbee

    Robert Lee Barbee, 83, of Waverly

    Sherman L. Munn

    Sherman L. Munn, 91 of Maloneton

    Cynthia Youck 70 Sciotoville

    Ronald Floyd

    Ronald Floyd 81 of Grayson

    Michael Ward Mills

    Michael Ward Mills 70 of New Boston

    Gary Ray Pyles,

    Robert O. Payne, 82 of Minford

    Debra Lee Risner

    Debra Lee Risner, 66, of South Webster

    Deborah Scaff Rice

    Deborah Scaff Rice, 64 of McDermott

    Gary Ray Pyles,

    Terry Groh, 78 of Lake City

    Melissa Joy Davida Kessler

    Melissa Joy Davida Kessler, 25 of Portsmouth

    Theresa Gale Tumbleson

    Theresa Gale Tumbleson, 68 of South Shore

    Jerry Lee Ruby

    Jerry Lee Ruby, 84 of Wheelersburg

    Gregory Denning

    Gregory S. Denning, 62 of West Portsmouth

    Joy Wilson-Brown

    Joy Elaine Brown 77 of Portsmouth

    Jerry Robert Rockwell

    Jerry Robert Rockwell, 68 of Londonderry

    Michelle E. Workman

    Michelle E. Workman, 30, of Wheelersburg

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City Council Shoots Down Virtual Meetings

Cyn Mackley by Cyn Mackley
5 years ago
in Politics
New Boston Virtual Meeting
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“I’m not sure I understand the question.” First Ward Councilman Sean Dunne doesn’t see the value in holding virtual council meetings. He’s certainly not alone in the city government.

Portsmouth City Council is back in session after a two-month break due to COVID-19 restrictions. When Ohio’s local governments were forced to comply with the stay-at-home rules, many switched to virtual meetings. Some, like the Scioto County Commissioners, met in person and broadcast the meeting online. Others, like New Boston Village Council or the Lawrence County Commissioners, conducted meetings via apps like Zoom.

New Boston Virtual Meeting
New Boston Village Council Zoom Meeting.

The Best We Can Do

Portsmouth City Council was unable to hold meetings due to a rule in the city charter that required all meetings to be in person. Some have questioned why they didn’t have a quick, socially distant meeting to change that rule. Additionally, why isn’t changing that rule at the top of their to-do list now that they are back in session? Turns out, council people don’t think it’s that big of a deal.

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Dunne: “It’s Time for Portsmouth to Speak Up” on Davis Resignation 

Portsmouth Council Weighs Asking Davis to Resign 

Council Members met in the ballroom at Shawnee State University. This allowed them enough space to practice social distancing. Scioto County Daily News’s Mark Craycraft asked if there were any plans to change the rules to allow for virtual meetings.

Portsmouth Mayor, Kevin E. Johnson, said he didn’t quite understand the question and passed it across the room to City Manager Sam Sutherland.

Sutherland said, “I believe we’ve done the best we can do.”

Mayor Johnson expressed his doubts about the practicality of using virtual meeting software such as Zoom. “A Zoom meeting for Council would really be difficult. As far as the two spots on the agenda to allow the public to speak… How are you going to be inclusive of that in a Zoom Meeting?”

Not Practical For Portsmouth?

Zoom, Google Meet, Facebook Rooms, and other meeting software allow you to create a public room and invite up to 100 people to join the meeting. Scioto County Commissioners accept questions live on their Facebook page. New Boston Village Council accepted questions from the public in advance and addressed them in Zoom meetings that were shared on their Facebook page.

virtual meeting
Scioto County Commissioners Meeting shared via Facebook.

Johnson said the council coped as best they could. “Folks, this was all new to us. The COVID-19 kind of threw a curveball to all of us. To the whole world.”

He said that while virtual meetings might work for some situation, he believes the decision not to hold the meeting was the best choice for the Portsmouth government.

“I serve on various committees and boards. Some of us have done the Zoom. Some of us have done a certain Google meeting. Here at council, we chose to do it this way. I really would like to believe that we’re doing the best we can with what we have right now. We’ve afforded our citizens every opportunity to submit questions.”

“I Just Don’t Understand The Question”

Councilman Dunne, who is also a professor of sociology at SSU didn’t really see the point of the question.

Please Support This Local Business

“Again, maybe I’m missing the question; what it’s trying to ask. If you want to know what City Government has done here. One is that we’ve abided by the guidelines of the state. We’ve abided by the state as far as limiting the number of individuals in a meeting and so on and so forth.

I’d add to that, and I think we have our Second Ward representative to thank, we took it very seriously very early. A lot of other places responded quite late or barely at all. We cancelled meetings until we had an idea of how we could do this instead of rushing into things and being uncertain and possible being unsafe. People have the ability to ask question Again, this is less than ideal. Living in a world with this pandemic is also less than ideal. I haven’t had any complaints. I just don’t understand the question.”

What The State Says About Virtual Meetings

While there were limitations imposed on in-person meetings, the Ohio legislature made it very clear that virtual meetings were not only allowed, they were encouraged. Here’s a direct quote from the Ohio Attorney General’s website about the bill:

  • The bill specifically permits a public body to conduct meetings via teleconference, video conference, or any similar electronic technology.
  • A public body may choose to use audio-only teleconferencing.
  • Access to any such meetings must be afforded through some mechanism that makes it generally available, including teleconferencing; live streaming via the internet; or broadcasting on local radio, cable television, or public-access stations.
  • When using audio-only teleconferencing, the public body should ensure that speakers are identified and individual votes announced verbally so that listeners can determine what each member is saying and how he/she is voting.

Back to Normal

Mayor Johnson said he was eager to get things back to normal. Or at least what passes for normal these days.

“We are going to try to get back to our normal meeting place. That’s not to take anything away from Shawnee. The facilities here are beautiful. But we do want to get back to home. To our meetings at the city building. We want to get back to having our citizens at the meeting. Also, we want to be compliant with our governor. We want to put everybody’s health and welfare first and foremost.”

 

Tags: CoronavirusKevin E. JohnsonPortsmouth OhioSean Dunne
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