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  • Public Safety

    MONSTROUS: School Workers Hit with 1,188 Abuse Charges in Shocking Special Ed Scandal

    Rehab

    🚨 Rehab Ruckus: Former Client Fights Staff Over Suboxone in Scioto County Facility Dispute 

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

    Busted! 07/04/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

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    🔥 Chaos at the Camp: Tent Torched, Chickens Loose, and Trash Everywhere at Doyle’s Landing 

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    🚨 Sidewalks, Snipers, and Sleeping Bags: Homeless Crisis Takes Over Portsmouth in a Single Day 

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    🐾 Porch Prisoners: Loose Dog Bites Woman After Trapping Man Inside His Home  

    Jailhouse Jackpot: Scioto County Keeps $1.5 Million for Major Jail Upgrades

    Accidental Shooting: Man is Airlifted 

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    Busted! 07/03/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

    Troubled Bad Youth Kids

    8-Year-Old Tries to Stab Mother in Mental Health Emergency 

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    🚗 Birthday Bash Turns into Backwoods Nightmare: Car Crash, Threats, and Birthday Drama! 🎉💥 

    🚨 Gunfire & Getaways: Center Street Turns Into Crime Scene After Wild Evening Shooting 

    🚨 “Pulled Out of the Ceiling!” — Deputies Snag Fugitive Eric Carr After Bizarre Hideout at Lucasville Apartment 

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    🚔 Buzzed and Busted: Don’t Let the Fourth of July End in Handcuffs or Heartbreak 

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    🚓 Kindness on Call: Deputy Steps In to Help Troubled Man at West Portsmouth Super Quick 💙 

    “I’m the One Who Stays” — Man Arrested for Toddler’s Death Posted Haunting Fatherhood Tribute Just One Day After Changing His Name 

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    Busted! 07/02/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

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    🥎 Softball Showdown! Grown-Up Drama Explodes Into Week-Long Police Saga 💥 

    First Responders Use Axe to Break Through and Save Disoriented Man

    🩸Stabbing Scare at Wheelersburg Kroger 

  • Lawrence County
  • Politics
    Cathy Coleman

    Remembering Scioto County Commissioner Cathy Coleman

    somc 2

    🏥 Scioto County Approves Hospital Tax to Keep Medicaid Dollars Local 

    No Kings

    Scioto Dems Snort at “Well-Funded” No Kings Protest Claim

    Cathy Coleman

    Cathy Coleman Still Fighting: Family Shuts Down Hospice Rumors, Says Recovery Still Underway

    County May Tap Opioid Settlement Funds to Finish MARCS Tower Project 

    Cathy Coleman

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

    Cathy Coleman

    ‘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 

    Cathy Coleman

    ‘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 

    Cathy Coleman

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

  • Feel Good

    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 

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    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?

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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

    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?

  • Obituaries
    Everett William Cook

    Everett William Cook, age 62 of Portsmouth

    Kim Gutierrez

    Kim Isabella Guttierrez 74 of Portsmouth

    Jeanne Szura

    Jeanne Szura 95 of Cary NC

    Barbara Williams

    Nancy Anne Sheets 92 of Portsmouth

    James Vernon Hicks Jr

    James Vernon Hicks Jr. 71 of Portsmouth

    Sonya Stapleton

    Sonya Lee Stapleton 66 of Portsmouth

    Roy Cunningham

    Roy Cunningham, 82 of Portsmouth

    Patricia Ann Thurman

    Patricia Ann Thurman, 65 of West Portsmouth

    Ann Bartlett Truitt

     Ann Bartlett Truitt, 92 of Waverly

     Cornel Cave

     Cornel Cave, 69 of Portsmouth

    Mahala Dawn Pelfrey

    Mahala Dawn Pelfrey, 49 of Lucasville

    Nancy Ackerman-Nash, 71 of Granbury

    Nancy Ackerman-Nash, 71 of Granbury

    Denver Eugene Raike

    Denver Eugene Raike, 87 of Wheelersburg

    Robin Gail Ramsey, 63 of West Portsmouth

    Geneva Mullins 78 of New Boston

    Willard Fenton

    Willard Fenton, 86, of South Webster

    Richard Lewis

    Richard Lewis, 75 of McDermott

    Judy Gayle (Wells) Scifres

    Judy Gayle Scifres, 74 of South Shore,

    Braxton Spears Jr., 76, of South Shore,

    Braxton Spears Jr., 76 of South Shore

    Walter Ronald Kidd

    Walter Ronald Kidd, 89 of Xenia

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Former Portsmouth Woman’s Body Identified after 25 years

Cyn Mackley by Cyn Mackley
3 years ago
in Opinion, Public Safety
Former Portsmouth Woman’s Body Identified
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Youngstown, Ohio police identified the body of a former Portsmouth resident 25 years after her remains were discovered inside an abandoned housing project in Youngstown.

This is not breaking news. Youngstown Police made the identification back in April of last year, but I only recently learned about it, and I wanted to share it because I thought America Francis Williams deserved that much. 

When her body was discovered back on Halloween in 1995, it was so badly decomposed that police could not identify her. They were never able to determine a cause of death. Twenty-six years later, in April of 2021, they were able to use a partial piece of her jaw to match with dental records. 

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I’m not sure when America Francis (who was often called Fran) left Portsmouth. I went grade school at Garfield and Middle School at McKinley with her, but I don’t remember her after that. For a few years, she lived across the sidewalk from me in Wayne Hills at 1818 Kendall Avenue. 

Back in early 2021, some of us from Garfield Elementary were talking about whatever happened to America. We Googled, but her name didn’t come up at all. Shortly after our searching, Youngstown Police launched an appeal to help them identify the remains of a woman who had gone unclaimed for 25 years. One of our classmates, Liz, thought of America again a couple of weeks ago and did some more Googling.  

She discovered that while the rest of us from Garfield were out in the world becoming writers, teachers, nurses, the Mayor and City Manager of Portsmouth, moms and dads, and grandparents and the occasional convicted felon, America Francis Williams was left unclaimed and unidentified. When we saw the photo of grown-up America, we knew it was the same girl because she had the same dimple. 

I remembered America as kind of a mean kid who got into a lot of fights. Others remembered scrapping with her as well. 

But I always thought of her when I met or heard of someone else named America. I also always thought of her when people talk about school paddling. America got the board a lot at Garfield. Sometimes for fighting, but also for stuff like not turning in permission slips or not having forms signed by her mom. 

As a neighbor, I knew what the teacher probably did not. At the time, America’s mom seemed to be having some issues. Sometimes America went to school with uncombed hair. Her mom kept the doors and windows shut, and it didn’t seem like her mom was looking after her. I caught snippets from grown-ups talking about Mrs. Williams. But I don’t know what the problem was or if it was something that was ongoing. The poor woman could have been ill or having some type of rough patch. And I could be totally off base because these are the memories of a grade school girl. But it did seem to me at the time that America was going through some stuff, and I felt terrible for her when she got paddled even though I thought she was kind of mean. But you never know what people are going through.

I had a friend who lived in Youngstown in the late 1990s. I spent several weekends there, and it makes me sad to know that while I was attending concerts and enjoying Handel’s Ice Cream, poor America was there, unclaimed and unknown. 

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Former Mayor, Kevin E. Johnson, who was also our classmate, commented:  Thank you so much for caring and sharing. I’ve often wondered whatever happened to Fran, also.

I’ve even attempted to find her on FB, knowing the name, America, shouldn’t be difficult to find.

I’m completely heartbroken to read of such a tragedy happening to end her life and pray she finally has peace in her life.

I knew a different Fran.

The young girl I knew was a lot like all of us Wayne Hills kids. She lived in poverty, she probably didn’t have the best of life at home, and yes, sometimes grooming wasn’t the top priority. But, I also remember those cute dimples when she smiled, I remember her temper when I’d beat her to the best Grit newspapers selling spot, Clark’s (department store, not pump-n-shop). Lol, We both competed in selling those newspapers.

I also remember sneaking and smoking cigarettes with Fran….

Again, it’s my hope that Fran has finally found peace and a new life in God’s Heaven.

I hope she rests in peace. I hope her surviving family found solace knowing what happened to her after all these years. And I hope she knows that she was never forgotten. 

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