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Scioto County Daily News
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  • Public Safety

    Nightmare Roommate: Woman Wakes to Sexual Assault in Her Own Bed 

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    💥 Brawl at Rehab: Man Left Bloody, One Jailed After Fight at McDermott Facility 

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    OD Scare Outside Funeral Home: Deputies Step In, Urge Public to Call for Help

    Jennifer Walsh

    Portsmouth Mom Busted After Child Shows Up Alone at Hospice — Again! 

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    BREAKING: Allegation of Child Sex Assault Reported in Portsmouth – Here’s What You Need to Know 

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    🚓 Busted After a Police Ride?! Car Theft Suspect Claims Unusual Chauffeur 

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    From ER to Aisle 3: Walker-Wielding Wanderer Bounced Between Stores 

    👊 Daughter Busted After Alleged Attack on Mom — History of Violence Comes Back to Haunt Her 

    Timothy McKinney

    60 Days for a Brutal Beating? Man Who Killed Dog With 2×4 Gets Slap on the Wrist 

    New Federal Homelessness Order Calls for Tougher Measures, But Will It Help Cities Like Portsmouth? 

    Justice Delayed: Court Stalls in Walmart Ambush Case That Left Teen Fighting for Life 

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    Teen’s Tall Tale Unravels: Bizarre 911 Call Leads Deputies to Franklin Furnace 

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    Good Neighbor Nabs Wanted Man: Deputies Bust Suspicious Visitor at Vacant Home 

    Man Missing for 24 Hours Found on Stranger’s Porch

  • Lawrence County
  • Politics
    Scottie Powell

    “Run on Vision, Not Attacks”: Powell Offers Advice to Candidates Vying for Cathy Coleman’s Seat 

    🌿 Bamboo Gets Fast-Tracked at City Hall — But the Homeless Crisis? Still Stuck in Neutral 

    Who Will Carry Cathy’s Torch? GOP to Choose Coleman’s Replacement July 29 

    Cathy Coleman

    Commissioners Back Senior Housing Project Championed by Late Commissioner Cathy Coleman 

    “Bad and Quirky” Lucasville House Targeted for Demolition as County Cracks Down on Blighted Properties 

    ‘A Great Addition to Heaven’: Commissioners Honor Cathy Coleman, Reflect on Her Legacy and Who Might Carry It Forward 

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    Scioto County Mourns Commissioner Cathy Coleman 

    🚨TRIAL TWIST! Horton Corruption Case on Ice—For Now 

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    Remembering Scioto County Commissioner Cathy Coleman

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    🏥 Scioto County Approves Hospital Tax to Keep Medicaid Dollars Local 

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    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 

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    ‘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

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  • Feel Good
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    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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    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 

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  • Obituaries
    Kyle E. Redoutey

    Kyle E. Redoutey, 30

    Myrtle Maxine Carver Boggs

    Myrtle Maxine Carver Boggs, 85 of South Portsmouth

    Patricia Ann Robinson

    Patricia Ann Robinson 73 McDermott

    Barbara Williams

    Shirley Jean Hackworth, 89 of Franklin Furnace,

    Judith Marie Fox

    Judith Marie Fox 81 of Wetumpka

    Janet Sue (Brisker) Risner

    Janet Sue (Brisker) Risner, 83 of Minford

    Prudence Ruth West

    Prudence Ruth West, 82 of Portsmouth,

    Kaitlyn Nicole Murphy

    Kaitlyn Nicole Murphy, 22 of Newcomerstown

    Ricky Edwin Johnson

    Ricky Edwin Johnson 72 of Portsmouth

    Alana Dustianna Meshelle Greene

    Alana Dustianna Meshelle Greene, 32 of Portsmouth

    Estel C. Harr, 68 of Portsmouth

    James L. Slone, 86, of South Webster

    James L. Slone, 86 of South Webster

    Gary Lee Meade,70 of West Portsmouth

    Lilly Ann Elliott

    Lilly Ann Elliott, 53 of Portsmouth

    James D. Hannah

    James D. Hannah, 60 of Greenup

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    Bristol Rafalowski, 3, of Wheelersburg

    Walter Logan

    Walter Logan 56 of Portsmouth

    Paul H. Parker

    Paul H. Parker 85 of Portsmouth

    Ralph Burton Speck

    Ralph Burton Speck, 90 of West Portsmouth

    Barbara Williams

    Betty Lou Little Mullins, 91 of Franklin Furnace

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“We Set the Model” — How Portsmouth’s Recovery Community Is Changing Lives and Driving Growth 

Cyn Mackley by Cyn Mackley
4 months ago
in Education
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With more than 100 sobriety homes as well as treatment and recovery facilities in Scioto County — and a population of under 72,000 — many locals are asking: Is this too much of a good thing? 

But for long-time resident and recovering addict, Todd Eichenlaub, the answer is more nuanced. 

“Yes, there are a lot of treatment centers. But people need to understand — this community is doing something right. We’re setting the model for the nation.” 

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He’s living proof. Clean for over three years after a 25-year battle with addiction, he credits Portsmouth’s recovery infrastructure not just with saving his life, but with helping rebuild it. 

“The sober living facilities here — if they’re run right — they work. You’re drug-tested. You go to meetings. If you mess up, you have to stabilize or go. That accountability saved me.” 

He’s candid about the system’s flaws. “Sure, there are bad players who abuse the system for insurance money. But that’s true everywhere. The majority of the people I meet in sober living are trying. They’re going to meetings. They’re working. They’re building back better.” 

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Many, like him, become productive members of the community, buying homes, stimulating the local economy, and giving back. 

“These facilities employ a lot of people. They bring in revenue. The three big drivers in Portsmouth are Shawnee State, SOMC, and the treatment industry. Take one away, and this town’s economy would take a huge hit.” 

Eichenlaub is also hopeful about pending legislation. Ohio House Bill 58 — which proposes new oversight and certification standards for recovery housing — could help weed out bad actors and ensure more transparency and accountability. 

“I read the bill five times. A lot of people don’t actually read it. They just skim the headline and panic. But it’s a good bill. It’s going to help.” 

The man, who now attends at least three meetings a week, says Portsmouth’s recovery network is among the strongest in the state. 

“I go to NA and AA meetings all over Ohio. But what we have here is special. People show up. We support each other. We go out together, eat good food, leave good tips. We live life — clean.” 

As for concerns about sober houses being too close to family neighborhoods? 

“If they’re properly run, I’d welcome one next door,” he says. “It’s about structure. The people running the place have to care.” 

He acknowledges the delicate balance the town must strike between supporting recovery and maintaining public trust. “This conversation needs to happen. But we also need to remember — every success story here is a life reclaimed.” 

With plans for graduate school and a future in social work, Todd Eichenlaub is just one of many testaments to what’s possible when a community embraces healing — flaws, struggles, and all. 

Tags: economyFamilyOhioPortsmouthScioto CountySOMC
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