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  • Public Safety
    Neighbor Reports Toddler in the Street

    Babysitting Blunders: Two Scares in One Day Prompt Police Warning to Parents

    BAD BEHAVIOR

    Allegations of Choking, Biting — and Abuse in Front of a Baby

    💥 SCAM ALERT: “Fake Banks, Real Bills!” 💸 

    PPD 1522

    Two Bizarre Break-In Blowups Just an Hour Apart—Both During Moving Day Meltdowns 

    We’re Failing Them: Another Arrest Highlights Portsmouth’s Mental Health Crisis 

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

    Busted! 06/21/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

    Back on Dope and Spiraling: A Troubled Evening Highlights the Pain of Relapse 

    PPD Night

    Brawls, Break-Ins, and Boxing Ghosts: A Wild Night in Portsmouth 

    Children in Danger

    Indicted Again: Portsmouth Mom Facing New Child Endangerment Charges 

    Sheriff sticker

    Crimes, Crashes, and Chaos: Scioto County’s Emergency Services Respond to 70 Calls in One Day 

    🚨 Tracking a Monster: Cops Brave the Night to Rescue Woman from Camper Nightmare🚨 

    Scioto County Grand Jury Indictments

    13 New Scioto County Grand Jury Indictments

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

    Busted! 06/20/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

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    Above and Beyond: Officer Helps Injured Man Find His Way Home 

    Train Trouble: Duo Busted for Late-Night Trespass in Rail Yard 

    Discipline or Danger? Grandma Accused of Going Too Far in Punishing Child 

    Angry Woman

    Late, Loud, and Locked Out: Mom Trespassed After Dental Office Meltdown Over Tardiness 

    Catch and Release

    Gallia Street Gone Wild: A Day of Chaos, Confusion, and Catch-and-Release in Portsmouth 

    Eric A Froe

    🚨 “Repeat Panhandler Busted Again—But Released Again” 🚨 

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

    Busted! 06/19/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

  • Lawrence County
  • Politics

    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 

    ‘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 

  • 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 

    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 

    good cops

    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

    good cops

    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

    good cops

    Lost Kid Calls Cops for Help 

    Backyard camping

    Backyard Adventure: Unforgettable Family Camping

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

  • Obituaries
     Deborah Sue ‘Susie’ Dingus

     Deborah Sue ‘Susie’ Dingus, 74 of Portsmouth

    Mary Ada McClaskey

    Mary Ada McClaskey, 78 of Port Saint Lucie

    Freddie L Hodge

    Freddie L Hodge, 75 of Portsmouth

    Willa Mae Parker

     Willa Mae Parker Ivory, 91 of Portsmouth

    Cynthia Darby Royster

    Cynthia Darby Royster, 70, of Wheelersburg

    William McGinnis

    Noah Hall, 54 of Lucasville

    James Arthur Williams

    James Arthur Williams, 93 of Portsmouth

    Lawton Triplett Jeanette

    Lawton Triplett 94 & Jeannette Triplett, 87

    Pauline Rupert

    Pauline Rupert, 81 of Portsmouth,

    Russell Wayne Phipps, 71 of Scioto Furnace

    Kenneth Carver

    Kenneth Carver, 63, of Lucasville

    Donald E. Nourse

    Donald E. Nourse, 81, of Lucasville

    Bonnie Louise Faulkner

    Bonnie Louise Faulkner, 80 of South Webster

    Alicia "Allie" Renee Wiebe

    Alicia Renee Wiebe 42 of Wheelersburg

    William McGinnis

    Norman Edward Welty, 91 of Portsmouth

    Thelma Mae McCullough

    Thelma Mae McCullough, 93 of Stout

    Linda Lou Mullins

    Linda Lou Mullins, 78 Wheelersburg

    Alicia "Allie" Renee Wiebe

    Alicia “Allie” Renee Wiebe, aged 42

    Lilly Mae Rowe

    Lilly Mae Rowe, 87 of South Shore

    Carolyn Mae Conklin

    Carolyn Mae Conklin, 82 of Minford,

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Justin Pizzulli Controversy: Ohio 90th District State Representative in Divides GOP

Mark Craycraft by Mark Craycraft
2 years ago
in Politics, Regional
Justin Pizzulli Ohio State Representative
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A firestorm of controversy surrounds Justin Pizzulli’s nomination for the Ohio 90th District State Representative. The controversy runs so deep and wide that his proposed appointment was withdrawn from last week’s House of Representatives session because, sources tell SCDN, there were not enough votes within the Ohio House Republican Caucus. This selection comes after the resignation of Brian Baldridge, who was appointed Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture by Governor Mike DeWine.

Pizzulli is a political operative and a realtor. He has also worked as a conductor for Norfolk Southern Railroad. Articles allegedly bought and paid for in large metropolitan areas like Cleveland have greatly overblown this detail. Those articles focused on elevating Pizzulli as the face of an industry under severe scrutiny following the derailment in East Palestine. 

Justin Pizzulli could likely be the first appointee in Ohio history to receive opposition from his own party in a vote filling a vacancy. Pizzulli sought the 90th District seat in 2018, coming in third place to Brian Baldridge and Gina Collinsworth.

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

The appointment of Pizzulli was controversial among statewide and local Republicans. According to documents obtained exclusively by SCDN, Pizzulli has been active in supporting left-wing causes despite his registration as a Republican. The Facebook posts from Pizzulli’s personal page demonstrate that he has supported many agenda items that are typically endorsed by the far left.

Local Republicans also voiced disappointment about the fact that the Ohio House Democrat Leader Allison Russo introduced Pizzulli’s nomination to the Rules and Reference Committee. Documents obtained from the Ohio House website confirm this.

Others locally are concerned about the negative push Pizzulli made to obtain this seat. According to documents obtained exclusively by SCDN, Scioto County Republican Party Chairman Rodney Barnett wrote a letter supporting Pizzulli and disparaging Gina Collinsworth. In his letter, Barnett claimed that Pizzulli hadn’t attacked his opponents in 2018, and asserted that Collinsworth went negative. 

In fact, many sources have reported that Pizzulli repeatedly targeted and contacted Collinsworth supporters and requested extended conversations with them.

Moreover, endorsement letters generally don’t take potshots at the other candidates. SCDN has obtained every endorsement letter for all 9 original applicants for the position. Not a single other endorsement letter mentioned the other candidates in any form or fashion.

Previously, Barnett served as chair of Scioto County Board of Children’s Services, which was plagued with problems culminating in the deaths of children that attracted mass media attention.

In addition to his real estate and railroad endeavors, Pizzulli was the Scioto County director for U.S. Senate candidate Mike Gibbons in 2022. Gibbons received the Scioto County Republican Party endorsement ahead of the primary, but received a mere 10% of the vote.

According to our sources, the 6-member committee was mostly stacked with supporters of Speaker Jason Stephens, who came to power after 22 House Republicans voted with the entire Democrat caucus to elect Stephens as speaker. Included in that committee was Ohio Representative Jay Edwards, who made headlines after his “slave” comment on the House Floor.

Of the mountain of information SCDN has on file, we looked at the submissions of each of the 9 applicants. Portsmouth City Councilperson Joey Sandlin’s packet (referred as Applicant #5) contained 13 pages. This packet included Sandlin’s resume, followed by letters of support.

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Justin Pizzulli’s packet (referred as Applicant #2) contained 32 pages. Gina Collinsworth’s packet (referred as Applicant #4) contained 71 pages with letters of support. This was the largest show of public support among any of the 9 applicants.

With the vote stalled last week, the House will again attempt to put forward a Candidate for this position. We are told a new committee has been selected. We do not know if these committee members have been approached with sweetheart deals to support Pizzulli. However, we are told that the previous committee will not be involved in the process.

SCDN along with USA Today have reviewed all of the information and have decided to publish the details we’ve been sitting on for some time.

The House was set to meet again on Tuesday, March 8th, at 2pm to try this vote again. However, that has been cancelled. Once there is a firm date, we will provide a live link to that meeting so you can see it unfold live.  

Justin Pizzulli Ohio State Representative,Justin Pizzulli Ohio State Representative
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