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  • Public Safety
    Sheriff night 1

    Not What It Looked Like: Deputies Step Into Social Worker Role in West Portsmouth

    Scioto County Crime

    🚨 Weekend Weirdness: From Shirtless Squabbles to Hospital Gown Hijinks 🚨 

    🚨 Early Morning Assault Prompts Police Investigation in Portsmouth 

    “Death Call” Turns Into Shocking Discovery of Elderly Woman in Distress 

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    🚨 Midnight Car Drama: Stranger, A Ball Cap, and a Whole Lot of Questions! 🚨

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    🚨 Not What It Looked Like: Deputies Step Into Social Worker Role in West Portsmouth 

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    🚨 “I’m Dying!” Woman Storms Portsmouth Fire Station — First Responders Step Up in Mental Health Crisis 

    Eric A Froe

    🚨 Repeat Trespasser Back Behind Bars — But For How Long?

    🚨 McCall Road Meltdown: Stepfather Jailed After Violent Domestic Attack 

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    🐶🍉 Watermelon Brawl? Portsmouth Police Called to “Fight” on Highland Avenue 

    💥🚬 Boom on the Block: Cigarette + Oxygen = Disaster in Portsmouth Home 

    😱 “I’ll Bring a Gun!” Patient’s Chilling Threat Shakes Local Medical Facility 

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    🐶 Left Behind: Dog Abandoned After Eviction Sparks Police Investigation 

    Nuisance Properties

    The Cash Register’s Ringing—But So Are the Sirens 

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    Portsmouth Scioto County

    49 Felony Counts! Portsmouth & Wheelersburg Suspects Busted in Multi-County Crime Sweep — Wanted Parolee Nabbed 

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    Elder Safety

    Elder Abuse or Just Stubbornness? 

  • Lawrence County
  • Politics
    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 

    Portsmouth City Council 2023

    Portsmouth City Council Considers More Cash for Lawsuit Defense 

    West Virginia SNAP

    🚨No More Free Pop? West Virginia Bans Soda from SNAP—Should Ohio Be Next?🚨 

    We Don’t Do Roads!: Scioto Commissioners Clarify Who’s Really in Charge of Road Repairs 

    “I’m Not Here to Replace Cathy”: New Commissioner Merit Smith Says He’ll Lead with Life Experience 

    Merit Smith

    Merit Smith Chosen to Fill Late Commissioner Cathy Coleman’s Seat 

    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 

    Cathy Coleman

    Scioto County Mourns Commissioner Cathy Coleman 

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

    Cathy Coleman

    Remembering Scioto County Commissioner Cathy Coleman

  • Feel Good
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    Tips for Staying Calm During Police Encounters

    Cyn Mackley

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    Shawnee State University SSU

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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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    Hidden Gems: Community Strategies for Mental Wellness

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    Man Says He’s Trapped in Armory 

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  • Obituaries
    Barbara Williams

    Laura Frances Benner, 89 of Lucasville

    Thaddeus Matthew Blizzard, 58, of Fort Worth

    Barbara Williams

    Connie Jane Viars Snyder, 76 of South Shore

    Garry E. Adkins

    Garry E. Adkins, 74 of South Webster

    Leeroy William Bush

    Leeroy William Bush “Bill”,81 of Casstown

    Jean Faye Lauro

    Jean Faye Lauro, 91, of Wheelersburg

    Donald Richard Aeh

    Donald Richard Aeh, 89, of Portsmouth

    Ethel Marlene Teeters

    Ethel Marlene Teeters, 64 of Portsmouth

    Norma Jean Cole

    Norma Jean Cole 88, of South Webster

    was a 1974 graduate of Minford High School. Albert worked as a mechanic most of his life, starting at Standard Oil/ Sohio in 1974 and moved to Meenach's Garage in 1991. He was saved May 23, 2021, and attended Cedar Street Church, Church of Christ in Christian Union. 

    Albert E. Potters, 69 of Wheelersburg,

    Evelyn Angela Galloway, 89 of New Boston

    William McGinnis

    Stephen Ray Lucas, 53 of Piketon

    Wanda Lou Payton

    Wanda Lou Payton, 80 of Minford

    Marjorie K. Bloomfield

    Marjorie K. Bloomfield, 96 of Portsmouth

    Daisy Janell Hall

    Daisy Janell Hall, 45 of Minford

    William McGinnis

    Vaughn Ray Chamberlin, 86 of Wheelersburg

    Barbara Williams

    Daisy Janell Hall, 45 of Minford

    David M. Bussa

    David M. Bussa, 74 of Sciotoville

    Rebecca Schumacher

    Rebecca Schumacher, 43 of Jackson

    Jackie M. Shaw

    Jackie M. Shaw age 80 of Portsmouth

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Meet Virginia: My Aunt Jenny

Dale Powell by Dale Powell
5 years ago
in Opinion
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Virginia (Jenny) Powell is my 93-year old-aunt. She never had children. She quit school in 1940 while in the ninth grade to help raise her nine siblings, one of those being my father. Aunt Jenny was the first woman I knew who actually had a job- it was not common for women to work outside of the home when I was born in the early 1960s, but Aunt Jenny had a job.

And it was by no means her first job. She had left home to work as a boarder in Lucasville in 1940. She stayed with her employer throughout the week since traveling from Lucasville to Otway was impractical at that time. She had to stay away even longer when she found jobs in Portsmouth, working as a waitress in the coffee shop at the local Woolworths and later, at the Shelby and Williams Shoe Factories. In fact, one of her best stories comes from when she worked at Williams in 1950 and got snowed in during the Thanksgiving snow.

Aunt Jenny was stuck in Portsmouth with no way of getting in touch with her family since telephones were scarce everywhere and non-existent in the rural Otway area. According to the Dayton Daily News, “The Great Appalachian Storm” impacted 22 states, killed 353 people, and created, in 1950 dollars, almost $67 million in damage. Nearly the entire state of Ohio was covered in a foot of snow- the Portsmouth area had drifts of five feet.”

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Yes, Aunt Jenny survived the Great Depression, saw her brother go to and thankfully return from World War 2, suffered the isolation of living and working alone in 1950 and other times, began driving in 1957 and drove to and from Portsmouth daily while returning home to take care of her aging parents at night. She cared for her father until his death in 1971 and also her mother, whom she lost in 1983.
But she quietly did something else.

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In the early 1980s, going to college was not a given for anyone. No one on the Powell side of my family had gone to college. I wanted to and was determined to get through, but the Reagan administration made drastic cuts to student aid. I didn’t see how I was going to make it working at grocery stores, pizza shops, and fast food in between classes. I needed a book that cost $ 70 for one of my classes (adjusted for inflation, that’s $202 in today’s money). I still don’t know how Aunt Jenny found out I needed it, but one day when I walked out of her house she shared with my grandmother, she slipped 250 dollars in my pocket, that’s over $700 in today’s money. And that wasn’t the only time she did it. I’m sure that I’m not the only person she has helped.

So why am I writing about this now?
Well, you see Aunt Jenny can no longer take care of herself. She has Alzheimer’s Disease and hasn’t been completely incoherent for the past four years.
The only people she recognizes by sight are one of my aunts and her husband- and me. She knows I have a son, and even though she has seen him, she thinks he’s a little boy (he’s 28).

I am forever grateful to the staff at Minford Retirement Center, who take great care of her. I used to go to see her weekly, but the visits became difficult since there was little that I could talk to her about. She often believes my father, as well as her own parents, are still alive. I had never let a month go by that I didn’t visit at least once until March when I was no longer allowed to visit her.
And I understand. If I had COVID-19 and walked into the retirement center, I could wipe out the population of the center. I completely understand that. But it’s still not a perfect answer.

The last time I spoke to her by phone (the only way I can), I am not sure she really knew it was me or even who I am. It’s hard. But how much harder is it for her than me? Does she think I abandoned her- does she even remember me? Truthfully, I may never know the answer to these questions, but Aunt Jenny, I remember you and know that you are the one who got me to the places I have gone and gave me the opportunities I have had.
The state has no plans for people to be able to visit their loved ones in retirement and nursing homes. I understand the plan completely, and I couldn’t make a more perfect one, but best-laid plans aren’t perfect.

Aunt Jenny
Dale Powell, Aunt Jenny Powell, and Nathan Powell at Christmas 2019
Tags: CoronavirusFamilyHealthLawMinfordNewsletter
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