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  • Public Safety

    🚨 Michigan Avenue Family Crisis Highlights Ongoing Struggles to Protect Children 

    West Portsmouth Shooting

    Gunfire Panic at Trailer Park: Deputies Swarm Shots Fired Call 

    🏈 Locker Room Bullying Turns Violent — Mom Demands Justice  

    Police Officer Killed After Golf Cart Hit by Young Driver 

    Portsmouth

    Who Stole the Democrats’ Seat? Exclusive NEW Details on Portsmouth’s Missing Bench 

    Gun Scare at Mound Park: Call Leads Police on Evening Hunt 

    SCDN File Photo

    From Classroom to Courtroom? Portsmouth Parents Call Police Over School Clashes 

    DUI Driver Arrested After Wreck at Elementary School

    🚨 From Crash Site to Cell Block: Woman Busted for OVI in Portsmouth 

    Fired Trucker Takes Company Rig on Wild Ride Across State Lines  

    Dog on chain outside

    🐾 Price of a Pup Tag Set to Climb — Scioto County to Raise Dog License Fees Amid Worsening Shelter Crisis 

    Family & First Responders Save the Day in Wheelersburg Scare  

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

    Busted! 08/28/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

    Timmy’s Terror: Loose Pit Bull Sparks Dogfight, Death Threats, and Arrest 

    Police Activity

    Midnight Round-Up: Wanted Locals Learn the Hard Way

    Joseph Coby Portsmouth SWAT

    🚨 SWAT Roll-Out Over Missed Court Date: When Skipping Court Goes Too Far 

    Suspect arrested

    Suspect Busted at Mike’s Auto Sales: Drugs, Damage & a Rap Sheet a Mile Long 

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    Across Two States, First Responders Race to Protect Woman and Child Near Greenup Dam

    police car from the back seat

    Drunk, Armed & on a Lawn Mower: Lucasville Man Arrested After Wild Claim 

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

    Busted! 08/27/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

    💔 Heartbreak in Wheelersburg: First Responders Face Sensitive Task After Child Finds Deceased Woman 

  • Lawrence County
  • Politics
    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 

    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 

  • 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 

    Good Samaritan 2

    Good Neighbor and Officer to the Rescue 

    Portsmouth Flood Wall Stars

    Meet the New Flood Wall Stars! 

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    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
    Janet Forbes

    Janet Forbes, 88 of South Shore

    Robert David Dean

    Robert David Dean, 75 of Piketon

    John Kenneth Kellerman, Jr

    John Kenneth Kellerman, Jr., 67 of Portsmouth

    Blenda Sue Forester Fitch

    Blenda Sue Forester Fitch, 76 of Waverly

    Barbara Williams

    Charlotte Pollitt, 79, of Piketon

    Ms. Shannon Renee Wyatt

    Ms. Shannon Renee Wyatt, 46 of Charleston

    James Collins

    James Collins 82 0f Portsmouth

    Rick L. Newsome 57 of Wheelersburg

    Anthony Carl White

    Anthony Carl White, 67 of Stout

    Samantha Kay Carver-Lattimore

    Samantha Kay Carver-Lattimore 42 of Portsmouth,

     Mildred Jean Sullivan

     Mildred Jean Sullivan, 81 of Portsmouth

    William McGinnis

    Jonathon Robert Chanti, 69 of Gallipolis

    Harold Richard Smith, Jr. , 45, of Waverly

    Barbara Williams

    Betty Jane Bowman, 83 of Portsmouth

    Kay Kelly

     Kay Kelly, 73 of Portsmouth

      Jeffrey Paul Steele

      Jeffrey Paul Steele, 49 of Portsmouth

    Zackery Hatfield

    Zackery Hatfield, 42 of Lexington

    Anthony Wayne

    Anthony Wayne Payne, 48 of Portsmouth

    James M. Lewis

    James M. Lewis, of Stout

    Barbara Williams

    Laura Frances Benner, 89 of Lucasville

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Wife Gets Job At Nursing Home To Visit Husband

Ross Madison by Ross Madison
5 years ago
in Feel Good
Wife Gets Job At Nursing Home To Visit Husband

(Rosecastle at Deerwood via AP)

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Wife Gets Job At Nursing Home To Visit Husband (from AP)

https://www.sciotocountydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/audio-assist-nursing-home-mp3cut.net_.mp3

One hundred and 14 days. That’s how long Mary Daniel went without seeing her husband after the coronavirus banned visitors from his nursing home, separating the couple for the first time since he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s seven years ago.

When the Jacksonville nursing home locked down in March, Daniel didn’t think it would last long. The 57-year-old, who runs a medical billing company, promised Steve she would not leave his side after his life-altering diagnosis at the age of 59.

But the 66-year-old thrived at Rosecastle at Deerwood and became known as the mayor of the facility, sitting at the front desk and hugging every visitor and delivery person. They settled into a peaceful routine. Every night, Mary headed to the facility, changed Steven into his pajamas and the two cuddled in bed, and watched TV.

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On March 11, she got a call from the home forbidding her from returning as nursing homes across the state went on lockdown to prevent the virus from spreading among its vulnerable patients.

Undaunted, she asked about taking a volunteer position. When that didn’t work, she offered to bring in the therapy dogs she raises for wounded veterans into the facility for the residents. Still, no.

“Can I get a job?” she asked with sincerity, marking each day apart from her husband with growing unease. “I’m throwing all these things out.”

She watched as people across the country found creative ways to connect with loved ones now locked away, but it’s different with dementia patients. Steve doesn’t complete sentences, so video chats were useless.

She tried two “window visits,” but Steve cried both times. He didn’t understand why she was so far away. It was torture and she vowed not to return until she could hold him. Dementia patients decline more quickly without human touch, she said.

She emailed the governor every day, along with anyone else who would listen as the days stretched into months. She joined a support group on Facebook, “Caregivers for Compromise Because Isolation Kills Too,” and has become an advocate.

“My husband is 5 miles away from me, but I can’t get to him,” she said. “It’s like he’s died, but it’s worse than him dying because he’s not at peace.”

Then out of the blue, the phone rang three weeks ago. It was the corporate office at Steve’s nursing home. They had an opening for a part-time dishwasher. Was she interested?

She jumped at the chance, and went through a drug test and 20 hours of video training on hazardous waste disposal and food safety, knowing Steve was on the other side.

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(Rosecastle at Deerwood via AP)

Kelley Withrow, the facility’s executive director, stressed that the visitation ban is necessary but acknowledged it’s “been hard on families and residents alike, so we felt creative solutions were necessary, especially in the case of Mary and Steve.”

Now, twice a week Daniel finishes her office job heads to the nursing home kitchen and scrubs dirty dishes for 90 minutes. She said she’s “doing everything in my power to get to my husband because he needs me to touch him.”

She worries about the families still separated.

On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said he was considering loosening the state’s ban on visitations at nursing homes for loved ones who can take a rapid-response test for the virus before entering the facility.

“There’s a hopelessness; there’s a helplessness,” Daniel said. “Hundreds of thousands of people are feeling that right now. They’re dying alone, and it’s tragic. It’s bordering on cruelty at this point.”

Wife Gets Job to Visit Husband
Tags: CoronavirusFamilyFeaturedHealthsafety
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