The Scioto Voice

11/05/2023

🥹😢

11/30/2022

Put it on your calendars!!!

This Thursday Dec 1, 2022 at 6:00 pm, the Commissioners will be lighting the official Scioto County Christmas Tree in the Courthouse Rotunda. In the past we have lit it during the day and many people asked for it be moved to the evening time so the community could enjoy the event. We listened and it is happening!

A very special young lady will be throwing the switch to light the tree!!

The Portsmouth West Choir will sing (You don’t want to miss this), Santa and the Grinch will be in the house. Hot chocolate and cookies for all!

Merry Christmas!!

11/30/2022

It’s that time again kiddos!

Letters to Santa is back!

How does it work?

Simple. Look for the mail box pictured below in the rotunda of the Scioto County Courthouse.
Children are encouraged to write Santa their Christmas wishlist and with the help of their parents, put it in the mailbox. Letters can also be mailed to..

Scioto County Commissioners
C/O Santa Letters
602 7th Street Room 310
Portsmouth, Ohio 45662

Every morning the elves empty the mailbox. Letters received are read on Facebook LIVE at 9:30 am by the Commissioners at the end of every Commissioner meeting!! The Commissioners are very good friends with Santa and he’s even been seen at some of their meetings before. 😳🎅🏼

There are 4 remaining meetings this year. Every meeting starts at 9:30 am on Facebook Live! All meetings are able to be viewed later as well.

December 1
December 6
December 15

Get your letters in before these dates!!

Check back on this page for updates!

07/28/2022

The Ohio Department of Health has experience a glitch in the Ohio Disease Reporting System. This caused inaccurate reporting of COVID cases last week. The chart below reflects the actual number of new cases for July 17 - 23.

06/05/2022

STATE CHAMPS 2022!!!

03/11/2022

❄️ Say it ain't snow! Here's a forecast map for the next 3 days from our partners at the US National Weather Service Wilmington OH. Our crews are geared up, ready for another round of winter weather. Please give our plows room to work and check OHGO.com for updated travel info.

03/11/2022

[8:27 PM] Snow is on the way to the area Friday afternoon and evening, with most of the accumulating snow expected Friday night into Saturday morning.

Some locations will receive several inches, and hazardous travel conditions are expected!

03/10/2022

THURSDAY UPDATE - So now I'm making my first call for snowfall on this storm, set to begin OVERNIGHT FRIDAY and last THROUGH SATURDAY. This is what I see as a good ball-park starting point for what's coming, to allow for folks to plan ahead, knowing that changes can still come to the forecast, as we're still more than a day away before the first flakes fall. I'll also post in the comments the various computer model outputs, as folks seem to like those too 😇...

At the outset, I want to state that I'm currently below(less) than most of the computer models, as I see some of their limitations in environments like this. They're pretty good at ascertaining how much snow we 'should' get, coming out of the clouds, but a lot can happen on the ground. There's two big factors at play here in my mind, even if the storm comes across precisely as calculated. 1) The March sunshine. In January, the Sun rises late and stays low on the horizon, but in March it's out longer and higher in the sky, exerting a warming influence on the ground below no matter how cloudy it is. 2) The already warm ground. Temperatures this month have been more than 7-degrees warmer than average, and well above the freezing-mark. The ground retains that heat pretty well, which can counteract accumulation (though it wont look like it on those grass blades and patio deck boards that stick out above the ground floor.

There's still lots to see with regard to this scenario, and around here though March snows certainly happen most of the time they don't. The time to be skeptical to the point of being dismissive is over though in my opinion. It's simply prudent to plan ahead, plan alternatives, etc. so that you don't find yourself caught out in it, or being forced to go out in it (primarily Saturday) due to something that could have been done a different day. Certainly though, let's still hope it all changes before too long tomorrow ;-)

03/09/2022

Focus on the chilly clouds today, and the return of the chilly rain tomorrow. Or maybe even think about the nice little break Thursday and Friday... Do NOT look at Saturday.

03/09/2022

02/24/2022

The Scioto Voice is available at the following locations:

Wheelersburg
Deemers
Rite Aid
Sunoco
Marathon
522 Shell
Ridge Mart

Franklin Furnace
Franklin Furnace Pharmacy

Sciotoville
Cline Jenkins Sunoco

Portsmouth
Dash Thru
SOMC
Mortons RX
CVS Trail
Super Quik Trail
CVS Portsmouth corner of US 52 and Chillicothe Street
Fast Stop

West Portsmouth
Bolands
Weavers

Lucasville
Crabtrees
Bear Creek CC
Speedway 23

Minford
Kwik Stop

Gampps

02/09/2022

We have announced three virtual spotter training classes in the upcoming months. The first class is in just a few weeks!
* Tuesday, Feb 22, 6PM
* Thursday, Mar 24, 6PM
* Monday, Apr 18, 7PM

As of this time, we do not have any in-person classes scheduled.

To sign up for the virtual classes, check the calendar on this page:
https://www.weather.gov/iln/spottertrainingschedule

01/19/2022

Troopers stopped a 2021 Ford Edge with Tennessee registration for a marked lanes violation on state Route 823. While interacting with the driver, criminal indicators were observed. Consent to search the vehicle was requested by troopers and granted by the driver. During the consent search, troopers located 600 grams of suspected fentanyl worth approximately $60,000 in a magnetic box concealed under the vehicle. Read more: https://bit.ly/2UI1xy7

01/18/2022

CDC - link for 4 free COVID-19 Test Kits.
http://special.usps.com/testkits

01/08/2022

Tonight will be the coldest night yet on the season, so watch out for any melting to re-freeze once the Sun goes down (this can happen quickly too, because we'll already be below the freezing mark). Sunshine will start melting the snow Saturday afternoon, and showers on Sunday should finish off the rest. If you like winter scenes and activities, now's the time!

01/05/2022

PLAN AHEAD: We're keeping an eye on the forecast for a snow event that could impact parts of the state later this week. Here is information about our winter operations: https://www.transportation.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odot/programs/snow-and-ice/snow-and-ice

01/05/2022

With the temperatures predicted to be in the teens on Thursday and Friday nights the Salvation Army will open a Warming Station for anyone who wants to get in out of the cold.

The Warming Station will be located at 1009 9th Street and will be open from 9pm Thursday night until 6am Friday morning and again 9pm Friday night until 6am Saturday morning.

01/02/2022

This!

12/28/2021

During the holiday reporting period, seven people were killed in seven fatal crashes. Troopers removed 162 impaired drivers from Ohio’s roads during the holiday, which is an increase of nearly 12% compared to last year. More at https://bit.ly/3sD0JMs

10/14/2021

We are continuing to see improvement in Scioto County's vaccination rate, but there is still more to be done.

More than 45% of the county has received at least their first dose, and more than 41% of the county is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Statewide, more than 50% of Ohioans are fully vaccinated (including nearly 60% of those above the age of 12).

Increasing our vaccination rate is the best way to reduce COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in our community. If you haven't already, please help us continue this momentum by getting your vaccine today. You can receive a COVID-19 vaccine without an appointment at SOMC's Community Pharmacies in Portsmouth, Wheelersburg and West Union. For more information, visit cdc.gov.

10/13/2021

When it rains it pours folks! We have had a couple of problems this week with the newspaper. The first thing you will notice is that our printer has some pages out of order in the B section. Everything is there, just not numbered correctly.
The second problem was an issue with our circulation program. It took four computer technicians to figure out the problem, but it's fixed and papers are on the way. Extra papers are available free at the office Thursday between 11:30 am and 3 pm. if you would like to stop by and pick one up. Thank you so much for your patience!

10/09/2021

Today, October 7, 2021 in a 5-2 decision, The Ohio Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and death sentence of Arron Lawson. Lawson, upon committing this quadruple murder was the subject of a two-day manhunt by Law Enforcement in the Pedro area of Lawrence County, Ohio. Lawson was apprehended and subsequently confessed to investigators while at the Lawrence County Prosecutor's Office of killing his cousin Stacey Holston, her 8-year-old son Devon Holston, and two other family members Tammie McGuire and Donald McGuire. Soon after, Lawson was indicted by a grand jury of four counts of aggravated murder with death penalty specifications, to include other charges un-related to the death penalty specification's. After presentation of evidence a three-judge panel sentenced Lawson to four consecutive death sentences.

‘’On October 11th, 2017, Aaron Lawson brutally murdered four people in Lawrence County, Ohio and since that day it has been my mission to assure Justice was served for the victims, victims’ families, and the entire community.” – Prosecutor Brigham Anderson

Arron Lawson is set to be executed on January 6, 2026.

See the link below for details of the court’s decision.

http://www.courtnewsohio.gov/cases/2021/SCO/1007/190487.asp

Pictured below is Arron Lawson (courtesy OH-DRC)

10/05/2021

Trick-or-Treat night in Scioto County is Saturday October 30th from 5-7 pm. Have fun kids!

Motorists, please slow down and use extra caution while driving.