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City of Portsmouth files lawsuit alleging drinking water contamination by “forever chemicals”
By: David Forster
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — The city of Portsmouth is suing 3M, DuPont and many other companies alleging their products contaminated the city’s drinking water with toxic chemicals. The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court, focuses in particular on a spray foam commonly used to suppress large fires involving highly flammable liquids. It’s known as aqueous… Read More
Shawnee State University pays $400K to professor who refused to use a student’s pronouns
By: Jonathan Franklin | NPR
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PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (NPR) — A public university professor in Ohio who was disciplined four years ago for refusing to use a transgender student’s pronouns is being awarded $400,000 following a lawsuit against the university. Nick Meriwether, a philosophy professor at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio, sued the college in 2018 after he was disciplined… Read More

Longtime Portsmouth attorney accused of human trafficking has died
By: Associated Press
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PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (AP) — A veteran attorney from Portsmouth who was charged last year with human trafficking involving six women — most, former clients — has died, according to published reports. Michael Mearan had been taken to a hospital on Wednesday and died there Friday from undisclosed “health complications,” according to his attorney, Michael Siewert. A… Read More

Attorney Suspended After He’s Charged With Human Trafficking
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court has suspended the law license of a longtime attorney from southern Ohio who’s charged with human trafficking involving his former clients. The state attorney disciplinary board told the court that attorney Michael Mearan, of Portsmouth, was a danger to the public. The court said Friday it would… Read More

Junie B. Jones, The Musical, Jr.
Join Junie B. on her first day of first grade… a delightful adaptation of four of Barbara Park’s best-selling books, brought to life by junior performers in three Portsmouth Area Childrens’ Theatre performances. March 13 and 14 at 7:oo pm and March 15 at 2:30 pm at the Eloise Covert Smith Theatre in the Riffe… Read More

Shawnee State University Investigating Three Suspected Coronavirus Cases
PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (WOUB) — Three Shawnee State University students are being tested for coronavirus (COVID-19) after traveling outside the country over spring break, the university announced. The students, their roommates, and anyone who may be in contact with them are being quarantined. Shawnee State University is working with the Portsmouth City Health Department, and said… Read More

US Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over Transgender Pronoun Dispute
By: Associated Press
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PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (AP) — A judge has dismissed a professor’s lawsuit against a small, public university in Ohio that rebuked him for not addressing a transgender student using the student’s preferred gender terms. Nicholas Meriwether’s federal lawsuit alleged that Shawnee State University officials violated his rights by compelling him to speak in a way that… Read More

Man Who Fell 15 Feet in Ohio Says Dog Saved Him
By: Associated Press
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PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (AP) — A man in Ohio is crediting his dog for saving him after the man suffered a bad fall. WSAZ-TV reports Jimmy Hale fell off a flood wall in Portsmouth last week while walking his dog Taco. Hale ended up passing out after falling 15 feet and didn’t wake up until the next… Read More