OPINION: Welcome to Scioto County — “Where Southern Hospitality Begins.” You’ll find those words painted proudly on Portsmouth’s floodwall, part of over 2,000 feet of murals celebrating over 2,000 years of local history. It’s more than just a tagline — it’s the city’s official slogan, and has been for decades. A sweet little phrase that sounds like a hug wrapped in a warm, buttery biscuit. But if you live here, you might feel that “Southern Hospitality” often feels more like

As someone who grew up in Southern Ohio, the tales of Appalachian labor history were all around. Learning about the miners who risked their livelihood as well as their very lives to win the right to organize, I can’t help but see the parallels of the current administration echoing the dangerous and exploitative past.