State Representative John Carey (R-Wellston) was appointed by House Speaker William G. Batchelder (R-Medina) to serve as chairman of the Primary and Secondary Education Subcommittee of the Finance and Appropriations Committee during the 129th General Assembly.

Several area schools are closed Wednesday, Jan. 12, including Hillsboro City Schools, Bright Local, Lynchburg-Clay, Fairfield Local, Greenfield, Hillsboro Christian Academy, SSCC, Adams County/Ohio Valley, and Eastern Brown. Check our delays and closings link for updates.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has announced that he has officially authorized action seeking to add Ohio to the growing roster of states challenging the constitutionality of the recently enacted healthcare law.

Crews in Adams, Brown and Highland counties are now putting down salt, grit and calcium chloride to routes along the state highway system as the snow is starting to stick and pavement is wet, slick and becoming lightly snow covered.

The following is the Hillsboro Police Report for Jan. 9, 2011.

Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, 40, remains in critical condition Sunday after being shot at point-blank range outside a Tucson grocery store Saturday, Jan. 8, while meeting with constituents. Six people were killed and at least 12 others were wounded, according to reports. Jared Lee Loughner, 22, is the alleged gunman and is in custody.

Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, 40, remains in critical condition Sunday after being shot at point-blank range outside a Tucson grocery store Saturday, Jan. 8, while meeting with constituents. Six people were killed and at least 12 others were wounded, according to reports. Jared Lee Loughner, 22, is the alleged gunman and is in custody.

Rick O’Dell has been selected to become a member of the Institute of Investment Management Consulting. The Institute of Investment Management Consulting (IIMC) was developed to help financial advisors drive success in their consulting practices through educational programs, ongoing communications forums and networking with other financial advisers.

The executive order authorizes the ODNR Division of Wildlife to adopt a new rule that prevents new private ownership of wild animals that are dangerous to human health and safety, requires existing private owners of dangerous wild animals to register the animals with the state, and details the type of facilities that can own and rehabilitate dangerous wild animals.

The following is the Greenfield Police Report for Jan. 1-4.

To combat the growing problem with heroin-related crimes, the Lynchburg Police Department has begun the development of a K-9 unit, funded through donations from area residents who want to be proactive in combating the village's drug problem. LPD Chief Brandon Wooten said the department has been working with Dave Johnson, of the Brown County Sheriff's Department, who does K-9 training for departments in the area.

The Highland County Board of Commissioners held its first meeting of 2011 Wednesday, Jan. 5 and welcomed new commissioner Jeremy Shaffer, a Lynchburg Republican and former mayor of Lynchburg.

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) today released the Ohio Bed Bug Workgroup report. Workgroup members from a diverse group of professional backgrounds and perspectives, including pest management, housing, government, and public health worked together to develop 10 recommendations which outline strategies that will assist future bed bug prevention and control efforts.

The 2011 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that Congress passed on 12/22/2010 contains numerous provisions advocated by Rep. Michael Turner of Dayton that will strengthen military sexual assault prevention and response policies. Rep. Turner, recently selected as Chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, was inspired by the tragic story of Marine Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach to advocate for greater protection against sexual assault in the military.