The following are the Highland County Sheriff's Office arrests and citations for Dec. 9-24.

In advance of a winter storm that is moving into the area, crews from the Ohio Department of Transportation - District 9 will begin patrolling and pre-treating routes during the overnight and early morning hours Wednesday.

This is hardly the time for large tax increases, not that there is a good time. Tax increases suppress economic vitality by sapping the incentive for people to work hard and enjoy the fruits of their labors. They create negative incentives for additional investment of time and capital by individuals and small businesses, which are the real job creators.

The following is the Hillsboro Police Report for Dec. 20-22.

The Department of Defense (DoD) has released key findings from the Academic Program Year (APY) 2011-2012 “Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the United States Military Service Academies."

During his first two years, the Auditor of State’s office issued $9.7 million in findings for recovery to be repaid to Ohio’s taxpayers. Performance audits of state agencies, local governments and school districts resulted in more than $60 million in potential savings.

U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) who served as a conferee on the Department of Defense (DoD) Authorization for 2013, ensured that funding for uranium enrichment research and development was authorized in the final version of the bill that passed both chambers of Congress and is set to go to the President’s desk to be signed into law. 

On Thursday at 7:22 a.m., the Hillsboro Police Department received a call of a theft of a purse from a vehicle that had stopped at the Speedway gas station on North High St.

The Highland County Sheriff’s Office is one of 66 law enforcement agencies in southern Ohio that was awarded a secure prescription drug drop box by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office on an effort to reduce drug abuse in communities.

Nearly $90,000 in payments for health services went missing under the watch of a former Ashland County-City Health Department administrative assistant, as confirmed by a special audit released this week by Auditor of State Dave Yost.

The first day of winter arrived in seasonal fashion Friday, with colder temperatures, snow, wind and patches of ice on area roadways. Hillsboro City Schools, Bright Local Schools and the Hillsboro Christian Academy both closed Friday. For all the closings and delays, click on the Delays and Closings link.

Greenfield Village Council moved this week to enter into discussions with Highland County Court/Madison Township court administrator Ron Coffey as a possible successor to retiring city manager Betty Bishop.

Highland County commissioners voted, 3-0, at Wednesday’s board meeting to approve the county’s projected 2013 budget of $8,818,000. Highland County Auditor Bill Fawley met with commissioners for any last-minute questions on the coming year’s budget.

The Ohio inspector general has released a report of investigation today concluding the evidence did not substantiate an allegation of possible wrongdoing at the Ohio Turnpike Commission.