2023: The Year in Review, Part 3
Matthew Gossett of the Lynchburg-Clay FFA chapter, pictured at his family's farm, won the National Fiber and Oil Crop Production Agricultural Proficiency Award in November. (Photo courtesy of Dara Landess)
The Highland County Press is recapping some of the top stories from 2023. The following is Part 3 of the series.
September
• On Sept. 1, Greenfield City Manager Todd Wilkin sent correspondence to Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera listing concerns that emergency 911 calls made to the Highland County Sheriff's Office from Madison Township residents were not being transferred to the Greenfield Police Department, as they were contracted to cover that area. The sheriff disagreed with Wilkin’s assessment.
• The 2023 Highland County Fair was held Sept. 3-9 at the Highland County Fairgrounds on John Street in Hillsboro. Sydney Sanders earned the Bob Shanks Outstanding Youth Scholarship Award, while 2023 royalty included Highland County Fair King Brendan Hagar and Queen Kathryn Ogden.
• A 68-year-old man from Hillsboro died Sept. 5 in a water-related incident off southern Hatteras Island at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
• Lynchburg-Clay volleyball senior Allison Rockey was recognized for earning her 500th career dig during a win Sept. 12 at Manchester.
• The 2022-23 Ohio School Report Cards were released Sept. 14, including a new “star rating system” for schools in Highland County and across the state. For overall ratings, Fairfield Local Schools and Hillsboro City Schools each earned four stars. Bright Local and Lynchburg-Clay Local Schools both received three and a half stars. Greenfield Exempted Village Schools got a three-star rating.
• The Highland County Task Force, in conjunction with the Greenfield Police Department and the Hillsboro Police Department, arrested eight people during a roundup Sept. 14 in connection with indictments returned by a Highland County grand jury. The latest arrests come as part of “Operation Fetty Stop,” which is the ongoing work of the Highland County Task Force and all county law enforcement agencies to stop the trafficking and use of fentanyl in Highland County. The current arrests were focused in Madison Township, the Village of Greenfield and the Rocky Fork Lake area.
• The state announced Sept. 15 that Highland County will receive a $416,000 Critical Infrastructure grant to assist the neighborhood of Rolling Acres, located in New Market Township, with sewer facility improvements.
• The Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education welcomed a new member to their ranks during their September meeting, with district treasurer Ben Teeters administering the oath of office to 2023-24 student board representative Maddisen Mikkelsen. It was standing room only during the meeting, as superintendent Tim Davis recognized 15 students who received one or more perfect scores on the 2023 Ohio state assessment tests: Austin Inman, Valeria Mota Ayala, Kaydence Butler, Blaine Gard, Amaiah Gaston, Evelyn Huchinson, Myla Jordan, Jase Miller, Malachi Powell, Darcee Wolf, Rush Abernathy, Carson Lyon, Allie Roush, Grant Shepard and Silas Steele.
• At the Sept. 18 Greenfield Exempted Village Schools Board of Education meeting, Palmer Mitchell was recognized for achieving a perfect score on the fifth grade math test.
• Ohio’s first United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage designation for the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks was announced after a committee vote Sept. 19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks is the collective name of eight monumental sites operated by the Ohio History Connection and the National Park Service in Licking, Ross and Warren counties.
• The Xavier Musketeers men's basketball coaches and staff received high honors in The Almanac, the annual college basketball season preview produced by The Field of 68 staff that came out during the week of Sept. 18. A panel of anonymous BIG EAST coaches named Sean Miller and his staff the best development staff in the league. Miller’s staff includes former McClain High School and XU standout Dante Jackson, who is in his sixth year as an assistant coach.
• Baldwin Wallace University women's soccer freshman forward Kalyn Rich (Lynchburg/Lynchburg-Clay) was named the Ohio Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week, as reported Sept. 20.
• The Highland County Land Reutilization Corporation board selected a tentative list of new properties to target using state cleanup funding during their Sept. 21 meeting.
• Darian Johnson, 28, of Greenfield man was sentenced to life in prison without parole after a trial in Adams County Common Pleas Court, as reported by the People’s Defender. Following a trial that began Sept. 18, a jury found Johnson guilty of two counts of rape and six counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor. On Sept. 22, Judge Brett Spencer sentenced Johnson to life without possibility of parole on count one (rape), concurrent to a second sentence of life without parole for the second rape charge.
• Adelynn Marple, a seventh grader at Greenfield Middle School, and Bailey and Brooklyn Raike, third graders at Greenfield Elementary, competed in the 2023 Cincinnati Reds Baseball/Softball Skills Champions Day at Great American Ball Park Sept. 24. Adelynn finished first overall for her age group, and Bailey and Brooklyn placed first and second overall.
• McClain volleyball senior Lily Barnes recorded her 1,500th assist in the first set against Miami Trace, Sept. 26 at MHS.
• Jeremy Eli Hogsett, 30, of Leesburg was sentenced Sept. 27 to five years of community control and 30 days in jail after pleading guilty to the theft of over $23,000 from a local civic organization.
• Highland County commissioners gave an update on a months-long disagreement over a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) invoice during their Sept. 27 meeting. Commissioners said they recently received “some correspondence back from Hecate Energy” in response to an invoice issued by the county in the spring and would be reaching out to the state for clarification.
• Joey Dixon, 23, and Reece Fist, 21, of Hillsboro were both sentenced to prison Sept. 28 after pleading guilty to child endangering charges. Dixon pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony counts of child endangering, and Fist pleaded guilty to one third-degree felony count. Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Dixon to four years in prison and sentenced Fist to two years.
• Jason McCoy, 48, of Hillsboro man was sentenced Sept. 28 to four years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated meth trafficking charges.
• The McClain Tigers football team ended a five-year Frontier Athletic Conference losing streak with an exciting 20-17 victory over Chillicothe Friday, Sept. 29.
October
• Seven individuals were named in a 32-count drug-related indictment handed down by a Highland County grand jury Oct. 3 as the result of a Highland County Task Force investigation. Local law enforcement officers made arrests and executing search warrants this week in relation to this case. While executing search warrants, law enforcement seized bags of suspected psilocybin (shrooms) and marijuana; multiple boxes of THC cartridges; hashish in solid form; and hashish and liquid form.
• The Visitors Bureau of Highland County received recognition for achievement in marketing and advertising at the Ohio Travel Association’s RUBY Awards presentation, held Oct. 5 at Shisler Conference Center in Wooster. The Visitors Bureau of Highland County received a Citation of Excellence for Radio Advertisement. Accepting the award was Jamie Wheeler, Executive Director. Highland County was also a finalist in the following categories: Website, Promotional Video and Blog.
• Entering their game Oct. 9, the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs soccer team had a streak of 73 consecutive games in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference with a win or tied score. That streak ended at home, as they were defeated by the Fayetteville Rockets, 1-0 at LCHS. The Mustangs began the streak during the 2013 season, with the streak reaching 70-0-3 in that span.
• Highland County commissioners met with Highland County ACCESS Director Tim Dettwiller and Highland County Economic Development Director Julie Bolender, who shared the latest data on the ACCESS program and announced the inaugural Manufacturers Summit, during their Oct. 11 meeting.
• The Southern Hills Athletic Conference girls soccer championship is staying in Dodsonville, as the Lady Mustangs finished their SHAC season Oct. 11, defeating the Ripley Lady Blue Jays, 3-0.
• The Fairfield Lady Lions volleyball team were champions of the Division II Southern Hills Athletic Conference, as they finished the regular season with a 12-1 SHAC record after defeating the Whiteoak Lady Wildcats Oct. 12. Fairfield’s Jobey Hattan also totaled her 500th career kill, as reported that week.
• After several recent meetings of the Hillsboro Civil Service and Employee Relations committee, Hillsboro City Council passed an emergency ordinance to clarify health insurance eligibility and benefits for public officials during their Oct. 12 meeting. Council also received an update on plans for the Roberts Lane extension, while council unanimously voted against a proposal converting Johnson Street to a one-way.
• The 81st Annual Meeting of the Highland Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) was held Oct. 12 at the Back Room Paradise. Roni Schweiger of Dead Broke Farm was named the 2023 Cooperator of the Year. Dan Chambers and Jeff Roehm were also reelected to serve on the Highland SWCD Board of Supervisors.
• There is a three-way tie for the 2023 boys soccer Southern Hills Athletic Conference championship, with the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs, Fayetteville Rockets and North Adams Green Devils all sharing in the championship. All three SHAC teams finished with a 6-1-0 conference record for ‘23, as the Mustangs won their final conference game Oct. 13, 5-0 over West Union.
• Whiteoak’s Landen Eyre was the leader of the pack Oct. 14, as he was the winner for a third consecutive year at the Southern Hills Athletic Conference Championships, and the Fairfield Lions were the winners of the boys SHAC championship. Whiteoak junior Landen Eyre was named SHAC Boys Runner of the Year. Fairfield head coach Cohen Frost was named the SHAC Boys Cross-Country Coach of the Year. The Fairfield Lions were awarded the 2023 Southern Hills Athletic Conference cross-country championship trophy at the conclusion of the SHAC Meet.
• After breaking even in their final two matches Oct. 16, SSU Rocket League finished their esports regular season in first place. This performance earned them a total 5-1 record in regional play and an appearance in the NACE national tournament beginning Nov. 6. The team includes PJ Fiscus, a senior and Lynchburg-Clay graduate.
• Greenfield’s regular council meeting on Oct. 16 covered various topics, including water projects, the possibility of a lodging tax and the upcoming Madison Township levy that’s on the November ballot. Legislation approved by council included accepting a bid for Phase One water projects throughout town; lease agreements for the approximately 175 acres of village-owned land for agricultural use near the industrial park and the approximately 11 acres for agricultural use in Ross County near the quarry; a potential lodging tax under review by law director Hannah Bivens; and the upcoming ballot measure for Madison Township residents outside of the municipality of Greenfield for the purpose of police protection to Madison Township citizens and properties outside of Greenfield’s corporation limits.
• Accompanied by county officials as well as their project engineer, leaders from the City of Hillsboro held a groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 17 on state Route 73 to mark the start of construction for the long-planned Roberts Lane extension. The ceremony came almost two years to the day since Hillsboro Mayor Justin Harsha introduced initial plans for the project at the Oct. 12, 2021 city council meeting and subsequent public hearing Oct. 18, 2021.
• Whiteoak head coach Chris Veidt has been selected to the 2024 class of the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, as reported Oct. 19.
• On Oct. 20, the McClain Tigers football team showed the entire county how badly they wanted to break a seven-year losing streak to the Hillsboro Indians, and even more than that, they showed how much they wanted to have a chance to play in Week 11. The end result of the facets of the game was McClain head coach Keith Penwell handing the Rotary Bowl trophy over to his players, and the Tigers handing the Indians a 21-13 loss at McClain Field. McClain also clinched a playoff berth for the first time with the win.
• On Oct. 21, Highland County cross-country teams competed at the Southeast District Division III Cross Country Championships at the University of Rio Grande, where Whiteoak’s Landen Eyre finished the course in 16:15, outdistancing the second-place runner by 18 seconds. Eyre also won last year to make him a back-to-back district champion runner.
• The District 14 Volleyball Coaches Association announced its All-District selections Oct. 24, as seven Highland County volleyball players earned recognition.
• Brandon C. Fuller, 31, of Hillsboro was sentenced Oct. 24 to 45 years to life in prison, after pleading guilty to three first-degree felony rape charges.
• The McClain FFA competed in both the State Agricultural Soils contest and the State Urban Soils contest, as reported Oct. 23. The Agricultural Soils Team of Cade Sponcil (ninth overall individual), Katie Cook, Leah Lovett and Noah Sponcil placed fourth overall and advanced to the National Land and Range Competition. The Urban Soils Team of Hunter Miller, Madison Knowles, Gunnar Bode and Emma Marsh placed 18th out of 53 teams.
• Highland County commissioners shared their concerns about a grant-funded project for a new MARCS tower that they said has “stalled” and made several approvals — including one for the new Marriott Hotel project in Hillsboro — during a nearly two-hour meeting Oct. 24.
• Charles D. Howland, 65, of Greenfield man was sentenced Oct. 26 to over 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to two second-degree felonies (engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and trafficking in heroin) as charged in a 14-count indictment in September. Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Howland to a definite determinate term of four years (could be up to six years under the Reagan Tokes Law) for the engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity count, consecutive to a mandatory four years on the heroin trafficking charges. In addition, Howland was under post-release control at the time of the offense, so Coss ordered him to serve the “remaining part of your post-release control time, which is 833 days,” consecutive to the prison terms.
• The more things change, the more they stay the same, and in the case of the Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs on Oct. 26 in their Division III SE District Final game against the North Adams Lady Green Devils, it was more of things staying the same. LCHS are not only district champions for a fifth consecutive year, but they’ve now won 10 district championships in the past 11 seasons, defeating North Adams, 2-0 at Valley High School in Lucasville.
• Following 80 minutes of regulation soccer, including a 40-minute scoreless second half, all it took for the Fairfield Lady Lions was one final goal — though it took a little long for the officials to make a ruling — by Fairfield senior Kennedy Zink to crown the Lady Lions champions of the Southeast District for the first time in program history, defeating Minford, 2-1 at Valley High School Oct. 26.
• Ohio Governor Mike DeWine reappointed Craig R. Campbell of Leesburg to the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Athletic Trainers Board for a term beginning Oct. 27, 2023 and ending Aug. 27, 2026.
• A historic football season for the McClain Tigers came to a close in Week 11, as they traveled to Cincinnati and fell in the opening round of the Division IV, Region 16 playoffs by a 39-7 score to the host Taft Senators.
• The Hillsboro Indians played in the Division III, Region 12 playoffs for the second consecutive year on Oct. 27, but they were unable to gain momentum on the road against the Celina Bulldogs, falling to CHS by a 49-7 score.
• Hillsboro High School graduate Madalyn Ross and other members of the Lipscomb University Chorale choir sang for country music legend Dolly Parton Oct. 27 at the opening night of the “Dolly Parton & The Makers: My Life In Rhinestones” fashion exhibit at Lipscomb University.
• One Highland County team and six individual runners raced at the OHSAA Division II and Division III Regional Meet at Pickerington North High School Oct. 28, with Whiteoak’s Landen Eyre winning a regional title and teammate Weston Blair and Hillsboro’s Corbin Winkle also advancing to the 2023 OHSAA Cross-Country State Championships.
• The Southeast District Coaches Association named 18 Highland County athletes to the 2023 All-District boys soccer team receiving honors in Division III, as reported Oct. 31. Lynchburg-Clay assistant coach Triston West was named the Southeast District’s Division III Assistant Coach of the Year.
• The Southeast District Coaches Association announced the 2023 All-District girls soccer teams, with Highland County having 20 players selected, as announced Oct. 31. For Lynchburg-Clay, senior Jade Massey was named the Division III Player of the Year, head coach Dennis West was named the Division III Coach of the Year and assistant Shelby Chisman was named Division III Assistant Coach of the Year.
• For the first time ever, Highland County had two district champions in Division III in the same year, meaning the Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs and the Fairfield Lady Lions faced each other on Oct. 31 with the winner advancing to the Elite Eight. In the end, it took just one goal for the Lady Mustangs to advance to the regional finals, defeating Highland County counterpart and Southern Hills Athletic Conference rival, Fairfield by a 1-0 score.
November
• Highland County commissioners announced Nov. 1 another sewer payment change, as the Lakeside and Rolling Acres systems will now be switched to monthly billing, effective in 2024.
• Years of hard work paid off earlier this month — and local history was made in the process — when Lynchburg-Clay graduate Matthew Gossett heard his name called as a national Agricultural Proficiency Winner during the 2023 National FFA Convention. During the Friday, Nov. 3 session of the National FFA Convention, Gossett was selected as the country’s winner of the Fiber and Oil Crop Production Agricultural Proficiency Award. Lynchburg-Clay FFA adviser Dara Landess said that they believe that Gossett is both the first Lynchburg-Clay FFA member and first Highland County FFA member to receive a national proficiency award.
• The Southern Ohio Educational Service Center applied for and received the High Performing ESC designation from the Ohio Department of Education, as announced Nov. 3.
• Several Highland County FFA members were awarded the American FFA Degree at the 96th National FFA Convention & Expo on Nov. 4.
• Saturday, Nov. 4 saw success for Whiteoak junior cross-country standout Landen Eyre as he finished in second place – the state runner-up – at the OHSAA Division III State Cross-Country Championships held at Fortress Obetz. Whiteoak also had senior Weston Blair run his final high school race of his career, finishing in 67th, and in the Division II race, Hillsboro junior Corbin Winkle was 67th.
• The finale of the 2023 Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs season came Nov. 4 when they lost for the first time this season, dropping their Division III Regional Final game to the reigning Div. III state champions, the Cincinnati Country Day School Lady Nighthawks, 6-0 at Herrnstein Field.
• The Highland County North Joint Fire & Ambulance District and the Highland County Grain Bin Team were dispatched to Monroe Road Saturday, Nov. 4 at 5:47 p.m. for a report of a male juvenile stuck in a grain trailer. The patient was successfully extricated at 7:18 p.m.
• On Nov. 5, the Lynchburg-Clay Marching Mustangs marched their show, “The Greatest Show on Earth,” for the final time at the 2023 State OMEA Marching Band Finals in Piqua and received an overall "II" rating, which is the second-best score a marching band can receive. This marked the band’s third straight appearance to the State OMEA Marching Band Finals.
• Several Highland County athletes and coaches received top honors at the Southern Hills Athletic Conference fall sports banquet. Isaac Eyre and Jason West of Lynchburg-Clay were Boys Soccer Co-Player and Co-Coach of the Year, respectively. Also for LC, senior Jade Massey earned the SHAC Girls Soccer Player of the Year Award, and head coach Dennis West was named the SHAC Girls Soccer Coach of the Year. Fairfield’s Jobey Hattan was Volleyball Co-Player of the Year.
• Judge Rocky Coss granted a Rule 29 motion in a case involving a charge of pandering obscenity, after a jury heard several hours of testimony Nov. 6 in Highland County Common Pleas Court. Coss moved to acquit James L. Duffield, 56, of Hillsboro based on lack of evidence for the photograph in question in the charge. He told the jury this is “the third Rule 29 motion for acquittal that I’ve granted” as a judge.
• On Nov. 6, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced $125,000 in funding to the Village of Greenfield to hire one new law enforcement officer.
• Ohio Humanities and Daydreamers Press announced the release of “Step by Step: How the Lincoln School Marchers Blazed a Trail to Justice,” a new nonfiction picture book for young readers, as announced Nov. 6. The book tells the true story of one of the longest sustained demonstrations of the civil rights movement through the eyes of a real-life child marcher in Hillsboro.
• Highland County had a 43.7-percent voter turnout in the Nov. 7 general election, where in contested races, Rita J. Smith-Daulton defeated incumbent Shawn C. Priest for the Leesburg mayor’s race; Greenfield council members Brenda Losey and Mary Ellen McMurry were reelected; and James Burton was reelected mayor of Lynchburg, defeating Terry Burden. Incumbent candidates retained a majority of the seats in township trustee/fiscal officer races. In issues, a replacement levy for Children Services was voted down, while statewide, a recreational marijuana issue and constitutional amendment to protect abortion and reproductive rights passed. Highland County voters also elected school board members for all five of the county’s districts, including: Bright Local, Nicole Barnett, Tammy Hauke and Jobey Lucas; Lynchburg-Clay Local, Cathy Griffith and Becky Sanderson; Fairfield Local, Casey L. McIntosh, Mel McKenzie and Ron Friend; Hillsboro City, Bill Myers and Tom Milbery; and Greenfield Exempted Village, Sandy Free and Eric R. Wise. A recount was later ordered for a third seat on Lynchburg-Clay School Board and Greenfield Village Council.
• Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss Nov. 8 denied a request to seal the record of former Greenfield pastor James Blaine, more than 13 years after Blaine was sentenced to prison for stealing from the church where he was employed. Following a hearing Nov. 8, the judge ruled against sealing the record of the case, writing in his subsequent order denying Blaine’s motion that “the circumstances and facts of this case were egregious and should not be sealed.”
• Junior co-captain and former McClain standout Kerigan Pollard was named to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Women's Soccer first team Nov. 8.
• Highland County commissioners issued a proclamation Nov. 8 in honor of longtime Whiteoak High School baseball coach Chris Veidt, who will be inducted into the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in January.
• The University of Oregon women’s basketball team announced Nov. 8 that former Lynchburg-Clay standout Peyton Scott was out for the season following an injury in her regular-season debut with the Oregon Ducks.
• Gerold (Buzzard) Wilkin of Hillsboro entered the National Veterans Creative Arts Program at the Chillicothe Veterans Administration Medical Center and was awarded two first-place ribbons and certificates, as announced Nov. 8. The first was in the Drama Division, receiving a “First Place in Multimedia” for his Broken Wing plaque and a poem that Wilkin had written. The second was in the Visual Arts Division, receiving a “First Place in Acrylic Painting” for his Napalm Tree painting. The entries were placed in the 2023 Ohio Veterans Art Exhibition.
• Isaac Garrison, 23, of Greenfield man was sentenced to four years in prison Nov. 9 after pleading guilty to a first-degree felony drug trafficking charge.
• Evan Scott Clay, 30, of Bainbridge man was sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison Nov. 9 after pleading guilty to his role in a large-scale drug trafficking investigation in Highland County. Clay pleaded guilty to engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, a second-degree felony; a fourth-degree felony and a fifth-degree felony count of trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound; and a forfeiture specification.
• Second District Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Cincinnati, announced Nov. 9 that he will retire from Congress at the end of 2024.
• Blake Adams of Leesburg is one of 14 farmers and agribusiness professionals selected to participate in Ohio Farm Bureau’s 2023-2024 AgriPOWER Institute, as announced Nov. 9.
• Carl Lockhart, 63, of Bainbridge was sentenced Nov. 9 to eight years in prison after pleading guilty in Highland County to engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, trafficking in heroin and a forfeiture specification.
• The Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association released the 2023 Southeast Ohio All-District Football Teams Nov. 11, with nine Highland County players named to the team as well as seven Paint Valley Bearcats and their coach.
• A trio of Lynchburg-Clay soccer players, along with one Fairfield senior, were selected to the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association’s All-Ohio teams in Division III for their play during the 2023 season, as reported Nov. 13: Lynchburg-Clay’s Jade Massey, Lainie Lunsford and Isaac Eyre and Fairfield’s Faith Donley.
• Major League Fishing announced Nov. 15 the roster for the 2024 Bass Pro Tour, the sixth season of professional bass fishing’s preeminent tournament circuit. Cole Floyd of Leesburg will be Ohio’s lone representative on the next roster.
• Highland County commissioners voted to move forward with a new plan to tackle the opioid crisis locally, approving a proposal for a new recovery coordinator position during their Nov. 15 meeting.
• As part of National Rural Health Day, celebrated on Nov. 16, Adena Greenfield Medical Center was recognized with multiple 2023 Performance Leadership Awards for excellence in patient perspectives and quality. Compiled by the Chartis Center for Rural Health, the awards honor rural hospitals across the United States performing in the top 25 percent in selected categories. AGMC was one of only nine rural Ohio hospitals recognized with a patient perspectives award and one of just 10 rural hospitals from across the state honored for its quality.
• Fairfield Athletic Director James Barnett announced Nov. 16 the official signing of Fairfield senior Caitlyn Quickle to play Division I college softball for Valparaiso University.
• The state Nov. 17 announced five communities will receive a total of $3.75 million in Residential Public Infrastructure Grant funding for improvements to their local water and wastewater treatment facilities. Highland County will receive $750,000 to assist the village of Greenfield with sanitary sewer line replacements.
• The Lake View Loft, along with the Shabby Moose and Papa John’s Hillsboro, held a public fundraiser, “Let’s Give Colton A Hand,” for 10-year-old Colton Keech of Hillsboro Sunday, Nov. 19. The fundraiser raised enough funding for a prosthetic — which costs over $45,000 — for Keech, who was born without a left arm and hand due to a condition called Ambiotic Band Syndrome.
• Student and district honors were the theme of the night Nov. 20 at the Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education meeting, as two individual students, plus the district year in review, were celebrated. Receiving special recognition Monday night were HHS sophomore Jailyn Williams and junior Corbin Winkle, who were state qualifiers in track and field and cross-country, respectively.
• To aid issues regarding water policy and notifications, the village of Greenfield is planning to implement a one-call notification system, as discussed at the council meeting held Nov. 20.
• Mark David Younker, 28, a Xenia man alleged to have evaded law enforcement for nearly an hour and a half during a four-county, 91-mile chase was sentenced in Highland County Common Pleas Court Nov. 21 to two years in prison.
• The Fairfield Lions boys basketball team and athletic director Jimmy Barnett accepted the Southern Hills Athletic Conference’s Delmar Yockey All-Sports Award for 2022-23 Nov. 24 at the SHAC boys basketball preview. This is the Lions’ second straight Delmar Yockey Award. Longtime area high school basketball official Jeff Erkenbrecher was also honored at the event, as he retired after 31 years of officiating.
• Concord-Green Fire Chief Ralph Stegbauer and Fire Captain Jeffery Skaggs were killed in a tragic accident Nov. 25 outside the Concord-Green Township Fire Department in the Village of Staunton.
• The Highland County Board of Elections conducted the official count for the November general election on Nov. 27 and announced a recount for the Greenfield Village Council at large race as well as the Lynchburg-Clay Local Schools Board of Education race to be held Dec. 5.
• An explosion at Jimbo's Auto Repair in Hillsboro occurred Nov. 28 at around 4 p.m., with crews battling flames for hours at the scene. Three men were killed in the explosion.
• The Fourth District Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of a Hillsboro man sentenced in 2021 for trafficking in persons and pandering obscenity involving a minor, according to a decision and judgment entry posted this week. According to the judgment entry written Nov. 16 by appellate Judge Peter Abele, which was posted Nov. 27, James Hugh McCartney, 64, represented himself when filing the appeal alleging five assignments of error, all of which were overruled.
• Austin James Taylor, 29, of Hillsboro man was sentenced Nov. 28 to 10 years to life in prison, after pleading guilty to a first-degree felony charge of rape.
• Highland County commissioners authorized the Highland County Children Services agency to move forward with plans for a tax levy to be placed on the March 2024 primary election ballot during their Nov. 29 meeting.
December
• Hillsboro FFA member Corbin Winkle competed in the state Job Interview contest Dec. 1, where he earned second place and qualified to compete at nationals in September 2024.
• Southern State’s Kayla Bradshaw was selected as a recipient of the Intel Semiconductor Scholarship for Women, as reported Dec. 4.
• Christina Cassady, 34, of Leesburg was sentenced Dec. 5 to six years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated vehicular assault, with her driver’s license suspended for 10 years.
• Highland County commissioners voted to raise rates for two of the county’s sewer districts in 2024 during their Dec. 5 meeting. According to David Daniels, the county’s recommendation was to raise rates for the Lakeside sewer district by $2, to $50 per month, to offset expenses, and to raise the Rocky Fork Lake district’s monthly fees by $3.50, to $43.50 per month, to “retire capital debt.”
• Scott A. Clay, 54, of Greenfield man was sentenced to a mandatory four years in prison Dec. 5 after pleading guilty in November to a first-degree felony drug trafficking charge.
• The Division IV and V football All-Ohio teams were announced Dec. 5 by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association, with McClain’s Andrew Potts, Kaden Penwell and Cade Sponcil named honorable mention.
• After nearly 40 years working with individuals with developmental disabilities in both the public and private sector, Highland County Board of DD Superintendent Debra Buccilla announced her retirement for the end of February 2024, as reported Dec. 6.
• The Division II and III football All-Ohio teams were announced Dec. 6 by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association, with Hillsboro’s Austin Barrett named to the second team and Gary Reno named honorable mention.
• The Highland County Board of Elections conducted a recount for the Lynchburg-Clay School Board, Greenfield Council at Large and Madison Township trustee races, with the final certified results submitted to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office on Dec. 7. According to Highland County BOE Deputy Director Michelle Swallen, Ashley Watson won the third seat on the Lynchburg-Clay Local Schools board, Carlos Ooten won the Greenfield Council at Large race and Joshua Roe won the Madison Township trustee race.
• A Mowrystown FFA junior high team competed at the state Impact of Agriculture competition, where they placed third overall, as reported Dec. 7. The team included Jillian Lucas, Gabriella Crowe, Tessa Potts and Oakley Engle.
• The city of Hillsboro has been notified of a proposed finding for recovery by Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber related to the 2021 collective payout to former Hillsboro Municipal Court clerk Diane Seeling, as reported Dec. 8. In a letter dated Nov. 30, the state auditor's office said the city paid Seeling on Sept. 16, 2021 a total of $46,266 upon separation of employment. On Dec. 8, Hillsboro City Law Director Randalyn Worley issued the city's response, saying the city acted on legal opinions from former City Law Director Fred Beery and a court order by former Hillsboro Municipal Court Judge David McKenna.
• The annual Highland District Hospital Foundation Holiday Ball was held Dec. 9 at The Hillsboro Orpheum, raising over $120,000.
• A Greenfield man who was sentenced to 14 months in an Ohio prison in May 2023 has died, according to a statement by David J. Robinson, Warden’s Administrative Assistant at Mansfield Correctional Institution posted Dec. 11. According to Robinson, the death of Jamie Marcum, 44, Inmate No. A815481, "is being investigated by the Ohio State Highway Patrol at the present time.”
• In their second annual Art for a Cause, Greenfield Elementary fifth-graders auctioned off paintings – which the students created themselves – on the school’s Facebook page. The final tally for the auction came to $786, which will go to helping a local student battling leukemia, as announced Dec. 11.
• After hearing Melissa Norris take the stand in her own defense Dec. 12 on the second day of a trial in Highland County Common Pleas Court, a jury of six men and six women deliberated for four hours before finding Norris guilty of murdering a 53-year-old Hillsboro man March 11. At 4:30 p.m., Highland County Clerk of Courts Ike Hodson read the verdicts, with the jury finding Norris guilty of murder, an unclassified felony, and of a related firearm specification, and not guilty of felonious assault, a second-degree felony. Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Norris to three years on the firearm specification, consecutive to a mandatory 15 years to life for the murder charge, for a total minimum of 18 years and maximum of life in prison. She had jail time credit of 155 days.
• After weeks of discussion, Highland County commissioners officially voted Dec. 13 to approve a proposed tax levy for Highland County Children Services to appear on the March 2024 primary ballot.
• Bryce Ballein, 31, of Lynchburg was sentenced Dec. 13 to five years in prison after pleading guilty to two second-degree felony counts of aggravated trafficking in methamphetamine. That five-year sentence was also ordered to run consecutively to an already-imposed two-year sentence from Clinton County Common Pleas Court.
• Hillsboro City Council members approved the city’s 2024 budget ordinance during their Dec. 14 meeting, with the city announcing a carryover of $1.9 million for 2023 and plans to invest in street paving for 2024.
• The Highland County Community Fund awarded seven grants, totaling $15,000, to support initiatives benefiting the county’s residents and communities, including two youth-led projects, as reported Dec. 15.
• Southern State announced Dec. 15 plans to join Choose Ohio First, an initiative promoted and administered by the Ohio Department of Higher Education to bolster support for the next generation of Ohio science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) scholars and industry leaders.
• Former Lynchburg-Clay educator and Board of Education candidate Stacie Rhonemus filed a civil lawsuit Dec. 18 in Highland County Common Pleas Court challenging the results of the Nov. 7 general election.
• Republican Shane Wilkin of Hillsboro announced his candidacy for Congress Dec. 19 as one of 14 candidates seeking to fill the seat in Ohio’s Second District to be vacated by current Congressman Brad Wenstrup.
• Fairfield Local High School hosted its annual Lions Care Day, which centers itself on individual community service acts to give back to the surrounding communities, Dec. 20.
• Two companies with over a century of combined real estate experience are joining forces starting in 2024, resulting in a new business that will be “better together” and will include increased avenues to better serve their clients and the community, as reported Dec. 20. Classic Real Estate and Donald E. Fender, Inc. are merging to form ERA Donald Fender Classic Real Estate effective Jan. 1, 2024. Both businesses have been purchased by Jeremy Raby of ERA Real Solutions.
• For a fourth straight year, Highland County has collected an annual record total of permissive sales tax receipts, topping $9.3 million in 2023, as discussed at the Dec. 20 Highland County commission meeting.
• Going on the road and needing 11 points to have her name etched into the Lynchburg-Clay record book, senior Jade Massey became the newest member of the 1,000-point club Dec. 21 in a win at Fairfield.
• Highland County voters will have at least one local contested primary March 19, according to an unofficial list released by the Highland County Board of Elections Dec. 21. Two Republican candidates have filed to run for Highland County sheriff in Randy Sanders and Brandon Stratton.
• In a special meeting Dec. 22, Highland County commissioners approved the county’s 2024 annual appropriation resolution, with a $14 million general fund budget.
• Hillsboro attorney Denny Kirk was appointed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to the Southern State Community College Board of Trustees Dec. 22.
• After two unrelated accidents temporarily took it out of commission, the historic, massive cast iron bell owned by the Highland County Historical Society returned to its rightful spot outside the Highland House Museum facing U.S. 50 in Hillsboro Dec. 28.
• Merchants National Bank announced Dec. 28 that Denise Fauber, current MNB Chief Operating Officer, was added to MNB’s Board of Directors.
• Rita J. Smith-Daulton accepted the oath of office as mayor of Leesburg Dec. 28 in a ceremony at the Highland County Courthouse.
• Bright Local School District Superintendent Jason Iles was inducted into Brown County Athletic Hall of Fame during the Brown County Holiday Tournament at Georgetown High School on Dec. 28.