2024: The Year in Review, Part 2

The Highland County Press is recapping some of the top stories from 2024. The following is Part 2 of the series.

April

• Fairfield senior Cade Miller tossed a no-hitter against the Manchester Greyhounds April 1, as the Lions won 2-0.

• Former Hillsboro city treasurer and longtime community servant Robert “Bob” Storer passed away April 2 at the age of 80.

• Nathan Smith of Orlando, Fla., formerly of Hillsboro, launched a funding campaign for a virtual reality rebuild of the former Hillsboro High School that was demolished in 2009, as reported April 3.

• Tara Ralph, 50, of Greenfield was sentenced April 3 to eight years in prison for engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and drug trafficking, after being indicted on 26 counts in February.

• Don Rose Jr., 38, of Martinsville was sentenced April 3 to four years in prison on meth trafficking charges in connection with a Highland County Task Force investigation.

• Darnell S. Thompson, 23, of Chillicothe was sentenced April 3 to three years in prison after pleading guilty to his role in a Highland County felonious assault case.

• Gerold (Buzzard) Wilkin of Hillsboro earned a Department of Veterans Affairs Outstanding Service Award in recognition of 2,500 volunteer hours during the Chillicothe VA Medical Center’s annual Volunteer Recognition Ceremony April 5.

• Stephen Charles Weil, 38, of Hillsboro man was sentenced to over eight years in prison April 8, after a jury seated in Highland County Common Pleas Court found him guilty of five drug-related charges. Following a trial that began at 10:30 a.m. and concluded at 4:30 p.m., it took a jury only 40 minutes to find Weil guilty of all charges.

• A total solar eclipse crossed North America April 8, occurring shortly after 3 p.m. over Highland County.

• Whiteoak senior Weston Blair signed his letter of intent to attend Div. I Morehead State University to further his academics and athletics in cross-country and track and field, as reported April 9.

• Jason R. Creager, 40, of Blanchester was sentenced to 15 months in prison April 11 after a jury seated in Highland County Common Pleas Court convicted him of strangulation and domestic violence charges.

• A pedestrian safety project in uptown Hillsboro that has been discussed for nearly two years moved forward after Hillsboro City Council agreed 4-2 to approve an Ohio Department of Transportation resolution for the proposal, April 11.

• The Roger Bacon Athletic Department announced April 15 that Mike Noszka was hired as their new head boys basketball coach, after one season at McClain.

• On April 15, the Ohio Educational Service Center Association recognized Ohio’s top students from across the state — including Scarlett Studebaker of Hillsboro — during the 35th Annual Franklin B. Walter All-Scholastic Awards Program.

• April 15 was another Frontier Athletic Conference win for the Hillsboro Lady Indians, as they defeated the host Jackson Ironladies, 7-3, and in the process of the win, HHS junior Camryn Spruell collected her 500th career strikeout.

• Former Hillsboro and McClain head coach Joe B. Stewart was named the new varsity boys basketball head coach for the Fayetteville Rockets April 18.

• John Payne and Gerold (Buzzard) Wilkin of Highland County — both of whom won awards in the Chillicothe VA’s local arts competition — advanced to the 2024 National Veterans Creative Arts Competition, where both placed third, as reported April 19.

• Hillsboro junior Camryn Spruell pitched a perfect game April 22, as she and the Lady Indians defeated Miami Trace, 8-0 at HHS.

• A strong three-day showing by Shawnee State golfer Erika Martin at the River States Conference Championships April 23 placed the senior from Greenfield inside the top 10 and allowed the lead golfer to pick up Second-Team All-RSC accolades.

• The Southern Ohio Educational Service Center Governing Board selected Curt Bradshaw to serve as the ESC’s 16th Superintendent, effective Aug. 1, as announced April 24.

• Nathan Snodgrass, 48, of Bainbridge was sentenced April 25 to four years in prison for trafficking meth after being indicted in connection with the Highland County Task Force’s “Operation Fetty Stop” drug investigation.

• Jacob Yost, 35, of Hillsboro was sentenced April 26 to five years in prison for meth trafficking after being indicted on 10 drug-related counts in February in connection with a Highland County Task Force investigation.

• Four Southern State Community College students, Madison Curtis of Highland County, Alyk Lippincott of Clinton County, Miranda McClurg of Fayette County and Jenna Rhoades of Highland County, were named to the All-Ohio Academic Team and recognized in a virtual ceremony April 26. 

• Lynchburg-Clay’s Braedon West tossed a no-hitter in an 8-1 win over Peebles April 26.

• The outright 2024 Frontier Athletic Conference championship once again resides in Hillsboro, as the Lady Indians defeated the McClain Lady Tigers, 8-1 at Hillsboro High School to clinch the title April 29.

• The Ohio High School Athletic Association announced April 30 the preliminary divisional breakdowns and regional tournament representation for the upcoming fall season, with Highland County teams seeing changes in several sports.

• The Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs clinched no less than a share of the SHAC Div. I championship April 30, as they defeated the West Union Lady Dragons by a 11-0 score in five innings.

• The Hillsboro Lady Indians softball team earned their 40th consecutive FAC win April 30, defeating the host McClain Lady Tigers, 11-0. Hillsboro (10-0, 18-2) clinched the conference championship the previous night in an 8-1 win, also over McClain.

• Ray Cooper, 29, of Greenfield was sentenced April 30 to four years in prison just four weeks after his indictment, after pleading guilty to two counts: trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound and tampering with evidence.

• Whiteoak freshman Izayah Clift tossed a no-hitter against the visiting Manchester Greyhounds, with the team winning 4-0, April 30.

May

• The Ohio Agricultural Council selected Bill and Janet Butler of Hillsboro for induction into the 2024 OAC Hall of Fame, as announced May 1.

• The state of Ohio announced Appalachian Community Grant awards May 1. Highland County is slated to receive $12,630,331 for the following projects, including $5,371,410 to the Village of Greenfield for Felson Park; $5,204,536 to the City of Hillsboro for Crossroads Park; $1,052,995 to the Village of Leesburg for the Downtown Park; and $1,001,390 to the Village of Lynchburg for the Downtown Park.

• New Directions, Greenfield’s community youth ministry, celebrated its 35th anniversary May 1.

• Lynchburg-Clay girls softball finished first in Division I of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference with a SHAC record of 8-5, with their conference season ending May 1.

• Fairfield FFA member Carly Sanders was honored on state at the Ohio FFA State Convention May 3 after winning the Ohio FFA State General Livestock Judging Finals.

• Trenton Hibbs, 26, of Hillsboro was sentenced to four years in prison May 3 after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

• Hillsboro FFA member Carter Boyd was slated as the 2024-25 Ohio FFA State Vice President May 3 during the final session of the 96th Ohio FFA Convention.

• Village and county agencies responded to the scene of flooded residences in the Village of Greenfield following heavy rainfall May 4. According to a Facebook post by Greenfield City Manager Todd Wilkin, “17 families, approximately 40 individuals, were displaced” due to the floods.

• Hillsboro graduate Cierra Lively's first-place finish in the women's high jump highlighted several podium finishes by the Wright State track and field programs May 5 at the 2024 Horizon League Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
• On May 6, the Ohio High School Athletic Association released the tentative divisional breakdowns and regional tournament representation for winter sports with the exception of wrestling, with Highland County schools seeing changes in boys and girls basketball.

• Kyle Pertuset was officially named the new varsity head coach for the Lynchburg-Clay boys basketball program, as reported May 7. 

• A Leesburg man and local firefighter, Waylon James Stratton, 33, was sentenced May 7 to 10 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to rape of a child victim.

• Cole Wells pitched a no-hitter for the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs as they completed their 2024 Southern Hills Athletic Conference schedule May 7 by defeating the Manchester Greyhounds, 6-0.

• Dylan Rodgers, 25, of Greenfield was sentenced May 7 to four years and 11 months in prison after pleading guilty to four felony charges (trafficking in marijuana and three counts of receiving stolen property) contained in a 12-count indictment.

• Jonah Hunt, 21, of Leesburg was sentenced May 8 to 10 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to raping a child.

• Local law enforcement executed search warrants and made multiple arrests in Hillsboro, Greenfield and Rocky Fork Lake areas May 9, one day after a Highland County grand jury handed down 15 indictments in connection with Highland County Task Force investigations.

• Hillsboro junior Camryn Spruell was named the Frontier Athletic Conference Softball Player of the Year May 9.

• Longtime Highland County historian Jean Wallis passed away May 9 at the age of 90.

• Following a two-day event on May 7 and 9, the Hillsboro Indians and McClain Lady Tigers won the boys and girls 2024 Frontier Athletic Conference championships at Washington High School.

• Sunrise Cooperative, Inc. announced Riley Collins from Hillsboro FFA as one of its 2024 RISE FFA Career Program recipients, as reported May 10.

• A “spirited debate” was held during a pretrial hearing in Highland County Juvenile Court May 10, as the judge and counsel were at odds over whether a conflict existed with the prosecution of a juvenile in the custody of Highland County Children Services.

• The 2024 Southern Hills Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships were held May 10 at Manchester, where Fairfield won the girls championship, while Whiteoak placed as runners-up in the boys event.

• On May 10, the Fairfield Lions clinched their third consecutive Southern Hills Athletic Conference baseball championship, winning the Division II title by defeating West Union 12-0 in a no-hitter thrown by Zane Matthews.

• The Fairfield Lady Lions softball team closed out the regular season in a big way, defeating West Union, 22-0 as Katelyn Chambliss and Caitlyn Quickle combined to pitch a perfect game in the five-inning contest May 12.

• The Div. II Southeast District Meet in Washington Court House May 14 and 18 included a district runner-up trophy for the McClain Lady Tigers and a combined seven event championships for Hillsboro and McClain.

• Highland County track and field athletes excelled at the Div. III Southeast District meet held May 15 and 17 at Nelsonville-York. The meet saw the Fairfield Lady Lions team earn a district runner-up trophy, while Highland County athletes also won district titles and broke records.

• Cole Michael Chrisman, 31, of Washington Court House was sentenced May 16 to at least four years in prison after pleading guilty to a first-degree felony drug trafficking charge in Highland County Common Pleas Court.

• Andrew L. Watson, 35, of Lynchburg was sentenced May 17 to four and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to gross sexual imposition, endangering children and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.

• The focus of the May 20 Hillsboro City Schools board meeting was recognizing the district’s students and staff for their accomplishments, as the meeting included honoring outgoing student representative Maddisen Mikkelsen and Hillsboro Intermediate principal Darci Miles as well as hearing a presentation from the elementary school’s student council.

• Highland District Hospital in partnership with Siemens Healthineers and Medline announced the delivery of the world’s first Atellica® CI Analyzer with Sample Handler to the Highland District Hospital Laboratory, as reported May 21.

• Jarrod Haines was named the new McClain head boys varsity basketball coach, as reported May 21.

• City administrators shared positive news during the May 21 Hillsboro City Council meeting, with the mayor outlining a proposal for additional street paving and the safety and service director discussing the $5.2 million grant for Crossroads Park.

• Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera announced his retirement, effective May 31, during the May 22 Highland County commissioners meeting.

• Greenfield Law Director Hannah Bivens submitted a letter of resignation to the village effective June 30, as reported May 23.

• Harold Davis III, 48, of Greenfield was sentenced May 23 to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated trafficking in methamphetamine in the vicinity of a school zone.

• For the second time in as many months, a majority of Greenfield Village Council rejected efforts by two other council members to remove City Manager Todd Wilkin during an early morning meeting May 24.

• Thirteen Highland County athletes punched their tickets for the 2024 OHSAA Track & Field State Tournament after their qualifying finishes at the Div. II and Div. III regional meets, held May 22-25.

• One week after Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera announced his early retirement, Highland County commissioners “agreed to appoint Randy Sanders as acting sheriff, effective beginning June 1 at 12:01 a.m., and lasting until such time as the Republican Central Committee fills the vacancy.”

• In an opinion published May 29, the Fourth District Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of Richard Wayne “Scoots” Johnson, a Hillsboro man sentenced in 2023 to 22 years in prison for engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity for his role in a drug trafficking enterprise.

• Landen Eyre became Whiteoak High School's first state champion May 31, as the WHS junior raced his way to the top of the Division III OHSAA podium at the 2024 State Track and Field Championships at Welcome Stadium at the University of Dayton by winning the 3200-meter run. He was also third in the 1600-meter run. Others competing at state included Whiteoak senior Weston Blair (800m run, sixth); Fairfield freshman Remi Moon (high jump, eighth); McClain senior Lily Barnes (discus, 13th); Whiteoak team of Landen Eyre, Weston Blair and sophomores Keegan Eyre and Sawyer Blair (4x800m relay, 14th); McClain team of senior Kaitlyn Jett, senior Luca Matesic, freshman Larah Henson and sophomore Becca Bergstrom (4x400m relay, 16th); Fairfield senior Faith Donley (400m run, 17th place); and McClain team of senior Luca Matesic, Bergstrom, sophomore Mylie Lovett and Jett (4x100m relay, 18th).

• The historic 2024 baseball season of the Fairfield Lions came to a close May 31 at Beavers Field, falling to the Berlin Hiland Hawks, 18-0 in the Division IV Regional Finals.

• Highland County welcomed a new sheriff for the first time since 2014, with Randy Sanders sworn into office during a ceremony May 31 in the Highland County Juvenile/Probate Courtroom.

• McCarty Associates celebrated 60 years of serving the community with a ribbon cutting from the Highland County Chamber of Commerce May 31.

June    

• John Barrett and Howard Oryl, U.S. Army veterans from the Village of Leesburg, flew to Washington, D.C. through Honor Flight Dayton June 1, along with 100 other veterans.

• The 2024 All-Southeast District baseball teams have been selected by coaches of the district, with 19 baseball players, along with one coach, honored this spring, as reported June 3. Fairfield head coach Kyle Zimmerman was named Div. IV West Coach of the Year, while first-team honorees were Lynchburg-Clay’s Cole Wells; Fairfield’s Gabe Fouch, Cade Miller and Zane Matthews; and Whiteoak’s Eli Roberts and Zander Roades.

• The Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts held their annual State Envirothon June 3-5 at Hocking College and Lake Snowden. The Lynchburg-Clay Gold team of Jayden Hixson, Kylie O’Conner, Abigail Shepherd, Gage Thompson and Cloe Williamson, coached by Lara Hamilton, won first overall in the state competition, advancing to the national level.

• The 2024 Southeast District Softball Coaches released their All-District teams for the spring 2024 season, with 17 Highland County athletes honored, as reported June 3. Leading the way for Highland County was Fairfield’s Caitlyn Quickle, who earned Co-Player of the Year honors in Division III. Also receiving first-team honors were Hillsboro’s Camryn Spruell and Fairfield’s Jobey Hattan.

• Five athletes from Highland County — Whiteoak’s Eli Roberts; Fairfield’s Caitlyn Quickle, Gabe Fouch and Cade Miller; and Hillsboro’s Camryn Spruell — were selected to their respective baseball and softball All-Ohio teams by the coaches from the state, as reported June 4.

• Kesia McCoy, Superintendent at Fairfield Local School District, was selected to the 2024-25 cohort of the Google GSV Education Innovation Fellowship – a groundbreaking program formed through a partnership between GSV and Google for Education, as reported June 5.

• Southern State was named best local community college by Cincy Magazine’s Family Choice Awards, as announced June 5.

• Over the course of approximately an hour and a half June 6, Highland County Juvenile Court Judge Kevin Greer rejected an attempted plea bargain, then agreed to accept a plea to a more serious charge, in a case involving a juvenile in the custody of Highland County Children Services accused of rape and gross sexual imposition. The juvenile pleaded guilty to the rape charge and was ordered to complete sex offender treatment, with a suspended sentence to the Department of Youth Services for a minimum of two years.

• The Greenfield Music Festival attracted over 7,000 attendees during the weekend of June 7-9, with musical performances by Violet Aquarium, the Naked Karate Girls, Jeremy Barnhart, Steven Dowd, Micah Aills, Bekah Lawson, Levi Farley, Filo Beddoe, Jess Kellie Adams, Kyle Norris, Dumbfounded, Brock Howard and Sean Poole & Buckin’ Krazy.

• The Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE) recognized three Southern State Community College individuals who have demonstrated excellence in service, teaching and leadership, as reported June 6. Those honored with the 2023-24 SOCHE Excellence Awards include Lauri Bolitho, Charlie Gorman and Loren O’Cull.

• Travis Blevins, 41, of Hillsboro was sentenced June 6 to four and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated trafficking in methamphetamine in a 2024 case, aggravated possession of a fentanyl-related compound in a 2023 case and community control violations in a 2022 case.

• State Senator Shane Wilkin June 11 announced the investment of $1 million from the One-Time Strategic Community Investment Fund (OTSCIF) to support building a new truck barn to accommodate over 20 trucks for the Highland County Engineer’s Office.

• A jury seated in Highland County Common Pleas Court returned a verdict finding Ryan O. Coleman, 35, of Greenfield guilty of five charges, including two counts of compelling prostitution, June 11. The trial began June 10 and concluded with closing arguments and jury instructions June 11, as the jury deliberated for approximately two and a half hours before finding Coleman guilty of all five counts as alleged in the indictment.

• Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland recognized two Highland County residents, Sydney Hamilton and Madalyn Ross, with the Girl Scout Gold Award — the highest award a Girl Scout can earn— in a ceremony June 9.

• The Greenfield Village Council met in a special session June 10 as a follow-up to the June 3 council meeting, during which Greenfield Police Chief Jimmy Oyer alleged that someone had unauthorized access to the police department's computer network.

• The Southern Hills Athletic Conference held their 2024 spring sports banquet June 4. Top honorees from Highland County included Softball Player of the Year Caitlyn Quickle, Co-Softball Coach of the Year Ellen Binegar and Girls Track and Field Coach of the Year Cohen Frost, all of Fairfield.

• According to correspondence listed on the June 12 Highland County commission meeting agenda, Brushcreek Township trustees voted unanimously June 3 to pass a resolution “requesting county commissioners to enact the wind and solar electric generation siting authority in Brushcreek Township.” Commissioners responded by referring the trustees to follow steps outlined in the county's resolution “to establish a large solar facility development process” enacted in November 2021.

• Dustin Chaney, 41, of Hillsboro was sentenced June 12 to three years in prison after pleading guilty to a second-degree felony drug trafficking charge.

• Hillsboro City Council members took action on a number of items related to the ongoing Roberts Lane extension project June 13, including six different ordinances “accepting the dedication of a public right of way easement,” and in some cases a road extension, for new and existing roads as part of the development. Also approved as an emergency was a resolution transferring the property in the Roberts Lane extension to the Hillsboro Community Improvement Corporation “for economic development purposes.”

• Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss declared a mistrial June 14, after a jury was unable to reach a verdict in a theft case involving defendant Lori K. Greene, 48, of Seaman.

• Senate President Matt Huffman appointed State Senator Shane Wilkin as the new Chair of the Senate General Government Committee, as announced June 17.

• The Ohio Lottery honored Joe’s Party Shop & Drive Thru of Greenfield for its 50 years of service, as reported June 17.

• The Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education approved a revision to the district’s “personal communication devices” policy at their June 17 meeting, which now requires students to have their phones off at all times during the school day. It was also noted that Beverly Rhoads was honored at the June 12 Great Oaks Board of Directors meeting, receiving the 2024 Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Region 1 School Board Recognition Award for her over six decades "serving in public education.” Also honored was Greg Barr, the Great Oaks representative for Greenfield Exempted Village Schools.

• The Ohio Auditor’s Office released Highland County’s audit for 2022 on June 18, with the audit including findings for recovery and of “material weakness,” “noncompliance” and “significant deficiency,” totaling eight findings altogether. A total of eight findings were listed for 2022, which was former auditor Bill Fawley’s last full year in office. The audit included reissuing four findings from 2021 that were not corrected.

• Southern Hills Community Bank announced June 18 that Lindsay Cloud, CPA, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, was honored with the prestigious Ohio Bankers League (OBL) Next Generation Leadership Award.

• The Fourth District Court of Appeals issued a decision June 18 upholding the conviction of Rebecca M. Martin, 45, of Leesburg on breaking and entering as well as theft charges, but partially reversing the order for restitution for the victim in this case.

• Tiffany L. Watson-Badinghaus, 37, of Lynchburg woman was sentenced June 20 to two and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to one count each of endangering children and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.

• State Senator Shane Wilkin announced June 20 that the Highland County Agricultural Society would receive $106,831.54 for improvements to their fairgrounds.

• A team of faculty, staff and students from Southern State Community College was invited to present at the 31st annual Community Colleges of Appalachia (CCA) Conference held in Asheville, N.C, as reported June 20. The College’s presentation, “Empowering Futures: Transformative Impact of our Computer Information Technology,” was presented during the general session by Associate Professor of Computer Science Dr. Joshua Montgomery and Executive Director of Workforce Development Amy McClellan. A panel of Southern State students, which included Alex Bradshaw, Kayla Bradshaw, Cole Newsome and Tyler Havens, also assisted with the presentation.

• The Ohio Power Siting Board ruled that the New Market Solar projects are in violation of minimum setback requirements and ordered them to bring the solar panels into compliance, according to an opinion filed June 20.

• Members of the Highland County Land Reutilization Corporation (land bank) board voted to amend several of their policies and procedures June 20.

• Kyle Hollon, 31, Hillsboro was sentenced June 20 to four years in prison after pleading guilty to charges in two separate drug trafficking cases.

• Sara Pelfrey of Hillsboro won a state disc golf championship, winning her division in the 2024 Ohio Amateur Championships held June 22-23 in Wellington.

• The Lady Mambas, a southern Ohio 13U AAU girls basketball team, represented Ohio at the 2024 National Basketball Teammate Championship Tournament in Rock Hill, S.C. and earned a national title June 23.

• Findings for recovery totaling $5,916 were repaid, under audit, by two Madison Township trustees, who were overpaid in 2022, as announced June 24.

• The Wilmington City Schools Board of Education selected Tim Dettwiller as the district’s interim superintendent for the 2024-2025 school year, effective Aug. 1, 2024, as reported June 24. At the time of his appointment, Dettwiller was employed as Highland County ACCESS Director.

• The Ohio House of Representatives June 26 passed Substitute House Bill 2. As announced by State Rep. Bob Peterson, investments included $1,000,000 to modernize computer labs and make space for training and project-based learning at Southern State Community College to prepare students for information technology and cybersecurity industry needs; and $170,000 to renovate the Rocky Fork Lake State Park East End Overlook Retreat Banquet Center, to include deck replacement and updating the restroom facilities.

• Eight players from Lynchburg-Clay, Fairfield and Whiteoak were selected to the Prep Baseball All-Ohio teams for Division III and Division IV, as reported June 25. Those honored included Lynchburg-Clay’s Cole Wells; Fairfield’s Cade Miller, Zane Matthews and Gabe Fouch; and Whiteoak’s Eli Roberts, Kaden Moon-Stone, Izayah Clift and Zander Roades.

• Earlier this year, Georgia Boot announced that Highland County 4-H member Addy Knauff was selected as one of their 2024 Trailblazers, as reported June 26.

• The 2024 Achievement Awards Banquet celebrated not one but three Highland County youths, as reported June 26. Sydney Hamilton was selected for Ohio State Fair Junior Fair Board, Sam Hamilton won the Poultry achievement award and Emma Yochum won the beef achievement award.

• Pursuant to its strategic succession plan, Merchants National Bank (MNB) June 26 announced the promotion of Denise Fauber to president.  As Fauber assumes the president’s role, Paul Pence, accomplished banking professional with over 43 years of exemplary service to MNB, will remain as chairman and CEO.

• Highland County commissioners were updated on a proposal for a combined and lowered Health Department levy, the completion of railroad improvements in Greenfield and the county’s permissive sales tax receipts June 26.

• Jeffrey D. Everhart II, 42, of Greenfield, who was indicted on 15 counts in May in connection with a Highland County Task Force investigation, was sentenced to four years in prison June 27. Everhart pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound and one count of aggravated trafficking in methamphetamine.

• State Senator Shane Wilkin honored Whiteoak’s Landen Eyre for winning the Division III State Championship in the 3200-meter run, as reported June 27.

• Zaylee Arrington, a freshman at McClain High School of Greenfield, was selected as a Delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders to be held June 26-28, just outside Boston, on the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus.

• A group of ambitious young cattlemen and women from across the United States were awarded scholarships from the Angus Foundation at the 2024 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) in Madison, Wis., June 30 – July 7. Locally, Sydney Sanders of Leesburg was awarded a $5,000 Angus/Talon Youth Educational Learning Program Undergraduate Scholarship.

Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.