A Highland County grand jury handed down 10 indictments in their Tuesday, March 3 session.

Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) joined Sens. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Peter Welch’s (D-Vt.) Foreign Robocall Elimination Act. This bill would create a task force responsible for developing a strategy to combat foreign robocalls. It would also extend the renewal period for the critical Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) program, which works to track down the culprits of these scam calls.

The U.S. House Oversight Committee is requesting that the Department of Justice investigate whether the Somali welfare fraud and anti-immigration enforcement protests in Minnesota are connected.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jim Tressel, and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik have announced the approval of eight projects that will create 1,320 new jobs and retain 1,195 jobs statewide. 

Members of the Hillsboro Finance Committee voted to tentatively recommend the purchase of property on West Main Street, which formerly housed the city pool and is currently owned by the city’s mayor, during a 2 p.m. meeting Monday, March 2.

The Highland County Historical Society’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Brunch will be held Sunday, March 15 at the Highland House Museum at 151 East Main St. in Hillsboro.  

During the January meeting of Altrusa International of Highland County, the membership committee initiated Jenn Harvey as a new member. Jenn’s co-sponsors were Heather Cummings and Sherri Helterbrand. 

State Representative Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) is pleased to announce that fire departments across Brown County have been awarded more than $147,090 through the newly created Small County Volunteer Fire Department (SCVFD) Grant Program, established in the state budget championed by House Republicans.

Last week, the Ohio Department of Veterans Services (ODVS) welcomed Kaitlin Stokes as the new superintendent of the Ohio Veterans Homes (OVH), authorizing an already-trusted leader of the department to take hold of this vital role.

Ohio House lawmakers have approved a measure aimed at banning ranked choice voting. Under the bill, no state election may be conducted with ranked choice and any local government that decides to use a ranked choice system would forfeit state dollars.

Combat operations will continue in Iran at “full force” until American “objectives are achieved,” President Donald Trump said during his second address to the nation since Operation Epic Fury commenced.

These incidents have been reported by the HCSO.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for March 2 beginning at 4 a.m. for Highland and surrounding counties.

Three U.S. service members have been killed in action in Iranian strikes as part of Operation Epic Fury, according to U.S. Central Command.

Iranian nationals celebrating the death of Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday clashed with protesters criticizing the Trump administration’s military actions in Iran.