Good News Gathering is sponsoring a Back to School Free Sale from 8 a.m.-noon Saturday, Aug. 6 at the Wharton Building on the Highland County Fairgrounds.

Ohio Governor John Kasich appointed Kay Boynton Reynolds, area businesswoman, to the Shawnee State University Board of Trustees to complete the remaining five years of an unexpired term.

Dr. Nancy Linenkugel, OSF, DM, LFACHE, is the new chair of Xavier University's Health Services Administration effective August 16, 2011. She replaces Dr. Ida Critelli Schick who retired in May after 19 years at Xavier and 13 as Chair of the Department.

Students in Southern State Community College’s health sciences programs will gain an increasingly realistic lab experience thanks to the addition of new state-of-the-art equipment. The SSCC Foundation Executive Committee recently voted to allocate necessary capital from the Elmer and Helen Reed Fund for the purchase of a virtual IV simulator, two medication dispensing units, and an additional human patient simulator.

Sandra Nartker, intervention specialist for Hillsboro City Schools, was recently honored at the Horn Walter awards luncheon in Columbus for her outstanding achievement in special education.

During a special meeting on Friday, July 15, the Executive Committee of the Shawnee State University Board of Trustees approved a 2012 fiscal year budget for the University, which includes a less than 3.5 percent increase in undergraduate tuition beginning fall 2011 semester.

Patch of Heaven Preschool at St. Mary Catholic School in Hillsboro is taking applications for the preschool teacher.

St. Mary Catholic School and Patch of Heaven Preschool are actively recruiting students for the coming school year. Scholarship money is available for those needing financial assistance.

Wee Care Preschool didn't just pass its recent state licensing inspection, it obtained a rating of 100-percent compliant. Making an impression is not enough to get such a high mark on the inspection. The Ohio Department of Job & Family Services enforces strict guidelines.

The cadets of Southern State Community College’s Basic Peace Officers Training Program were recognized at a special ceremony held June 29, 2011, at the college’s Central Campus in Hillsboro.

Forty-eight graduates of Southern State Community College’s program in associate degree nursing were recognized during a recent pinning ceremony at the college’s Patriot Center on Central Campus in Hillsboro.

Southern State Community College has released its president’s and dean’s list for academic excellence for Spring Quarter 2011.

Area residents who passed the General Education Development (GED) test were honored June 16 at the 23rd annual recognition celebration at Southern State Community College’s Central Campus in Hillsboro. GED preparation is offered free of charge through the Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) program at Southern State’s Adult Opportunity Center, under the direction of Karyn Evans, with assistance from staff, part-time instructors and volunteers.

In 2007, when these students were in the fifth grade, their Stock Market Game Coach, Diane Jolitz, had invited Mr. Mathews to speak to the class and serve as a financial information resource during the competition. The team won first place.

Heather Cummings, NCB marketing communications manager, and Michelle Ward, VP, human resources manager, spoke with the HHS students at the career fair.