Lee Koogler, Hillsboro City Council president, has called a special meeting of Hillsboro City Council for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28 at council chambers in the Hillsboro Fire Station, 204 N. East St.

Sears Holdings Corp will close up to 120 stores in its Kmart and Sears chains, according to a Reuters News report this week.

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park, and Sen. Sherrod Brown, R-Lorain, have spoken out against the ruling by a federal appeals court, saying it could hurt businesses in Ohio and across the U.S.

After a mild December, southern Ohio may be about to see its first noticeable snowfall this week. The National Weather Service says there's a chance of rain and snow Tuesday, as a cold front moves in. Meanwhile, for our friends who spend winter in the Sunshine State, it was clear and 78 degrees in Key West at 10 a.m. today.

House Bill 364 was introduced in November and unanimously passed by the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate earlier this month. The bill becomes law on March 20, 2012. Under the bill, electric utilities may use bonds to securitize debt that has been previously approved by the PUCO. Utilities may securitize only certain types of costs called deferred assets. 

Registered sex offenders in four southwest Ohio counties had unexpected visitors Tuesday as county Sheriff’s from Fayette, Highland, Pike, and Ross counties implemented an effort to check for compliance. These verifications were in addition to verifications done on a random, routine basis.

In a story that explores the history of his family, and a community they founded, a local resident is publishing a book chronicling the tales of his childhood in rural West Virginia. Dr. Jack Furbee, a Hillsboro resident, said his book, "Growing Up Appalachian in the Van Camp community of Wetzel County, W.Va.," is currently in the final stages of publication.

Ohio Democrats, including Representatives Marcia Fudge (D-Warrensville Heights), Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo), Tim Ryan (D-Niles), Betty Sutton (D-Copley) and Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern have denounced Speaker John Boehner’s Tea Party-run Republican House Caucus for voting down President Obama’s $1,500 payroll tax cut extension and expansion yesterday, opting instead to raise taxes on 5.8 million middle class Ohioans.

Hillsboro High School graduate and American soldier Joshua Mahan met Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta during Panetta's recent visit to Afghanistan. Panetta honored Mahan by adding a Secretary of Defense coin to his collection of high-ranking military personnel coins.

Attorney General Mike DeWine, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, and Scioto County officials shut down the last pill mill in Scioto County, Greater Medical Advance, as law enforcement agents served search warrants at the Wheelersburg clinic, the clinic doctor's residence, and the clinic owner's residence.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - State Representatives Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville), Peter Beck (R-Mason), and Bob Peterson (R-Sabina) recently led a trade mission to Turkey with the goal of exporting more Ohio products and to encourage economic growth in Ohio.

Attorney General Mike DeWine and Coshocton County Prosecutor Jason W. Given announced today that an Ohio couple has pleaded guilty to felony charges for running a Craigslist ticket scam that netted more than $200,000 and hit hundreds of victims in 36 states and Canada.

"We need government to get out of the way and quit treating business like they're the problem. It's similar to a comment by (former presidential candidate) Tim Pawlenty, when he said about President Obama, 'You can’t be pro-job and anti-business. That’s like being pro-egg and anti-chicken.’" – Dr. Brad Wenstrup, 2012 Second District congressional candidate

The following is the Hillsboro Police Report for Dec. 17-18.

Ohio's unemployment rate was 8.5 percent in November, down from 9.0 in October, according to data released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.