I have a question for  all the right wingers who claim to be Christians. The question is, What would you have people who have run out of options do other than robbing a convenience store to keep food on their table? Seems that you are perfectly willing to have them go to prison, at a cost of about $50,000 a year but are opposed to doing things like extending unemployment payments, which in Ohio would amount to under $11,000 a year.

Last week, the leadership of the church met with the HCCS board to inform them that at the end of this school year the church will take at least a one year break from its sponsorship of the school. For the past few years, the school has been experiencing declining enrollment as well as cash-flow problems which has prompted the church's decision to take a break from this ministry.

Just a note to publicly thank a young man who took the time and effort to check out a barking dog who was trapped in an old abandoned house that I would have hesitated to go into myself. He said she had been barking for a couple of days - the dog was missing for five and a half and had lost eight pounds. I had been making the rounds to the newspapers and different businesses in town to post notices of my missing dog when my cell phone rang and Eric Fenner was on the other end with the news of finding my dog.

Thank you, Brush Creek Life Squad!! On February 8, at 4 in the morning, we needed help for our son, Kevin.

My brother, Andy Countryman, and I would like to thank the Leesburg community for their recent outpouring of support for us as we mourned the loss of our father, Charlie Countryman (1966-2010). Like many towns in southern Ohio, basketball is an integral part of life in the winter. This year was no different despite the recent loss of our father to pancreatic cancer just days prior to our highly anticipated contest, Peebles High School vs. Fairfield-Leesburg High School on Feb. 2, 2010. It was during this game that the most admirable acts of human kindness were revealed and we were once again reminded how blessed we are to be part of such a wonderful community.

In a recent column by Gary Lewis, about the only thing he got right in "Americans awakened by Washington" was the title. Yes there was an awakening of the majority of Americans. It was the 2008 election in which they overwhelmingly elected a man committed to charting a new course for the country...

The family of Homer Webster wishes to thank all the wonderful family, friends, and neighbors who came to honor Homer and to tell their dealings with him;

Many homes are being foreclosed, and if property taxes continue to rise, there will be even more homes left vacant. There are no jobs and no rate increases in employment for the working people. If this continues, people will just relocate.

Thank you, Gary Lewis. I believe the citizens owe you a thank you for being a City Auditor who cares for the way our city's monies are spent. In my opinion, our city would love to spend, spend, spend. Then when there's no more money left, raise taxes, so they can continue to spend.

Once again, the angels are out in the snow and cold. I walked down the driveway and thought to myself, "it's going to be a mess to drive out in the morning." But little did I know, those angels were out in the cold also. I didn't really see them, but they found the time once again to clean out the snow, so I would like to express my gratitude to the angels for their fine job. Thank you.

To the editor and readers:
Support Our Troops of Highland County would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their very generous donations towards our Christmas care boxes: