James W. "Bill" Collins, 86, of Greenfield, died Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009 at his home.

A 17-year-old boy was arrested on New Year's Day after an alleged shoplifting incident at Wal-Mart in Hillsboro.

Please be advised that due to budget cuts, the Highland Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) Board of Supervisors have reduced the Highland SWCD office hours to Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. with the office being closed on Fridays until further notice.

In order to provide patients with more convenience and less travel, Adena foot and ankle specialist Brian Tscholl, MD, will soon begin seeing patients in Fayette County at Fayette Memorial Hospital two Tuesdays per month starting January 12.

Today's morning temperatures outside Merchants National Bank in uptown Hillsboro read 14 degrees at 8 a.m. The National Weather Service in Wilmington predicts even colder temperatures, with a low around 9 degrees tonight and a wind chill factor of minus 2.

This is always a hopeful time, as we celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another. And while 2009 was difficult for many Americans, we must also look back on this year with the knowledge that brighter days are ahead of us.

 Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has released the following

It is hard to believe that this was the last newspaper article that I wrote for the decade. Much has happened to all of us over the past 10 years and it has passed by much too quickly. For those of you who can remember, it was 10 years ago right about now that many of us were worried about the dreaded Y2K virus and what was going to happen to all of our computer systems when the calendars rolled over to the year 2000. That seems like a minor concern with everything going on today, doesn’t it?

Outlining the history of the South Central Ohio Athletic League has been an interesting project. So far, we have covered the time period from 1923-68. The plan is to continue to about 2000. This week, though, I am taking a break from researching the history of the league to take a look at the relative values of high school athletics, and the influence of coaches on the kids who participate in their programs.