Remember when the city of Hillsboro's biggest problem was Stray Cats? No, not THE Stray Cats, as in "Rock This Town," but real stray cats. No kidding. All hair balls aside, it wasn't that many years ago when I reported on a city council meeting and the biggest concern was cats running at large.

And though nine years have passed since that fateful day, its memory remains vivid.

I can’t say if Coach Spicer is a Lou Holtz fan and, frankly, I’m almost afraid to ask. If he’s not, the rest of this column might be rather pointless. Coach Holtz, of course, grew up in another eastern Ohio town (East Liverpool) on the banks of the Ohio River.

As we continue to follow in Mr. William Latham's footsteps by publishing a real, local community newspaper, we can't thank you enough for letting us be a small part of your week. We do appreciate it. Thanks.

While business owners have verbal assurances that these inspections “are not about citations and fines,” previous city actions, such as the attempt to impose fees for the inspections, suggest otherwise.

Westside Steve is now one of my heroes. He’s not quite up there with John Wayne, Ted Williams, Audie Murphy and Bill Lange. But he’s in the hunt. Not to be confused with the real Southside Johnny, Westside Steve is a musician in his own right. He’s even shared a few of the same stages with Bruce Springsteen and Southside Johnny (the musician, not the local HCP blogger by the same name).

Council owes the city auditor an apology and the assurance that such an accusatory tone will not become commonplace at future meetings.

For whatever reasons, I’ve always admired and appreciated the American trucker.

It is past time to put an end to $100,000 a year wages and $65,000 a year pensions for public servants in a community with 16 percent unemployment and a per-capita income of less than $20,000 (U.S. Census). Taxpayers deserve better. But if they want anything to change, it is time to speak up. Otherwise, get ready for yet another tax hike in 2011.

The taxman cometh. Like it or not, there are two Simple Truths in this Great American Life: Death and Taxes. There are even Taxes after Death.

What ought to be making headlines, though, are the job-killing actions of this administration and its accomplices in the Reid-Pelosi 111th Congress. For example, on Jan. 1, 2011, the tax rates facing small businesses are set to increase. This will result in more lost jobs and lower wages, as employers will be forced to send more of their hard-earned dollars to Washington.

Thanks to our very loyal advertisers, the month of June was the busiest one, to date, for The Highland County Press under its current management. Since we are approaching our one-year anniversary in a few weeks, we’ll touch on this later. Suffice it to say that we are planning something special for those advertisers who were with us last year and who have remained loyal, week after week. We are truly grateful and we are proud to recommend your respective business(es) to everyone we meet.

Until city council, the mayor and the safety/service director make spending cuts comparable to those made in county offices, taxpayers would be foolish to approve an increase in taxes.

The Hillsboro and Greenfield Eagles aeries are among the largest annual contributors to the Highland County Society for Children and Adults Telethon each spring. And their charity does not stop there. They have contributed to local law enforcement and fire departments and have provided academic scholarships and countless donations for those in need.

There's open discussion that incumbent Mayor Dick Zink may not seek a third term. (I haven't asked him.) And there’s open discussion that local comedian and buyer of uptown landmarks Drew Hastings has some interest in becoming mayor. Or, perhaps more accurately, there are people who have interest in Mr. Hastings becoming mayor. (I haven’t asked him.)