Editor’s note: Following is a month-by-month look back at the top local news stories from 2023 as reported by The Times-Gazette. We wish our readers a Happy New Year.

April

7 – A ribbon-cutting was held at the new Highland County Dog Pound at 9480 N. Shore Dr. in Hillsboro. Commissioner Dave Daniels gave a tour and showed off a kennel area with 40 kennel runs, an area with a pressure washing machine that can dispense detergent and disinfectant and then a chain-link fenced area where dogs can be let out.

11 – President Joe Biden signed into law House Joint Resolution 7, which ended the national COVID-19 emergency that started on March 13, 2020. Another measure, H.R. 382, one that would terminate the COVID-19 public health emergency that started on Jan. 31, 2020, had already passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 220-210.

17 – The Hillsboro City Council passed two resolutions focused on Roberts Lane, effectively moving forward with the development project. The resolutions entered the city into a water supply revolving loan fund agreement and a water pollution loan fund agreement. The city had secured over half of the around $10.4 million project cost.

19 – The Highland County Board of Commissioners agreed to move forward with an arbitrator following a discussion with Highland County Community Action Housing Director Mark Current regarding the Community Housing Impact and Preservation (CHIP) Program and the Lafferty family and a complaint the family made three years after the program’s involvement.

26 – The commissioners and multiple Greenfield officials had a disagreement over the lack of payment for the Greenfield Workforce Development Center, with commissioner Dave Daniels saying he thought Greenfield made a commitment while Greenfield City Manager Todd Wilkin said they’d make payments following a contract being signed.

May

1 – The Hillsboro Business Complex, LLC announced a partnership with JobsOhio, Ohio Southeast Economic Development (OhioSE) and the city of Hillsboro for a $1.038 million investment to “redevelop three adjacent buildings in the historic section of downtown Hillsboro,” which would include the renovation of existing office space on the ground floor and the creation of a shared workspace on the second floor.

10 – The commissioners approved the use of eight-inch tablets at the Highland County Jail through Inmate Calling (IC) Solutions at its weekly meeting. Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera said the tablets could be used to “file grievances” if the inmates have one, order from the commissary, get education and a GED, take college courses, learn trades and make calls.

15 – Twenty-two-year-old Hillsboro resident Christian Mcconehea made the Ohio Riders professional cornhole team following a two-day combine in Columbus that consisted of 50 people. Mcconehea, one of the 14 people on the team, would then compete against the five other teams in the Major League Cornhole Organization.

17 – The next steps for the Marriott Hotel were taken thanks to the acceptance of a new measure at a commissioners meeting. Julie Bolender, director of Highland County Economic Development, said the measure would be sent to the state and allow the county to get the money and loan Leo Capital Investment Group for the construction.

31 – Randy McGuire, the marketing director for the Ohio Laborers’ District Council, delivered updates on the solar projects at the weekly meeting of the commissioners. McGuire said the Dodson Creek Solar Project would start “very soon” and the Palomino Solar Project was “further along.”

June

7 – County engineer Christopher Fauber opened multiple bids for the county’s resurfacing project at a board of commissioners meeting. Fauber said the resurfacing project would be from New Market Road to U.S. Route 62 west toward East Danville, with the project consisting of linear grading on each side of the road and asphalt resurfacing.

9 – The city of Hillsboro was awarded more than $1.44 million through the Ohio Department of Transportation for the construction of the Rails to Trails Community Trail in 2026, which would look to create a walking and cycling trail “on the abandoned railroad bed and a sidewalk on West Main Street between the trail head and Taylor Court.”

12 – The Highland County Humane Society announced the purchase of a new facility at a new location, with the new building to bring more parking, a separate building for dogs and cats, a meet-and-greet room for one-on-one time with potential adopters, eight acres of land to walk dogs, a reception area and a separate area that would become a veterinary suite.

28 – The commissioners rejected all of the bids for the OSU Extension Building planned to be built on the Highland County Fairgrounds due to the bids being 10 percent over the estimate. Architect Chris Widener said the estimate for the OSU Extension Building was $819,000.870.

29 – The village of Greenfield was awarded a nearly $1.5 million grant that would help the village pay for infrastructure repair. Wilkin reported that the $1.471 million grant was for “phase one” water repairs that would include hydrants, service line replacements, valve replacements and water main fixes.

Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.