Editor’s note: Following is a month-by-month look back at the top local news stories from 2021 as reported by The Times-Gazette. We wish our readers a Happy New Year.
July
1 – Southern State Community College (SSCC) and the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Nursing signed a dual-admission agreement that allowed nursing graduates to transition to UC’s RN to BSN online programs. Students that apply to SSCC’s AND program can choose to also apply to the RN to BSN program and have their application and confirmation fees waived by UC.
7 – Greenfield City Manager Todd Wilkin said that even though Greenfield’s downtown facade improvement program would receive less money than it originally expected, the program would continue. The program was planned to be funded with American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) money that initially was supposed to be $900,000, but Wilkin said was cut to $477,000 by the state.
14 – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a law that allowed county commissioners in the state to decide the fate of renewable energy projects. After the law took effect, the commissioners are able to either block proposed wind turbines, solar farms or other different renewable energy projects or put them in different areas of the county.
19 – The Highland County Board of Commissioners convened at the Leesburg Industrial Park and celebrated the construction of the Frito-Lay distribution center. Terry Britton, a member of the board of commissioners, said that he believed the building would be 18,000 square feet, cost about $1.2 million, and bring about 14 permanent jobs to the area.
29 – The Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts held its annual State Envirothon virtually, where the top two scoring teams from each of the five Area Envirothon’s could participate. The Lynchburg-Clay Gold team placed second in the Area 5 event and was coached by Lara Hamilton.
August
5 – “A Party on the Green” by the Hillsboro Elks hosted the band Vinyl Countdown on Saturday, Aug. 7. Todd Griffin, bass player for Vinyl Countdown, said that the band was only in its third year, but that the core of the band had been playing music together for 17 years. Griffin said they performed classic rock, a lot of ‘80s metal and ‘70s and ‘80s classic rock.
9 – An intent to designate Paint Creek, Upper Paint Creek, Rocky Fork Creek, Rattlesnake Creek and North Fork Paint Creek as parts of Ohio’s scenic river system was issued on July 16 and 17. Bob Gable, the scenic river program manager for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), said the designation would include the waterways and additional land out 1,000 feet on either side of it that would be designated as a Wild, Scenic and Recreational River Area.
23 – Fairfield Local Superintendent Tim Dettwiller announced on Monday, Aug. 23, that all of the school district would close for the remainder of the week. He said the school didn’t close the schools because of COVID, but because of kids being out of school for “a large variety of reasons.” Dettwiller said that most of the absences were due to a “rhinovirus” and that a few were quarantined due to close contact to people with COVID-19.
24 – The Greenfield Exempted Village School District announced that face coverings would be required at least until after the Sept. 5-11 break for the Highland County Fair. The exceptions to this mandate included recess, lunch, while people participated in extracurriculars, during physical education classes, when outside or “when given a break by teachers.”
Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.
