A Great Auctioneer/Realtor Passed Away

A great Auctioneer/Realtor has gone home to be with the lord. Dannie Hess set a high standard for us in the real estate profession to follow. Integrity, kindness, concern for others and willingness to do the right thing...are my memories of Mr. Hess. He will be missed.

Auditor's New Website

Highland County Auditor Bill Fawley was the guest speaking at our recent Highland County Board of Realtors meeting discussing the launching of the new website. The website now offers aerial maps and searching features to make doing business easier. The world now knows all about you! You can run but we will find you! To check out your new auditor's website click here.

Thanks to The Highland County Press

Thanks to Rory Ryan of The Highland County Press for the picture on the front page of the September 12th edition! We appreciate the support and recognition for celebrating 20 years! Rory is the new owner of the paper....we look forward to working with him!

Cow Tax Draws Critcism

Our Genius Leadership! Your EPA is proposing to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act resulitng in new taxes on livestock operations. The fees proposed would be $175 for a dairy cow, $87.50 for a beef cow and $20 per hog! There is an article in the Buckeye Farm News, a Farm Bureau publication describing the proposal. Only in a America! To Read More http://ofbf.org/page/DTOD-7LWJHU.

Hudson River Crash - A True Miracle

On Thursday, January 15th, US Airways Flight 1549 crashed into the Hudson River shortly after takeoff at La Guardia Airport in New York City. This happened after the plane's engines were hit by a flock of birds. The pilot, Chesley "Sully" Sullenbrger, heroically landed the jet, resulting in 0 fatatlies.

This crash is a reminder to all of us just how fast accidents happen and truly what a miracle it was that no one lost their life.

Read more about this event by clicking here.

Nashville

My wife Karen's mom & dad Bill & Hazel Gustin just celebrated their 50th wedding anniverary in late October! This past weekend the four of us took off to see The Grand Ole Opry and stay at The Opryland Hotel. I'm not able to get out of the office very often so for me it was a breath of fresh air! The Hotel is a must see...simply incredible! The Rockettes were performing and we got tickets to the show. The girls liked it! The Grand Ole Opry was held at the Ryman downtown Nashville! A blend of old country music and modern artist were featured. A good time was had by all! We toured Studio B on Music Row were over 30,000 songs have been recorded including half of Elvis Presley's recorded songs. That was a great field trip!

Seven Caves is now Cave Canyon Nature Preserve

We live in a wonderful area! A great article about our 7 Caves now known as Cave Canyon Nature Preserve was featured in our local newspaper. Breath-taking beauty, awesome scenery, cliffs and canyons, 23 caves, and rare plant life can be found minutes East of Hillsboro! Take the family and check it out! To read more and contact information, click here.

Ohio adds military status as new protected class

A new law, recently signed by Gov. Strickland will provide greater protections and benefits to members of the Armed Forces beginning March 24, 2008. To read more click Here.
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Highland County Treasurer Announces New Tax Bill for '08

The treasurer's office is responsible for the printing, mailing, and collecting of taxes set by the county auditor's office. And, Fenner says, your upcoming tax bill will have a brand-new look.

The new bills are very from what has been sent in the past. Now, you'll not only be able to see the county, but also the township, school, JVS, MRDD, health and mental-health departments, and the appraised value. You'll also see the Homestead reduction and any special assessment.

To read this full article by Corinne Gompf, click HERE.

Wall Street rallies again on Bush plan, high hopes for Fed rate cut

Wall Street has been concerned about the housing slump's impact on consumers. However, stocks eventually pushed higher; a weak consumer, though bad for corporate profits, at least supports the opinion of the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. A rate cut could help rejuvenate the slowing economy and loosen up the tight credit markets.

As President Bush announced a plan allowing some homeowners facing foreclosure not only to freeze their interest rates for up to five years, but also to refinance their mortgages, stocks got a major boost. The plan was created by the Treasury Department, mortgage lenders and banks, and might be able to help about 1.2 million homeowners.

To read this full article by Madlen Read, click HERE.

Sewer rates may be going up in Rocky Fork area

Residents of the Rocky Fork Lake area may be experiencing a raise in sewer rates in the near future, after the sewer system operating fund decreased as the result of a large number of people who have fallen behind in payments.

The Highland County Board of Commissioners was told during the board's regular meeting Wednesday that 23 percent of residents in the area have left their sewer bills unpaid for an extensive amount of time. This has lead to the only alternative that can be found, raising the rate.

To read this full article by Katie Wright, click HERE.

Skyrocketing cropland prices shackle some farmers

Average cropland values in the U.S. rose by 13 percent to $2,700 per acre this year, up from $2,390 last year, according to the Department of Agriculture. In Ohio, the price jumped 10.7 percent, to $3,920 an acre.

The increasing value of cropland is being fueled by higher prices for commodities such as soybeans, wheat and corn, which is getting an extra bump by the popularity of the corn-based fuel additive ethanol.

To read this full article, click HERE.

Administration tells Congress it is dealing with rising mortgage foreclosures

The Bush administration assured Congress on Friday that it is aggressively working to deal with a rising tide of mortgage foreclosures in the country. Officials, however, said homeowners threatened with the loss of their homes must do their part by actively seeking help to avert foreclosures.

Many Democrats have been highly critical of the administration’s efforts. They have been contending that they are too dependent on the industry and offer too little in terms of government assistance to stem what could be an estimated 2 million home foreclosures in the coming two years.

For full article, click HERE.

Fed slices key interest rate by a quarter point

The Federal Reserve sliced an important interest rate this past Wednesday, its second reduction in the last six weeks. This was done to help the economy survive the strains of a deepening housing slump that is likely to crimp growth in the coming months.

All but one of the Fed colleagues agreed to lower the federal funds rate by one-quarter percentage point to 4.50 percent at the end of a two-day meeting. The funds rate affects many other interest rates charged to millions of individuals and businesses and is the Fed's most potent tool for influencing economic activity.

To read the full article, click HERE.

Much of U.S. could see a water shortage

With the crisis feared in the nation’s dwindling freshwater supplies, more technology and conservation are being seen. "Is it a crisis? If we don't do some decent water planning, it could be," said Jack Hoffbuhr, executive director of the Denver-based American Water Works Association.

The price tag for ensuring a reliable water supply could be a major expense. Experts estimate that just upgrading pipes to handle new supplies could cost the nation $300 billion over 30 years. Although the immediate concern for us is the U.S., it's not just America's problem - it's global...

To read the full article, click HERE..

Housing slump likely to worsen

The problems in housing have been a serious drag on the overall economy - slashing more than a full percentage point off growth in some quarters. This major slump began in late 2005, and isn't expected to get better for another year or so.

The Joint Economic Committee estimates there will be 1.3 million foreclosures from mid-2007 through 2009 in sub prime mortgages. These loans are provided to borrowers with weak credit histories. Those foreclosures will wipe out an estimated $71 billion in housing wealth directly and another $32 billion indirectly....

To read the full article, click HERE..

Fate of venerable school will be discussed again

There is a committee exploring possibilities for the Hillsboro middle and high school buildings. The original high school buildings were built in 1935, and the middle school is in them now. Many people, including Marilyn Hiestand, a member of the committee, say the buildings are a symbol of their memories of their lives in Hillsboro. A lot of people are dreading the thought of the possibility of seeing the structures destroyed.

The committee is open to the public. It holds monthly meetings to discuss suggestions for possible uses of the buildings once students move into the new high school and middle school. Although the students aren't scheduled to be into the new schools until 2009-10, the decisions for what will happen to the old buildings will be made much sooner.

To read the full article, click HERE.

Another Step Forward for Hobart Drive/S.R. 73 connector

The Highland County Board of Commissioners announced this funding has been approved to begin the first phase in building a link between U.S. 62 and state Route 73.

Briefly discussed during the meeting was a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) that will enable the county to move forward on plans to extend Hobart Drive to reach state Route 73.

To read the full article, click HERE.

2006 - An Eventful Year

As 2006 comes to a close, my thoughts turn to personal and community accomplishments and events. The year 2006 has been a newsmaker for Highland County! A recent article highlighted the top stories for each month. I will share just a few of these:
January
Modular units were installed to provide temporary houseing for the offices contained in the Hillsboro Safety Building.
Michael Fogt of Hillsboro was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Martha Perry.
February
Errol Baker II was killed by an Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper during a traffic stop (it was ruled the trooper acted according to procedure). Baker was awaiting trail for his involvement in a drug ring that was run out of Charlie Davis Motos in Hillsboro.
March
Highland County Commom Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey Hoskins was indicted on 16 felony and misdemeanor counts for alleged illegal activities such as theft in office and tampering with records.
April
Trial began for 8 defendants surrounding the alleged drug ring and subsequent tri-county drug bust involving Charlie Davis Motors in Hillsboro.
May
Southern State Community College was granted a 10-yr. accreditation by the Higher Learning Commision.
June
Cyclists fromt he Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure rolled into Hillsboro for a two-day stay at the Highland County Fairgrounds.
July
Hillsboro celebrated the annual Festival of the Bells and Greenfield held its Wheels of Progress.
August
Morris Mitchum, an inmate housed in the Highland County Justice Center, was found dead in his cell after he allegedly hanged himself.
September
A Greenfield man, James Elliott, was convicted of raping an 8-year-old girl and sentenced to life in prison.
Beth Mains pleaded no contest to manslaughter in the 2004 death of Tina Bowling.
October
Residents of Concord Township protested the possible establishment of a junkyard off State Route 136.
The Rocky Fork Lake Alliance was formed to address overall improvement of the area.
November
The general election say longtime incumbent Russ Newman unseated by Gary Heaton.
December
Sherry Stout was named the fourth president of Southern State Community College following Larry Dukes' retirement after 11 years at the institution.

These newsmaking stories were among the biggest in Highland County in 2006!

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