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The official student news site of Highlands High School

The Hilltopper

The official student news site of Highlands High School

The Hilltopper

The official student news site of Highlands High School

The Hilltopper

Yearbook photo of the discovered WWII Veteran Joseph Allen DeJarnette (Photo taken by Carson Hoeh at the City of Fort Thomas Museum).

Recently found remains of WWII veteran have ties to Fort Thomas

Carson Hoeh May 1, 2025

A missing World War II veteran has finally come home. In September 2023, researchers identified the remains of the plane that went down in Salzwedel, Germany. They connected it to Joseph DeJarnette,...

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Comparison between two tank tops from SHEIN (left) and TEMU (right). Made by Natalie Hinegardner.

Trump tariffs affect the prices on websites like SHIEN and TEMU

Natalie Hinegardner, Staff April 25, 2025

On April 2, President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing a minimum 10% tariff on all U.S. imports effective April 5. This day was called "Liberation Day.”  During the week of April 11-17,...

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Crowds of people gather on St. Peter’s Square to hear the pope speak. (Christian Lendl, Unsplash)

Pope Francis’ passing marks a moment of mourning for Catholics worldwide

McKinley Jones and Elizabeth Murriner April 23, 2025

On Monday, April 21, at 7:35 AM local time in Rome, Italy, Pope Francis passed. Pope Francis, the first Latin American Pope, lived to 88 and served 12 years. Pope Francis' cause of death was a stroke that...

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This is the Hudson River, taken just three minutes before the Helicopter plunged its way into the water. (Photo by Oleg Yunakov, Creative Commons.)

Unraveling the Hudson River tragedy

Adrianna Smedley April 16, 2025

On April 10, Thursday late afternoon, a Bell 206 LongRanger IV New York helicopter was on a sightseeing tour. However, at around 3:17 PM, the helicopter with its pilot and passengers plunged into the Hudson...

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Outlook of the Reds stadium and the river from Great American Ball Park. (Brian Merz, used with permission)

Ohio River flood displaces community members

Audrina Trauth, Staff April 14, 2025

Spring is coming, which means more rain is brought to the north, followed by tornado watches and flood warnings across Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, etc. Usually, when it gets rain here, people expect nothing...

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The Kentucky General Assembly passed HB 208,  “the Cellphone Ban” bill, on March 14, 2025, and sent it to the Governor to sign.

Kentucky General Assembly passes cellphone ban in schools

Adalyn Armstrong-Cattani, Staff April 7, 2025

Technology can be beneficial to students' learning, but also seen as a distraction. When students have their phones the chances of being productive are significantly reduced.  When this was brought...

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Evelyn Morel (12) driving after school.

Kentucky’s senate votes to lower permit age to 15

Maisy Wilson and Alecia Cogsville March 25, 2025

Towards the beginning of this year, Kentucky representative Steven Rudy, the Majority Floor Leader, had encouraged House Bill 15. House Bill 15 is a piece of legislation that Steven Rudy is sponsoring...

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February marks the first of 1,000 immediate Park Ranger layoffs, this number may fluctuate.

Park Ranger speaks out amidst national layoff emergency

Ella Peabody, Managing Editor March 18, 2025

**Due to the sensitive nature of current layoffs, names with an * have been changed to protect anonymity.  At the beginning of February, President Trump's administration decided to immediately begin...

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The Fort Thomas Independent School logo.

BREAKING NEWS: School Board update date for last day of school and graduation

Emme Orme, Editor-In-Chief March 11, 2025

BREAKING NEWS: On Monday, March 10, the Fort Thomas Independent School Board approved changes to the district calendar. The final day of school for the district will be May 23, 2025 with the graduation...

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Federal employees protest their rights and positions.

Government employee layoffs prompt Russia and China to jump at recruiting resentful Americans

Ella Peabody, Managing Editor March 4, 2025

As the federal government is pounded by layoffs, Russia and China leapt at the chance of grasping trained U.S workers now out of jobs. Many of these employees not only with the capabilities but also with...

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