SENECA — State Rep. Lee James, R-64th, has again been named a member of the House Appropriations Committee by House Republican leadership. The upcoming fiscal year will be his fifth serving in that capacity.

“During our most recent budget, Rep. James questioned Budget Secretary Jen Swails about accounting practices that led to medical assistance, community health choices and the community waiver program facing an $801 million shortfall,” said Stan Saylor, appropriations chairman, in a news release. “Those are the kind of tough questions we need to pursue to serve the taxpayers as they expect.”

The House Appropriations Committee reviews and questions spending requests from state agencies and creates the final budget for members to review.

“The commonwealth's challenging financial situation is no secret, and we will need to make do with less,” James said in a statement. “I know we're going to face some hard decisions, but they must be made to avoid any tax increases — tax increases that families can't afford.”

The 2021-22 legislative session officially begins after members are sworn in to office Tuesday. The House will return for session Jan. 11.

Miracle-Ear of Butler, a part of the nationwide hearing solution franchise, partnered with the Miracle-Ear Foundation to provide Matilda “Tilly” McClafferty with free hearing aids.The Butler resident struggled with hearing loss for several years. She was examined by Marleen Hoffmann, a hearing aid specialist, and encouraged to apply for assistance from the foundation.McClafferty was approved and fitted with donated hearing aids as well as lifetime aftercare.The Miracle-Ear Foundation, working with Miracle-Ear centers across the country, including local franchisee Julie McKelvey, has donated more than 21,000 hearing aids to more than 11,700 individuals nationwide.Through the years, the Butler franchise has provided hundreds of hearing aids to those in need.“We're proud to support better hearing in our community,” McKelvey said. “When given the chance to improve lives through the gift of sound, we want to ensure every Butler resident has the opportunity.”

The Butler Farm Show elected board members and officers for 2021 at its recent annual board meeting.Board members Terry Cranmer, George Dean, Alvin Vogel, Paul Hartzell, Chris Michel and Cody Stephenson were re-elected to three-year terms. The newly elected officers are Ken Laughlin, president; Paul Hartzell, vice president; Cody Stephenson, treasurer; and Ken Metrick, secretary.In addition, three new members were appointed to the Butler Farm Show Junior Board. They are Maddy Fry, David Schultheis and Julia Zoelle. The junior board officers are Colton Karns, president; Ben Morgan, vice president; Madilynn Kerr, secretary; Cameron Karns, treasurer; and Robin Peters, public relations.