Adams-Wells Regional News

Friday, May 27, 2011

Farmers wait patiently for drenched soil to dry out

River rise not as dramatic and more rain falls

Decatur Daily Democrat:

As the rains continued in Decatur on Thursday, the St. Marys River continued to rise, although not as much as some people had feared.

The river stood at 19.4 feet in Decatur at 7 a.m. today, after measuring 17.4 and 18.6 feet on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Not too dramatic a rise, given that another .17 of an inch of rain fell in the city yesterday to boost the total rainfall for the previous four days to 3.31 inches.
Local weather station officials said this morning that May traditionally the wettest month here, and the script is being followed this year as the current month has seen 6.94 inches of rain recorded with five days remaining.

April rain here totaled 5.87 inches — 12.81 inches since the start of April!

It appears some dry days finally are upon us. The National Weather Service says no rain is expected in the Decatur area today, while Saturday's chances are pegged are 20 to 40 percent and Sunday's at 40 percent. No rain is mentioned in Memorial Day's forecast.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Board studies options for reassigning Horace Mann students

Huntington County Tab:

The Huntington County Community School Corporation redistricting committee is looking at three different options for reassigning former Horace Mann students to Andrews, Lancaster and Lincoln schools, Superintendent Tracey Shafer informed the school board on Monday, May 23.

The committee consists of Shafer, board members Rex Baxter (District 7) and Ben Landrum (District 3), Horace Mann Building Principal Amy Rudolf, Transportation Director Doug Waldfogel and six parents from Horace Mann, Andrews, Lancaster, Lincoln and Salamonie schools.

The first option, Shafer said, is to redraw the district boundary lines and absorb the Horace Mann district into the Andrews, Lancaster and Lincoln districts. Boundaries would be redrawn according to how many student vacancies are projected at each school.

Smith heads into the future with lessons learned from heartbreaking injury

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

Adams County avoids storm damage

Decatur Daily Democrat:

Adams County escaped damage from thunderstorms and tornadoes on Monday evening, but Van Wert County, just across the border in Ohio, was again hammered by a twister that reportedly left a 3.5-mile-long trail of destruction in the Ohio City area (see below).

One funnel cloud was reported by a stormspotter near Decatur shortly before 6 p.m., causing the several warning sirens in the city to be switched on, but there was no touchdown here, officials said.

In fact, no storm damage was reported today in the county by the emergency management and sheriff's departments.

All roads were open, but some rural roads had water running across them as storm water drained away. A few streets in Decatur had backed up water due to the amount of rain, but that drained away relatively quickly, officials said.

Rick Hill is sent to prison

Monday, May 23, 2011

Muhlenkamp's heart beats spiritual energy into her daily efforts

AC's new tech gets high praise

Weather slows hospital project

Friday, May 20, 2011

"Day of Infamy" changes life of young Berne man

City pay hikes pondered

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Up and ready in just one day

Health network staying in black

Decatur Daily Democrat:

The financial portrait for the Adams Health Network presented to AHN trustees Wednesday night continues to show a positive bottom line despite the fact that admissions were down nearly six percent from the previous month.

AHN Executive Director Marvin L. Baird and Chief Financial Officer Dane Wheeler reported that statistics for the first four months of 2011 show AHN with $285,352 in the black, compared to $386,003 at this point last year. Total operating revenue and total operating expenses for that time frame were nearly identical to those of 2010, but interest income and rental income were down.

Revenue received this year is $16,618,392 as compared to $16,463,064 last year while expenses are $16,719,797 compared to $16,725,350. Baird and Wheeler continue to note as they have in previous months that a new budgeting process has helped the hospital lower expenses.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

GIS is updated; advisory committee offering training sessions to public

Huntington County Tab:

The Huntington County GIS (Geographic Information System) is sporting a variety of updates as of May 11, and the Huntington County GIS Advisory Committee is offering training sessions to show any interested member of the community how to take advantage of the system's new capabilities.

Identical training sessions will be offered twice on Wednesday, May 18, in the GAR Room of the Huntington County Courthouse. The free 45-minute sessions will begin at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Seniors collect scholarships and honors at South Adams

To resting place ...

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Solid Waste Board officials see potential demise

Decatur Daily Democrat:

The Adams County Solid Waste Management District Board is preparing to take action to help thwart a possible move in the Indiana legislature to prevent property taxes from being used to finance all the county solid waste districts in the state and to keep the local waste-handling operation going in a different way if such a bill becomes law.

At Monday's meeting of the solid waste board, the members heard from Matt Lehman of Berne, the Republican state representative whose district includes Adams County, about a possible bill that was first filed a few years ago by a state senator from Hancock County.

Lehman said the 2011 measure, in the form of a resolution, never got out of a committee in the Senate and said, "There is little or no support in the Senate" for the idea. He said the chairman of the House committee that would consider such a bill "has no interest in this at all."

Three remained hospitalized

Monday, May 16, 2011

Local support generously keeps Dots in Blue Water project afloat

Vandals hit ball fields

Friday, May 13, 2011

Area farmers just waiting for break in weather

No bids for SA property

Decatur Daily Democrat:

South Adams Schools Superintendent Scott Litwiller said during this week's school board meeting that there have not been any bids submitted on the former Berne elementary school property.

Bidding was opened May 2 for the entire tract of real estate which totals 4.815 acres. Bidding will close at 3 p.m. on June 1. After the open bidding period ends, board members will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. that day to review the bids and to possibly accept a bid.

Litwiller reviewed the terms and conditions for selling the property. He said that the schools' board may sell the property to the "highest and best bidder" before expiration of the time set out in the notice. He added that all bids should be submitted in writing and delivered to the administration office in person or by first class mail.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

BHS grid coach hired on 3-2 vote

Columbine comment gets AC student suspended

South Adams looking for new head basketball coach

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Berne Senior Center has money woes

Decatur Daily Democrat:

For the first time in the 15-year history of the South Adams Senior Center, the organization's board of directors will be forced to withdraw money from its endowment fund to meet budget obligations this year.

And the center's financial outlook for 2012 is even more bleak.

With that scenario serving as a backdrop, senior center board members and staffers appeared before Berne City Council on Monday evening to seek financial assistance in the city's next budget cycle.

Hiring freeze lifted

Monday, May 9, 2011

Leonard sees fixes coming in future due to shortened session

Huntington County Tab:

In light of a five-week walkout from the Indiana Statehouse by House Democrats, District 50 Rep. Dan Leonard (R-Huntington) calls it an "accomplishment" that the state legislature was able to finish its session by the Friday, April 29 deadline.

"We got our work done without five weeks in the middle," Leonard said in Indianapolis on the final day of the 2011 legislative session. "But we missed that five weeks of discussion. I'm not trying to throw stones, but the legislation we're passing today ... we're going to have to come back and fix some things next year."

Leonard said that one of the keys to good legislation is debate from both sides - Republican and Democrat - which he feels was largely missing this year.

Adams Central student wins sixth annual academic quiz bowl

Home County students win $55,000 apiece in scholarship money

Friday, May 6, 2011

Community welcomes Amishville purchase with open arms

Prayers given on prayer day

Home Health Move Slated:

Decatur Daily Democrat:

What originally started as a single-person department by former Washington Township trustee Bob Gay in Adams County over 35 years ago — with registered nurse Vickie Gagle in charge — will soon be assumed by a new agency.

The Adams Health Network Board (AHN) of Trustees recently revealed that Adams County Home Health, which currently has a staff of 17 employee and has been operated by the hospital for the past several decades, soon will be assumed by Family Hospice of Northeastern Indiana with plans to expand into Jay and Wells counties

AHN Executive Director Marvin L. Baird strongly stressed the point that "we're (Home Health) still open for business at full steam. We'll still be taking patients and providing the quality in-home care our patients have grown accustomed to."

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Christina Christman has to use both hands when counting blessings on Mother’s Day

Huntington County Tab:

When Christina Christman stops on Mother's Day to count her blessings, she'll have to use both hands.

There's Alexandria, and Luke, and Marianne, and Benjamin, and Nicholas, and Joseph, and Gabriel.

That's seven kids, ranging in age from seven weeks to 11 years, every one of them welcome.

"We both wanted kids," Matt says. "We had no set plan of when or how many."

"We didn't have a plan," Christina says in agreement. "We just thank God for whatever he sends us."

They're fully aware that their large family goes against today's norm, with most young couples choosing to limit their families to one or two - sometimes three - children. They're OK with that.

Op Cleanup set to begin

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Fetters dominates Republican mayoral field

Huntington County Tab:

Huntington County Republicans tossed out a sitting mayor in favor of a city council member who held his first city job while still in college.

Brooks Fetters, a four-year member of the Huntington Common Council, won 32.25 percent of the vote to win the Republican nomination for mayor. Steve Updike, a former city police officer who is completing his first term as mayor, finished fourth in the seven-man field with just 17 percent of the vote.

"We were all concerned with the good of Huntington," Fetters said of the other candidates. "I felt real positive with what I was hearing door-to-door. I want to help Huntington become the best version of itself it can."

Referendum bid crushed

Mawhorr leads way to Relay for Life finish line

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Home Key extension office opening bumps up against hiring freeze

County’s tough times noted in discussion

Decatur Daily Democrat:

During Monday's discussion about whether or not to break the county hiring freeze and fill an educator's position in the county extension office, Commissioner Ed Coil pointed out that due to budget cutbacks, the highway department has lost seven employees in the past four years (largely by retirements) and only recently replaced one of them.

He also noted that each fulltime county employee is assisted in medical coverage by a $9,000 payment per year by the county, and that the county pays almost $100,000 to Purdue, about half the cost of operating the extension office.

Commissioner Doug Bauman added that proceeds from the County Economic Development Income Tax (CEDIT) are down, no miles of county roads will be prepared this year for chip-and-seal improvement in 2012, and the number of miles of road improved in 2010 was 20 fewer than in 2009 — all because of falling revenue.

"It's tough on all corners," said Bauman.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Run Over Violence attracts large crowd Saturday

School referendum up Tuesday