Bids are taken to finish repairs at work-release center

Decatur Daily Democrat:

The Adams County Work-Release Center, located beside the jail, has been in operation for more than 12 years and, now that its floor has been releveled, additional work is required to complete renovations before separate space is created for men and women.

Sheriff Shane Rekeweg attended Monday's meeting of the county commissioners with 10 price quotations for varied jobs, all of which were taken under advisement until next Tuesday's commissioners' meeting, a day later than usual due to the Labor Day holiday.

The bids were as follows:

INDOT to move on elevation of US 224

Decatur Daily Democrat:

The turnout was slim, and comments were few, during a public hearing held Tuesday evening for a proposed U.S. 224 highway improvement project in Decatur.

With only two dozen area residents in attendance, officials from the Indiana Department of Transportation detailed the construction plans for an estimated $3.5 million project that would elevate the state highway by as much as seven feet from the St. Marys River to just east of the U.S. 224 intersection with Jackson Street.

Construction would begin in 2015.

Former Berne woman faces Irene head on in Puerto Rico

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

The last name on South Adams graduate Carol (Sprunger) Sokolsky's mind when she and her husband, Sid, enjoyed a Puerto Rican beach on Aug. 20 was, "Irene." Unfortunately, Hurricane Irene was going to be her first and foremost concern within days; in fact, the strengthening Caribbean hurricane which would haunt the Sokolsky's for most the remaining part of their trip until they flew back to their Pittsburgh home last Wednesday.

Sokolsky grew up in the Berne area and graduated from South Adams High School. She is the daughter of Eileen Graber Sprunger Daugherty of this city.

NA and SA schools get ‘A’ ratings

Decatur Daily Democrat:

A record 775 Indiana schools — including North Adams and South Adams schools — have received an ‘‘A’’ or ‘‘exemplary’’ ranking based on student performance and improvement data.

Adams Central Schools received a B, or "commendable" rating.

The number of schools receiving an ‘‘F’’ and academic probation has been cut in half to 111.

The Indiana Department of Education released the rankings Monday after they were approved by the State Board of Education. The student data was collected from the state’s ISTEP-Plus and end-of-course assessments.

West Nile found in city

Decatur Daily Democrat:

West Nile Virus has been found in Decatur, Terry Smith, superintendent of the Adams County Health Department, announced Monday afternoon.

The Indiana Department of Health has confirmed the discovery, the virus having been found in a mosquito in Decatur a week or so ago, Smith said.

Decatur officials do regular testing as well as regular treatments of storm sewers and areas of water that remain stagnant.

Applicants sought to fill trustee’s post on the Warren Public Library Board

Huntington County Tab:

Applicants are being sought for a position on the Warren Public Library Board.

A new library trustee, to serve a four-year term beginning Oct. 1 and continuing through Sept. 30, 2015, will be appointed by the Huntington County Community School Corporation Board of Trustees.

Anyone interested in serving on the Warren Public Library Board should send a letter of interest, including pertinent qualifications, to the Huntington County Community Schools Administration Office, in care of Cindy Gray, 2485 Waterworks Rd., Huntington, IN 46750.

West Nile found in mosquitos in Berne

Decatur Daily Democrat:

West Nile Virus has been found in some mosquitos in Berne.

Berne officials, quoting reports by an official from the Indiana Department of Health, and Terry Smith, the superintendent of the Adams County Health Department, made the announcement on Thursday.

The fact that West Nile Virus has appeared in Berne "means that residents should limit the possibility of being bitten by an infected mosquito by applying repellants and making lifestyle modifications," the Berne statement said.

The announcement added that "city mosquito control personnel have treated, and do treat, storm sewers as well as areas of water that remain stagnant with environmentally-friendly formulations to control larvae populations before they advance to the adult stage."

Coats visits Berne Tuesday

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

Indiana Senator Dan Coats told a group of local residents on Tuesday that he is proud to represent the "Indiana model" in Washington. "It is a privilege to represent the state of Indiana in Washington," said Coats to a group of residents gathered at The Gathering House in Berne at lunchtime. "We determined what is necessary to keep our fiscal house in order," said Coats. "We have done it without a tax increase. We are a business friendly state, a place known to many now as the, 'Indiana model.' Thanks to leaders like State Representative Matt Lehman and Senator Travis Holdman, we are better off than any other state in the nation." Coats said that he traveled around the state for a year before allowing his name to stand as a Republican candidate for senate when Evan Bayh vacated his seat.

City-county building meeting set

Decatur Daily Democrat:

A meeting will take place next week in Decatur involving city and Adams County officials to discuss the next step concerning the proposal to build a city-council building in downtown Decatur.

The meeting will include county Commissioner Ed Coil, likely a member of the county council, Decatur Mayor John Schultz, a member of the city council, and perhaps others, such as City Attorney Tim Baker and County Attorney Mark Burry.

At Monday's meeting of the commissioners, Schultz said city leaders are interested in the city-county building idea, but want to know the county's interest.

Decatur's 175th celebration opened over the weekend

Decatur Daily Democrat:

The 175th anniversary celebration of Decatur's founding began with a bang, with numerous events last weekend.

One of the highlights was the screenings of "Hoosiers" and "Rudy" with David Anspaugh on hand to narrate and provide autographs.

Brad Boyle, a Bellmont grad who played Whit in the film, and director Anspaugh, a 1965 Decatur High School grad, both attended the "Hoosiers" screening.

FCC more than quadruples work force in nine years

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

Elizabeth Daniels, administrative manager at FCC (Adams) said at a Thursday luncheon that most of the company's success is due to the continued steady sales of Ford pickup trucks.

FCC is a manufacturer of automatic transmission clutch assemblies and components, mainly for Ford, but a small amount for Honda. Daniels said that company capabilities include transfer press stamping/forming, grob forming, flow-forming, aluminum die casting, electron beam welding, machining and assembly.

"We are lucky that Ford has stayed steady," said Daniels of the company's success. "Ford pickup sales have remained outstanding. We are very fortunate that Ford has stayed strong."

City’s 175th celebration opens today

Decatur Daily Democrat:

Decatur's long-awaited 175 Anniversary Celebration officially kicked off today, starting a 10-day run which coincides with the annual Kekionga Festival.

Citywide garage sales and a co-ed slo-pitch tournament are today's opening events. Two performances of the "Cuties of Decatur" were held Wednesday and Thursday, and a dinner-play performance is scheduled tonight.

County resident was once responsible for grandstands

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

Mark Merkel and his wife, Judi, have been to many shows and events at the grandstands of the Indiana State Fair over many years. There were years when they lived in an apartment underneath of the grandstands at fair time but they had never seen anything like the collapse of the stage at Saturday's Sugarland concert. "I've been to at least a hundred shows or events and have seen various configurations over the years," said Merkel. "I never saw anything like that. There was a lot of weight on the top, lights, accessories and lots of things. When that thing came down, it was so high that it really came down with much force.

City joins early move toward a joint building

Decatur Daily Democrat:

A proposed city-county building in downtown Decatur took another step toward reality Tuesday night when Decatur City Council unanimously agreed to spend the funds necessary for its involvement in such a project.

While a city-county building still has numerous hoops to jump through, momentum seems to be building. Now that the city has committed to paying the Schenkel Schultz architectural firm of Fort Wayne to move forward on plans, it's almost assured the county will follow suit.

Although council committed the city to the first phase, Mayor John Schultz pointed out that should the county drop the proposal then the city would no longer be obligated.

Weigel family raises top 10 horses

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

Tom, John, and Tom’s son, Brian, Weigel, of rural Bryant have a lot to be proud of. Earlier this summer they competed in the Hoosier Palomino Show in New Castle, judging for the best in Indiana and their horses won Grand Champion (Mandy) and Reserve Grand Champion (Belle).

Then, the week of the July 31 they went to Tulsa, Oklahoma to show their two Palomino horses at the World Championship Horse Show. They knew they had raised great horses, but they didn’t know just how great they truly were. Their two horses “Mandy by Mister” and “Belle” were awarded eighth (Belle) and fifth (Mandy) in the world.

They got started showing horses around 20 years ago after Tom Weigel sold their cattle after 15 years of milking and bought a few riding horses. They transformed their heifer barn into a horse stable and Weigel gradually began to buy show horses and he and his family are now hooked. Brian is the showman for the horses and has learned from countless years in 4-H showing cattle.

Overload blamed for fatal fire

Decatur Daily Democrat:

Officials of the Decatur Fire Department have announced that the cause of the fire which took the lives of an elderly married couple in the city last Thursday was due to overloading of the electrical circuits in their home.

Claude and Donna West, ages 74 and 71, respectively, died of smoke inhalation in their house at 720 Elm St. There funeral service was scheduled for 1 p.m. today in Zwick and Jahn Funeral Home.

Holdup suspect gets date for trial

Decatur Daily Democrat:

Seth T. Curtis, the 25-year-old Redkey man charged with six crimes in regard to a robbery attempt last Sunday at the CVS store in Berne, has been arraigned in Adams Circuit Court and was set for trial on December 2.

Couple dies in home fire

Decatur Daily Democrat:

Funeral services are pending at Zwick & Jahn Funeral Home for Claude E. West, 74, and his wife Donna K. West, 71, who died in a house fire early Thursday morning in the city.

Both died of smoke inhalation, according to Assistant Fire Chief Jim Hitchcock. One died in the living room and the other died in a bedroom.

An autopsy at Adams Memorial Hospital, led by Adams County Deputy Coroner Leslie Cook, determined the cause of death on Thursday.

No determination of the cause of the fire has yet been determined, except that it started in the living room.

NA elected board OK needed; could begin in 2012

Decatur Daily Democrat:

Officials at North Adams Community Schools expect to learn in the next month or six weeks the status of a petition that, if formally approved by the state Department of Education, will pave the way for school board members to be elected beginning next year.

Current board members voted in March of this year to accept a citizens' petition that calls for board members to be elected, effectively replacing the school district's 40-year method of filling board seats by appointment.

Redkey man charged in attempted CVS robbery

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

A Redkey man has been charged with six counts by the Adams County Prosecutor's office in connection with an attempted armed robbery on Sunday afternoon at the CVS Pharmacy on the north side of Berne.

Seth T. Curtis, age 25, has been charged with one count of armed robbery, three counts of criminal confinement, and one count each of unlawful possession of syringe and possession of paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor.

The affidavit for probable cause states that at approximately 2 p.m. on Sunday, Curtis entered the pharmacy dressed in black clothing, holding a white and black handkerchief over his face with his right hand and a black handgun in his left hand. Upon entering he encountered Rick Steiner, a customer. The record indicates that Steiner was just about to leave the store when Curtis pointed the handgun in his face and told him to go back to the pharmacy and he complied.

Warren council has another vacancy to fill

Huntington County Tab:

For the second time this year, the members of the Warren Town Council must fill a vacancy created by a death.

Councilman Ronald Boxell died Wednesday, Aug. 3, after being hospitalized for several days. Despite his illness, Boxell had remained an active member of the council and had filed as a candidate for re-election. Because no one else filed as a candidate for that seat, he would have automatically served another term.

City rain hits 1.68

Decatur Daily Democrat:

The dry spell in Decatur took a big hit over the weekend, with over an inch and a half of rain recorded at the city weather station.

Weather station officials say they measured 1.06 of an inch on Saturday and another .6 of an inch on Sunday.

Berne recorded .77 of an inch of rain over the weekend, and Geneva had .54, according to reports.

Until Saturday, Decatur had received just .96 of an inch of rain since June 24.

In the past five days, however, Decatur has recorded 2.17 inches of rain.

The southern half of Adams County was under a severe thunderstorm warning for a time on Sunday afternoon.

Berne CVS held up at gunpoint

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

At approximately 1:45 p.m., Seth T. Curtis, 25, of Redkey entered the Berne CVS and proceeded to attempt to rob the store. Off-duty police officer Dio Hernandez who was present saw the robbery in progress and intervened. Shots were fired, but the suspect was shot in the right arm.

According to Berne police chief Tim Taylor, Curtis was taken away by EMS for medical treatment and was reported to be in stable condition at that time.

No other injuries occurred.

The police were unable to report what the suspect was looking for but did confirm that the incident occurred near the pharmacy.

Bippus PO officially on study list for closure

Huntington County Tab:

Last week, the United States Postal Service released another list of more than 3,000 post offices across the country to be studied for closure.

Among the list is one office in Huntington County - Bippus.

Being on the list doesn't mean that an office will close, but the possibility exists. USPS has said that public meetings will take place before USPS can actually close an office, and it is against federal law for USPS to close an office solely for financial reasons.

Swiss Days magnetic for family and strangers alike

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

One of the winners at this year's Swiss Days was anyone that sold bottles of water or other refreshing liquids. Other than a small break with cloud cover on Friday morning, this year's festival will carry the tag as one of the hottest Swiss Days in recent years. But in spite of the heat and humidity, crowds showed up by the thousands; local businesses and Swiss Days officials reported good returns from this year's event.

One of the heartwarming events this year was the likes of those who came to town, not knowing what to expect, such as Wilmer Bultemeier and his wife who came to Indiana from Florida, not expecting to attend Swiss Days, but ended up spending their entire weekend here.

The Bultemeiers originally attended a meeting in Indianapolis last week. As things were winding down with their commitment, they mutually discussed the possibility of driving to the local community to see, "that Berne festival we had never been to."

Fire hits building at EPC

Decatur Daily Democrat:

A fire that started in a building separate from the main structure on the Elkhart Products Corp. site in Geneva caused considerable damage inside that building late Tuesday night and reportedly caused minor hand burns to one employee.

No details of the fire were available today. The plant manager was gone for the day and the plant engineer was in a staff meeting this morning, the Daily Democrat was told. Neither the Geneva fire chief nor the assistant chief were available for comment The walls of the building were still in place, but two EPC employees said holes were cut in the roof to extinguish the flames.