Community rallies in support of Summersett family

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

A large crowd of local residents filled the South Adams Middle School for a spaghetti supper, complete with plenty of pastries, to help raise funding for the family of Nikki Summersett on Saturday evening.

Summersett, who had been diagnosed with breast and liver cancer in early summer, passed away earlier this month after a gallant fight with the dreaded disease and an inspiring spiritual journey that has touched many lives in the local community over the past several months.
Saturday evening, hundreds of Berne residents came out to help support Summersett's husband, Jeff, and children, following thousands of dollars of investment for medical, travel and other bills associated with Nikki's illness.

Affolder Implement reopens

Decatur Daily Democrat:

"Everyone is doing all they can. It's just going to be a tough three of four months. But we'll stick with it," owner Greg Milholland said Wednesday, one day after his Affolder Implement firm in Berne formally reopened for business just eight days after a devastating fire.

"We're as full-go as much as we can be," the Decatur resident said of the reopening. "It's kind of like trying to walk with one foot off. We lost our parts department, but we can order parts; things like that."

Two-thirds of the business was destroyed by fire.

Canton tree stands as monument to Berne’s historical heritage

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

As the Muensterberg Plaza continues to develop; the construction of the canton tree has become one of the most attractive draws to those visiting the area the last several weeks. As anticipated, a large amount of landscaping was accomplished this fall in preparation for next spring, as well as several of the monumental intents of the plaza's architecture.

Attorney David Baumgartner, who heads up the Community Development Corporation's leadership at the plaza, stated earlier that the purpose of including the tree is to honor the various cantons of Switzerland. He noted that it is composed of a wood post with crests of each of the Swiss cantons, plus a crest for the United States; Switzerland; Indiana; Canton Bern; Berne, Indiana; and Trachselwald, Berne’s sister city.

County officials get TIF talk

Decatur Daily Democrat:

Decatur officials are seeking to create a tax increment financing (TIF) district within the city limits to receive tax proceeds from future increases in assessed property valuation of businesses and industries in the city, but not from any single-family residences in town.

Such tax proceeds would go to the Decatur Redevelopment Commission (DRC) for use in economic development projects within the city limits as a way of gaining jobs, raising payroll and local revenue, and even selling homes to new working families.

A Decatur TIF would not involve any businesses or industries outside of the city limits and any move to enlarge the Decatur TIF would require the same lengthy and detailed process that has been used to get the idea for a city TIF this far.