What's Up

Garage sale in Celina Sept. 27-Oct. 2
A six-day sale sponsored by the Mercer County Council on Aging (MCCOA) will be held Sept. 27 through Oct. 2 at the Senior Citizen Center at 217 Riley Street in Celina. Call 419-586-1644 for hours of operation.

Kinder Haus BBQ Chicken Dinner fundraiser Oct. 5 

Swiss Village’s Kinder Haus Day Care will be host a drive-thru chicken dinner fundraiser Friday, Oct. 5, from 4 to 6 p.m. Tickets will be sold by pre-sale only.

The Dinner will include Romers half chicken, applesauce, potato chips, and dinner roll with butter. Cost is $7 each and can be purchased at the Swiss Village front desk, The Arthur and Gloria Muselman Wellness Pavilion or Kinder Haus Day Care through Sept. 28.

All proceeds will go directly to the Kinder Haus Day Care Endowment Fund. For more call 260-589-3173.

Bowman Reunion Oct. 7
The Bowman Reunion will be held Sunday, Oct. 7, from noon to 4 p.m. at Legion/Cannon Park on Winchester Street in Decatur. Those attending should bring a side dish to share. Chicken and juice will be provided.

For more information or directions call Krissa Aker at 260-701-2528.

Affolder Implement to reopen service area October 1

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

Affolder Implement Sales, Inc. is approaching the end of a long and sometimes hard journey. The service area which was destroyed by fire last December has been rebuilt and should be opening by Oct. 1, according to business owner Greg Milholland.

"We should start doing some moving in next week, around the 25th," said Milholland. "We won't be ready to work until Oct. 1.

"It's been quite a journey, long and tough at times," Milholland said. "It is very fulfilling that so many people stood by us and continue to do business with us. There are times that I know that it's been unhandy for them to do business with us. The community came to our rescue. Words can't express our appreciation for the way that so many people assisted."

Police: Mom told teens to rob Amish

Decatur Daily Democrat:

The Adams County sheriff’s and Berne police departments collaborated to quickly arrest four suspects in the alleged recent attacks on members of the Amish community in the Berne area, according to Adams County Prosecutor Chris Harvey

Three people now face multiple felony charges, including armed robbery, and a fourth is facing a conspiracy charge.

David Veliz, 19, and Alejandro Lopez, 18, both of Fort Wayne, and Brady Rodriguez, 17, who is a minor but has been remanded to adult court, all face one count of armed robbery, three counts of attempted armed robbery, three counts of criminal confinement, and one count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

Roanoke council explores extension of High Street

Huntington County Tab:

A project to extend High Street, connecting Roanoke to a cluster of businesses currently only accessible only via U.S.-24, was discussed at the Tuesday, Sept. 18, meeting of the Roanoke Town Council.

"This is a good deal here," says Councilman John Stoeckley. "It'll keep our residents from having to pull on to 24 and then decelerate right away and pull into the businesses."

High Street currently ends at Washington Street. Beyond High Street is a small section of land and the businesses lie on the other side of that, where a street is already in place.

Two in jail for Amish attacks

Decatur Daily Democrat:

Alejandro Lopez, 18, and David Veliz, 19, both of Fort Wayne, were arrested and an unnamed juvenile have been detained by the Adams County Sheriff’s Department for their involvement with alleged crimes committed against members of the Amish community in Adams County last Monday, according to Adams County Prosecutor Chris Harvey.
 

The prosecutor said both men have been preliminarily detained pending charges of armed robbery and criminal confinement.
 

Formal charges are against both men and more information will be provided as soon as it's made available, he added.

Arnold named athletic director at South Adams

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

In a special board meeting on Tuesday evening, the South Adams School Board wrapped up a four-week search by acting on the recommendation of superintendent Scott Litwiller and high school principal Trent Lehman and unanimously approving the hiring of Jason Arnold as South Adams’ new athletic director.

“I’m looking forward to working with him during this transition time,” said Litwiller.

Arnold is currently the head football coach for the Starfires, a high school social studies teacher, and a driver’s education teacher. He is a graduate of Ball State University and has a degree in administration. He was hired at South Adams five years ago as the head football coach and a social studies teacher. He has experience coaching football from elementary through high school and spent some time coaching soccer at Geyer Middle School early in his career.

Arrests made in Amish attacks

Decatur Daily Democrat:

Two Fort Wayne men are being held without bond today in the Adams County Jail in connection with several attacks on Amish residents in southern Adams County Monday.

Adams County Sheriff Shane Rekeweg announced this morning that his department, with assistance from the public and the Berne Police Department, was able to identify and arrest David Veliz, 19, and Alejandro Lopez, 18. Both are preliminarily charged with armed robbery.

Hank vs. IDEM...Hank wins!

Decatur Daily Democrat:

Adams County Solid Waste District Manager Hank Mayer reported to the district's board of trustees on Monday that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has backed off an earlier requirement that a passive gas study be performed at the county's long-closed south landfill.

After IDEM earlier this year had required the county to implement the additional test vents to monitor methane gas at the landfill, Mayer called the state agency to protest.

"I told them they were making us spend a lot of money for absolutely nothing, and that they should take another look" at the mandate, Mayer told the board.

The director reported that IDEM officials responded by saying that if the passive gas vents were installed as requested, the district could halt its ongoing methane monitoring at the landfill. If the new vents are not installed, Mayer said, IDEM will require methane testing for five more years.

Over 1,000 show up to honor Neuenschwander at auction

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

The sound of auctioneers could be heard echoing around the barn and sheds of the Phil Neuenschwander property on Saturday. Crowds of people from around the county jammed together to examine ponies, thousands of tools and other farm heirlooms and to examine items for sale on the farm they had occupied since May of 1947.

Their children, Judy, Patti, Cheryl and Thomas (deceased) were born and raised on the property. Thousands of family experiences with children, eight grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren were cutting sentimental grooves in Leona Neuenschwander's memories on Saturday. Phil sat in a cart and watched silently as a lifetime of treasures were sold and dispensed. It was a day of mixed feelings, with concerns from aging being dispensed, but disposing of items that represented priceless memories.

Diners at Applebee’s on Sept. 10 can turn in flier to make a donation to Pathfinder Services programs

Huntington County Tab:

Pathfinder Services will hold a Dine to Donate day at Applebee's, located at 346 Hauenstein Rd., Huntington, on Monday. Sept. 10 from 11 a.m. to midnight as part of its United Way Pacesetter campaign.

For anyone who eats at Applebee's that day and turns in a flier, the restaurant will donate 15 percent of the total ticket price for that order. Fliers can be found at www.pathfinderservices.org, at the Pathfinder Services main office at 2824 Theater Ave., Huntington, or at the Pathfinder Community Supports office at 1152 E. State St., Huntington.

No city help for Oakwood

Decatur Daily Democrat:

The Oakwood Addition south of Decatur continues under a boil advisory due to major problems with its water system, but at this point there is no way the City of Decatur could or would come to the rescue.

Councilman Matt Dyer raised the matter at Tuesday night's city council meeting, asking if it would be possible for the city to provide water to the residents of Oakwood, also known as Yost Woods.

Board of Works and Safety member Bill Karbach put it succinctly: "They couldn't afford it," referring to what it would cost for the city to do so.

Roanoke to weigh funding options for utility project

Huntington County Tab:

The Roanoke Town Council will decide how to fund capital improvements to the town's water utilities at its next meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 18.

Greg Guerrettaz, of Financial Solutions Group, Inc., was present at the Sept. 4 meeting to answer any questions council members might have regarding the municipal water utility rate review he prepared.

The review analyzed receipts and disbursements, cash balance and all pertinent information regarding the town's water utilities, using information for the 2011 calendar year. Additionally, the review provided the council with two ways to fund the list of capital improvements to the water utilities it approved on its June 19 meeting.

Thefts from vehicles in Geneva on rise

Decatur Daily Democrat:

Geneva Marshall Rob Johnson reported during the town's council meeting on Tuesday that there has been an increase in the number of calls to the police regarding items being stolen out of vehicles.

Johnson said, "We encourage people to keep their car doors locked" to avoid becoming a victim of this increasingly popular crime. He also said to make sure to report any theft to the Geneva Police Department as soon as possible because, "We will go out of our way to check it out."

Johnson also reported that there has been an increase in noise complaints, such as people playing music in their cars too loudly. Because there is no town noise ordinance, council members agreed to have Clerk-Treasurer Bill Warren draft an ordinance for review at an upcoming meeting. Warren noted that Berne and Fort Wayne have noise ordinances that are similar to each other and measure noise in footage as opposed to decibels. The Geneva ordinance will likely follow suit.

Maintaining healthy and productive soil topic of seminar

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

Farmers from throughout the county gathered at the Dan Abnet farm for this year's annual Adams County Soil and Water Annual Field Day.

This year's event included a combination of Adams County Soil and Water Conservation District, Upper Wabash Valley Basin Commission and St. Mary's River Watershed Project.

"The purpose of this is promoting soil and water health and quality," said Katy Stoller, resource specialist for the Indiana Department of State Agriculture.

Emphasis at the seminar included soil health demonstrations, no-till use of cover crops and soil quality. There was also discussion concerning cover crop choices, precision planting and crop production. The seminar was also permitted to count as credit for those working on their PAPR credit pesticide applicator.

Two-week 4-H exchange trip to Poland tops list for Huntington resident’s vacation

Huntington County Tab:

When most teenagers think of how to spend their summers, a two-week trip to Poland doesn't top the list.

Unless you're Huntington resident Rhyan Geiger, who spent June 25 through July 8 in Poland as part of a team of 4-H exchange students.

Geiger says the yearly program is familiar to her family.

"We have previously hosted exchange students from Poland and Japan," she says. "Our team of nine had kids from Allen and Wells counties, one from Plymouth and another from Indianapolis."

City awarded $400,000 grant - Will be used to raze onetime city garage

Decatur Daily Democrat:

The city of Decatur has been awarded a $400,000 federal Community Development Block Grant to help pay for the cost of demolishing a former street department building that has been deemed a public hazard and an eyesore.

The grant, announced Friday by Indiana Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, was made available through the Indiana Community Focus Fund and is administered through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA). Decatur was one of 38 Hoosier communities to share in CFF grants totaling $16,248,626.

"This is wonderful news, just wonderful," Mayor John Schultz said Friday morning. "I'm very happy about this."

Remains of old Mennonite Cemetery brought back home

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

Remains and artifacts that had been removed from the old Mennonite Cemetery two years ago have been brought back home for internment in the MRE Cemetery. The mass grave containing the remains is located south of the flagpole in the southern part of the graveyard.

Susan Doell, representing the Indiana Department of Transportation, said that final permission to bury the remains and artifacts was given late Tuesday, allowing for the Wednesday burial.

Ryan Peterson, archeologist in charge of the excavating project, said that in the end his archeological team had excavated slightly over 130 grave shafts. In the process of their work, Peterson said that archeologists had found all forms of remains, including portions of skeletons, burial relics and portions of caskets. While most grave shafts were located just to the east of the highway, Peterson had reported that there were three confirmed grave shafts on the very eastern portion of the grade school property.