Huntington native lets her traveling feet take her around the United States and more

Huntington County Tab:

Margaret Hartman doesn't stay in one place for long.

The Huntington native has lived or worked in 12 different places across the globe in the past four years.

"I just couldn't take the idea of the same place forever," she says.

Her journeys began when a friend mentioned knowing someone who had recently returned from a seasonal job in Alaska.

Hartman was immediately intrigued by the idea.

She says she had just graduated from Ivy Tech with an Associate in Applied Science in medical assisting.

City to aid flowers and lights funds

Decatur Daily Democrat:

The City of Decatur is making a commitment to shore up both the downtown flower and Christmas lighting funds headed by the Chamber of Commerce.

At Wednesday night's city council meeting — the first of the new year and a day later than usual due to New Year's Day falling on a Tuesday — it was decided that the city will provide up to $2,500 in matching funds for each program.

The idea had been briefly touched upon at previous meetings, but last night the commitment was finalized.

Local schools among beneficiaries of drug fund

Berne Tri-Weekly News:

South Adams Elementary and High School and the Adams Central Community Schools Student Assistance Program are among the 2013 Drug Free Communities Fund beneficiaries for the upcoming year.

Melissa Brite, representing the county’s Substance Abuse Awareness Council, recently released those county agencies and schools that will benefit this year from the local Drug Free Communities Fund.

“This fund is made up of fines imposed by the court for alcohol and drug offenses,” said Brite. “In 2006 and 2011, we were awarded a Drug Free Communities Support Program Grant. The Boys and Girls Club of Adams County, Inc., serves as the fiscal agent.

“The Substance Abuse Awareness Council provides yearly grant opportunities from the Local Drug Free Communities Fund to agencies in Adams County to help address alcohol, tobacco and other drug issues in our community,” continued Brite.

Six arrested in drug bust; seek four more

Decatur Daily Democrat:

The second drug interdiction operation in eight months in Decatur was aimed today at eight adults and two juveniles, charged with dealing in marijuana, cocaine, prescription pain medicine, and mushrooms. The operation is entitled "Operation Fall Harvest."

The previous drug bust this year was  held in March and netted 17 people.
 

Today's efforts by the DETECT Drug Task Force (the Adams and Wells county sheriff's departments and the Decatur and Bluffton police departments) as well as Berne and Geneva police and the Indiana State Police had six Decatur residents in custody by 8 a.m.

Solid waste costs to rise

Decatur Daily Democrat:

Adams County will pay an additional $5.26 for each truck load of solid waste hauled from the county transfer station during 2013, and an additional 44 cents per ton to dispose of that refuse at the Jay County landfill.

The increases were triggered by a 1.8 percent jump in the federal Consumer Price Index, as spelled out in contracts between the Adams County Solid Waste Management District and Luginbill Trucking and Waste Management Inc. for the hauling and disposal of that waste.
 

Solid waste board members were alerted to the additional costs during the year-end meeting on Monday.

Olympic Gold Medalist shares life lessons with students

 Berne Tri-Weekly News:

Twelve years ago, Brandon Slay rose to worldwide acclaim by winning the Gold Medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Two years before that, Slay had graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in finance and management from the prestigious Wharton School of Business.

This past Friday, Slay spoke at high schools in New Haven and South Adams, conducted a wrestling clinic on Saturday and then spoke at Grace Bible Church on Sunday.

But it wasn’t only Olympic success that had the popular wrestler sharing the Gospel in area colleges and schools. Thanks to seeds sown by a grandmother and the faithful example of Christians at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Slay launched on a campaign to bring people to Jesus Christ through nationwide appearances.

Taxes, jobs, health care top issues -- Lehman says gay marriage ban may take a back seat

Decatur Daily Democrat:

Taxes, jobs and health care are expected to be among the predominate topics during the upcoming session of the Indiana General Assembly.
 

A constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, however, may take a back seat this time around.
 

Those were the views expressed by State Rep. Matt Lehman, R-Berne, during a town hall-type meeting held Saturday morning at Adams Central High School. Only a handful of area residents attended the event.
 

Lehman said he hopes the legislature puts much of its time and energy into economic development-related issues, including a renewed emphasis on vocational training and increased flexibility that would grant local units of government a broader range of choices in their use of Local Option Income Tax (LOIT) and County Economic Development Income Tax (CEDIT) funds.