Otwell citizens form Friends of Otwell to stop Otwell Elementary School closing

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It was an emotional issue that brought over 200 residents of Otwell and surrounding communities together at the Otwell Community Center Thursday evening. The packed meeting at the Otwell Community Center Thursday night came after Pike County School Corporation board voted Monday night to close Otwell Elementary after the 2015-16 school year. According to the board, the…

Bombers continue winning

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Fresh off their charge to the top of the Ohio Valley League, the Dubois County Bombers traveled south to Madisonville last night and came home with a win. The Miners came into the game riding a hot hand of their own, possessing a 4-game winning streak that had pulled them within one game of the…

Bombers sitting pretty in OVL

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The Dubois County Bombers rolled to their 6th victory in their last eight games, thumping the Fulton Railroaders 8-1 Wednesday night. The win gives the Bombers sole possession of the top spot in the Ohio Valley League with one-quarter of the season complete. Dubois County scored two runs on one hit in the first inning. DH…

Jasper road work will cause delays next week

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The Jasper Street Dept., along with paving contractor CalCar Paving, will begin asphalt milling and paving preparation next week. Weather permitting, the work will begin Monday June 15th for St. Charles Street between State Road 56 and Schuetter Road. Motorists should expect delays when traveling in this area. Please use alternate route during this time for the…

Otwell parents and community announce meeting to discuss school closing

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A special meeting has been organized by two Otwell community groups to discuss the recent announcement of the school closing. A meeting will be held at the Otwell Community Center, 2301 N. Spring Street, at 7 p.m. Thursday. According to organizers, they will discuss possible options to keep the Otwell Elementary School open as well…

Wells named as new Dubois County Community Corrections director

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This story was written before the difference in pay between Wells’ current position as program director of the substance abuse services and the directorship of community corrections came to light. Wells has stated he did not know there was such a difference in pay when he applied for the position of community corrections director. William…

Ferdinand Town Council – Tapping into water challenges

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Special from the Ferdinand News Water — it’s something no one can do without. It can also pose a challenge. Over the last year or so, various residents have addressed the town council with water problems from flooding to overflowing ditches. Often the council has no answers and the problems are such that they have no jurisdiction. Councilwoman Debbie Johnson has been working with Judi Brown,…

To avoid litigation, Airport Authority approves counteroffer on land

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The Dubois County Airport Authority decided to accept a counteroffer from a nearby property owner for land needed to expand the runway. Since 2011, the regional airport has been steadily progressing to adding 500 feet to the existing runway to expand its commercial aircraft use. To construct the addition, about 42 acres of farmland belonging to the Hasenour…

Jasper man arrested on bomb charge

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Jasper — Jasper police took Jeffrey A. Rynard, 25, of 305 W. 42nd Street Apartment 2, into custody on a Level 6 felony count of possession of a hoax explosive device. According to police, they were notified by informant that Rynard had stated he was placing explosives inside a television to be used as a trap…

Pike County School Board announces Otwell Elementary to close

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Seven teachers and an administrator have been fired will be let go and Otwell Elementary School will be closed at the end of the 2015-16 school year. Those actions were taken by the Pike County School board Monday night as they attempt to deal with budget issues and the possibility of lower funding from the state. An operational…

Southridge freshmen win 2015 Indiana State High School Fishing Championship

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A pair of Southridge freshmen won the Indiana State High School Fishing tournament this year. The Southridge High School freshmen team of Eli Lubbehusen and Colton O’Brien brought a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 8 ounces, to place first and win the championship. The Southridge High School Bass Club had four teams enter the 2015…

Hoosier Desk full of potential but needs a lot of work

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Nothing surprising was revealed during Monday’s special meeting about the Hoosier Desk building. The Jasper Community Arts Commission and the Jasper Public Library Board of Trustees met together in a special meeting to review the good news and the bad. Barry Alberts with CityVisions went first with the good news; the conceptual design his firm and…

OFS Brands sawdust storage facility catches fire

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Huntingburg — A fire in a sawdust storage building attached to OFS Plant No. 18 immediately initiated a call for assistance Saturday morning. Due to prior experience with the severity of this type of fire, the Huntingburg Volunteer Fire Department immediately called for assistance from Holland Volunteer Fire Department when the call came in around 9…

The Weekend in Pictures – June 6 and 7

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Youth Market Day at the Jasper Farmer’s Market [hr] 12th Annual Jasper Arts Chalk Walk [hr] Youth Triathlon Training held at Huntingburg City Park [hr] Luminaire Ceremony held at Meyer Distributing in honor of National Cancer Survivors Day

Conservation officers investigating teen’s death at Patoka Lake

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Indiana Conservation Officers recovered the body of a Martin County teen from Patoka Lake early Saturday morning. The body of Kevin Phillips, 17, of Shoals, was pulled to the surface just after 12:30 a.m. when a conservation officer diver located him near the Jackson Boat Ramp dock. Shortly after 11:30 p.m. last night, Indiana Conservation…

Traffic stop nets ninth Operation Double Trouble arrest

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Huntingburg — A traffic stop for a broken headlight Friday night netted the ninth arrest for Operation Double Trouble. According to authorities, Huntingburg officer Josh Hemmer stopped a 2003 Chevrolet pickup truck at Second and Main streets at about 10:38 p.m. for a headlight being out. During the stop, Hemmer determined the driver, Dewayne Bouillon, 36, of Otwell,…

Bomb squad unit called to Jasper apartments for possible threat

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Jasper— An Indiana State Police bomb squad unit was called to Anna’s Court in Jasper today after police received a tip about bomb-making items and explosives being located in an apartment there. According to the Jasper Police Department, they and the Dubois County Sheriff’s Department received information at about 1 p.m. that bomb-making items and explosives could be…

Ferdinand teen LifeFlighted after ATV accident

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Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating an ATV accident that occurred around 11:00 a.m. this morning on Mariah Hill Road near Ferdinand Indiana. Kendra Steckler, 15, of Ferdinand was found lying in the roadway with the ATV she was driving on its side. She was taken to the Ferdinand Fire Department by a family member and…

Corpus Christi celebration resurrected for Ferdinand 175th

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Back in Ferdinand’s earliest days and stretching into the 20th century, St. Ferdinand Parish would host a Feast of Corpus Christi celebration in June. Days before the celebration children would make wreaths and garlands for the church and outdoor altars along the procession route. The men would erect triumphal arches, and bunting and flags would…

Eight initial arrests made in Operation Double Trouble drug raid (updated)

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The Dubois County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced eight suspects were arrested in a large arrest raid staged this morning. According to Deputy Prosecutor Beth Sermersheim, Operation Double Trouble was a similar operation as last year’s Operation Big Brother in which local law enforcement conducted numerous undercover drug buys. Operation Double Trouble began in June of…

American Idol Finalist Rayvon Owen to appear at Holiday World Friday

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  A former Holiday World performer who finished fourth in this year’s American Idol competition will be at the park Friday afternoon to meet fans and sign autographs. Rayvon Owen performed in the park’s Rejoice! show as well as the Legacy acappella group in 2011. Also a songwriter, his “Brand New Day” is featured in…

Huntingburg driver places at ROADEO competition

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City of Huntingburg Transit driver, Suzanne Patberg, recently competed in the Indiana Council on Specialized Transportation (INCOST)’s 24th annual Transportation ROADEO. Patberg finished in fourth place. Thirty-one transit drivers from across Indiana participated in the day-long competition held on Saturday, April 18, 2015. During the ROADEO, drivers are judged on driving skills, passenger assistance techniques,…

Oilers unable to catch up after Bombers third inning 8-run sprint

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by Bombers Staff The Dubois County Bombers rode an 8-run third inning outburst to roll into their third consecutive win, downing the league-leading Owensboro Oilers 10 – 1. The Bombers sent 12 batters to the plate in the third. Six Bomber hits, four Oiler errors and a walk fueled the rally that saw every Dubois County batter…

Reward offered in Jasper break-in investigation

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Jasper — Jasper police are investigating numerous thefts from vehicles that occurred overnight on the city’s west side. According to police, numerous vehicles were broken into sometime between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning along Kluemper Road and the west side of the town in general. Various amounts of money were taken from the vehicles and…

Talks continue on Hoosier Desk collaborative project with Jasper Library

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Jim O’neal, WITZ AM/FM News Director contributed to this report A joint meeting between the Jasper Community Arts Commission and Jasper Library Board is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, June 8 at the Library Annex building. The conceptual plans created for the conversion of the Hoosier Desk building into a multi-use building that could fulfill…

Wally’s Wild Ride (and Mary Lou’s trip, too)

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Story courtesy of Ferdinand News The local buzz reverberating throughout Ferdinand’s Scenic Hills Care Center was that you’d have to be crazy to ride that thing — “That thing” being Holiday World’s new metal winged roller coaster and that sentiment (having to be crazy to ride it and all) was, in fact, all the motivation…

Jasper Redevelopment meeting: Money and action on Downtown Master Plan discussed

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The Jasper Redevelopment Commission is taking action to find an engineering firm to develop steps to create the vision painted in the downtown portion of the completed Master Plan. The commission will create requests for proposals to be issued to interested firms giving them guidance in creating the plans and costs associated with developing the…

County Council: Dubois County park and fairgrounds in need of expensive repairs

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The cost of maintaining the Dubois County 4-H Fairgrounds and Dubois County Park weighed heavy on the county council at Monday’s meeting. The council received requests for about $1.325 million in improvements for the two properties. First up was Dubois County 4-H Council President Bret Collignon who asked for the council’s consideration in replacing the…

Inwood investment creates $250,000 endowment

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Inwood has established the Inwood Office Furniture Endowment through a $125,000 contribution to the Community Foundation. The gift will be matched by Lilly Endowment, dollar for dollar.

Meth involved in deadly car vs. moped crash near St. Meinrad

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Saint Meinrad — A Bristow teen was killed Monday evening east of Saint Meinrad when the moped he was riding was struck by another vehicle. Around 7:10 p.m. CDT, Phoenix Donaldson, 18, Bristow, pulled out from the driveway at 740 Bristow-Saint Meinrad Road and was struck by a northbound 2007 Chevrolet Aveo driven by Brock…

Jasper police seeking hit-and-run truck

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Jasper — Police are looking for a red pickup truck that struck a car at the Sixth and MacArthur Street intersection Monday at 5:45 p.m. Tina Gill, 51, of Dodge Street, Jasper, was in a 2000 Volkswagen Jetta stopped behind several vehicles on Sixth Street waiting on the traffic light at the intersection. While she…