Jasper Library Board volunteer group formed; meetings will be open to public
The Jasper Library Board appointed five community members to a nine-person volunteer committee to explore options for the future of the Jasper library. Those meetings will be held publicly.
Jasper School Board meeting notes: Board sends counter-proposal for Parklands purchase
The Greater Jasper School Board met Monday night and it was announced during the meeting that they have received an offer from the City of Jasper to sell to the school corporation 10 acres of land that borders the east side of the Jasper High School campus. The land, formerly part of the Jasper Country Club, is now…
Teens escape horrible crash uninjured
Kyana — Two teen girls escaped being injured when the SUV they were in left the road, went airborne for about 52 feet and then rolled over several times this morning. Police are shaking their heads that 16-year-old Alyssa Englert and her 13-year-old sister Katelyn, both of Birdseye, escaped without injuries after the ordeal that…
Jasper Library begins expansion exploration process again
Jasper — The Jasper Public Library Board interviewed five potential candidates from the public to join a committee tasked with creating three options for the future of the library for a potential 2015 referendum. Four more are expected to be interviewed Monday evening. The board will then decide the five public members of the committee. The…
Huntingburg woman with 37 dogs charged with animal neglect
Huntingburg — Huntingburg police, with the assistance of the Dubois County Animal Control Team (ACT) and Dubois County Humane Society (DCHS), found 37 dogs — nine deceased — at a Huntingburg residence Friday. According to police, they were contacted by members of ACT about the alleged animal neglect at 609 N. Washington Street belonging to Mary K. Burch,…
Community Corrections holds on purchases and new personnel
In light of the recent budgetary concerns, the Dubois County Community Corrections Board decided to hold off on expenditures and staffing needs. The board voted unanimously to not fill a counselor position recently vacated at Dubois County Community Corrections. They also declined a request by director J.P. Weisheit to purchase a new vehicle to replace…
Jasper Common Council notes: Jasper Council decides to sell three park properties
The Jasper Common Council wants to move forward with the sale of three park properties to replenish the city’s rainy day funds which were used to purchase The Parklands. The council approved using $1,087,795 from the Rainy Day fund to purchase the property from the Jasper County Club. The council pushed to sell the Lechner,…
County council ponders EDIT plans in light of funding requests
Several groups are approaching the county seeking funds to aid in their programs and construction projects. Notably Monday night, Dubois Strong and the Huntingburg Airport propositioned the county for further funding. The attraction for these groups is the estimated $10.6 million in savings the county has built up from local economic income taxes collected from each individual’s paycheck…
County council reluctantly covers corrections shortfalls
Community Corrections was able to eek out a commitment from the county council to fund any shortfalls in their 2014 budget. According to director J.P. Weisheit, corrections will be in the red in July after funds run out from the last boost from the state in the form of a one time grant. He has…
Cause of fatal fire may never be known
Santa Claus — Authorities are still investigating the fire responsible for the death of a well-liked Santa Claus resident. According to the Spencer County Coroner Robert Fuller, investigators may never know exactly what started the fire that injured Maureen Gregory and killed her husband Brian last Friday morning. “There was so much damage. They may never be…
Semi truck destroyed in fire
Ferdinand — A truck driver escaped injury when a Monday afternoon fire destroyed the semi he was driving on Ferdinand’s south side. Kenneth Burton of Washington pulled the 2005 Freightliner he was driving to the side of Main Street just north of I-64 after dash wiring shorted and caught fire in the cab. Units of…
Biomass lease terminated by Jasper Clean Energy
Dr. Norma Kreilein, her husband, Mike, Alec Kalla and Rock Emmert were all in session during the Jasper Utility Service Board (USB) meeting Monday night — the eve of Earth Day — when it was announced that Jasper Clean Energy would be terminating the lease to create a biomass power plant in Jasper. John Rudolf, a…
Huntingburg $1,000 grant to be used for special seat belt enforcement
Huntingburg — The Huntingburg Police Department announced it received a grant to increase patrols in recognition of a special seat belt enforcement project going on now. The grant allows for the Huntingburg Police Department to enforce seat belt laws, including child restraint violations, an extra 45 hours during the dates listed. Officers will be conducting the extra…
Southwest Dubois County School Board meeting: Middle school has new principal
Southwest School Superintendent Mike Eineman acknowledged in Thursday night’s school board meeting that they have some work to do to get their graduation rate up. The numbers were released on Wednesday by the Indiana Department of Education and show that Southwest Schools has a graduation rate of 84.1 percent – the lowest of the four school systems in Dubois…
Santa Claus man killed in fire
Santa Claus — A man is reported dead and a woman was taken by helicopter to a Louisville hospital after a house fire in the Santa Claus Village Friday morning. Maureen Gregory, 66, a former English professor at Vincennes University Jasper, was LifeFlighted to the University of Louisville Hospital and her husband, Bryan Gregory, 65, was…
First female commandant of Southern Indiana Leathernecks sworn in
The Southern Indiana Leathernecks Detachment #931 Commandant Pat Moriarty had the honor of handing the leadership reigns of the detachment over to his wife, Tina Moriarty, Thursday evening. In a special ceremony, Ann Hunsinger, the Department of Indiana Marine Corps League Commandant, who drove down from Richmond, Indiana, swore Tina Moriarty in as the detachment’s…
First Latino Summit to address social and economic factors in Dubois County
[box border=”full”]Why this is important: The Latino population in Dubois County has increased dramatically since 1990. According to the 2010 census, about 2,680 Latinos live in Dubois County. According to Maura G. Robinson, the organizer of the upcoming Latino Summit in Huntingburg and president of M. G. Robinson Inc — a professional development and consulting firm,…
State Road 145 closed indefinitely south of Birdseye
The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces that State Road 145 is closed in southern Dubois County indefinitely. INDOT has closed S.R. 145 from the junction of Interstate 64 to the junction of State Road 64 due to concerns with a bridge, 4.34 miles north of I-64. INDOT crews will be repairing the bridge and…
Healthy Dubois County awarded environmental grant
On April 8, 2014, Healthy Dubois County, Inc., was awarded a $500 grant from the not-for-profit environmental organization Heartwood. HDC’s grant proposal titled We Can‘t Breathe What We Burn focuses on the prevention of further pollution-related cancers and asthma in Jasper and the Dubois County area. Earmarked to support HDC’s renewed efforts to stop the proposed Jasper,…
Eight Dubois County schools achieved 4-star status on ISTEP tests
The Indiana Department of Education announced the schools designated as four-star schools on Tuesday. In order to achieve this designation, a school must be in the top 25th percentile of schools in three ISTEP-based categories. A total of 311 schools received the award throughout the state. Eight Dubois County Schools were designated: Pine Ridge Elementary…
Six-month bridge project to begin north of Ferdinand
Ferdinand — No road closures are expected when work begins on a bridge north of Ferdinand Friday, but residents and travelers should expect delays as State Road 162 is reduced to a single lane of traffic. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announced that on or after Friday, April 25, work will begin on the bridge…
Huntingburg Airport board meeting notes April 14, 2014
The Dubois County Airport Authority met for their scheduled meeting and took the following actions. –Heard the Huntingburg Airport is waiting on approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for night approaches from the west for Runway Niner. Three old signal towers and several trees deemed to be too tall by the FAA were removed…
Dr. William Lehmkuhler announced 2014 LCM Outstanding Physician
Jasper — Dr. William Lehmkuhler has been named the 2014 Little Company of Mary Outstanding Physician Award recipient at Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center. Dr. Lehmkuhler, a native of Dubois County, graduated from Jasper High School and received his medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine at…
State police warn of meth lab trash
The warmer spring weather may increase the likelihood that residents will find meth-making materials or trash along county roadways. With favorable spring weather coming our way, people are taking advantage by walking, jogging and bike riding on our local roadways. The potential exists that some people may come across trash left behind by those who…
Without small threads, the fabric of community doesn’t exist
Photos from the Pinwheels for Prevention ceremony held at the Habig Center Tuesday evening.
Former county engineer’s son returns home to fill his father’s shoes
Norman Wendholt served as Dubois County’s engineer for 17 years until his death in 2009. The same year his son, Brent Wendholt, graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in engineering. Later this month, Brent will step into his father’s same shoes as the new county engineer. “It means a lot to…
County engineer position filled by former engineer’s son
On Monday, County Highway Superintendent Steve Berg recommended hiring Brent Wendholt, son of former Dubois County engineer Norman Wendholt, as the new county engineer. Wendholt was one of three applicants for the position vacated by Jason Heile in December. Heile left for a better paying position — $75,000 annually — as the engineer for Daviess…
Community corrections told to come back when funds run dry
The Dubois County Commissioners agreed that the best course of action for the beleaguered Dubois County Community Corrections budget was to approach the state for an increase in the annual grant. This decision correlates well with news from the Department of Corrections (DOC) that the facility should ask for an increase in the $400,000 annual…
Ag tanker truck rollover closes county road
Jasper — A semi-tractor tanker hauling agricultural lime closed 400W near Skyview Drive Mondaymorning when if rolled over in a ditch. Chance Fivecoat, 28, of Thorntown, Ind., told authorities he was lost when he attempted to turn a 2003 Peterbilt and a dry tanker around by backing onto Skyview Drive at about 11:40 a.m. Fivecoat stated…
Community Conversation “Creating Resilient Downtowns” sponsored by Jasper Chamber
The Jasper Chamber is sponsoring a Community Conversation from the Ball State University Chair of Urban Planning Dr. Michael Burayidi about creating resilient downtowns. Dubois County communities have come through the economic recession in relatively sound condition, but civic leaders recognize the need to move forward in ways that will enlarge the downtown role as the…
State releases teacher effectiveness data
Indianapolis — The Indiana Department of Education released educator effectiveness data for the 2012-13 school year today. Today’s release marks the first time this type of data has been gathered or released. Teachers were evaluated and rated as highly effective, effective, improvement necessary or ineffective. Highly Effective: A highly effective teacher consistently exceeds expectations. This is…
