Huntingburg woman arrested after admitting theft
Huntingburg — Huntingburg Detective Sergeant Christian Gogel arrested Tara K. Payne, 46, of Chestnut Street, on charges of residential entry and burglary Friday morning. The arrest stems from an investigation that began on February 24, 2015, when Nancy Griffin reported to police that some items were missing from her home on Pleasant View Drive. Griffin had…
Pedestrian struck and killed on State Road 57
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle south of the City of Washington early Friday morning. The Daviess County Sheriff’s Department was notified of the incident at 5:48 a.m. when they were dispatched to State Road 57 near Jones and Sons, Inc, 1262 S. State Road 57. According to authorities, John Hefferman, 47, of…
Jasper Library in hot pursuit of making 2016 referendum
The Jasper Public Library Board of Trustees is dedicated to have a choice for a new library for voters in the November 2016 election. The library will likely have to take the proposal to the public for approval. Based on this self-imposed timeline, the board of trustees approved an amendment to their previous motion to…
Huntingburg Council: Multiple wins in Huntingburg fuels Stellar excitement
The news about the success of projects in Huntingburg is adding up. Mayor Denny Spinner and department heads reported several major projects moving were forward or were completed during the Thursday night council meeting. Spinner reported he had received an email from Pete Schwiegeraht of Miller Valentine Group on Wednesday with the best news of…
Jasper man facing several drug charges after accident
Deputies arrested a man for drug possession and driving under the influence after he was involved in a single-vehicle accident Thursday morning. Raul Rangel Jr., 26, Jackson Street, Jasper, was driving a 1996 Chrysler Cirrus east on 630S at about 10:35 a.m. when he went off the south side of the road for an unknown…
Jasper Parklands framework presented to guide city’s next steps
Jasper Mayor Terry Seitz assured the 75 or so people attending the public presentation for the future development of The Parklands that this was just a framework to guide the city. “It is a vision, something we can hang things on as this property now called The Parklands of Jasper is developed,” he said. Seitz…
Ferdinand Town Council: Opinions wanted
No doubt about it — Monster Recycling has been embraced by Ferdinand residents. The Jasper-based company gathers items that might otherwise end up in a dump on a weekly basis from all Ferdinand households that fill and set out the blue plastic recycling bins on Mondays. The recyclables do not have to be sorted but…
Jasper approves $28,000 for Hoosier Desk study
The Jasper Board of Public Works picked up the rest of the tab on a combined architectural, engineering and design study of the Hoosier Desk building. The board approved an amount not to exceed $28,000 to pay for the studies to be conducted by Universal Designs and Gamble Associates to determine the feasibility of a…
Huntingburg police officers hosting Coffee with a Cop
Huntingburg officers will be sitting down for a conversation over a cup of coffee this Friday morning. Who’s invited? “It’s for anyone who has questions or just wants to meet our officers,” Huntingburg Assistant Chief Ronnie Bowman explained. “If they have never had a chance to meet anyone on our department, we are encouraging them to come…
Snow days equals make-up days
The recent spat snow days has forced local school corporations to use up some of their built-in make-up days. Although not approved yet by the school board, Greater Jasper Superintendent Dr. Tracy Lorey told WITZ News in an email that she will seek board approval during the Monday, March 16th meeting to put Good Friday…
Jasper woman killed in single-vehicle accident in Kentucky
A Jasper woman was killed in an accident on the Pennyrile Parkway Sunday morning. According to Kentucky State Police, Alyssa M. Wagner, 22, was driving a 2004 Lincoln Aviator northbound on the highway at about 10:30 a.m. when the vehicle went off the left side of the roadway and struck an overpass support near the…
Silver Alert declared for missing Evansville teen (found)
Update The Silver Alert issued Wednesday on Nicholas K. Casteel has been cancelled as of 8 p.m. CST. This cancellation was requested by the Evansville Police Department after Casteel was found safe. Previously The Evansville Police Department is investigating the disappearance of an adult from Evansville, Indiana. Nicholas K. Casteel is an 18-year-old black male,…
Jasper Arts Commission agrees to fund portion of Hoosier Desk plan
An engineering and architectural study of the Hoosier Desk building now has about half the funding needed to go forward. The Jasper Arts Commission Board approved paying for 25 percent of the engineering costs with the caveat that their total investment into the studies would not exceed $15,000.00. The Jasper Library Board approved a similar amount in February. Both…
Firm and city come to terms on legal fees
With a little give and take, city officials and an Indianapolis legal firm came to terms on the amount of overage charged during the process to create a large tax increment finance district in Jasper. The Jasper Redevelopment Commission heard today that the firm of Barnes and Thornburg had reduced their fee by $5,000 from…
Parklands meeting will discuss framework for its future development
Next week, the consultants hired to develop a plan for The Parklands will present their proposal at a public meeting. The Jasper Park and Recreation Board will host the meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, at KlubHaus 61, 2031 Newton St. The Parklands, located in the former Jasper Country Club, was purchased by the…
Alleged trailer thief arrested for battery theft
Duff — A man arrested for allegedly stealing a trailer was arrested again Saturday morning for a theft warrant from a separate case. According to authorities, Casey Mehringer, 24, of 350S, Huntingburg, was arrested by Indiana State Police on the warrant issued by the Dubois County Circuit Court. Mehringer is charged with the theft of 55…
Cedar Crest teacher honored for commitment
Lee Bilderback, a sixth grade teacher at Cedar Crest, knew something was up when he walked into the Cedar Crest gym. His mom and dad, Barbara and Allen Bilderback, niece, Meagan Bayer and the fifth and sixth grade classes filled the seats of the gymnasium. “Oh, my mom and dad are here,” he said to…
Police investigating suspicious death near West Baden
West Baden — Police are investigating another death in Orange County. Officers responded to 5491 West County Road 100N, in West Baden, after Franklin D. McCracken, 30, of West Baden, was found there with unknown injuries. According to police, McCracken’s family members found him there and reported it to police at about 11:30 a.m. McCracken was…
Driver in fatal accident identified; family notified
The driver killed last night in a two-vehicle crash just north of Dale has been identified. According to the Spencer County Coroner’s Office, Melanie M. Rothery, 41, Oregon City, Oregon, died at the scene of yesterday’s 7:18 p.m. crash. State Police investigators report that Rothery had stopped her 1994 Subaru Legacy on the southbound shoulder of…
Huntingburg Council: Considers new solar park locations
The City of Huntingburg is considering new locations for a proposed solar panel park after nearby residents expressed concerns over it being placed near their homes. During energy superintendent John Reutepohler’s presentation, Mayor Denny Spinner announced that the city has listened to public input from local citizens on the location of a proposed Solar Park…
Loogootee native continues family tradition in U.S. Navy
Story by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Heidi McCormick Navy Office of Community Outreach NORFOLK, Va. — A Loogootee native is serving on one of the world’s largest warships, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush. Seaman Jamie Brewer is a logistics specialist aboard the Norfolk-based ship, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and one…
Driver killed north of Dale
A crash Thursday evening just north of Dale claimed the life of a driver. At about 7:18 p.m. CST, a 1994 Subaru Legacy had stopped along the southbound shoulder of U.S. 231 just north of County Road 2050N. When the driver of the Subaru attempted to cross the southbound lanes of US 231 to travel east on…
Sentence handed down on Operation Big Brother plea deal
Edward L. Freyberger, 68, of Dubois, was sentenced in Dubois Superior Court Wednesday in connection to the multi-agency sting operation, Operation Big Brother. Freyberger pleaded guilty to two counts of dealing in a Schedule II controlled substance on January 27. According to court documents, Freyberger sold 85 Percocet pills for $550 and 25 Adderall pills…
Over 2 dozen Southeast Indiana HIV cases linked to needle-sharing
The State Health Department is tracking over two dozen new cases of HIV in Southeastern Indiana that have occurred since December. According to officials, there have been 26 confirmed and four preliminary HIV positive cases since mid-December. The case have been found in Clark, Jackson, Perry, Scott, and Washington counties. The majority of cases are…
Two shot in dispute at Paoli automotive body shop (updated)
Update Indiana State Police released the names of the individuals involved in the shooting near Paoli Wednesday morning. Michael Dale Kilpatrick, 48, North Carolina, and Kieth Wagner, 30, Bedford, began arguing in the north driveway of Classic Muscle Cars and Parts, located along State Road 37 at County Farm Road. The argument escalated into a…
Survivors of Suicide president appointed to national suicide prevention association
Janet Schnell, president of Survivors of Suicide of Dubois County, was elected to serve on the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) as the survivor division chairperson. She will begin her 3 year term at the national conference in Atlanta, GA that will take place April 16 – 18, 2015. Janet has been a member of…
Friends of the Arts invests $50,000 into group’s efforts to reopen Astra Theatre
Friends of the Arts, Inc. has awarded the Next Act, Inc., a grant for $50,000. Friends of the Arts is a nonprofit organization with the purpose of promoting and encouraging a greater understanding of the arts in Dubois County. “We are proud to be a part of this project and pleased to see the Next…
Jasper School Board Meeting: Monday, February 25, 2015
Despite efforts by the state legislation to simplify the ISTEP, the situation isn’t getting better. According to Greater Jasper School Corporation’s curriculum director Kim Strobel and superintendent Dr. Tracy Lorey, it is getting more complicated. During Monday’s regular school board meeting Strobel presented information about the proposed plan to reduce the time to take the…
County Council grants $100,000 to assist St. Joseph Hospital development
Pete Schwiegeraht, a developer with the Cincinnati-based Miller-Valentine Group, says the company is ready to close on the purchase of about 30,000 square feet of the 90,000 square foot former-St. Joseph Hospital building in Huntingburg. He informed the Dubois County Council at Monday’s meeting that if the company closes on the property by the end of February…
Lawsuit forces storm water board to repeal wage decision
Jasper — The Jasper Storm Water Board decided to discard the wage committee hearing’s decision and hold a new hearing due to an injunction filed by the union. After a wage committee decided to go with the wages presented by the non-union organization Associated Builders and Contractors on January 7 for a storm water replacement project…
175th event: Ferdinand Day at the Museum — be there or be square
It’s an event that has been — quite literally — months in the making, organized by a committee headed up by the indomitable Mike Lindauer and his better half, Judy, and EVERYONE is invited. Ferdinand Day at the [Dubois County] Museum is scheduled for this Sunday, February 22, from noon to 4 p.m. A cast…
