Lake Helmerich fire displaces family
A fire Christmas night destroyed a Lake Helmerich home. According to authorities, no one was home at the time and no one was injured, but the family lost all of their possessions. Local Red Cross representatives were able to find lodging for them overnight. Holland Volunteer Fire Department responded to the fire at 8:23 p.m….
Police, public and the power of “Thank You”
A state trooper’s message to those who serve the public resonates in this difficult time for police in the public eye.
Huntingburg teen seriously injured in moped accident
Huntingburg — A Huntingburg teen was seriously injured when the scooter he was on was struck by a car Wednesday at about 3:30 a.m. According to police, Damien E. Fox, 18, of N. Chestnut Street, was southbound on Chestnut Street and crossed 6th Street/State Road 64 without yielding to oncoming traffic. When he entered the intersection, the scooter…
New turf depends on community’s help, no funding offered by school
Jasper School Board presentation regarding new field and stadium from Matthew Crane The Jasper Football Boosters were given permission to move ahead with plans to replace the field at Jerry Brewer Alumni Stadium with artificial turf. Only three of the five school board members were present for the meeting, but the decision was unanimous. The…
Tri-Cap offers families a “hand up” for Christmas gifts
Over 120 local, less fortunate families were able to shop for Christmas toys at a special event offered by Tri-Cap this year. Taking a different approach to holiday charity, Tri-Cap offered for families to earn credit to spend at the special shop by attending classes and taking part in volunteer activities through the organization rather…
Flu forces regional hospitals to implement visitation restrictions
In response to the increase in influenza cases nationwide and in the tri-state area, the hospital members of the Community Patient Safety Coalition are implementing unified hospital visitation restrictions effective Monday, December 22nd. The restrictions include: • No visitors with influenza-like symptoms in the hospitals. Symptoms include cough, sore throat, fever, chills, aches, runny or…
Toddler’s cause of death released, Hopf makes initial court appearance
Update: Authorities have released further details regarding the death of a 17-month-old over the weekend. According to authorities, the autopsy performed by Dr. Jeffery Springer, the Jefferson County, Ky., Medical Examiner, indicated Xavier Miller died from blunt force trauma to his head and the manner of death was ruled a homicide. Hopf was seen briefly in…
Jasper man arrested for battering toddler (update)
Update: Authorities have released further details regarding the death of a 17-month-old over the weekend. According to authorities, the autopsy performed by Dr. Jeffery Springer, the Jefferson County, Ky., Medical Examiner, indicated Xavier Miller died from blunt force trauma to his head and the manner of death was ruled a homicide. Hopf was seen briefly in…
Birdseye man LifeFlighted for head injury
Update: Englert was released from St. Mary’s over the weekend following the accident. He was originally listed in critical condition Friday morning, but his condition was updated to fair later in the day. Birdseye — Deputies are investigating a single-vehicle accident that sent a Birdseye man to St. Mary’s Medical Center this afternoon. Deputies responded to the accident on…
Jasper Council approves sweeping tax increment area
The Jasper Common Council approved the proposed tax increment finance district encompassing about a third of the city — 90 percent of its industrial base — Wednesday night. If you haven’t been following along, a tax increment finance district is a special tool created originally in California — who has since abandoned it — that allows a specially created…
At least 5 things going on — December 18 – 21
[fbshare type=”button” width=”100″] Thursday, December 18, 2014 Storytime at the Birdseye Branch Library at 5 p.m. Christmas Story Time will be at 5:00 p.m. Janet Partenheimer welcomes all ages of children and Christmas treats will be provided. DC Speaks open house at 6 p.m. DC Speaks will host an open house at Vincennes…
Jasper Utility Service Board: Utility costs increase and no interest in power plant
The Jasper Utility Service Board announced some rate increases coming in 2015. The board heard that the Indiana Municipal Power Association, of which Jasper is a member, gave the city advanced notice of an electric rate increase coming in 2015. According to Utilities General Manager Bud Hauersperger, the increase will be between 4 and 5…
Several factors play role in dropping gas prices
How low can they go? We’re talking gas prices here. Plummeting gasoline prices over the past couple of months are expected to remain low through at least the spring, signaling generally good fortunes for the nation’s economy, said Purdue University energy economist Wally Tyner. The national average price for regular unleaded gasoline was $2.61 per…
Jasper police seek hit-and-run vehicle
Jasper police are seeking a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run that occurred Monday morning on E. 12th Street. According to police, an unknown vehicle struck a black 1996 Honda Civic that was parked on E. 12th Street between Mill and Vine streets. The accident occurred sometime between 6:20 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Anyone with information…
Bond ordinance frees up $350,000 for Huntingburg
A bond approved Thursday will save the City of Huntingburg $100,000 in interest fees and free up about $350,000 in restricted funds. Buzz Krohn, of O.W. Krohn & Associates of Westfield, informed the council that if they refinanced an existing water works bond with Old National, the city would be able to drop the current…
Huntingburg hospital construction proposed to begin in January
Huntingburg residents likely won’t be waiting for the other foot to drop in regards to a proposed senior housing development in part of the St. Joseph’s Hospital. The green and red building has been vacant since 2007 when St. Joseph’s Hospital closed its doors. After years of rumors and legless proposals, in 2013, Miller Valentine…
Cops and community come together for Christmas cheer
About 50 police officers, some accompanied by their spouses, and other members of the Fraternal Order of Police took 67 children Christmas shopping at the Jasper Walmart today. The annual event, Cops for Kids (formerly known as Shop with a Cop), is sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Police and supported through donations by businesses, individuals,…
Ferdinand Town Council: Copy that — radio station could get an upgrade
In what may have been the shortest meeting of the year to date (one hour, 10 minutes) the Ferdinand Town Council breezed through its second to the last agenda of 2014 on Tuesday night. The brevity may have been helped somewhat by the absence of Council President Ken Sicard, as various agenda items were tabled…
Housekeeper arrested for stealing medications from Jasper homes
Indiana State Police arrested a woman caught stealing prescription medications from three Jasper residences. On December 4, Trooper Brock Werne began an investigation after receiving a complaint from the homeowner on the 1300 block of West 15th Street in Jasper. The homeowner said that on two occasions he had returned home to find that prescription…
Jasper Dog Park fundraising in progress
The construction of the City of Jasper dog park began in October. A three-quarter acre area at Gutzweiler Park on 16th Street is now set aside with a fence in place. A fundraiser is currently in progress to raise money to purchase and install the electronic entry key system for the gate as well as a…
Jasper to look at other options for collapsed City Mill wall
The Jasper Board of Public Works rejected a bid to repair the City Mill due to the costs involved at their regular meeting Tuesday. The single bid to complete the repairs to the Mill wall, which collapsed in 2013, was from Kern Excavating for $162,599. VS Engineering was retained by the board of public works…
City of Jasper publishes tax increment financing Q&A
On December 2, 2014, the Jasper Redevelopment Commission held an community information session concerning the proposed Tax Increment Financing District during the Jasper Economic Development meeting. Jasper Redevelopment Commission members were present along with city staff, Redevelopment Expert Ed Curtin of Latitudes, and community members. According to the city, it is providing a trascript of the…
Worksite altercation lands Jasper man in jail
Update: Police levied an additional charge of intimidation with a deadly weapon against Aleman. According to police, as they conducted the investigation, statements by witnesses and surveillance video taken of the incident corroborated that Aleman had chased the victim with a machete. The charge is a Level 5 felony. Previously: Jasper — A Jasper man was arrested…
Carb-loading for those in need
It’s not easy putting together 800 14-layer lasagnas and 300 heaping apple pies. But for the five women in the center of the organized chaos of volunteers at the Precious Blood cafeteria, the results are worth it. The women, Missy Krempp, Dana Thyen, Stephanie Armstrong, Janet Rydberg and Angie Schitter, organize and operate the lasagna and…
15th Street bridge could reopen this week
From WITZ AM/FM It’s been a long project that has added traffic onto other streets and roads in Jasper but weather permitting, the 15th Street Bridge could possibly be open by the end of this week. Dubois County Highway Engineer Brent Wendholt reported that the contractor has moved quickly on getting the bridge to near…
Generosity and volunteers beautify downtown for Christmas season
Volunteers, donations, and fundraising all play a part in beautifying the Jasper downtown each Christmas season. This year, the community Christmas tree on the courthouse lawn was donated by Rose Mehringer and family of Newton Street in Jasper. This beautiful tree serves as the main Christmas tree for Jasper for the holiday season. The lights…
Jasper police seeking hit-and-run driver
Jasper — Jasper police are seeking a pickup truck that hit a SUV and then fled from the scene at about 2 p.m. Friday. The accident happened on S. Newton Street at the 3rd Street intersection. Christine Kramer, 56, of 4th Street, Holland, was stopped at the intersection in a 2007 GMC Terrain when a pickup truck ran…
Jasper Library Board hears background on 3 proposed sites
“Our files are about five feet deep,” Tom Schipp of the Ferdinand firm Universal Design Associates, told the Jasper Public Library Board members at the beginning of a special meeting held Thursday. The special meeting was designed to bring all the members up to speed on the three proposed sites for the future of the…
Jasper Planning Commission approves tax increment finance plan
The Jasper Planning Commission approved the proposed resolution to create a large tax increment finance district. The planning commission was required to approve whether the use of proposed resolution was in accordance with the city’s comprehensive plan and the Jasper Downtown/Riverfront Master Plan. In the plan, the city acknowledged and recommended the use of the…
Orange County couple stabbed in home invasion; suspects apprehended
Suspects in Orange County Stabbing Apprehended After Pursuit on I-65 Shelby County — Two suspects wanted for questioning for their involvement in an early morning home invasion and stabbing in West Baden Springs are now in custody after a vehicle pursuit on Interstate 65. Around 5:00 p.m., officers attempted to stop Tanner Stickney, 20, and Cody…
Braun receives committee appointments
Newly-elected Representative Mike Braun received his committee appointments in the upcoming legislative season. House Speaker Brian C. Bosma (R-Indianapolis) announced standing committee assignments Wednesday for the 119th General Assembly. Standing committee assignments are made biennially after each election. Rep. Mike Braun (R-Jasper) has been appointed to the Roads and Transportation and Ways and Means Committees. Braun…
