Ferdinand chooses new town manager
WITZ / WQKZ’s Chris James has been offered and has accepted the position of Town Manager for Ferdinand beginning January 6th. James was one of 14 applicants for the position, which was opened up after then manager, Marc Steczyk, resigned to take a position in marketing with Kimball International. Of the 14 applications received, Town…
Jasper Waste Water Utility receives three awards
The City of Jasper Waste Water Department was joined by a Jasper Waste Water employee in earning three safety awards at the the recent Indiana Water Environment Association (IWEA) 77th Annual Conference held in Indianapolis. The awards were announced at the Jasper Utility Service Board meeting held Monday evening. The department was recognized with the…
Jasper Utilities announces annual bad debt write-off
The Jasper Municipal Utility Business Office writes off a certain amount of bad debt annually. This year the Jasper Utility Service Board approved writing off $9,847.32 out of an estimated $39,300,000 in sales for 2013. This represents about .025 percent of sales and is about $7,000 less than last year’s write-off of 16,769.59 or .044…
Snow days could lengthen school for some
The weather the last two weeks took a hit out of Dubois County school corporations’ snow days. Students across the county missed three days due to snow and ice. Few, if any, of the kids complained about the extended five day vacation but if more snow days are needed, the school calendar may be extended…
Kmart bandits hit Ferdinand Sunoco
Jasper — Police are still seeking information about a woman who used fraudulent gift cards to defraud Kmart and another Dubois County business. But now it appears that the woman has an accomplice. This woman was seen with the suspect on the Kmart surveillance video, but police were unsure whether she knew of the suspect’s criminal activities…
Raise Up hosting Freedom Indiana community meeting in Jasper
On Thursday, December 19th at 6:00 p.m., Raise Up will be hosting a community meeting through Freedom Indiana to discuss efforts to combat HJR-6 and support same-sex marriage and benefits throughout Indiana. The meeting will be held at VUJC in the JCCB Lecture Hall. If you would like to attend, please click here to RSVP….
Ferdinand man drowns in car accident
The Department of Natural Resources is investigating a fatal vehicle accident that occurred Sunday afternoon. According to investigators, Mitchell A. Haas, 21, from Ferdinand, had left Jerry Kern’s residence on Sunday shortly before 3:00 p.m. Soon afterwards, Mr. Kern left his residence traveling west on County Road 175 South and discovered Haas’ 1997 red Ford…
Ferdinand recycle bins delivery delayed
Due to the weather, Monster Recycling was unable to deliver all of the new recycling bins to residents. Residents who received bins can put their recyclables out on Monday as scheduled. Those residents who did not receive their recycling bins will receive them on Monday. Any questions please contact Monster Recycling at 812-827-9560,
Atomic Bombshell drops on Huntingburg
Huntingburg — Jes (Gasser) Denton was good at making her friends beautiful for prom. “I remember my dad getting mad at me at prom. All my friends would come over and I would do their hair and makeup before I did mine and then we would be late because I didn’t have my hair or makeup…
Election board introduces potential polling machines
Voting and electronic devices appear to be on a permanent merging path in the world of elections going forward. That fact was on display in the Dubois County Election Board special meeting on vote centers Thursday night. Dubois County Clerk Bridgette Bartley invited members of the Dubois County Council and media to come to the…
December 12 Huntingburg Council meeting notes
The Huntingburg Common Council met for their regular meeting and took the following actions. -Adopted an ordinance amending Ordinance No. 2005-19 establishing a new schedule of rates and charges for natural gas and services rendered by the municipal natural gas utility of the City of Huntingburg. This ordinance resets the tracker to reflect current gas…
News and Leader honored by HSPA Foundation
Despite the foul weekend weather, it was a good one for the combined staff of the Ferdinand News and Spencer County Leader. The two newspapers were honored during the Hoosier State Press Association Foundation’s Better Newspaper Contest with a combined total of 19 awards, including a third place finish for the Blue Ribbon and third…
Ferdinand Council meeting about town manager
Ferdinand — The Ferdinand Town Council has scheduled a meeting to discuss and potentially make a decision to make a conditional offer of employment to a candidate for the position of town manager. The town has been without a town manager since Marc Stezcyk took a position with Kimball International in August. The meeting is scheduled…
Jasper mayor presents economic overview
Hit play to listen to Mayor Seitz’s presentation and follow along with the slideshow. Andy Seger, chairperson of the Economic Development Commission, introduces the presentation. Jasper — About 65 people filled the Jasper Council Chambers to hear a presentation by Mayor Terry Seitz during the Economic Development Commission meeting held Thursday morning. Seitz’s presentation touted the city’s…
35 cuts too many for fiber optic project
Snow and ice exacerbated a contractor’s job and prompted Jasper officials to freeze the installation of a new fiber optic lines for a local manufacturer. Lewen Line Construction was hired by Windstream Communication to install fiber optic lines for Kimball International. The lines are being installed to assist Kimball with communication with a facility it…
HUMmingbird Day Care Ministry first registered ministry to earn national accreditation
Holland – Holland-based HUMminigbird Day Care Ministry is the first registered ministry day care in the State of Indiana to earn accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) . To earn NAEYC Accreditation, HUMmingbird went through an extensive self-study process, measuring the program and its services against the ten NAEYC Early…
Ferdinand Town Council: Recycling bins to be delivered to homeowners this Friday
The bins are in — or at least they will be by this Friday. Ferdinand Town Council members discussed the upcoming premium recycling plan at their meeting Tuesday night. They learned representatives from Monster Recycling had been scoping the town for an appropriate pick-up route, but did not know when service would begin. It was…
100 cats … 1800 kittens
Update for January: The Dubois County Humane Society will be open January 1st from 6 – 8 p.m. for spay/neuter transport sign up only. Male dogs and cats are $20.00; female cats are $30.00; and female dogs are $60.00. If your pet has not received a rabies vaccine, it is an additional $15.00 charge. Payment is…
Texas Tenors concert rescheduled
Due to the severe weather conditions, The Texas Tenors concert originally scheduled for Sunday, December 8th, has been postponed until Sunday, April 13, 2014. Tickets will be honored. This is the first time in 38 years that the JACA has cancelled a concert due to the weather (one was cancelled when the artist couldn’t make…
Gov. Pence dedication honors 72nd Anniversary of Pearl Harbor
Governor Mike Pence and First Lady Karen Pence will join Pearl Harbor survivors and other veterans in dedicating a new 30-foot flagpole on the grounds of the official Governor’s Residence at sunrise (8:00 am) Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013 – the 72nd anniversary of the attack that launched America into World War II. In ceremonies scheduled…
$65,000 in fines forces Jasper Library to sue
Jasper – The two Jasper Library Boards approved taking patrons to small claims court for overdue fines and fees for overdue and lost items. Library Director Rita Douthitt asked for approval to collect nearly $65,000 in fines and fees owed to the four libraries operated through Jasper. The amount has accrued over 5 to 6…
Jim Mehling appointed new Forest Park principal
The Southeast Dubois County School Board named Jim Mehling as the new principal of Forest Park Senior/Junior High School. He was promoted from assistant principal during Wednesday night’s Southeast Dubois School Board meeting. The board took little time in replacing current principal Jeff Jessee, who submitted his resignation at November’s meeting, with a departure date…
Jasper School Corporation and city unclear on future of country club park
Final Jasper Country Club presentation from CityVisions and Gamble and Associates from Matthew Crane Jasper — Barry Alberts of Louisville-based CityVisions and David Gamble of Boston-based Gamble and Associates presented the City of Jasper with the their proposal for the development of the former-country club golf course. The plan was developed through efforts by a volunteer…
Jasper Arts Commission meeting: Working with new master plan
The challenge for the Jasper Arts Board to grow outside of the boundaries of the Jasper Arts Center to public locations around the city was the topic of discussion at Tuesday’s meeting. Arts board President Mike Jones asked the other board members, if they had not already, to read the Jasper Downtown and Riverfront Master…
Huntingburg Board of Public Works and Safety cleaning up another home
The Huntingburg Board of Public Works and Safety showed compassion Tuesday morning to a local family dealing with poor living conditions in the city limits. The city has been on a mission to demolish blighted homes in city limits that pose a public hazard. Since the code enforcement efforts have been stepped up, the city…
Water Main Leak on 4th Street in Huntingburg
Huntingburg — There is a water main leak on 4th Street between Main Street (US 231) and Jackson Street in Huntingburg. Residents and businesses in that area may experience low water pressure and/or discolored water. Please use caution when driving in the area. For more information, please contact Rachel Steckler, City of Huntingburg Director of Communication…
Summary judgement issued limiting biomass trial to volunteer group
Jasper — Judge Sherry Gregg Gilmore issued a partial summary judgement on November 26 in regards to the ongoing lawsuit brought against the City of Jasper by Healthy Dubois County, Inc., Dr. Norma Kreilein, Rock Emmert, et al. Judge Gilmore ruled on a request by the attorneys for the City of Jasper limiting the new trial…
Dubois County Community Corrections out of the fire but still in the frying pan
Jasper — Community Corrections received notice of a $200,000 injection from the Indiana Department of Corrections (DOC) last Wednesday. Community Corrections Director J.P. Weisheit and Superior Court Judge Mark McConnell, president of the community corrections board, appeared at the Dubois County Commissioners meeting Monday to announce the good news. Weisheit had applied for $175,000 in additional funding…
Jasper councilman and wife escape with minor injuries in fatal accident
Stanford — When Jasper Councilman Tom Schmidt walked up to the crashed vehicle he was shocked to find two child car seats in the back. Schmidt and his wife, Carol, had just witnessed the driver, 35-year-old Eric Lach of Bloomington, being thrown from the car after it was hit by a truck traveling behind the Schmidts….
Ambulance services in Huntingburg could get a permanent home
Paramedics and EMTs in Huntingburg won’t be shivering or sweating the seasons out in the old gas department garage much longer. The seasonally affected block building located on North Van Buren Street that currently houses the county ambulance service in Huntingburg may be getting a major update. This will be welcome news to the Memorial Hospital employees…
Greater Jasper Consolidated School Corporation seeking input about property purchase
The Greater Jasper School Corporation is asking for input from the public. During Monday night’s meeting the board listened as Superintendent Dr. Tracey Lorey asked for input on what the school corporation should do about the potential purchase of a portion of the golf course property from the City of Jasper. The school board has maintained all…
