Ferdinand Town Council defends decision regarding former-Chief Bieker
Ferdinand — Besides town officials, town employees and six media representatives, around 15 Ferdinand residents filled the meeting room of Ferdinand Town Hall Tuesday night in support of former-Police Chief Ted Bieker. Bieker, who served for nine years as chief, had been asked to resign prior to the May 14 meeting but was told he could stay…
Town Council President Ken Sicard’s response to Bieker
I, along with the rest of the Town Council and Town Manager listened quietly at the May 14th meeting of the Ferdinand Town Council as then Chief Bieker presented his four-page statement. Out of respect for his years of service with the Town of Ferdinand, we chose not to argue or contradict anything he said. It was…
Jasper Public Works; Fixing the City Mill and adding a sculpture to the Schaeffer Barn
Joe Rohleder approached the Jasper Board of Public Works to request permission to have a sculpture placed in the country garden of the Schaeffer Barn. Rohleder stated the sculpture will be a large — over 9-feet tall — structure with a wind chime designed by Zach Dawkins. It will represent Eleanor Enlow, the wife of Joseph Enlow….
Country club advisory team sees snapshot of development from CityVisions and Gamble Associates
Jasper — The City of Jasper Country Club Advisory Team met with CityVisions Associates and Gamble Associates on Tuesday. Barry Alberts with CityVisions Associates of Louisville, KY, and David Gamble with Gamble Associates of Boston, MA, presented their site observations of the country club property for the advisory team at the meeting. The two firms have…
Huntingburg Airport must remove trees and towers on west approach
Huntingburg – Runway 09 is no longer approved for instrument approach procedure at night time due obstructions on the west side of the runway. The Federal Aviation Administration is requiring the airport remove obstruction signal towers and trim or remove trees they have deemed obstructions for the approach. The FAA required the airport install the three…
Huntingburg dehydration facility at gas storage field destroyed in explosion
Update: An investigator with the State Fire Marshal’s office has determined the explosion that destroyed the building and equipment in the explosion yesterday was an accident. According to Huntingburg Energy Superintendent John Reutepohler, the equipment and building probably constitute about a $50,000 loss. The city had drawn about half the gas from the storage field prior to…
Reality show pilot being filmed in Huntingburg
Huntingburg – A reality show pilot is being filmed in Huntingburg this week. Lantern Creek Productions, a video production company based in St. Louis, Missouri, is filming scenes for a reality show it plans to pitch to cable television networks. The basis of the show will be small Midwestern cities and towns that include popular…
State Baseball tickets on sale Wednesday
The Jasper High School Athletic Department will be selling STATE Baseball tickets starting on Wednesday – Friday from 8 .m. to Noon — Also on Thursday afternoon from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Please enter in Door #6 (Community Room) All tickets are $9.00
Beaver Lake levels don’t measure up for property owners
Jasper — A special meeting regarding the new lake levels at Beaver Lake is scheduled for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Habig Center Community Room. The dam renovation project replaced the original spillway which was about 25 feet wide, with a spillway 85 feet wide. The new spillway is designed to accommodate 26 inches of…
Sisters of St. Benedict elect Sister Barbara Lynn Schmitz as prioress
Ferdinand — The Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Indiana, announce the election of Sister Barbara Lynn Schmitz as their 13th prioress on June 8. Sister Barbara Lynn will begin a six-year term of office with a formal installation ceremony at Monastery Immaculate Conception on Saturday, July 13. She succeeds Sister Kristine Anne Harpenau, who has served…
Huntingburg Mayor presents at “Thriving Downtown” Conference
Huntingburg Mayor Denny Spinner served as a panelist during High Performance Government Network’s “Thriving Downtown Conference” on Wednesday, June 5, 2013 in Anderson, Indiana. Spinner presented information during the case study panel “Utilizing State Resources to Develop a Plan,” along with Jon Craig, Deputy Director, Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, and Mayor Greg…
Town and Park Board to Host “Park Appreciation Day” this Thursday
The Town of Ferdinand along with the Ferdinand Park Board will hold Park Appreciation Day on Thursday, June 6, at the 5th Street Park in conjunction with the Forest Park Youth Sports (baseball) and Ferdinand Girls Softball games, beginning at 6 p.m. on all fields. “This is one small way for us to honor all…
Vincennes University Jasper Campus land stewardship seeking members
The VUJC Land Stewardship Initiative is offering membership in its planning committees to allow community members to volunteer their expertise and time. The Land Stewardship Initiative is a partnership between Vincennes University’s Jasper campus and the Dubois County Soil and Water Conservation District. The Initiative aims to use the campus as a research and demonstration…
Beaver Lake water level meeting scheduled
The City of Jasper is holding a meeting regarding water levels of Beaver Lake next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Habig Center Community Room. The meeting has been set to hear input from the public in regards to the Beaver Lake water levels after the Beaver Lake Dam Rehabilitation project.
Jasper Arts Commission meeting; first report from new Visual Arts Coordinator Erin Stenftenagel
The saying “you can’t go home again” isn’t true. Just ask Erin Stenftenagel who just joined the Jasper Arts Center Staff as the new Visual Arts Coordinator. Stenftenagel gave her first report to the Board in Tuesday afternoon’s monthly meeting and spoke about meeting with the visual arts committee about upcoming artist series to be…
Metronet fiber-optic project in Dubois County on hold
Jasper — Metronet, an Evansville-based fiber-optic access company, is pulling back on plans to create a fiber-optic network in a corridor through Dubois County that includes Huntingburg and Jasper and the area around U.S. 231 between them. The county and City of Huntingburg had given Jasper the go-ahead to represent all three entities in working with the…
Pat Koch receives Sagamore of the Wabash award
Santa Claus — Holiday World matriarch, Pat Koch, was recently presented with the Sagamore of the Wabash Award by Lt. Governor, Sue Ellspermann. The Sagamore of the Wabash Award is one of the most esteemed honors the Governor of Indiana can bestow. It is a personal tribute usually given to those who have rendered a distinguished…
ReStore goals include supporting 2 or 3 homes a year
Positioned six miles from Ferdinand, six miles from Huntingburg and six miles from Jasper, the new ReStore store is located in the heart of the county. On Saturday, the Habitat for Humanity celebrated the grand opening of the store’s new location in the old Fleck Chair building across from the 4H Fair Grounds. The celebration…
Mike Braun throws hat in ring for Indiana House District 63 seat
Jasper — Mike Braun, a lifelong resident of Jasper, Indiana, announced his candidacy for House District 63 on Monday. State Rep. Mark Messmer currently holds the seat for District 63 but recently announced he would be pursuing the District 48 seat in the Indiana Senate in 2014. Braun is the owner and President of Meyer Distributing company in…
Huntingburg expects long overdue overpass will create a safer city and stimulate economic growth
Huntingburg — In a special meeting on Monday, Huntingburg Mayor Denny Spinner, Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann, representatives from the Indiana Department of Transportation, and other elected officials announced the future construction of a railroad overpass in the city. “There’s an old saying that only two things are for certain in life, death and taxes,” Mayor Spinner…
Dubois County Community Foundation one successful year later
Dubois County — The Dubois County Community Foundation is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its merger in June and the embracing its newfound representation, engagement, and impact within Dubois County. With over 92 volunteers currently serving on various foundation committees and advisory boards, the Community Foundation has transformed into not only an organization serving local people, but…
“They Wore the Red Suit” to air on Tuesday evening
The locally produced documentary, They Wore the Red Suit – the Director’s Cut, will air on Tuesday, June 4th at 7p on WNIN Evansville Channel 9 during their summer pledge drive campaign. Power Plant Productions’ director Larry Peter thinks this is the perfect way to introduce the film to the region where the Christmas industry…
Relay for Life moved indoors
The Dubois County Relay for Life has been moved indoors to the Jasper Middle School gyms at 3600 Portersville Road. The Relay will begin today at 6 p.m. and continue until Saturday at noon.
Jasper Council to consider purchase of property near Train Depot
The Jasper Common Council will meet on Tuesday to discuss the potential purchase of a property near the Jasper Train Depot and future-German American Boulevard. The council will discuss the Autoplex property at 123 Third Ave., owned by Coastline Properties LLC. The property has been a topic for discussion as Redevelop Old Jasper Action Coalition…
Election Board moving toward 5 voting centers in county
The Dubois County Election Board decided to begin the process of creating five voting centers in Dubois County for future elections. The voting centers are a trend occurring throughout the United States. Indiana currently has at least seven counties that have converted to the new process and at least 25 more counties exploring the option….
Ferdinand fire deemed arson
Ferdinand — A fire that displaced a family Wednesday morning has been turned over to the state fire marshal’s office as an arson investigation. The fire was discovered Wednesday morning at about 11:30 by Pam Hobbs, who lives there with her husband Michael Hobbs, their daughter Allison, 3, Pam’s daughter Kayce Fisher, 14, and Pam’s friend Tracy…
Dubois County Community Foundation names 2 new board members
Dubois County — The Dubois County Community Foundation announced the appointment of two new board members. Brian Tretter, of Ferdinand, and Andrea Tooley, of Huntingburg, will join the thirteen-member board that oversees finances, grant-making policies and practices, and strategic planning. Brian Tretter is the Co-Owner of Seufert Construction and Progressive Investment Company based in Ferdinand. He graduated…
New area codes to overlay existing 812 Area Code
The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) is recommending overlaying a new area code throughout southern and south-central Indiana. A new area code will be needed because of the dwindling number supply for the 812 area code, which has remained largely unchanged since 1947. The 812 area code is projected to exhaust its number supply…
WITZ transmitter problem requiring ongoing repairs
WITZ 104.7 FM was off of the air from 5:30 p.m. Monday night until the very early morning hours on Tuesday morning due to a transmitter problem. The problem repairs are ongoing and will require the transmitter to be taken off of the air again, when new parts arrive. WITZ 990 AM remains on the…
U.S. 231 repairs scheduled to begin next week
Dubois County – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announced that the paving project on U.S. 231 between Huntingburg and Jasper is set to begin in June. Beginning on or after Monday, June 3, contractor’s crews will begin patching sections of U.S. 231. According to INDOT spokesperson Cher Elliot, the contractors expect to work from south to…
Dollar General Store won’t mow their grass
Jasper — The city billed the Dollar General Store on the north side of Jasper $1322.50 for labor and equipment fees to mow the grass on the store’s property. According to Fire Chief and Code Enforcement Officer Kenny Hochgesang, the store manager has been approached about mowing the grass on the property, but the manager has…
