State of the City – Huntingburg Measures Up
Huntingburg — Huntingburg Mayor Denny Spinner stood before a small crowd at the Old Town Hall Monday night to give the state required annual State of the City address. The mayor, an eloquent speaker with a minister’s oratory gift, related a story in which President Lyndon B. Johnson was addressing a National League of Cities’ annual convention…
Jasper mayor orders flags to half-staff for former mayor
Jasper – Mayor Terry Seitz is directing that flags at city facilities throughout the city of Jasper be flown at half-staff from sunrise Friday, July 5 to sunrise Monday, July 8 in respect and honor of former mayor Francis “Benny” Sermersheim. Mayor Sermersheim was appointed as Jasper’s eighth mayor to complete the term of office…
Peekapoo poop creating a stink at county courthouse
Jasper — Dubois County Commissioners are considering exploring an ordinance to create a poop-free area around the county courthouse. Janalyn Oster, a Huntingburg resident, is employed at the Birk and Birk law firm on the Square in Jasper and brings her 8-month-old Peekapoo puppy Snickers to work. Thomas Birk, the owner, says that he supports his…
Schnellville resident awarded First Responders Hero Award
Evansville – Dave Mitchell of Schnellville was recently awarded the American Red Cross First Responders Hero Award during the Heroes Awards Banquet held in Evansville. This award honors local heroes that have gone above and beyond to help those in need across the community. Mitchell began working part-time in Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center’s…
Leadership Academy team plans emergency call stations along Riverwalk
A team from the current Leadership Academy is planning to add emergency call towers to the Jasper Riverwalk as their project this year. Mike Mattingly, Jackie Hilgartner, Josh Gunselman, and Bridgette Jarboe are members of the Leadership Academy team working on the project. Their goal is to raise enough money to add one emergency call tower…
Phone call puts local police on alert at anti-government group members’ initial hearing
Update — The three men returned to court on Tuesday and continued to refuse to cooperate with the court’s inquiries in regards to their identities. The three were once again remanded back into custody of the Sheriff’s Department. No new court date has been scheduled and they were advised to inform the court when they were ready…
Southridge needs a vice-principal, baseball coach and volleyball coach
The Southwest Dubois School Corporation has been in a state of flux since appointing former Southridge principal Mike Eineman as the corporation’s superintendent. Eineman replaced Terry Enlow who retired April. Eineman’s selection as superintendent left Southridge High School without a principal. Vice principal Kelly Murphy has served as interim principal since Eineman’s appointment as superintendent….
Jasper moving forward with plan to donate majority of property purchase price
Jasper — The Jasper Common Council approved the appropriation of $200,000 to be given to the Rejuvenate Old Jasper Action Coalition (ROJAC) to assist in the purchase of the former-Autoplex property. In May, ROJAC entered into a sales agreement with Chris Peters of Coastline Properties LLC for the property located at 123 Third Avenue with the caveat…
Ferdinand chooses chief
Ferdinand — The Ferdinand Town Council decided to offer Ricky Patton the position as police chief for the town. The council also promoted Lt. Rob Randle to assistant chief. Randle had served as interim chief after Bieker stepped down. Randle will retain the pay raise granted by the council when he was appointed interim chief. The…
Save energy and earn $25 for an area non-profit
Jasper — A new fundraiser is available for the residents of Jasper and Huntingburg that allows them to save money on their electric bill and raise up to $25,000 a year for their favorite local non-profit. Dan Worl, Energy Efficiency Manager for Indiana Municipal Power Association (IMPA), introduced the Energize Indiana program at a recent…
Ferdinand Town Council to appoint new police chief Tuesday
The Ferdinand Town Council is expected to make a decision on the police chief position on Tuesday night at a special meeting. The town council will conduct an executive session at the Ferdinand Town Hall on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at 5:30 p.m. The purpose of the Executive Session is to receive information about prospective employees…
County Commissioners approve splitting stake in Huntingburg overpass
The Dubois County Commissioners approved splitting the 20 percent stake Huntingburg has in the railroad overpass scheduled to begin construction in 2016. The project is funded through a federal highways grant through the Indiana Department of Transportation and local contributing dollars. The federal highway funds will provide for 80 percent of the cost of the…
Huntingburg Common Council meeting June 13: overpass update
Huntingburg — City and County representatives met with Audrey Schmitt, project manager with Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), on Monday this week to begin the planning process for the railroad overpass in Huntingburg. The next step in the process is to file requests for proposals (RFP). INDOT will review the proposals and choose the top three consultants…
Fast-thinking and training mitigated Huntingburg gas explosion and fire
Huntingburg — One city employee narrowly missed serious injury and another’s fast thinking mitigated the potential disaster when the gas storage field building exploded on Monday. In a report presented to the Huntingburg Common Council Thursday night, Energy Superintendent John Reutepohler outlined the events leading up to and during the explosion and subsequent fire. According to his report,…
VU tuition increase proposal both “fair and modest”
Vincennes – Vincennes University President Dick Helton says VU will remain among the most affordable options for Indiana college students, under a proposed tuition plan to be considered by the Board of Trustees on June 26. Speaking at a public hearing on Friday about VU’s proposed tuition and fee increase, Helton said, “We believe this increase is fair, it…
Residents of Beaver Lake voice concerns for water supply and safety
Jasper — Over 70 people attended a special meeting at the Habig Center Tuesday evening about the water levels at Beaver Lake. All of them agreed, Beaver Lake is at least 9 to 12 inches lower. Originally the city stated the level was due to the spillway being about half an inch lower than the spillway…
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…
