Indiana State Police partners again with the DEA in fourth Drug Take Back Day

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On Saturday, April 28, 2012 the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is sponsoring the fourth nationwide “Prescription Drug Take Back” initiative. The “Take Back” initiative seeks to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft. Collection sites will be set up nationwide for expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs to be disposed of for destruction. This service is…

New Jasper High School principal hired

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The Greater Consolidated Jasper School Board chose Brian Wilson as the new principal for Jasper High School. Wilson has worked for the Greater Jasper School Corporation for two years. His first as the Jasper Middle School Vice-Principal and this year as the Vice-Principal of the Jasper High School. Wilson taught for 16 years as a…

Gymnasium finally moving forward

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Greater Jasper Consolidated School Superintendent Dr. Jerrill Vandeventer didn’t have much to say on the prospect the school board could be facing another challenge from the Southwestern Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council over the wage scale hearing held in March. He was just happy to finally be moving forward with the board’s decision to accept the…

Jasper Utility Service Board approves Mayor’s leadership plan, reports on delays at Beaver Lake and better natural gas prices

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Jasper Utility Service Board Meeting Jasper Mayor Terry Seitz got what he wanted from the Utility Service Board at Monday night’s meeting – an approval to move ahead with his strategic planning and leadership training – but not before a long discussion about need, funding and timing and a stipulation. USB Chairman Wayne Schuetter made…

Huntingburg Park Board meeting

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The Huntingburg Park Board heard from Parks and Recreation Director Jim Rueger about the status of the proposed splash park. Rueger stated the contractors that install these types of facilities are busy now with installations and would be hard pressed to submit estimates. He did state he should have something from three separate companies by…

National Resources Conservation Service announces dates for farming conservation initiatives

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Jane Hardisty, State Conservationist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announces three initiatives being offered in Indiana through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program: On-Farm Energy, Organic, and Seasonal High Tunnels. NRCS can assist farmers with evaluation their needs and planning to install these practices, and with installation costs. Farmers can apply for assistance at…

Grammy nominated Jeremy Camp to headline Holiday World Christian Music Fest

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Hoosier native Jeremy Camp will headline Holiday World’s “Rock the World” Christian Music Fest in August. The Grammy-nominated artist will be joined on the main stage by Tenth Avenue North and Barlow Girl. “Our guests have asked us to host a Christian music festival for a number of years,” says the park’s president, Dan Koch….

Mayor Seitz is a happy man

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One thing you could take from Mayor Terry Seitz’ 100 Days Address is he is having a great time. Throughout the 45 minute rundown of his first 100 days in office he accentuated the fact that Mayor Bill Schmitt had left him a city in good condition with a very capable staff, but Seitz has…

Early wheat could provide an opportunity for double cropping

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Unseasonably warm weather has pushed Indiana’s wheat crop about two weeks ahead of schedule, presenting an opportunity for growers to consider planting a second crop following harvest. In a more typical year, Indiana’s wheat crop wouldn’t mature until mid-June in the southern part of the state, and harvest wouldn’t wrap up until mid-July in the…

Huntingburg Airport Board meeting

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The Huntingburg Airport Board meeting occurred on Monday evening. Airport Manager Travis McQueen began the meeting with the manager’s report. Dubois County Flight Services was unable to provide a fuel report due to an employee being involved in a traffic accident. A Cessna 172 used for flight instruction was struck by a vehicle recently. A…

Upcoming Jazz Fest will feature diverse jazz musicians, local wine and homebrew

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The Garden Gate Jazz, Wine, & Craft Beer Festival on April 21st in Huntingburg will celebrate diversity featuring music from The Mike Tracy Brazilian Ensemble from Louisville followed by the Wade Baker Jazz Collaboration from Cincinnati. The free festival opens its gates at 4:30 p.m and music begins at 5:30 p.m. A veritable “Ambassador of…

First Heartland Half Marathon and 5K to be held Labor Day Weekend

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The race course in and around Jasper, Indiana has been described as “very fast” which should make the inaugural running of the Heartland Half Marathon nothing less than exciting! This new Half Marathon and 5K Run/Walk event is slated for Sunday, September 2 – during the middle of Labor Day Weekend – in Dubois County,…

Dubois County 4-H Fair receives funding to operate nationally sanctioned rodeo

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A generous donation from TransCanada has helped the Dubois County Council fund a rodeo as a large event for the fair this year. TransCanada and the Dubois County 4-H Council met today at the Dubois County 4-H Fairgrounds Clover Pavilion where TransCanada presented a $15,000 check to the council. $5000 will be used to fund…

Vincennes University Dean’s List, Fall Semester 2011 – Southern Indiana Counties

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VU is state-supported with campuses in Vincennes and Jasper and additional sites such as Indianapolis and the Gibson County Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics. VU also offers instruction at military sites throughout the nation. In addition to offering 200 associate degree and certificate programs, VU also offers bachelor’s degree programs in technology, homeland security,…

Dubois County receiving $2.3 million from State mistake

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Dubois County will be receiving approximately $2.3 million from the state most recent accounting error. Yesterday the head of Indiana’s Department of Revenue Commissioner John Eckart announced he is resigning after officials found $206,000 in local option income tax money wasn’t distributed to 91 of Indiana’s 92 counties. According to the state the problem occurred…

Jasper Public Library installing security cameras

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In other Jasper Public Library news the board approved the purchase of security cameras to stop vandalism and theft at the library. Library Director Rita Douthitt sought recommendations from Astro Security of St. Anthony (Astro Security installed the security systems at the new Ferdinand Library) on some situations that have occurred recently at the library….

Huntingburg taking action on two problematic properties

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The Huntingburg Board of Public Works heard updates today from Code Enforcement Officer Keith Snyder on two troublesome properties in the city. One property owned by Curtiss (correct spelling) Palmer is located at 1019 North Main. The city has contacted Palmer several times for repairs and cleanup that needed to be done on the property….

Huntingburg receives grant for lake improvement planning

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On Monday the City of Huntingburg learned they had been awarded a $24,375 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The grant money will assit in paying for a preliminary engineering report and environmental report for the dredging project at Huntingburg City Lake. The grant will help pay the costs associated with developing an application…

Public invited to Indiana Furniture Groundbreaking on Wednesday

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Dubois Strong, in cooperation with the City of Jasper and the Jasper Chamber of Commerce, is pleased to host a groundbreaking ceremony for Indiana Furniture on Wednesday, April 4, at 1:30 p.m. The location for the groundbreaking is the company’s expansion site at 1101 West County Road 100 South, Jasper, Indiana. The public is invited…

Jasper names new Director of Personnel/Safety/Loss Control

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After over 18 years of service as the Director of Personnel/Safety/Loss Control for the City of Jasper, Charlie Schneider is going to retire on May 1. Today, Mayor Terry Seitz announced the appointment of Cale Knies as the city’s new director of the department. “Cale brings many qualities to the position,” said Seitz. “Among them…

Dubois County ranks 4th healthiest in state; Indiana ranks 38th in 50 states

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Dubois County is ranked as the fourth healthiest county in Indiana according to a new report released today by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The 2012 County Health Rankings are a collection of 50 reports that reflect the overall health of counties in every state across the…

Huntingburg Mayor appoints new Park Board member

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Huntingburg Mayor Denny Spinner has appointed Ms. Mande Keusch to the City Park Board. She will fill the position recently vacated when Park Board Vice-President Marlene Morgan resigned. Keusch will fulfill Morgan’s remaining term which expires December of 2013. Keusch is currently the Vocational Transition Coordinator for the Dubois-Spencer-Perry Exceptional Children’s Coop. She assists children…

TRI-CAP here to help people facing foreclosure

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Recent employment numbers show that Dubois County’s unemployment rates have risen from 6% to 6.6% in February. Gas prices, slower economic growth, and other factors have been pointed out but the harsh reality is there are people in this county that do not have jobs. These individuals are facing the uncertainty of being without an…

Jasper Hometown Competitiveness Entrepreneurship Survey – take it now

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The HTC Entrepreneurship Committee is asking for the community to complete a brief survey. HTC is about recognizing our community’s strengths and most importantly addressing the areas in need of improvement.  The community’s participation in this survey is vital in determining what areas the entrepreneurship committee should focus.  The ultimate goal is to provide a…

Updated- Five barrels of oil went into tributary in Dubois oil spill

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Indiana Conservation Officers, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Oil and Gas are investigating an oil well spill that was discovered Sunday early evening, in Dubois County, near the town of Dubois, along Highway 545. According to the investigation thus far, salt water and crude oil…

Two Minutes with Matt Episode II “God save the Queen”

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If you know someone we should interview let us know by contacting us at editor@dcfreep.com. Thanks to: Adrian Engelberth for volunteering to be the second interview; Jeremy Damon for editing and scripting; Amy Crane for assisting during the interview.

Fire conquered by coordinated efforts of city and Ackerman Oil

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Update- comments from Jasper Mayor Terry Seitz: Mayor Seitz applauded the response and performance of the Fire and Police Departments to the fire at Ackerman Oil yesterday, but also recognized the efforts of the city’s Wastewater Department and Storm Water Coordinator Chad Mundy in containing the dirty water. “I understand that wastewater employees shut the…

USDA warns farms and individuals of fax scam

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USDA officials learned late Friday afternoon, March 16th, 2012, that fraudulent letters are being sent by FAX to individuals, farms, and businesses in at least five states. The letters allegedly come from a USDA procurement officer and seek personal information.These letters are false and recipients should NOT respond with personal and financial information. The fraudulent…

Oil spill affecting creek near Dubois

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From WITZ: An oil spill occurred Sunday night near Dubois which has affected a creek in the area. A small oil well developed a spill after a micro-switch failed to turn off a pump. The pump continued to operate, which allowed an overflow of sulfur water and oil gleanings to spill over a small dam…