Waterball cancelled; fireworks still planned
The Strassenfest Committee has had to make some decisions relative to a few of the 2012 Strassenfest features due to weather conditions. According to Strassenfest Committee Chairperson Meredith Voegerl the Waterball competitions for children and adults will not be held this year. Voegerl said the decision was made by Jasper Fire Chief Kenny Hochgesang. “He…
Scammers using missionary story to steal prescription drugs
According to an article in the Petersburg Press-Dispatch a pair of scammers is working under the guise of collecting for a charity, mission or church. The scammers tell their intended victims that any amount of money will do and talk their way into homes. Once in the home, one will ask to use the restroom…
Several in hospital as traffic accident closes Newton St. in Jasper (Updated)
Update Wednesday, July 18: The state police investigator has determined the front steering brakes on the tow truck involved in the July 2 traffic accident were inoperative at the time of the accident. The tow truck belongs to the Craney’s Body Shop in Washington. On Wednesday a representative at the business stated they would not…
Dubois REC and Jasper Public Library team up
Jasper — The Jasper Public Library now makes it easy to find out how much it costs to run a home appliance and which appliances are using energy even when they’re switched off. The Jasper Public Library and Dubois Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. have teamed up to make “Kill A Watt” home energy meters available…
Jasper loosens water restrictions for now
Under advisement of Water and Gas Manager Mike Oeding, the City of Jasper loosened some of the water restrictions it put in place originally on June 29. On Tuesday morning, the mayor’s office issued the amendments to the original declaration. The amendments include extending the hours of watering of landscaping, gardens and lawns to 4…
Cops Cycling for Survivors will be in Dubois County today
July 9, 2012 marked the start of the 10th annual Cops Cycling for Survivors bicycle ride across and around Indiana. A departure ceremony was held at the Law Enforcement/Firefighter Memorial, adjacent to the State Capitol, in downtown Indianapolis. 53 cyclists participating in the ride departed shortly after the key note comments of Chief John Plasse,…
Unique approach at Huntingburg Wastewater Plant saves city money
On Friday, Huntingburg Mayor Denny Spinner announced a change in the city’s Wastewater Plant operating permit that could save the city up to $17 million dollars. The city has worked on problems with rain water infiltration and inflow for several years. This excess water creates problems for the Wastewater Plant in wet weather. During those…
Mayor Spinner recognizes Huntingburg’s past and future at the 175th Kickoff
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/53012431″ params=”auto_play=false&show_artwork=false&color=3c00ff” width=”100%” height=”90″ iframe=”true” /] Huntingburg Mayor Denny Spinner displayed his preaching background as he kept his remarks quick and poignant at the 175th Kickoff Celebration on Friday night. He apologized for holding up the real entertainment, comedian Tim Cavenagh, but the mayor’s speech captivated the audience in its own right as he…
Huntingburg Common Council meeting July 12, 2012
Nick Stevens, Executive Director Huntingburg Chamber of Commerce, gave an update on Huntingburg’s 175th Anniversary Celebration Kickoff. Stevens stated they sold around 400 tickets for the dinner but had to cap it due to the reservations required by the Schnitzelbank. Stevens explained they have decided to open up the event to the community for the…
It’s not enough rain; Jasper continues water restrictions
The City of Jasper’s water conservation efforts and fire ban will continue until further notice. In another emergency meeting held on Thursday, four members of the Common Council heard from Jasper Fire Department Captain Phil Schmidt. He told them that despite the rain the area has received the ground and foliage is still very dry…
Tow truck driver in court Friday morning
The driver of the tow truck involved in the six vehicle accident on Monday, July 2, is facing two misdemeanor counts tomorrow in the Dubois County Circuit Court. Frederick D. Craney, 58, of Washington, is charged with Criminal Recklessness with a Vehicle (class A misdemeanor) and Reckless Driving (class B Misdemeanor) in addition to the…
Ferdinand Town Council meeting notes from July 10
The Ferdinand Town Council met Tuesday night after a very busy grand opening day at the new McDonalds. In the Department reports, Fire Chief Dan Lindauer reports that the ladder truck in his department has a defective hydraulic lift system that needs to be repaired. The defect is bad enough that in the recent inspection,…
Airport searching for new Fixed-Based Operator
Two topics at the Monday night Huntingburg Airport Board meeting could set the tone for the future of operations at the airport. The first is the budget for the next fiscal year. Airport Manager Travis McQueen presented the board with a budget that takes into consideration the worst case scenario of having no Fixed-Base Operator…
Huntingburg Splash Park decision made despite $5000 in incomplete engineering plans
On Monday night the Huntingburg Park Board decided on the location of the new splash park for the second time based on a presentation from Ralph Wallem, an engineer from Benchmark Services. Wallem was hired in June to come up with an “apples to apples” comparison between the two proposed sites. Park Board President Mike…
New Huntingburg Code Enforcement Officer using Mayberry tactics
Steve Collett has been the Huntingburg Code Enforcement Officer for about three weeks now. On Thursday he presented the Board of Public Works with three pages of code enforcement violations he was currently working on. Most of the people on the report were slated to meet with Collett or had already met with him in…
Huntingburg extends fireworks ban
The Huntingburg Common Council met in an emergency session on Friday to discuss continuing the declaration of a local emergency and the banning of all fireworks in the city. The council unanimously approved extending the declaration and ban until such time as Mayor Denny Spinner chooses to lift it. The ban was put in effect…
Holiday World holding job fair tomorrow
As the summer vacation season approaches full throttle, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari are preparing by hosting an Open Job Fair on Saturday. “This season is going great – in fact we believe we have our friendliest seasonal staff ever,” says Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari General Manager Matt Eckert. “We have about 100 more…
Indiana Conservation Officers investigate fish kill on Patoka River
Update: An Indiana Department of Environmental Management investigator has stated the low oxygen levels were more than likely caused by the heat and low water flow. Original: Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating a fish kill on the Patoka River. According to the report from the Department of Natural Resources, on Wednesday dead fish were found…
Greater Jasper School Board retains same officers
The Greater Jasper School Board met Thursday morning to reorganize. The board composition remained the same: Nancy Habig is president, Bernie Vogler is vice president and Mike Braun is secretary. Greg Eckerle and Ken Schnaus continue as members.
“Derecho”
The storm and wind that ran through the area on Sunday has an official name. Many call the high velocity horizontal winds “straight-line winds” but the proper term is “derecho”. “A derecho (pronounced “deh-REY-cho) is a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms. Although a derecho…
Huntingburg water production up to give Patoka Water leeway
Huntingburg Mayor Denny Spinner and Utilities Superintendent Tony Traylor met with officials from the Patoka Lake Regional Water and Sewage District on Monday. The district is requesting that Huntingburg cut back it use of Patoka Lake supplied water by 1.6 million gallons for the entire month of July. Huntingburg’s Water Treatment plant will increase production…
Jasper water supply up but still resticted
During the emergency Common Council meeting held on Monday in Jasper, Water Utility Manager Mike Oeding told the council the watering ban was working. Mayor Terry Seitz commended the citizens of Jasper and the volunteers that helped on Friday. He told the council the city was in much better shape due to the water ban….
More Dubois County towns issue mandatory water conservation
The following cities and towns have mandatory water conservation orders in effect: · Jasper · Ireland · Winslow · Dubois · Duff The mandatory orders in these cities mean that watering of lawns, landscaping and gardens with sprinkler systems of any kind is now prohibited – as is washing of vehicles and washing of outdoor…
Dubois County and cities declare state of emergency and issue fireworks ban
Faced with the threat of fires from personal use of fireworks Jasper, Huntingburg and the County Commissioners declared a state of emergency this morning and banned all fireworks throughout the county. The executive orders issued by Huntingburg and Jasper are effective for seven days. Indiana law allows unrestricted usage of consumer fireworks from June 30…
Jasper issues Emergency Water Conservation Declaration
The City of Jasper banned all exterior water usage in an emergency meeting of the Common Council and Utility Service Board on Friday. The Mandatory Water Conservation is effective immediately and bans the washing of cars, exterior surfaces (driveways, sidewalks, and homes) and all sprinklers. No hose watering is allowed in the city. Violators of…
Ireland has water problems
On Thursday, the Ireland Water Utilities asked customers to conserve water due to the town’s inability to keep up with the consumption. Ken Schnaus, secretary of the Ireland Water Board of Directors, said they are asking customers to cut back on the additional watering of lawns and gardens. “At this time we are asking for…
Fireworks law has teeth and could bite any local bans on personal displays (updated)
In what has been the driest June in history, Dubois County and its cities have their hands tied in banning personal displays of fireworks over the Fourth of July holiday to prevent fires. In 2006, Indiana’s commercial fireworks dealers pressured state lawmakers to approve a law making it legal for Hoosiers to shoot off fireworks…
Red Cross opens cooling stations in Huntingburg and Jasper today
With the expected hot temperatures and heat indexes predicted over 100 degrees, the American Red Cross is urging residents to take precautions against the heat now. To help offer relief to those without air conditioning during these periods of hot weather, the Red Cross will open locations throughout the Tri-State Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from…
Red Cross to open two cooling stations in Jasper
In response to the expected hot weather in the area for the rest of the week, the American Red Cross has plans to open up several cooling stations in Jasper. For those seeking relief from the heat, cooling locations will be open in Dubois County at the Jasper City Hall Building in the basement and…
Discarded cigarettes are the leading cause of unintentional grass fires
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security and Indiana State Police are reminding Hoosiers that proper disposal of cigarettes and safe handling of fireworks is critical to avoid accidentally starting a fire. “Two-thirds of Indiana’s counties have issued burn bans and numerous jurisdictions have placed restrictions on the use of fireworks because dry conditions are very…
Burn ban in effect
The Dubois County Commissioner’s and the Dubois County Fire Chiefs are reminding citizens that Dubois County is currently under a burn ban that will stay in effect until further notice. Due to the prolonged period of drought that we are experiencing and lack of rainfall there is an extreme fire hazard within Dubois County. The…
