The Democratic Party will hold a caucus to fill the vacant seat on the County Council
An announcement from the Dubois County Democratic Party was made regarding the replacement of Councilman Scott Knies. According to Gary Eck, Dubois County Democratic Party Central Committee Chairman, the Precinct Democratic Chairpersons will caucus on September 20 to make selections. [adrotate group=”1″] The affected townships are Columbia, Hall, Jefferson, Jackson, and Ferdinand. There are 9…
State Police to concentrate traffic enforcement on US 231 in Spencer County
Spencer County: In light of all the crashes that have occurred on US 231 in Spencer County, Lieutenant Don Bolen Commander of the Jasper District is directing the troopers at the Jasper Post to concentrate their traffic enforcement efforts in the area. “Although we have been working the area since the roadway opened we will…
Weikert recuses himself from court case
Judge William Weikert has recused himself from the case between the City of Jasper and Healthy Dubois County due to the political nature of the lawsuit. The lawsuit filed by Steve Ripstra for Healthy Dubois County Inc. has stated the City violated Indiana Open Door laws regarding certain meetings that were held during the process…
Southridge soccer lacks legs
What looked like a promising buildup for soccer fans in the Southwest Dubois County School District turned out to be a missed opportunity. “Two years ago there was traction,” said Southwest Dubois School Corporation Superintendent Terry Enlow, talking about adding soccer as a varsity sport, “But we haven’t heard or seen anything for a while…
Huntingburg Common Council attacks employee and elected official pay raise issue
September 1 – The Huntingburg Common Council grasped the prickly nettle of city employee salaries and wages tonight with Mayor Marvin Belcher stating, “In an election year it’s going to be a rough decision; regardless of what we decide.” [adrotate group=”1″] The council discussed the wage issue for over 45 minutes, including a lengthy debate…
West Nile found in mosquitoes in Huntingburg
The Dubois County Health Department issued an alert today that a sample of mosquitoes tested positive for West Nile Virus in the Huntingburg area. “West Nile is carried by birds and is transferred to mosquitoes when they bite a bird and then if the mosquito happens to bite a person it can be transferred,” Shawn…
County Council and Sheriff vet differences
Sheriff Donnie Lampert spoke before the County Council on Monday. He is concerned about his department’s ability to fulfill the needs of the county with its current manpower issues. Mark Brescher (D – District 1) addressed Lampert’s concerns right out of the box stating that the Letter to the Editor was of no concern to…
Breedlove takes senior pastor position with civic-minded church in Calif. -UPDATED-
According to Breedlove a local news source released the information about his new position before he was able to notify his congregation. “The only people who knew about this were the church elders and my family. I was going to announce it to the congregation and then notify the media.” Breedlove stated the response has…
Lindauer wants a prayer before the meetings, council agrees to send to Nordhoff for review before voting
Shane Lindauer (R – District 2) brought up the fact that the County Council does not recite the Pledge of Allegiance nor say a prayer prior to each meeting. Citing that the Supreme Court, House of Representatives and Senate open with the Pledge and prayer, he asked why it wasn’t done at the council meetings….
Council member Scott Knies missed at the county council meeting today
A moment of silence was held today at the beginning of the Dubois County Council meeting for the loss of council member Scott Knies (D District 3). Knies took his own life on Sunday morning in Celestine. The council discussed contributions for the Knies family. Council member Greg Kendall (D – At Large) expressed that…
Violent Crimes Initiative by DOJ brings local man up on gun charges
On Friday, United States Attorney Joseph H. Hogsett announced an indictment of a local man related to the Department of Justice Violent Crime Initiative. James Miller, 41, was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a stolen firearm. These charges stem from an investigation by the Bureau of…
Yurtville is one tragedy after another but Dubois County is ready
Gary Yurt is having fun and the other forty people at the Habig Center in Jasper have no idea how much fun he’s about to have at their expense. Those forty people represent municipalities, counties, and companies from Dubois County and the surrounding region. They’re standing around “Yurtville”, Gary’s model tragedy town he uses to…
Huntingburg reveals big plans; new police department and street department coming
During the budget hearing held yesterday, Huntingburg’s Planning Director Rich Hazelwood revealed some major plans on the City’s horizon. One of the larger projects mentioned for the coming year would be the construction of a new Street Department office. Currently the Street Department is located near Huntingburg Park and is in a flood plain. In…
Food Safety Inspection Officer says China’s Best is safe
Jim O’neil WITZ News Director contributed to this report. Detective Lisa Miller with the Jasper Police Department issued a follow-up statement on the stabbing incident at China’s Best Restaurant in Jasper. 27 year old Isaias Salvador Mendoza was arrested in the early morning hours on Wednesday for the attack on a co-worker with a meat…
Smiles, giggles, squeals, and even tears; A Kid’s Place turns twenty
This Saturday is a big anniversary in Huntingburg. A community foundation is celebrating twenty years of smiles, giggles, squeals, and even tears. Its product? Kids. Its name? A Kid’s Place. Over twenty years ago, in response to a study conducted by the Huntingburg Chamber of Commerce and St. Joseph’s Hospital that showed daycare was a…
Jasper Trooper Receives Award for Saving Life
On August 2, Master Trooper Randy Neighbors received a Life Saving Award at the 2011 Indiana State Police Recognition and Award Ceremony. The idea for this event was first conceived by our Superintendent, Dr. Paul Whitesell. He, along with others he consulted, determined there was a need to publicly recognize the achievements, deeds of self…
Sergeant Greg Ashby promoted to First Sergeant
On Sunday, August 14, Indiana State Police Superintendent Paul Whitesell, Ph.D., promoted Sergeant Greg Ashby to the rank of First Sergeant to serve as the Assistant District Commander for the Jasper Post. Ashby is a native of Orange County and a 1988 graduate the Springs Valley High School. After high school, Ashby served his country…
Old School Baseball League back in session
The 2011 Indiana Old School Baseball League hosted its opening day games in Huntingburg’s League Stadium Saturday evening. The league, in its second season, is the brainchild and special project of former Pike Central player and Atlanta businessman Scott Gladish. In 2006 Scott attended a weeklong Boston Red Sox spring training fantasy camp in Fort…
Tensions surface over funding for strained Sheriff’s Department
The simmering debate over requested funding for the Dubois County Sheriff’s Department recently came into the local spotlight with the release of Sheriff Donny Lampert’s public letter on the issue. The written statement outlined both Lampert’s proposals for additional funding and the resistance he has met with from the county council. Specifically, Lampert claims the…
Sheriff Lampert states his case on problems with manpower and appropriate pay for supervisors
To the people. In January of 2011 our department was reorganized to better the everyday performance. We had to take our full time Detective Sgt and put him on shift work. This left the county without a detective, however it helped with managing everyday responsibilities. With the manpower that we had in January through the…
Mack announces he will appeal, will fight corruption, and will stay in the mayoral race
On the advice of legal counsel, I will not be making any comment at this time to the news media regarding specifics of the five felony charges I was convicted of on Thursday, 08/18/2011. I can and will state, with a very saddened heart, my constitutional rights as an American citizen to bear arms and…
The Mack attack is stopped in its tracks
Jeffery “Mack” Steffen’s Jasper Mayoral campaign may have hit a brick wall last night as the six person jury found him guilty on four counts of felony intimidation and one felony count of theft. There was an intimidation count for each of the four victims (Lindsey Denton, Alex Schneidecker, Jason Walters, and Jordan Shelton) and…
Wet coal blamed for fire at Jasper Power Plant
Tuesday morning a fire was reported at the Jasper Power Plant. Jasper Fire Department responded to the call that coal in the coal hopper was smoldering. [adrotate group=”1″] Bud Hauersperger, General Manager of Utilities, stated the power plant employees had noticed a smell in the plant but it was attributed to new power poles that…
An update to the Dale crash
The Spencer County Coroner’s Office has identified the deceased as Danny S. Hines, 37, Dale. Danny was the passenger in the Ford Taurus. The driver of the Taurus was John W. Rudy, 65, Dale. John is listed in stable condition at St. Mary’s Hospital. Both families have been notified. Deceased: Danny S. Hines, 37 205…
Two vehicle crash claims one life and seriously injures another in Dale
This morning at approximately 9:10 a.m. a two vehicle crash at US 231 and State Road 68 claimed the life of a Dale man and seriously injured another. Preliminary investigation reveals that a blue 2005 Ford Taurus was traveling westbound on SR 68 at the intersection of US 231. The driver of the Taurus failed…
Huntingburg budget approval process; Kays recommends a test drive before signing on the dotted line
The City budget was discussed at the Utility Board and Common Council Meeting in Huntingburg Tuesday night. In setting the hearing dates for the budget, Clerk-Treasurer Tom Dipple, explained that he had a preliminary assessed value of $140 million. The actual assessed value last year was $164 million, but Dipple explained he wanted to publish…
Independent Candidate Steffen facing trial tomorrow
Independent candidate “Mack” (Jeffrey Mack) Steffen will be in court tomorrow facing charges for an altercation over the purchase of a moped and TV. Steffen is charged with four felony counts of intimidation and one count of felony theft stemming from an arrest on March 24, 2010. Jury selection was conducted today and the trial…
Video of the Loser’s Bracket; brilliant move or accidental paddling
More videos here. [adrotate group=”1″]
Huntingburg Antique Show this weekend
The summer Antique show is this weekend at the Huntingburg Event Center. According to Nick Stevens, Executive Director Huntingburg Chamber of Commerce, all the booths are filled and he is expecting a record attendance. [adrotate group=”1″] “The attendance last year was 800 not counting children, I expect it to surpass that this year.” Stevens explained….
Ferdinand Town Parks Get WIFI Service
The Town of Ferdinand and PSC (Perry-Spencer Communications) have partnered to bring wifi access to the Town’s 5th Street and 18th Street Parks. Wifi access is currently operational at the 18th Street Park and is coming in the near future to the 5th Street Park. [adrotate group=”1″] Ferdinand Town Manager Marc Steczyk says, “Perhaps the…
Huntingburg Mayor taking care of hospital grounds on his own time with donated equipment
“This is an investment for the city.” Mayor Marvin Belcher stated today in regards to why he is personally mowing the grounds of the St. Joseph Hospital. “If people want things done and no one is stepping up to do them, I’ll get it done.” [adrotate group=”1″] Belcher stated that Dr. Mahmood, one of the…
