Suspect in hotel shooting facing murder charge
Dubois County Prosecutor Beth Schroeder has filed one count of murder against Jakahri Keyshaun Curry, 20, of Macon, Georgia, for the shooting incident that occurred at the SureStay Hotel in Jasper on Thursday, December 19, 2024. After a confrontation between Lawrence Jonte Walker, 27, of Cleveland, Ohio, and Curry, Curry allegedly filed multiple shots at…
Chad Dick named new Jasper Chief of Police
Jasper Mayor Dean Vonderheide has announced the appointment of Chad Dick as the new chief of the Jasper Police Department, effective January 6, 2025. He will be replacing retiring Chief Nathan Schmitt, who has served in that role since August, 2017. Chad Dick has over 25 years of dedicated service as an Indiana State Trooper…
A Christmas home
Habitat for Humanity of Dubois County presented its most recent partner family with the keys to their home in a special celebration Saturday morning. Kayla Schmitt and her two children, Jaxon and Grace, plan on celebrating Christmas in their Huntingburg home thanks to the tremendous efforts of the many volunteers and businesses involved in constructing…
CARES bringing best-selling author to county
Dubois County CARES is bringing national speaker and author Jessica Lahey to Dubois County in February. A recovery and prevention coach, teacher and mother of two, Lahey will present “Find Out What Your Kids Already Know: Raising Kids in a Substance-Glamorizing World” for adults on Thursday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. at the Jasper Arts…
Hicks: School choice is a good, not great thing… sort of
I have long supported school choice. There are many good reasons to share my position. At the same time, school choice in Indiana has not delivered the broad success its defenders claim. School choice in Indiana began in 2000 with the first authorization of charter schools. Then, in 2008, the Mitch Daniels administration pushed for…
Randy Houser, John Michael Montgomery headlining 2025 Red, White, and Brauen Music Fest
Randy Houser and John Michael Montgomery headline the fifth Annual RWB Music Fest presented by Shoes Sensation at Historic League Stadium in Huntingburg on August 23, 2025. Cody Ikerd, Little Texas and Tyler Farr round out the line-up. John Michael Montgomery is bringing his FAREWELL tour to Huntingburg. John Michael has had countless hits, including “I swear”, “Life’s a Dance”, “I can Love You…
Law enforcement response commended at Jasper Board of Public Works
A shooting at the SureStay Plus hotel in Jasper Thursday afternoon left one person dead and showcased the rapid response capabilities of local law enforcement. The incident occurred around 2 p.m. and involved members of a traveling construction group staying at the hotel, Lt. Dave Burger told the Jasper Board of Public Works Friday morning….
Isabella Harmon named 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship recipient
Dubois County Community Foundation announced Isabella Harmon, Jasper High School, was the recipient of the 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Dubois County. Harmon was chosen out of an applicant pool of 160 candidates from all four high schools in Dubois County. After the field of applicants was narrowed down, nominees were submitted to the…
Janalee May named Little Company of Mary Award recipient
Janalee May was named the 2024 recipient of the Little Company of Mary Award at Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center. The LCM Award is given annually to an employee nominated by his or her co-workers and chosen from a group of finalists by the hospital’s Mission Committee. Nominees for this award demonstrate Memorial Hospital’s…
First Christmas Lights Express
Jasper kindergarten through fifth-grade students were invited to participate in the Christmas Lights Express on Thursday evening. Participants met Santa at the corporation bus maintenance office. They had snacks and hot chocolate before boarding one of the five buses for a tour of the winners of the Jasper Jaycees and Chamber Outdoor Decoration Contest. Here…
Police release more information on Jasper shooting incident
Update: Curry has been preliminarily charged with murder. Police have not announced what charges a Georgia man will face after he was involved in a shooting Thursday afternoon at the SureStay Hotel, 951 Wernsing Road, that resulted in the death of another man. Police were called to the scene at 2:08 p.m. for the report…
Jasper Police report shooter in custody, investigation underway
Updater here: A man involved in a shooting at the Surestay Inn in Jasper is in custody, and a victim is in serious condition at Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center, according to Jasper police. They were called to the report of a shooting at the former Jasper Inn Thursday at 2:08 p.m. When police…
Jasper Jaycees and Chamber announce winners of annual Christmas Decoration contest
The Winners of the Jasper Jaycees 2024 Christmas Light Contest are the following: Best Use of Lights 1: Christopher Hays3253 Lakeside Drive 2: Matt Popp397 Daisy Lane 3: Chris and Jammie Otto1527 Dewey St Family Theme 1: Daniel & Rebekah Hall916 Main St 2: Jim & Sandy Hall222 W 17th St 3: Wolf Family194 E…
Framing Ferdinand announces Christmas decoration winners
The first-ever Framing Ferdinand Outdoor Christmas Contest lit the town with holiday cheer. Under the cover of night, Santa and his team of elves headed out to judge all the displays. With 34 participants in our inaugural year, the group was thrilled to see so many homes sparkling with Christmas spirit, making Ferdinand shine brighter…
Flooding leads to spidery phenomenon
The spiders were everywhere. Driving on South Meridian Road Tuesday in the waning light of the early sunset of Daylight Savings Time, I noticed something strange running along the sides of the road ahead. Both sides appeared covered in layers of plastic wrap, white in the golden hour light. As we crossed the bridge over…
Flooding still covering several Dubois County roads
The Dubois County Highway Department is reporting 10 roads in Dubois County remain impacted by high water from recent rains. Madison Township Patoka Township Bainbridge Township
Huntingburg attempts to address hoarding issues
Huntingburg city officials are considering a new ordinance to address hoarding and public safety concerns within the community. The proposed changes, discussed at a recent city council meeting, would amend chapters 150 and 34 of the Huntingburg Code of Municipal Ordinances. Chapter 150 discusses property regulations, and Chapter 30 discusses violations and fines. City Attorney…
Huntingburg takes first step for new housing development on north side
Developers seek five-year residential tax abatement for 126-unit project Tuesday night, the Huntingburg City Council took initial steps toward approving a tax abatement for a proposed 126-unit apartment development from Kerstiens Developments and S&S Properties called Poplar Ridge. Developers Ruger Kerstiens and Scott Steinkamp presented plans for the project, which would be built on vacant…
Holiday Liquors Bourbon Raffle nets $10,000 for Scout Troop 185 endowment
Holiday Liquors and Wooden Keg Liquors donated $10,870 to the Boy Scout Troop 185 Endowment from the recently concluded bourbon raffle. Holiday Liquors and Wooden Keg Liquors has been holding bourbon raffles to support local nonprofits, including The Dove House, Toys for Tots, and Dubois County Special Olympics. Through the raffles, the company has donated…
New call line helps veterans connect
One Indiana Call Line: a one-stop point of advocacy for Veterans Veterans Health Administration announced the launch of the One Indiana Call Line, a new patient advocacy resource for Indiana Veterans, Veteran services organizations, and congressional offices. The new call line provides Hoosier Veterans, enrolled in one of four Veteran Integrated Services Networks (VISN), with…
Huntingburg Senior Center moves forward with contract award
The city’s long-promised senior center is finally becoming a reality as the Huntingburg Common Council approved a $1.07 million bid from Seufert Construction to renovate the maintenance facility on the St. Joseph’s Hospital property at Tuesday’s meeting. Seufert’s was the lone bid for the contract, though the city did contact other companies to solicit bids….
Column: Hicks-Indiana college graduate info indicates major economic issues for state
Indiana’s Commission on Higher Education Issues an Eye-Opening Report Indiana’s educational attainment gap with the rest of the U.S. is widening at record pace. I struggle to understand how this can be viewed as anything other than an economic emergency. The latest annual report from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education includes this troubling news—and…
Birthday card shower for Larry Doll
Friends and former students of Larry Doll are invited to send a card to him as he celebrates his upcoming 90th birthday. Mr. Doll taught music for Southwest Dubois County School Corporation for many years and will turn 90 on December 24, 2024. If you would like to send him a card, please mail it…
2024 Holiday Programming on 101 Country WBDC, 103.3 JOLLY FM, and 18 WJTS-TV
The holiday spirit will be in abundance through the airwaves of local radio and television stations 101 Country WBDC, 103.3 JOLLY FM, and 18 WJTS-TV, as we once again announce special Christmas programming for all audiences to enjoy. 100.9FM WBDC begins its holiday programming on Tuesday, December 24th, as we feature the live broadcast of…
County Council makes appointments; hears from Dubois Strong
Colten Pipenger, the new executive director of Dubois Strong, introduced himself to the Dubois County Council at Monday’s regular meeting. He presented the organization’s strategic plan to the council. Pipenger distributed copies of the plan, describing it as “back to the core, back to the things that we should be doing, need to be doing.”…
Column: Blind Boys of Alabama helps shed light on his concert-going ways
I saw the Blind Boys of Alabama last month. The gospel group, with roots reaching 80 years back and a history of helping break down racial barriers, truly lifted my soul, providing me a much-needed sense of positiveness. It was akin to an injection of God. The next day, I told my daughter, Delaney, it…
Dubois County Commissioners hold final meeting of the year
The final Dubois County Commissioner’s meeting of 2024 was a brief affair compared to most meetings. While many average more than two to three hours in length, Monday’s meeting edged a bit over an hour. Longtime Highway Superintendent Steve Berg gave his final report to the commissioners, who congratulated him on being named the Indiana…
Dubois County flooded roads closed to traffic
Several roads have been impacted by high water due to the rain. Here are the roads closed due to flooding waterways in the county. Marion Township Jackson Township County Road 230 South east of State Road 162 is also impacted by Flat Creek. Ferdinand Township Patoka Township
Jasper High School places 6th at ‘We the People’ State Competition
Jasper High School placed sixth overall in the state at the We the People Competition last week, its best finish ever. Additionally, the Unit 1 group from Jasper won the Best Unit Award. The primary goal of the We the People program is to promote civic competence and responsibility among Indiana’s elementary, middle and high…
Heart of Jasper’s final Shop and Sip of 2024 this Wednesday
Heart of Jasper invites you to the Downtown Square for the Shop and Sip on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, for the final Shop and Sip of 2024! The Downtown Jasper Merchants are open until 7 p.m. Experience a fun night of shopping around the downtown Square while listening to the JHS Choir sing Christmas carols…
Shop with a Firefighter
Students from Dubois Elementary participated in a special shopping experience with firefighters from the Dubois, Haysville and Celestine Volunteer Fire Departments on Saturday morning. In its 13th year, the event included 21 children who met with the firefighters and then shopped for clothing and toys. They were then escorted to Dubois Fire Station for lunch…
