It was a good turnout for the spring Hazardous Collection Event for Jennings County on Saturday. Held twice a year by the Southeastern Indiana Recycling District (SEIRD), the event provides a safe alternative for residents to clean out such items as household cleaners, oil-based paints/stains, pesticides, mercury items, etc. Twenty-three residents participated, which was "a larger turnout than what we normally see," reported Mandy Creech of the SEIRD. Among those taking advantage of the collection were Greg and Nikki Bach of North Vernon who noted they wanted "to get rid of items safely."
The Jennings County Parks and Recreation Department (JCPR) is seeking public input as it begins the process of creating a new five-year master plan for both the Muscatatuck Park and Eco Lake Park.
"We will first be looking at the current inventory of the planning area while also reviewing and researching recreational trends and standards," said Greg Martin, JCPR director. "Soon we will be reviewing issues, site plans and maintenance issues."
Martin and the JCPR board is encouraging as many people as it can from the community to participate in the research and planning process. All ideas are welcome that potentially could make the county's parks even better, he said.
"The first half hour of each of our county park board meetings the rest of this year will be designated for master plan review and public input," Martin said. "We welcome anyone who is interested in helping us further develop our outdoor recreational areas."
Park board meetings are held the fourth Tuesday of each month at the JCPR office and Visitor Center near the front entrance at the Muscatatuck Park. Meetings start at 5:30 p.m. Additional time and more meetings will be added as needed, according to Martin. Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Nine hopefuls will be vying for the title of 2019 Jennings County Fair Queen Saturday night, May 25, at the Jennings County High School's Don Pelkey Auditorium. The pageant will start at 7 p.m. and conclude with new royalty as well as a new Little Miss and Little Mr. Jennings County.
Because of the Memorial Day holiday, there will be no garbage or brush pick up in the City of North Vernon on Monday, May 27. The garbage collection route normally followed that day will instead be on Tuesday, May 28. Tuesday's regular route will also be collected then.
For over two weeks, work has been stopped on a $1.7 million road project on Buckeye Street, a busy thoroughfare in North Vernon.
The delay will last longer as HWC Engineering personnel change the design for the project because of unforeseen problems involving electrical utility poles.
Duke Energy is now requiring that excavation for the installation of new storm sewers under the street be at least 10 feet away from utility poles that hold electrical lines on the south side of the roadway.
Duke approved the work plan earlier this year, but two weeks ago it informed the city, FPBH, HWC and Milestone, the contractor for the project, of the new requirement, according to officials.
"That has created some real challenges," said Brad Bender of FPBH during a special meeting of the city's Board of Public Works (BPW) Friday to address the issues. "We are offering some solutions that we think will work without going over budget."
Part of the solution the BPW agreed upon was to close both lanes of Buckeye Street during construction. By doing that and making other minor changes, the city will not have to pay an extra $60,000 that HWC engineers estimate it would cost.
No date has been set for when Buckeye Street will be closed. Officials said it will be within the next few weeks and the public will get ample advance warning.
After another year that saw one of its two Day of Caring events rained out and a tax season in which around 200 families and individuals received free income tax preparations, Jennings County United Way will be celebrating at its annual meeting and open house on Thursday, May 23, at the United Way Center, 707 N. State St.
With the school year nearing an end, that often leads to a little mischievousness by restless students who are extra excited about the coming summer break.
JCHS Principal Dustin Roller said it best. If it wasn't for the generosity of donors, the annual Senior Awards Program held at the high school wouldn't be much of an event.
The training has been rigorous and intense during Guardian Response 19, a massive military homeland emergency response exercise centered at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Butlerville.
"It's very intense because it has to be," said Lt. Col. Joe Junguzza of the U.S. Army's 78th Training Division. "The idea is to create a lot of stress. We want to test the limits of our capacity in a (Hurricane) Katrina-type setting involving active and reserve Army units, the National Guard, FEMA and other federal and state agencies."
Around 3,500 military personnel are training in the exercise that is now in its second phase. Over 100 civilians are working as role players.
The second phase's mock scenario is the aftermath of the detonation of a 10-kiloton nuclear bomb in Phoenix, Ariz. The first phase, which started May 1, involved a mock disaster of a 20-kiloton nuclear explosion in Detroit.
Jennings County has been swarming with soldiers from Army and National Guard units from multiple states since mid-April. Military crews are not only involved at MUTC but also at the Indiana National Guard's Contingency Operating Base adjacent to the North Vernon Municipal Airport, where soldiers are being housed, and at the Jennings County Fairgrounds, which is being used for a staging facility. Guardian Response is scheduled to wrap up in two weeks. Wednesday, May 15, 2019
U.S. Rep. Greg Pence (R-6th District) spoke about his first piece of legislation from the House floor Thursday, May 9, highlighting his efforts to reduce what he calls "unnecessary and burdensome regulations on hardworking truckers, farmers and producers in Indiana, and across America."
For the 20th consecutive year, Jennings County residents have the opportunity to participate in a nationwide event and generate some cash right in their own backyard.
Jennings County may soon be getting another judicial officer to help with the case load for the county's Circuit Court and Superior Court.
Circuit Court Judge Jon Webster came to the Board of County Commissioners Thursday requesting and receiving support for the proposal to add a magistrate judge in Jennings County.
"The case load in both our courts is off the chart," Webster said. "I have been in discussions with Sen. Chip Perfect and he plans to introduce a bill to establish the position of magistrate in Jennings County."
Perfect, a Republican from Lawrenceburg, represents Indiana Senate District 43, which includes Jennings County.
According to Webster, the magistrate will officiate at cases involving minor criminal and civil matters in both courts. Monday, May 13, 2019
With planting season underway for most Hoosier farmers, state officials remind every motorist to be on the lookout for slow-moving farm equipment on Indiana's rural roads. Over the next couple of months, Hoosiers are encouraged to exercise caution and patience, as they share the road with these large vehicles.
First-time candidate Matt York scored a decisive victory in the North Vernon City Democratic Party primary election Tuesday.
In the only race in either party, York collected 74 votes, 57.4 percent, to earn his party's nomination for the City Council at-large position. York's opponent in the Democratic primary, Annie Payne, received 55 votes, 42.6 percent.
York will now face Jerry Lamb, the Republican Party incumbent, in the general election on Nov. 5.
"I owe a lot to family, friends and the voters, and the many Republicans who crossed over to vote for me in the primary," York said. "I couldn't have done it without them."
York faces a formidable opponent in Lamb, who is finishing his first term on the city council and previously served one term as North Vernon's mayor from 1988 to 1992.
"I've known Jerry for years," said York, who works at Walmart in North Vernon where he is the manager of the meat department. "It's going to take a lot of hard work for me to have a chance against him in the fall. But I think the voters are ready for a change and will agree with me on the need to continue making progress in the city." Wednesday, May 8, 2019
The trucks have moved in, soldiers in gas masks are clearing roads, and helicopters can be heard overhead. Guardian Response 19 has officially kicked off at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Butlerville and other sites in the Jennings County area.
After 40 years in business, Tempest Tool & Machine Inc. is still going strong after undergoing numerous changes primarily because of ever-changing technology.
A large assortment of fine feathered friends will be the focus of this weekend's 21st annual Wings over Muscatatuck Bird Festival at the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge near Hayden. In fact, activities will spill over into the nearby Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday.
The two members of the Indiana House of Representatives who represent Jennings County are, for the most part, pleased with what was accomplished in the legislative session that just ended.
Both State Rep. Jim Lucas (R-Seymour) and State Rep. Randy Frye (R-Greensburg) expressed satisfaction with the legislation passed by the 2019 General Assembly, but not totally.
"We came away with a good budget, increased funding for education and for opioid addiction treatment, maintained a needed cash reserve and kept taxes low," Lucas said. "Can we do better? Of course we can. But I'm very happy overall and we will keep pushing for what didn't get passed this time."
Frye was most pleased that legislation he authored, House Bill 1065, not only passed but also was significantly strengthened in the Senate. That legislation, which was signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Eric Holcomb, is designed to combat overcrowding at county jails in the state by allowing county sheriffs to contract with the Department of Correction to send low-level felons to regional holding facilities.
Frye said the impetus for the bill came from Jennings County where officials are considering constructing a new jail because of severe overcrowding at the current facility.
