A freak thunderstorm packing winds in excess of 65 miles per hour passed through Decatur and Adams County on Friday, leaving a trail of destruction — but no serious injuries initially reported — in its wake.
Thursday will go down as the hottest day ever for many Indiana locales, and Decatur recorded an official high of 102 degrees.
The National Weather Service said a large ridge of high pressure brought in the hottest temperatures in nearly 80 years. The mercury hit a record 106 degrees in Fort Wayne and Evansville and 104 degrees in Indianapolis.
For other cities, it was the hottest it’s been in Indiana since 1988.
Pay hikes for full-time employees of the city of Berne seem assured for 2013; likewise with proposed salary increases for the mayor and clerk-treasurer. Minor pay hikes for members of city council? Well, that's a different story.
For the second time in two weeks, City Council member Phil Provost on Monday evening voted against a $250 annual pay raise recommended by Mayor Bill McKean.
Despite the Internet, cell phones, e-mail and modern communications, every year entire regions find themselves in the dark, said Derek Augsburger, emergency coordinator for the Adams County ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) team.
"Tornadoes, fires, storms, ice and even the occasional cutting of fiber optic cables leave people without the means to communicate," Augsburger said.
