Archive - News Article
February 14th, 2011
After 15 years on the Adams County Election Board, Ralph Smith Jr. of rural Decatur has resigned, effective February 28, citing "health problems and my desire to travel for six months out of the year."
Smith, a Republican, was replaced by Abby Dyer of Decatur, who was named by county Republican Party Chairman Rob Noetzel. Dyer is the wife of Decatur City Councilman Matt Dyer.
The fledgling North Adams Community Schools Fund is gaining support, and Superintendent Wylie Sirk said committee members are discussing "a variety of ideas to generate revenue" to allow the fund to award an increasing number of annual scholarships.
Included are a pair of challenges — one to employees of the school district, the other to school board members — issued by Sirk.
February 11th
Finally, an honest-to-goodness warmup.
After frigid temperatures — including a 7 below reading around 8 a.m. Thursday in Decatur — a warmup is under way. The National Weather Service said Decatur-area residents should see a high in the middle 20s today, with a southwest wind at 10 to 15 mph. Tonight's low should be around 18 degrees.
On Saturday and Sunday, forecasters said, the mercury should top out at 31 and 36, respectively. Above freezing!
Adams County Prosecutor Chris Harvey has released a report filed in Adams Circuit Court in the case of Aaron C. Ellis of rural Decatur, a senior at Adams Central High School who was arrested on Wednesday by the Adams County Sheriff's Department for possession of guns and cocaine on school property.
Harvey brought four charges against Ellis: possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, and two counts of possession of a firearm on school property. The weapons allegedly are a .22-caliber handgun and a .38-caliber handgun.
February 10th
The public relations push in support of a North Adams Community School's general fund referendum — which will ask school district voters during this year's May primary election to approve an increase in property taxes to support the financially-struggling district — will include door-to-door canvassing, meetings with township trustees, newspaper and radio promotions, and website postings.
With the big construction/renovation project at Adams Central School making good progress, the AC school board discussed at its February meeting what to do about the elementary school playground.
That play area has been on the north side of the school for many years, but some space was lost when an extension was added for offices, classrooms, and bathrooms to make that side of the school the main entry/exit point.
February 9th
The new leaders of the Adams County Sheriff's Department, Sheriff Shane Rekeweg and Chief Deputy Eric Meyer, informed the county council on Tuesday that they have developed a plan to eliminate the "carryover" for years of built-up hours of compensation time, vacation and holiday time, and overtime by some deputy sheriffs and jailers.
A formal proposal calling for members of the North Adams Community School's board of education to be elected, rather than appointed as is currently the case, has been submitted to the Adams County Clerk of Courts and could be headed for a general election vote in 2012.
February 8th
Early on Tuesday afternoon, an Adams County Highway Department truck lost its two left rear tires on Winchester Rd., a couple of miles northwest of Decatur. One tire hit a car and damaged a door and an exterior mirror.
The 5 1/2 inches of snow which fell in Decatur last weekend gave the city 28 inches of snow since the first of December.
And 15 of those inches have come in the first six days of February!
Jane Thieme at the Decatur weather station said the city received 7.5 inches in December, 11 inches in January, and 15 inches this month, through last Sunday.
Decatur's snowfall, of course, pales in comparison to some other communities in Indiana, such as South Bend.
