Articles from The LaGrange News, published every Friday.
3-5-2010
Starcraft RV to reopen Topeka production facilities
Starcraft RV, a division of Jayco, Inc., has announced that it will reopen its manufacturing facilities in Topeka beginning in May. The Starcraft RV plant was closed in January 2009 as a part of Jayco’s efforts to trim costs and reduce production capacity as a result of recessionary economic pressures.
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Questionable charity solicitations reported
LaGrange County businesses and residents are being told to use caution if approached by a group claiming to be with the Indiana State Police Association and soliciting donations.
LaGrange County Sheriff Terry Martin said the group soliciting businesses are insinuating that they are with the state police, but are not. They are also asking that donations be put in an envelope and left on doors to be picked up by them instead of mailed.
Businesses and residents are to contact the LaGrange County Sheriff’s Department or the Indiana State Police if they are unsure about the validity of solicitations for donations.
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Howe Revitalization Meeting March 9
LaGrange County will hold a public hearing on March 9 to give Howe residents an opportunity to comment on the completed Howe Revitalization Study. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Paws & Claws Bookstore, located at 309 Defiance St.
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Prairie Heights School Board discusses budget options
With the looming budget cuts ahead for the Prairie Heights School Corporation, the school board met Monday evening to discuss various options for the cuts to be made.
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2-26-2010
Lakeland working out how to weather financial ‘perfect storm’
by Guy Thompson
It has been a double whammy for Lakeland schools that has led to what Superintendent Risa Herber termed an “Economic Storm” for the school district. The school began to take action, as well as look ahead at further measures, to shore up the district’s finances at their Monday meeting.
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Saturday last day to check out books
Saturday, Feb. 27, is the last day for books to be checked out. On Monday, March 1, the library will begin the massive move to its temporary location in the Jayco office building on SR 9, across from the LaGrange Town Hall. If the move goes according to plan, the library hopes to open at that location by April 5.
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Dealing meth charges filed against LaGrange man
On Feb. 23, officers from the I.M.A.G.E. Drug Task Force and Steuben County Sheriff’s Department arrested James A. Hendrix II, 39, of 502 E. Michigan St. in LaGrange, on a charge of dealing methamphetamine, a Class A felony.
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Coach Sirk to retire
Tim Sirk will retire at the end of this basketball season. He has been the head coach at Lakeland High School for the last 15 years and is retiring for medical reasons.
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2-19-2010
Court tosses Wolcottville sewer rate increase out
A judge has ruled that the recent sewer user rate increase by Wolcottville that affected only those users who lived outside the town’s limits is invalid and has reinstated the previous rate ordinance.For the rest of the story, subscribers call the office at 260-463-2166 or subscribe here...
Sewer Board drops Fawn River project
With the project nearly done, the issue of who is taking over the project and who is going to assume responsibility for the system came to the forefront for the utility district, with the district board voting to pull out of the project until all of the issues can be resolved.
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Plenty of questions for Region C sewer project
Residents from Howe, Cedar Lake, Twin Lakes, and Pigeon Lake had questions they wanted answered before any sewer system would be welcomed in their area. Following a presentation Monday evening at Lima-Brighton Elementary School, they got some of those questions answered.
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Heights community becomes involved in budget reduction
Over 500 residents of the Prairie Heights community – including teachers, students, parents, and concerned patrons – came to express their opinions at the public information meeting on budget reduction held Feb. 16.
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Wind energy ordinance moves on to commissioners
The LaGrange County Plan Commission passed an amendment to the county zoning ordinance for Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS) Tuesday evening. The plan commission has been working on the amendment since early fall of last year, with discussion on the ordinance dating back to last spring.
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2-12-2010
When it comes to stimulus money, LaGrange gets left behind
As LaGrange County has been consistently in the top three in unemployment in the state, it would stand to reason that the county would benefit from some of the $658 million going to road or bridgework. “I don’t know what criteria they used, but it didn’t go by unemployment,” County Commissioner Phil Curtis said Wednesday. “It’s almost like we’ve been forgotten up here.” The numbers support that thought, as LaGrange County had no direct funding from the stimulus package for roads, bridges, or other infrastructure projects.
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Winter storm wallops county
For once, the weather forecast was spot-on. Over the weekend, the Midwest was warned that it was targeted by a growing winter storm. Locally, the prediction had snowfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches starting early Tuesday and continuing through Wednesday. By Wednesday night, LaGrange County had just shy of nine inches of snow on the ground.For the rest of the story, subscribers call the office at 260-463-2166 or subscribe here...
Prairie Heights Drama Club to present ‘Spin - a Musical Myth’
The Prairie Heights Drama Club will present “Spin – A Musical Myth” at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12, and at 2:30 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13.
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2-5-2010
Library to rebid Shipshewana branch remodeling work
The LaGrange County Library Board decided to ask for bids on the Shipshewana branch renovation work to be resubmitted after finding the first set of bids to be too far apart.
“I would like to have the project rebid so everyone is on the same page,” Board President Diane Cameron said at Wednesday’s special library board meeting. “The bids are so far apart, I know they’re not bidding the same thing.”
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Top spellers
Dan Gill from Westview Elementary School won the LaGrange County Spelling Bee held Wednesday night at Lakeland Middle School, spelling “dross” to win the title. Runner-up Chloe Long from Lima-Brighton Elementary misspelled “postmortem” in the final round. Gill now has the opportunity to compete in the regional spelling bee on March 13 in Ft. Wayne.
Changes coming soon to Utility District Board
There will be two open seats on the LaGrange County Utility District Board this spring as two current members are planning to step down.
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LaGrange County Florida Day planned for Feb. 18 in Sebring
Those wintering in Florida, or just down there for a visit this month, are invited to attend the annual LaGrange County Florida Day.
This year, the gathering will begin at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18. The event will be held at Homer’s Restaurant in Sebring, Fla., located at 1000 Sebring Square near the intersection of US 27 and Sebring Parkway.
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