Features

Huntington North High School (HNHS) Principal Rief Gilg has announced that Jonathan York has been named a Commended Student in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from the school and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, was presented by Gilg to HNHS senior York.

The Johnson family, of Huntington, was recognized with a 2021 Hoosier Homestead Award in the spring, presented by Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) Director Bruce Kettler.

According to the ISDA website, “To be named a Hoosier Homestead, farms must be owned by the same family for more than 100 consecutive years and consist of 20 acres or more, or produce more than $1,000 in agricultural products per year.”

Maddy Ottinger recently joined her grandfather Rex Ottinger in cutting hair at Rex’s Barber Shop in Roanoke.

Maddy graduated from Huntington North High School, where she also studied in a vocation program to receive her cosmetology license.
After graduation, she immediately began working for Rex at the barber shop.

“I worked here in the mornings. He was basically mentoring me through it,” Maddy said.

Huntington County is now home to a new “U-Pick” experience, thanks to the new business venture of a local couple and their children.

In August, Adam and Candice Couch, along with their children Jason and Chloe Couch, officially opened a “U-Pick” berry farm, “Barnyard Berries.” The farm is a “U-Pick” with a twist – rather than having the berries planted on the ground and having pickers kneel or bend down to pick their berries, they are on raised benches – meaning that they are more easily accessible to more parties.

The Huntington County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony for Lagg’s Automotive on Wednesday, Sept. 8. Lagg’s, which opened their Roanoke location in April, have now opened a Huntington location at 1885 N. Jefferson St.

Owners Andrew and Garin Stephan were both born and raised in Huntington, so they wanted to keep the business in the area.

On Thursday, Sept. 2, Huntington Bicycle Shop Owner Brooks Fetters received an official Little 500 bicycle, presented by Little 500 Mechanic Greg Souder.

According to Little 500 Race Director Hank Duncan, “The Little 500 is a cycling race hosted annually on the campus of Indiana University (IU) Bloomington for undergraduate students at IU. Its purpose is to raise funds for student scholarships and enrich the IU student experience.”

In 1981, a man named Ed Waters began coaching local youth on a Markle Farm League baseball team. And since then, Waters has impacted generations of children on the baseball field.

After spending four years at the Markle Farm League, Waters was approached by the director, who informed him that, due to a board decision, nobody from Huntington would be allowed to coach or play in their league. So, Waters looked elsewhere. And that began a decades-long relationship with the Huntington Police Athletic League (PAL) Club.

Though she has only been the Huntington Human Society Board President since May of this year, Katy Hudson has “big plans” for what she would like to see happen for the animal services in this community.

All of those goals, however, are reliant on increased support from Huntington County leadership and residents alike.

Currently, the Humane Society is funded by a $70,000 contract with the city and a $40,000 contract with the county. Unfortunately, those monies are spent quickly between medical needs for animals, upkeep of the building and employee salaries.

Editor’s note: this story was previously published in the May 2021 MethuenLife Magazine and was submitted to The TAB by Keith Disler.

Sitting in an outdoor Florida restaurant with about 40 customers around him, Ed “Hoppy” Curran stood up, asked the crowd for their attention, and introduced himself and the man sitting at his table as Vietnam War veterans who had not seen each other in 53 years.

 A couple of women gasped in surprise, the customers broke out in applause and one of them said her husband, too, was a veteran of the war.

A celebration of a local war hero and cryptanalyst took place on Thursday, Aug. 26, at Memorial Park, and was marked by the special unveiling of a state historical marker honoring the hero cryptanalyst, Elizebeth Smith Friedman, on what would have been her 129th birthday.

The Huntington North High School (HNHS) Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) has just started their second year at HNHS and the group is working hard to fill the shoes of the senior class that graduated last year.

So far, the program has a total of 115 students - and according to one of the program instructors, Sergeant First Class (SFC, Retired) Dana Lescoe, that number grows the more the word gets out about the program.

The Huntington Police Department welcomed Clayton Moore as its newest officer on Wednesday, Aug. 18, at a swearing in ceremony at the city building.

Moore graduated from North Manchester High School in 2015. He immediately joined the U.S. Army and served from December 2015 through June 2020.

During his time with the army, Moore had a nine-month tour of duty in Iraq where he received commendation medals for conduct and achievement. He was also stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

New to Huntington North High School (HNHS), Jeremy Markham was named the new Athletic Director for the school during the Monday, June 28, Huntington County Community School Corporation (HCCSC) Board of Trustees meeting.

Now that school has been in session for a few weeks of the 2021-22 school year, Markham is getting to know names and faces of HNHS a little better, and is sharing his goal for the athletic department and school: to be “first class.”

The Aumedes Molero family recently moved from Barcelona, Spain, to Huntington, for Laura Molero to teach Spanish at Huntington Catholic School (HCS).

Molero received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Spain. She has been an educator for seven years, including teaching in Illinois in 2006. The rest of her teaching experience has been in Spain.

The Visiting Teacher Program made it possible for Molero and her family to come to America. The program will last three years, with the possibility of extension after those years.

Two recently promoted veterans of the Huntington Police Department were recognized during a swearing-in ceremony on Friday, Aug. 6, at the Huntington City Building.

Andy Ellet, a 20-year member of the department, earned a promotion to captain. He has previously held the ranks of patrolman, detective and sergeant in addition to his work as a school resource officer and K-9 handler.

Ellet has been involved with McKenzie’s Hope, the Huntington County Drug Court, 4-H Club and LaFontaine Saddle Club and worked as a youth sports coach.