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HPD adds robot to its lineup

Huntington Police Officer Dale Osborn (center) listens to Huntington Robotics Team THRUST member Samir Shaikh as he operates “Fred” (shown at left) at Hier’s Park on Tuesday, Aug. 11. The robot will be used at police shooting ranges as a moving target.
Photo by Jessica Williams.

Originally published Aug. 17, 2009.

A new member was added to the Huntington Police Department on Tuesday, Aug. 11, but he will help in a different way.

"Fred" is a robot the Huntington County 4-H Robotics team, Team THRUST 1501 (Thundering Herd of Robots Using Student Thinking), built for the police department to use as target practice during shooting drills on the police range.

Scheiber home one of four on Tri Kappa Housewalk

The sunroom at the home of Jim and Jeni Scheiber. The Scheibers' home wil be featured on the Tri Kappa Housewalk on Oct. 4.
Photo by Matt Murphy.

The home of Jeni and Jim Scheiber, 3170E-900N, Roanoke, will be featured in the Tri Kappa Housewalk on Oct. 4.

The house, built in 1999, has been occupied by the Scheibers since 2001. It features four bedrooms, a pool, four and a half baths and a bar area in the finished basement.

The Scheibers added on the kitchen, a sunroom and an extra bedroom after they bought the home. A small pool house is located in the back yard, complete with a small kitchen and another bathroom.

Gas price talk leads trio to build electric car on their own terms

The Sheleys – (from left) Shannon, Josh Sheley and their dad Rowdy Sheley — converted a 1993 Eagle Summit to an electric car. The project, which started last Fourth of July, was completed early this spring.
Photo by Andre B. Laird.

Originally published Aug. 20, 2009.

When guys get together to "shoot the breeze," most talk about sports or politics.

However, last year, with the escalating gas prices, Rowdy Sheley and two of sons, Shannon and Josh, were discussing options.

"We saw how the prices were rising and how everybody was complaining and were just thinking of how we could figure it all out," Rowdy Sheley says.

He says that's when the research into electric cars started.

Four area homes to be featured on Tri Kappa Housewalk in October

The home of Don and Jo Patmore, 6636N-300W, Huntington, is one of four homes to be featured during the Tri Kappa Housewalk on Oct. 4.
Photo provided.

The doors to four Huntington County homes will open to welcome visitors on Oct. 4 as Chi Chapter of Kappa Kappa Kappa sponsors its 2009 Housewalk.

This year's showcase includes the homes of:
• Jim and Jeni Scheiber, 3170E-900N, Roanoke;
• Richard and Becky Hawley, 1111 N. Jefferson St., Huntington;
• Don and Jo Patmore, 6636N-300W, Huntington;
• and Ron and Marcia Rivers, 219 S. Main St., Roanoke.

Local group helping in unique way

Judy Turgeson (left) and Anita Prout begin to pack the quilts that will be sent to a church in Afghanistan. The women are members of the St. Peter Lutheran Ladies Quilt Group.
Photo by Matt Murphy.

A group of women at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Huntington are helping out with the reconstruction of Afghanistan - in a unique way.

The St. Peter Lutheran Ladies' Quilt Group is sending a shipment of bed-size and baby quilts directly to a mission in the war-torn country.

"It's not every day that you get to send something directly to Afghanistan," says Judy Turgeson, one of the group's leaders.

OLVM nun folllows heart -- and sisters

Sister Guadalupe "Lupita" Aguilar Huanca made her final vows as a member of Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters on July 22.
Photo provided.

Originally published Aug. 6, 2009.

Guadalupe "Lupita" Aguilar Huanca followed her heart - and her sisters - to Huntington.

For the time being, she makes her home on the wooded grounds of Victory Noll, the home base of a religious order of women known as Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters.

Huanca became a full member of the congregation on July 22, making her final vows a decade after entering the congregation as a postulant.

That makes her somewhat of a rarity at Victory Noll, where new members are few and far between.

Technology to become sharper in schools this year, says Shafer

Technology will become sharper this year in the Huntington County Community Schools, Superintendent Tracey Shafer says.

The corporation is working on the network to provide higher speed Internet access for teachers and students, he says.

Huntington North high School now has 11 classes of one-to-one computing, he adds, and several second grade classes at Flint Springs Elementary will pilot a one-to-one laptop program.

Lancaster Township once a bustling center of activity

The Boyd covered bridge was built in the mid-1860s of native lumber sawed nearby, which included oak, poplar, hickory and elm. The cost was $14.50 per thousand feet, and the total cost for the bridge was $900.
Illustration provided.

Originally published Sept. 6, 2004.

Lancaster became the third township in Huntington County when it was organized on May 15, 1837.

It originally contained the areas that later became Polk and Rock Creek townships within its bounds. Lancaster Township is notable not only for its fertile soil, but also for its rich treasure of early history.

'Tomorrow today' for HCCSC schools starting Thursday

Huntington County Community School Corporation's superintendent of schools, Tracey Shafer, sits at his desk in the Administrative Service Center recently.
Photo by Jessica Williams.

The official start of Huntington county schools is Thursday, Aug. 13, and the year will be full of both new and old.

Huntington County Community School Corporation's Superintendent of Schools Tracey Shafer says the image of the corporation has undergone a "rebranding," with a new logo and an updated tagline. The previous tagline of "A place where everyone learns" has been replaced by "Tomorrow today."

Auction take tops $250,000 as 802 4-H animals take their final walks

Sarah Doctor, left, waits for her name to be called to take her steer into the show arena during the cattle auction. Brittany Dilley, back right, watches the auction.
Photo by Jessica Williams.

More than $250,000 changed hands on Thursday, July 30, as 802 animals were trotted through the Huntington County 4-H auction.

But while the number of 4-H animals was up from last year, the total auction take was down by $50,000.

It's the second straight year of declining bids. The total auction take this year, including the appraisal prices and premiums, was $256,360. That's down from the 2008 total of $306,525. The auction had a record-breaking year in 2007, taking in a total of $315,765.52.

Scanning system takes the wait out of getting a traffic ticket

Officer James Wood of the Roanoke Police Department demonstrates scanning the barcode on the back of an Indiana driver's license.
Photo by Matt Murphy.

Originally published July 16, 2009.

For most drivers, one of the most upsetting sights is seeing those red and blue lights flashing in the rearview mirror. The situation is usually made more stressful if the driver is running late.

But, thanks to a new ticketing system, the whole traffic stop can be completed in less than five minutes. And in Huntington County, several police departments are getting on board with the relatively new technology.

Swine flu changes plans for local student in China

Kevin Godfroy, of Huntington, recently traveled to China as part of aa class at Miami University of Ohio.
Photo by Matt Murphy.

Originally published Jluly 16, 2009.

Kevin Godfroy thought he was going to spend some time this spring teaching school in China for college credit.

Thanks to the swine flu scare, though, Godfroy and his fellow students spent their time touring large corporations in China.

Warning of the change came in a travel alert issued on June 19, 2009, by the U.S. Department of State to U.S. citizens traveling to China.