Government & School Board

City Utilities will open fire hydrants throughout Huntington to allow water to run through the pipes beginning July 31 at 11 p.m. until it is completed.

Crews will work 24 hours a day until finished. The process typically takes about five days from beginning to end.

There may be a temporary drop in water pressure during this time. Water may appear rusty or cloudy. This water is not harmful and will generally clear up in a few hours.

You may want to take the following precautions during this time frame.

The 2020 Census population data led the City Council to adopt new Council district boundaries during its Tuesday night meeting

These new boundaries rebalance representation across Huntington’s five Council districts. As redrawn and now approved, the difference in population between districts with the most and fewest residents is approximately 7.4%.

The Huntington Fire Department welcomed Cole Lahr as its newest member of its public safety team.

Lahr, a patrolman for 11 years with the Huntington Police Department, was sworn into duty as a firefighter and first responder during a ceremony Wednesday, July 6, afternoon at the Huntington City Building.

Lahr will attend the Fire Academy Class this coming spring.
During his time with HPD, Lahr was both a field training officer and member of the methamphetamine suppression team.

The outlook for walleye and saugeye fishing looks good for upcoming years after total of 28.3 million walleye fry, 529,404 walleye fingerlings, and 101,800 saugeye were found at various locations around Indiana this spring.
Stocking of these species is scheduled annually because they don’t reproduce naturally in most locations.

Specialty crop producers can now benefit from greater flexibility to use their own records to meet crop insurance reporting requirements.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced revisions that will make it easier for specialty crop producers, and others who sell through direct marketing channels, to obtain insurance, report annual production, and file a claim.

Changes include:

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has issued an Air Quality Action Day (AQAD) and is forecasting high ozone levels for June 30 in the following regions: 

• Central Indiana: Marion, Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Delaware, Hamilton, Hendricks, Howard, Madison, Shelby

• North Central Indiana: St. Joseph, Elkhart

• Northeast Indiana: Allen, Huntington, Wabash

• Northwest Indiana: Lake, Porter, LaPorte

• Southeast Indiana: Clark, Floyd

Indiana Conservation Officers will participate in the national Operation Dry Water heightened awareness and enforcement weekend on July 2 - 4.

Officers are in partnership with the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and the U.S. Coast Guard.  

Charles “Chad” Daugherty resigned as superintendent of the Huntington County Community School Corporation during the school board meeting on Monday,June 27.

 “After serving the past 25 years at HCCSC in various roles and the last three years as superintendent, I plan to resign my position of Superintendent of Huntington County Community Schools effective July 29,” he told the board. “I plan on taking vacation after July first. I have been very fortunate to be able to serve in many different positions in the same district for the past 25 years without moving my family.

 Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana Destination Development Corporation (IDDC) and Indiana Arts Commission (IAC), with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, are teaming up to launch the Indiana Arts and Culture Passport.

“From music venues and theaters, to museums and more, communities across Indiana are using art as a way to come together and build a sense of place,” Crouch said. “All of these attractions reflect the values of residents and help build a sense of identity for both residents and visitors alike.”

Mindy Reust will be the new principal at Horace Mann Elementary.
She was previously the vice principal there.  

Patrick McLaughlin will be the new principal of Huntington North High School.
He has 19 years of high school experience and is a resident of Huntington County.

Michael Sumpter will be the new director of technology.
He has more than 20 years in education.

Huntington County Community School Corporation (HCCSC) has begun high ability programs with STEAM LABS at both Crestview and Riverview middle schools.

High ability is support for students who are performing above average in the schools.

STEAM LAB stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math, Leadership, Agriculture, and Business.

There are three rooms at the Crestview location. One room is a science lab and the other two are for technology and engineering are based in.  

The Huntington City Council members approved $10,000 for fire department building repairs.

Chief Tony Johnson presented information about the repairs for Station 1.
Last year, the fire department had Baker Construction check air quality where they found moisture coming through blocks and a failing window.

During the window repair and the installment of insulation on the east wall in the spring of this year, they found four more rotted windows. The project was completed but went over their building structure budget.

The Huntington City Council approved the ordinance for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) fund expenditures.

The funds will be distributed to eight different categories. These categories and their estimated cost are:

The demolition of Kriegbaum football field was discussed by Steve Park and the Huntington County Community School (HCCSC) board.

The board is approaching the demolition of the facility through a bid process due to the dollar amount they are anticipating it to be which allows for them to get quotes rather than a public bidding.

It will receive these bids from invited list of contractors by the end of June. The list of contractors invited to bid include Amor Excavating, D & R Demolition, Crosby Excavating, Inc., Geiger Excavating, Inc., and Star Excavating.

The Indiana State Board of Education (SBOE) approved new K-12 Indiana Academic Standards in science and computer science, as well as academic standards for a new middle school civics course.

Indiana’s new science standards reflect similar content areas as Indiana’s previous 2016 standards, with an increased focus on supporting active student engagement in science learning.