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Government & School Board

Hawkins reports to Okinawa

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Charles B. Hawkins has arrived for duty at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, to serve with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in preparation for future deployments to the Asia-Pacific region to ensure Theater Security Operations.

Hawkins is a fixed wing aircraft safety equipment mechanic. He has two years of military service.

He is the son of Phoebe A. Helvie, of Huntington.

Hawkins is a 2003 graduate of Huntington North High School and received an associate degree in 2004 from Lincoln Technical Institute, Indianapolis.

 

Aldridge gets new additional Extension role

Huntington County's Purdue Extension Director will take on a new role in the Extension system until June 30.

Linda Aldridge, extension director for Huntington County, will be the Interim East District Director for Purdue Extension, but will retain her role in Huntington County during that time. Her term began Feb. 1.

Aldridge will spend about 60 percent of her time working as the East District Director and use the rest of the time to fulfill her duties in the county.

Republican primary ballot grows by 2 names

The Huntington County Republican primary ballot has grown by two.

Thomas Edward Carney, 2076 Willow Bend, became the fourth person to officially become a candidate for the Republican nomination to run for mayor of Huntington.
Carney, currently an officer with the Huntington County Sheriff's Department, joins former Huntington mayor Terry Abbett and current Huntington common Council members Erv Ebersole and Brooks Fetters in that race.
Carney filed his candidacy on Jan. 27.

Huntington council seeking volunteers for EDC

The Huntington Common Council is seeking letters of interest from individuals interested in filling the vacancy on the Economic Development Commission.

The commission meets the first Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m. in the mayor's conference room on the third floor of the City Building.

Letters and questions can be directed to the City Clerk-Treasurer's Office on the second floor of the City Building, 300 Cherry St., Huntington, IN 46750. The clerk-treasurer can be reached at 356-1400, ext. 218.

Markle Town Council sets special meeting to review Tracy Street project letters of interest

Markle Town Council announces a special meeting on Thursday, Feb. 3, at 7:30 p.m., at the Markle Fire Station.

Letters of interest formally submitted by engineers for the Tracy Street project will be reviewed as well as any other matters brought before the council.

 

Commissioners hear proposed ethics rules, transport plan

The Huntington County Commissioners reviewed proposed ethics rules from Commissioner Leon Hurlburt and heard about a new transportation plan to benefit the county's industrial development during their meeting on Monday, Jan. 31.

Hurlburt proposed three ordinances, one concerning ethics rules for county employees, one to record commissioners' meetings for public access and one to publish contracts the county signs on the county website.

Although the other commissioners expressed support of ethics in public offices, an ordinance may not be necessary.

Huntington County declared natural disaster area

Huntington County is one of 52 Indiana counties to be declared as natural disaster areas because of losses caused by drought that occurred Aug. 1 through Dec. 31 2010.

United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the designation on Wednesday, Jan. 19.

Qualified farm operators in the designated areas may be eligible for low interest emergency loans from the USDA's Farm Service Agency.

Farmers must apply for the loans, which will help cover part of their actual losses, no later than eight months from the date of the declaration.

New manufacturer may soon call Huntington home

A new manufacturing facility may soon call Huntington home as the Huntington County Commissioners voted to spend $25,000 in CEDIT funds to help attract the unidentified business on Monday, Jan. 24.

Mark Wickersham, executive director for Huntington County United Economic Development, told the commissioners on Monday that the company would generate over $1 million in revenue and would provide 43 new jobs by the end of 2013.

The company's name will not be released until a decision is made.

GOP votes in Phillip Zahm as new county coroner

Phillip Zahm.
Photo by Matt Murphy.

Precinct committeemen from the Huntington County Republican Party selected current Chief Deputy Coroner Phillip Zahm as the new Huntington County Coroner in a single round of voting on Tuesday, Jan. 25, at the Huntington Township Trustee Office.

The position needed to be filled after the previous coroner, Leon Hurlburt, became a Huntington County Commissioner effective Jan. 1. Because of Hurlburt's party affiliation, the Republican Party was tasked with filling the opening.

"I appreciate everybody's confidence in me," Zahm said after his election.

GIS fix is on the way from county council

Inaccurate information on Huntington County's Geographic Information System is half-way to being fixed.

The Huntington County Council voted Tuesday, Jan. 25, to take $39,325 out of its Rainy Day Fund to pay half the cost of correcting data in the computerized mapping system.

Huntington County Surveyor Jay Poe, who heads a committee of county employees responsible for maintaining the GIS system, plans to ask the city of Huntington to fund the remainder of the cost.

New Tech students to be offered Mandarin Chinese class in fall

Huntington North High School students who are part of the Viking New Tech program will have the option of signing up for a foreign language class in Mandarin Chinese this fall.

The Huntington County Community School Corporation Board of School Trustees approved the new class Monday evening, Jan. 24, by the vote of 6-1.

Markle council votes in new officers for 2011

Officers of the Markle Town Council were elected Wednesday evening, Jan. 19, and a new member began his term. Council members are (from left) Jeff Humbarger, president; Mark Hamilton, vice president; and Eric “Rick” Bower, newly elected member.
Photo by Jessica Williams.

The Markle Town Council voted in new officers and welcomed a new council member on Wednesday, Jan. 19, during the first meeting of 2011.

Jeff Humbarger was reelected as president and Mark Hamilton was elected vice president. Eric "Rick" Bower began his term on Wednesday night as well.

The council also unanimously approved renewing the annual Huntington County United Economic Development contract for 2011. The council said the contract included the same terms as last year, including a $3,700 fee.

Gifts from home


Photo provided.

Maj. Jeremy Gulley, who is serving in Afghanistan while on leave from his position as principal of Huntington North High School, displays a care package he received from Lilly Nutter, a resident of Heritage Pointe in Warren. Nutter, 98, has sent out nearly 1,000 care packages since the war began.

Posey Hill street project runs $97,000 over budget projection

The future of Roanoke's long-term sewer upgrade plan is up in the air after a recent street project went $97,000 over budget.

The final cost of the Posey Hill street project was nearly 25 percent higher than the original base bid of $417,000.

At the council's meeting on Jan. 4, Andy Dodzik, an engineer with the DLZ firm, presented the Roanoke Town Council with charges for additional supplies, including stone and asphalt, totaling more than $97,000.

"We never anticipated it would be this far over," Dodzik told the council.

Rep. Leonard’s plate is full for 2011 legislative session

Rep. Dan Leonard (R-Huntington, left) meets with Brian Burton, vice president of marketing and member services for the Indiana Manufacturers Association, at Leonard’s Indianapolis office in the Indiana Statehouse on Tuesday, Jan. 11.
Photo by Matt Murphy.

Restructuring unemployment, the state's budget and redistricting will be keeping Rep. Dan Leonard (R-Huntington) busy during the 2011 legislative session, the representative says.

Leonard was re-elected last year to represent House District 50, a position he has held since 2002. District 50 encompasses all of Huntington County and the bulk of Whitley County.

Leonard says his priority is to make unemployment fairer for businesses as well as the unemployed.

"There are a lot of inequities in the system the way it's structured now," Leonard says.