Former Sportsman’s Site Debris Causes Street Closures During Wind Gusts

sportsmans chain link fenceOfficials with the Town of Monterey are attempting to alleviate concerns over recent street closures in the community.

The issue started more than one week ago during high winds. The weather allegedly caused debris at the former Sportsman’s Bar and Grill site to damage part of a temporary wooden fence. That debris was then spotted blowing into Main and Walnut Streets.

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Pulaski County Government Considers Self Last Resort in Monterey Clean-up

sportsmans chain link fenceRubble remains at the site of the former Sportsman’s Bar and Grille, and according to the Pulaski County Commissioners, few are taking responsibility.

The building collapsed earlier this year, prompting health and safety concerns in Monterey. It was learned during Monday’s Pulaski County Commissioners meeting that a local resident has offered to haul the building’s remains away for free. The individual must first become registered with the County Building Inspector.
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Debris Removal in Monterey to Begin Today

Sportsman bar second dayEfforts to remove remnants from a downtown Monterey building will begin today.

The structure that housed the Sportsman’s Bar and Grill collapsed Thursday around 5 p.m. The building was empty at the time of the incident and attempts continue to notify the owner.

A fence surrounds what is left of the former business. Monterey residents helped Pulaski County Building Administrator David Dare and officials move the debris to a central location on the property to avoid injuries.

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Town of Monterey Looking to Build Wastewater Plant

Pulaski County Commissioners Larry Brady, Vice President Terry Young, and President Tracey Shorter
Pulaski County Commissioners Larry Brady, Vice President Terry Young, and President Tracey Shorter
The town of Monterey is looking to undertake a massive project through the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, and they’ve asked Pulaski County to kick some funds their way to help in the endeavor. According to Nathan Origer, executive director of the Pulaski County Community Development Commission, the town has announced plans to apply for a grant to allow them to construct a wastewater plant at a cost of roughly $200,000.

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Cold Weather Possible Culprit for Widespread Power Outage

Kankakee Valley REMCLast night’s sub-zero temperatures are likely to blame for a widespread power outage that left more than 1,300 Kankakee Valley REMC customers in the dark. The initial outage was reported around 6 p.m. in the Bass Lake and Monterey areas and affected more than 450 members. REMC crews identified the problem but had to cut power to additional customers in order to safely make repairs to the damaged source that was feeding an REMC metering point. Kankakee Valley REMC spokeswoman Amanda Steeb told WKVI news The cold makes the metal wire contract or shrink and break at a weak point or where a prior repair has been made. The Bass Lake Fire Station opened last night as a temporary warming shelter for affected residents. IU Health Starke Hospital is the county’s permanent warming center for the duration of this cold snap. The hospital lobby is available 24 hours to anyone who needs to get in out of the cold.

 

Flood Warning Issued For Tippecanoe and Yellow Rivers

Flood warningFlooding is likely in the WKVI listening area due to the recent heavy rainfall. The National Weather Services has issued a flood warning for the Tippecanoe River in Ora and above Winamac and for the Yellow River at Knox and Plymouth. The most immediate concern is the Tippy in the Monterey area, which is approaching the flood stage of 12 feet. It’s expected to rise above that stage tonight and crest at 13 feet around 8 a.m. EDT Sunday. At 13 feet the river begins to affect streets and homes in downtown Monterey. This crest compares to the May 18, 2009 flood when the Tippecanoe crested at 13.3 feet. Continue reading

Deannexation Petition Presented to Culver School Board

Culver Community School Board
Culver Community School Board Members (from left, clockwise): Jack Jones, Ryan Seiber, Marilyn Swanson, Brad Schuldt, Eugene Baker, Jim Wentzel, Ed Behnke, Ken VanDePutte

A petition that has been circulating since the closure of Monterey Elementary School by the Culver Community School Corporation has finally made its way to the school board. The petition, which has gathered 641 signatures, requests deannexation from the Culver School Corporation with the hope of being annexed into the Eastern Pulaski School Corporation. According to Superintendent Brad Schuldt, Monterey Town Board President Jim Fleury presented the petition to the board at this week’s meeting.

Fleury explained that Tippecanoe Township has a total of 840 landowners, so 641 signatures is an overwhelming majority.
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Town Conventions to be held in Winamac, Medaryville and Francesville

Town Conventions will be held in Winamac, Francesville and Medaryville.

A Town Convention will be held in Winamac on Thursday, August 18th at 7:00 p.m. ET at the Winamac High School Auditorium. A vote there will determine a single Republican candidate for the position of Town Clerk-Treasurer. Republicans Christina L. (Shorter) Hoffa and Melanie A. (Parish) Berger have filed and one them will go onto the General Election to face Democrat David Weber.

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Pulaki County Clerk Receives New Election Filings

Pulaski County Clerk, Tasha Foerg, has received filings for the fall election in her office.

Two candidates will be vying for Winamac Town Clerk-Treasurer.  Republicans Melanie Parish-Berger and Christina Hoffa have both filed.  One candidate has filed for the Winamac Town Board and that is Republican John Richard Denney.

Democrat Linda McCune filed for Monterey Clerk-Treasurer and Democrat Christine M. Fox filed for a seat on the Monterey Town Board.

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Public Speaks Out Against Monterey Elementary Closure

Emotions were running high at the Culver Community School Board meeting this week, as supporters of the Monterey Elementary school vehemently defended the school in the face of possible closure. This issue was discussed because of a need to reduce expenses in order to meet budget cuts from the state level in the amount of $855,928 over two years.

Culver School Board
Culver Community School Board Members (from left to right) Jack Jones, Ryan Seiber, Ken Vandeputte, Brad Schuldt, Eugene Baker, Marilyn Swanson, and Ed Behnke.

The Culver Community School Corporation has a number of options to explore in order to meet this new budget. Some of the options mentioned included increasing revenue through a referenda, in which the school tax rate would be raised $0.11  per $100; the use of the Rainy Day Fund, which has a current balance of $980,000; and decreasing expenses through budget reductions, such as closing Monterey or cutting positions.

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