PLYMOUTH — On the morning of 8/28/2025 at approximately 5:47 a.m., Plymouth Police were dispatched to the Speedway gas station for a report of a male who appeared to be intoxicated and was causing a scene.

After an investigation took place, John Albano was found to have a BAC of .280, and was taken into custody. Mr. Albano was transported to the Marshall County Jail, where he was booked on charges of Public Intoxication and Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated.

Suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

*See all the local police reports at https://max983.net/police-reports/

PLYMOUTH — Marshall County Auditor Angie Birchmeier is pleased to let the citizens of Marshall County know that the 2026 Budget is now available for viewing online at http://www.budgetnotices.in.gov or by calling the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance at 888-739-9826.

Anyone interested may subscribe to receive selected local government budget notices via email by going to http://www.budgetnotices.in.gov.
The County Council is the fiscal body of the County and is responsible for approval of the Marshall County 2026 Budget. At the Aug. 11 County Council meeting, the department submitted budgets were accepted, the public hearing is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 8, at 9 a.m., and the final adoption is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 13, at 5:30 p.m.
Both meetings will be held in the Commissioners Room, 112 W. Jefferson St., Rm 203, Plymouth, IN 46563. Residents are welcome to call the Auditor’s office at 574-935-8555 with any questions or concerns.  

PLYMOUTH — Marshall-Starke Special Olympics will hold a chicken and pulled pork dinner fundraiser on Sept. 20 from 4-7 p.m. ET at the Knights of Columbus in Plymouth at 901 E. Jefferson St.

Tickets are $12 presale and $15 at the door. Carryouts are available.
For tickets or more info, call 574-935-0513 or email MarshallStarkeSO@gmail.com.

PLYMOUTH — On Aug. 23 at 5:44 p.m., Officers with the Plymouth Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for speeding 75 mph in a 50-mph zone.

The vehicle pulled over on US 30 east of Pioneer Dr. During the stop, the driver was identified as Giovanny Arroyo Martinez, 38 years old, of Chicago. While the officer was talking to the driver, he got a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.
A vehicle search was conducted, and 8.6 grams of marijuana were located in the vehicle. Arroyo-Martinez was taken into custody and transported to Marshall County Jail, where he was booked in for possession of marijuana.

Suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

PLYMOUTH — The Heartland Art Center has announced that entries are now open for the 37th Annual Juried Regional Art Exhibit, on view from September 30th – November 1st.

This show will feature works from the northern Indiana region’s most talented artists. Heartland welcomes any artist interested in submitting their artwork.
There will be over $5,000 in prizes as well as purchase awards.
Submission deadline is Saturday, Sept. 20 at 11:59 p.m. More info can be found in the prospectus by clicking the link.
https://www.cognitoforms.com/HeartlandArtists1/HeartlandArtCenter37thAnnualRegionalJuriedArtExhibit

DALLAS – GasBuddy, North America’s trusted fuel savings platform for more than 25 years, today released its annual Labor Day gas price forecast, predicting that average gas prices on the last summer holiday weekend of 2025 will be $3.15 per gallon, 14 cents lower than in 2024, and the lowest price at the pump since Labor Day since 2020.

While it will be the most affordable Labor Day weekend to fill up for most in the last five years, gas prices in nearly half of all states have risen in the last month due to localized refinery outages. However, motorists can expect more relief to arrive in the weeks ahead as much of the nation will see the transition back to cheaper winter gasoline in mid-September. Gasoline demand will also soon begin to fall with the conclusion of the summer as motorists take fewer road trips and as temperatures start to cool off.
“Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, and when it comes to gas prices, it’s been the cheapest summer to hit the road since the pandemic, a trend that will likely continue with the potential for the national average to fall below $3 per gallon this fall,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “We’ve seen a remarkably affordable summer to hit the road with incomes up and gas prices down, but there are some challenges that remain: hurricane season and uncertainty over trade, tariffs, and Russia’s war on Ukraine. However, I remain optimistic that as cooler weather invades, gas prices too will seasonally cool off.”
To learn more about GasBuddy, visit gasbuddy.com.

PLYMOUTH — Meeting in special session on Wednesday the Marshall County Council adopted

resolution similar to the one the Marshall County Commissioners adopted at their special meeting a week ago seeking the dissolution of the Marshall County Sewer District.

Council President Tim Harmon summed up an hour of discussion as the Council called for the dissolution of the Sewer District for the same reasons as the Commissioners that the Sewer District was “…not economically reasonable, fair or feasible…”

There is still litigation pending between the Commissioners and the Sewer District regarding the seat occupied by Thomas McFadden that the Commissioners declared vacant and appointed Bill Woodward to fill.

PLYMOUTH — The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety awarded bids for the demolition of The Pointe Apartments on Kingston Road in Plymouth.

The property had been working with the city in an attempt to remedy situations that led to it being deemed unsafe for habitation over a year ago by City Building Commissioner Dennis Manuwal. When the final deadline to meet the code passed with no action, the city accepted bids for the demolition of the property.
The Board received two bids at the previous meeting, and Manuwal recommended the bid by Hunter Transit for $55,101, which includes all asbestos testing and complete removal of the demolished structure.
Later in the evening at the meeting of the Plymouth Common Council, Manuwal stated he had just over $19,000 available in the Unsafe Building Fund for the work to be completed and asked for an additional appropriation request to be prepared for the demolition, to be considered at the board’s first meeting in September.

PLYMOUTH — On Aug. 22, at approximately 6:20 a.m., the Plymouth Police Department responded to a call for service at 301 Skylane Dr, #A1, where 32-year-old Isaac Sellers reported multiple people were walking in and around his apartment.

Officers responded and confirmed there was no one but Sellers present. He was taken to the hospital, where he was evaluated and cleared and advised not to contact 911 unless there is an emergency. Later the same morning, at approximately 7:20 a.m., Sellers dialed 911 again and reported that multiple people were walking around his apartment with guns. Officers responded to Sellers apartment and confirmed there was no one inside but him.
Sellers was taken into custody and transported to the Marshall County Jail, where he was booked and lodged for Emergency Telephone System-Placement of 911 Calls Prohibited (Misuse of 911).

Suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

*See all the area police reports at https://max983.net/police-reports/

INDIANAPOLIS — According to the Indiana Department of Education, results from the 2024-2025 Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD) assessment show an unprecedented increase in third-grade literacy rates.

With this nearly five percentage point jump, Indiana’s third-grade literacy rates have now increased for four consecutive years, indicating that Indiana’s strategic, intentional investments in early literacy are working.
Statewide, results reveal that 73,500 of Indiana’s third-grade students – or 87.3 percent – demonstrated proficient reading skills on the IREAD assessment. This is an improvement of nearly five percentage points over results for the 2023-2024 school year, which is by far the largest single-year increase since the launch of IREAD in 2013. The previous record for the largest year-over-year increase was set in 2024, and was less than 1%.
From 2013, when IREAD began, to 2021, Indiana’s literacy rates declined every year, except one (a 0.2 percentage point increase from 2014 to 2015). The pandemic exacerbated this literacy crisis, and in response, Indiana has made historic investments aimed at helping more students learn to read. With the nearly five percentage point jump in 2025, Indiana’s third grade literacy rates are now back to pre-pandemic levels. The state has also set a goal that by 2027, 95 percent of third-grade students will be reading proficiently.

PLYMOUTH — Plymouth’s Common Council voted unanimously on Monday night to enact an ordinance to create a wheel tax for local road maintenance.

The consideration of the ordinance was made necessary by the passage of House Enrolled Act 1461, by the Indiana General Assembly in their last session, changing the way state money is allocated for roads around the state. The change not only included a reduction of money available to local government entities to use for roads, but also changed the way that money will be distributed.
The bill put a cap of $1 million on how much matching money can be applied for, lowering the total to be distributed around the state to $100 million. In addition, there was a 50 percent reduction in the Community Crossings matching grant program for 2027, with the stipulation that those monies would only be allocated to local government entities that had instituted their own local wheel tax and excluding those that hadn’t from consideration.
City Attorney Jeff Houin told the Council that without a wheel tax, the city of Plymouth would be walking away from an estimated $190 to $260 million in matching funds on the table. In order to be enacted by 2027, the tax has to be approved by Sept. 1 of this year.
Council members used phrases such as “…our hands are tied…”, “They are forcing us to do this…,” and “…held hostage…” in their statements before the vote, saying that without the matching funds provided by the state, the city’s road maintenance would suffer drastic cuts.
The Council passed the ordinance on second and third reading.

ROCHESTER – Woodlawn Hospital (“Woodlawn”) has provided notice of a network data security event that may affect information related to certain individuals.

On June 30, Woodlawn detected suspicious activity on its computer network. In response, Woodlawn notified law enforcement authorities, took steps to confirm the security of its computer network, and conducted a thorough assessment of the matter to determine what happened and how it may affect information that was stored on the network.
During Woodlawn’s review, it identified that certain files may have been copied from the network. For this reason, Woodlawn is notifying individuals about the matter and has placed a notice on its website.
If individuals have questions about the matter or would like information on steps they may take, they may visit http://www.woodlawnhospital.org/security-incident or contact our toll-free assistance line at 877-332-1724. Individuals may also write to Woodlawn at Woodlawn Hospital, Attn: HIPAA Compliance Officer, 1400 E 9th St., Rochester, IN 46975.

PLYMOUTH — The Randolph Street Bridge will be open for festival-related activities at noon on Thursday, Aug. 28. Access will be granted to vendors, trolleys, emergency responders, and pedestrians in support of the event.

For safety and compliance, general public vehicle traffic will not be permitted. The bridge will be patrolled to ensure these restrictions are followed.
As previously committed, the bridge is being made available to support the festival. While federal regulations prevent full public access, special provisions allow its use for this specific purpose.

Average gasoline prices in Indiana have decreased by 6.7 cents per gallon over the last week, averaging $ 3.12 per gallon today, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 3,271 stations in Indiana. Prices in Indiana are 4.7 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 23.4 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has decreased 2.0 cents compared to a week ago and stands at $3.651 per gallon.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Indiana was priced at $2.78/g yesterday, while the most expensive was $3.79/g, a difference of $1.01/g.
The national average price of gasoline has risen 3.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.12/g today.
“The national average saw a modest increase over the last week after storms temporarily knocked the Midwest’s largest refinery offline in Indiana, triggering sharp jumps in gas prices across Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “We could soon see prices cycle higher in Illinois and Indiana as well, although there’s been some late-week relief in wholesale prices now that the refinery is restarting. Meanwhile, Florida saw the nation’s largest weekly decline, but a rebound due to price cycling is likely on the horizon. All of this is playing out while oil prices remain relatively stable in the low $60s. With no major hurricanes threatening the U.S. at the moment, the biggest wildcard remains any shifts in Russia’s war on Ukraine. For now, expect only moderate gas price fluctuations, with the potential for lower prices arriving later this fall.”
GasBuddy’s averages, graphs, maps and historical pricing data covering the U.S. and Canada is available 24/7 at http://prices.GasBuddy.com.

PLYMOUTH — The Marshall County Highway Department will be grinding, grading, rolling, and then spraying Suter Road on Tuesday. Milestone will be paving Suter Road on Wednesday.

This road will be closed. Please use caution, slow down, and be alert when traveling near or through construction zones. Be mindful of our workers and road conditions.

PLYMOUTH — The Marshall County Council will hold a special meeting to discuss the Marshall County

Regional Sewer District on Wednesday, Aug. 27, at 6 pm in Room 203 of the Marshall County Building 112 W. Jefferson Street, Plymouth.

NIPSCO will be closing Tyler Road between Pine Road and Oak Road, during working hours from Tuesday, August 26 to Friday, August 29.

The closure will be daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the road will be opened in the evening during non-work hours. Please reach out to St. Joseph County Department of Infrastructure, Planning, and Growth with any questions or concerns at (574) 235-7800.

DENVER — Last week, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department K9 Unit competed in the 26th Annual American Working Dog K9 Olympics Seminar and Certification Trials hosted at Vohne Liche Kennels in Denver, Indiana. 

Held from August 10th to 15th, this event brought together approximately one hundred K9 teams from military special forces, private contractors, and other law enforcement agencies across the country. The competition featured over thirty events designed to replicate real-world scenarios. Our K9 teams competed in key disciplines, including narcotic detection and patrol work, which encompasses searching for humans, obedience, tracking, control, article searches, apprehensions, and obstacle courses. The handlers and their dogs also completed their annual certifications. 
Deputy Blake Bennett with K9 Diesel and Deputy Alex Truty with K9 Bear proudly represented our department and performed well. In fact, Deputy Bennett and K9 Diesel scored within the top ten in

several patrol and detection events and even brought home some hardware with a 3rd finish in Narcotic Vehicle Exteriors.

We are thankful for their hard work and dedication to our department and our community.

PLYMOUTH – Marshall County health officials announced that five mosquito pools have tested positive for the West Nile virus in the county.

“As people are outside, I want them to be aware of this risk for infection with West Nile virus from mosquitoes, and I strongly recommend they take the simple precautions necessary to protect themselves,” said Byron M. Holm, M.D., local health officer, Marshall County Health Department.
West Nile virus is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes that have bitten an infected bird. A person bitten by an infected mosquito may show symptoms there to 15 days after the bite.
The virus typically causes a mild illness known as West Nile fever, which may include symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, swollen lymph glands, or a rash. However, a small number of individuals can develop a more severe form of the disease with encephalitis or meningitis and other neurological syndromes, including flaccid muscle paralysis.
“West Nile virus is potentially a very serious disease,” said Dr. Holm. “The good news is it is also preventable.”
Dr. Holm urges county residents to take the following protective steps when they are outdoors:

• Avoid being outdoors during prime mosquito biting times, dusk to dawn, when possible.
• Apply insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus to clothes
  and exposed skin.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants.
  Local health officials are also asking residents to take steps to rid their properties of potential mosquito breeding grounds:
• Repair failed septic systems.
• Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers that re left outdoors.
• Keep grass cut short and shrubbery trimmed.
• Dispose of old tires, tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or other unused containers
  that can hold water.
• Every week, empty and clean any containers used to hold water.
• Clean clogged roof gutters, particularly if leaves tend to plug up the drains.
• Aerate ornamental pools, or stock them with predatory fish.
  Health officials report that although individuals over age 50 are at greatest risk for serious illness and even death from West Nile virus, people of all ages have been infected with the virus and have had severe disease.
  990 Illinois St Plymouth, IN 46563 574-935-8565
  http://www.marshallcountyhealth.com
  Byron Holm, M.D., Health Officer
  Visit the Indiana State Department of Health Web site at: http://www.statehealth.in.gov for updated information on West Nile virus activity in Indiana.