Possible Impact Flooding Could Have on Agriculture

Though much of the high water we were seeing last week has receded, you may have noticed that there are still several fields that are looking more like lakes recently.

Depending on when these flood waters clear up completely, Hoosier farmers may run into some issues this farm season.

Purdue Extension Agriculture Educator Phil Woolery mentioned that the severity of impact will depend on how long a farmers’ field stays underwater. He said fields that dried up rather quickly probably won’t have any issues, while those that are having trouble draining may run into some problems down the line. Continue reading

Department of Revenue Warns Parents to Guard their Children’s Personal Information

As odd as it may sound, the Indiana Department of Revenue is asking individuals to check their children’s credit reports, regardless of their age.

Identity thieves are always looking for identities that can be used for many years which is why children are typically seen as apt targets since thieves can to use their information unnoticed for a while.

Often times the theft is not discovered until the child grows up and applies for a student loan or a credit card and gets denied for having large amounts of debt or bad credit; it is only then that they realize their identity has been stolen and used for several years. Continue reading

Funds from Regional Cities Initiative Used for Housing Developments in Bremen and Plymouth

A recent market study revealed that many job creators identify housing as an obstacle in attracting and retaining talent. Two Marshall County housing developments have received support from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s Regional Cities Initiative as a way to address those concerns locally.

The two Marshall County projects are the Sunrise Meadows development in Bremen and the River Gate South development in Plymouth. Continue reading

United Way of Marshall County Holds T-Shirt Fundraiser for Flood Victims

As individuals begin assessing the severity of damage in the area, many Marshall County residents are seeking ways to assist those who were impacted the most by the flooding in February.

The United Way of Marshall County wasted no time coordinating with local businesses to organize a t-shirt fundraiser to assist those in need. According to United Way representatives, the shirts were provided through the generous support of Yoder’s Sports Center and Recon Media provided the t-shirt design free of charge. Continue reading

Emergency Response Vehicles Deliver Food and Clean-Up Kits Around Indiana

On Wednesday, Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles started delivering food and supplies to flood-affected areas around Indiana, including the counties of Marshall, Starke and Pulaski.

Local Red Cross Volunteer Sherry Fagner spent the beginning of this week working with the Mass Care Feeding League at Red Cross Headquarters in South Bend, organizing contracts with areas requesting assistance and preparing kits to deliver to the spots that were hit the hardest by the recent floods. Continue reading

Bremen School Board Approves Bond Pursuance, Addresses Community Safety Concerns

Bremen School Board members voted to proceed with securing bonds for facility upgrades at their most recent meeting.

Superintendent Dr. Jim White explained that they are looking to make a few different improvements and school board members took the next big step in the process last Monday by agreeing to obtain the necessary bonds to tackle the proposed projects. Continue reading

Triton School Corporation Recognized as IDOE Digital Learning Grant Recipient

Picture Provided by Triton Superintendent Jeremy Riffle

The Triton School Corporation was recently recognized as one of the recipients of the 2018 Digital Learning Grants offered through the Indiana Department of Education’s Office of eLearning.

IDOE said the grants were offered for districts developing a new focus for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics instruction or computer science within their digital learning environment.

Triton Schools involve technology in many aspects of instruction for students of all ages, ranging from interactive lessons on iPads at the elementary school level all the way to hands-on STEM curriculum in their Project Lead the Way Classes at the high school. Continue reading

Bremen Superintendent Works with NEOLA to Update School Policies

Bremen Superintendent Dr. Jim White alerted school board members last Tuesday that updates to the school corporation’s policies are currently being made.

He explained, “For years and years and years we have written our own policies and the result of that is, over time as the more laws are passed and more complex things are, the further behind we became.” Continue reading

Plymouth Schools Policy States No More than Three eLearning Days Can Be Held Consecutively

Plymouth Schools will not be in session today, but rather than holding an eLearning day students will need to make up today’s absence at the end of the year on Thursday, May 31st.

Superintendent Andy Hartley explained that the reason an eLearning day cannot be held today is due to a recommendation from the Indiana Department of Education.

Based on feedback they received from districts who piloted the program, IDOE recommends that schools should not have more than three eLearning days in a row. Continue reading

Multiple Marshall County Residents Looking to Restore and Preserve Historic Districts

Despite inclement weather conditions, multiple community members ventured to Wild Rose Moon in Plymouth to attend the Wythougan Valley Preservation Council informational meeting that was held last Thursday.

According to Wythougan Valley President Kurt Garner, the meeting was held in order to inform individuals about various incentives, programs and opportunities available to business owners in historic districts.

There are 12 historic districts in Marshall County and they are sprinkled around Plymouth, Bourbon, Bremen, Argos and Culver. Continue reading

Bremen Public School Board Approves Amended Maternity Leave Procedure

Bremen School Board members made an adjustment to their maternity leave policy when they met last Tuesday.

The policy that was in place at Bremen Public Schools was that teachers would receive 6 weeks of paid time off during their pregnancy. Superintendent Dr. Jim White explained that the policy change came from a teacher who requested using some of her unused sick days from the past to extend her maternity leave. Continue reading

Plymouth High School No Longer Serving as a College Goal Sunday Site Due to Flooding

Due to the current conditions in Marshall County, Plymouth High School will no longer serve as a College Goal Sunday site on February 25th.

Plymouth Community Schools Marketing Director Judi Lykowski encourages local families to attend this weekend’s event at any of the other locations across the state. She said other nearby locations include Valparaiso, Goshen, Warsaw, Elkhart and South Bend. A plethora of other sites are listed at CollegeGoalSunday.org.

College Goal Sunday is a cost-free charitable program held by the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association. At this state-wide event, students and their families can receive assistance with filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid aka the FAFSA. Continue reading

Over 260 lbs of Food Donations Collected Through Bremen Public Schools’ Open Gym Program

When Bremen School Board members met Monday, Superintendent Dr. Jim White provided an update about the open gym program that has been held at Bremen High School since January.

A unique aspect of Bremen’s open gym program is that community members are asked to bring along a food donation as an “entry fee” Dr. White said that to date, they’ve donated about 263 lbs of food to the local food pantry. Continue reading

Marshall County Health Department Urging Residents to Use Caution During Clean Up and Recovery

As individuals transition from reacting to recovering, Marshall County Health officials are urging residents to use extreme caution while dealing with floodwaters.

In a statement released today, Marshall County Health Department Administrator Christine Stinson said the flood of 2018 will most certainly leave devastation behind. She added that though everyone will want to clean up and repair their homes and communities as quickly as possible, we must remember that floodwaters and the remains of floodwaters are dangerous to your health. Continue reading

Friday Update from Marshall County Emergency Management Agency

Marshall County Emergency Management Agency Director Clyde Avery is keeping the community posted with the most recent information regarding conditions within the county.

Director Avery reports that a “Watch” level travel advisory remains in place for the City of Plymouth and all of Marshall County, as of 9:34 a.m. Avery added so far, a Disaster Declaration has not been implemented and reminded community members that this distinction would not be related to travel advisories.

Friday morning, the Yellow River had crested at 17.65 ft and it was at 17.6 feet and steady around 9:30 a.m. The Yellow River is expected to fall below flood stage at 13 ft around 11 p.m. on Monday, February 26th. Meanwhile, around the same time Friday morning the Tippecanoe River at Ora was at 15.59 ft and it is not expected to rise any further. Continue reading

Marshall County Sheriff’s Department Searches for Theft Suspect

The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department received a report of a purse being stolen from a vehicle in the 9600 block of Union Road in Plymouth, on Thursday at approximately 5:27 a.m.

According to a press release, officers arrived on scene and reviewed the parking lot security cameras. While reviewing the footage, they reportedly learned that earlier that same morning shortly before 5 a.m., a tall, slim subject walked up to the victims red, 2014 Ford Taurus, made entry and removed a purse. Continue reading

Bremen School Board Adopts Uncharted Learning Entrepreneurship Program

The Bremen School Board approved the adoption of the Uncharted Learning Entrepreneurship Program when they met on Monday. Superintendent Jim White said program development is still ongoing. However, they plan to offer it at various different grade levels.

He explained, “That is an entrepreneurial program for what probably is going to be fourth or fifth graders, one of those two and then either seventh or eighth graders and then in our high school.” Continue reading

Public Perception of Safety Discussed During Culver School Board Meeting

School safety was a topic discussed at this week’s Culver School Board meeting.

Superintendent Karen Shuman said that the school recently sent out a survey to teachers, students and parents. Though the survey included a variety of questions, Superintendent Shuman focused on the question that gauged the community’s perception of safety at Culver Community Schools during Monday’s meeting. Continue reading