Plymouth High School students experienced a bit of success over the weekend at a state robotics competition.
The High School has six robotics teams – three of which qualified for the Indiana State VEX state tournament.
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The Plymouth Board of Works members approved several quotes for new pieces of equipment for the utility department.
A half-ton truck quote for $25,540 was approved from Country Auto for the wastewater department. The alternate for $1,150 for a built-in toolbox was also approved for the truck.
A chassis in the amount of $26,435 from Oliver Ford and the service body for $11,465 from WA Jones was unanimously approved. The deal includes a trade-in value. A quote for a one-ton truck for the street department was approved for $24,015 from Oliver Ford.
The Marshall County Council members will be discussing an additional appropriation for the highway department for equipment.
Jerry Ambrose and Highway Superintendent Jason Peters explained to the Marshall County Commissioners last week that they would like to purchase a more expensive loader that will guarantee better service and reliability. The loader is a Caterpillar brand and is higher than two other bids sent in for consideration.
Indiana’s Senate Democrats are touting the results of a survey recently conducted by the caucus.
Questions were asked in each of the Senate Democrats individual districts. The survey was conducted this year prior to the start of the long session of the Indiana General Assembly.
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Daylight savings time will begin Sunday, and area emergency management agencies are asking residents to make changes to more than just their household clocks.
The time change officially occurs at 2:00 a.m. when clocks will move ahead by one hour. Emergency Managers from Indiana’s various counties are also advising that residents use the occasion to replace the batteries in their smoke detectors.
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The Marshall County Highway Department is getting closer to purchasing a new loader.
Jerry Ambrose and Highway Superintendent Jason Peters reviewed several bids and told the commissioners this week that a more expensive brand may be the best route to go. They are looking at a Caterpillar loader and Decoiler Straightener Feeder Machine are more reliable machines, according to Ambrose. Ambrose said the two lower bids were for Hyundai brands, but those machines don’t last long as parts wear out faster.
The highway department currently has a CASE loader, but they are having trouble with parts and keeping it running.
Third grade students across Indiana are encouraged to interview county government officials as part of an essay contest. April is National County Government Month. The Association of Indiana Counties is sponsoring the”Counties Moving Indiana Forward: The Keys are Transportation and Infrastructure.” Continue reading
Indiana saw an uptick in the number of fish being stocked in water systems last year.
A report from the Department of Natural Resources says their department and organizations with proper permits stock nearly 32-million fish in 2014. The DNR says that typically, between 22-million and 24-million fish are stocked each year.
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The Indiana Dunes State Park is in the running for one of the top 10 best state parks in the United States.
The USA Today received the nomination of the Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterton as part of a list submitted by a panel of travel experts. Twenty locations have been nominated.
The 7th Road construction project has been on hold all winter, but once the weather breaks workers will be busy to finish the project. It was anticipated to be complete last year.
Bart Trester from USI Consultants told the Marshall County Commissioners that several issues delayed the project including unsuitable soils and piling issue for the bridge. He presented a change order for the project once things get moving again.
“Change order seven is additional mobilization for the bridge contractor for $11,107.60,” explained Trester. “We had the bad soil issues, delays and we had to coordinate with INDOT how to go about piling, and they had to pull off the project and then came back.”
A new program in Culver looks to improve the look of some of its buildings.
The Town’s Plan Commission says applications have been available for almost a month for façade improvement grants.
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A popular children’s author’s birthday was this month, and the Culver-Union Township Public Library is celebrating it for him.
The Library is hosting a “Seuss-a-Bration” to help honor the work of Dr. Seuss. The author’s birthday is celebrated March 2nd around the country.
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The South Bend Indiana National Guard Armory will soon be making an addition to its site.
Indiana’s third STARBASE program will be hosted at the Armory. It’s expected to open in early 2016. Two other STARBASE locations currently operate in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne.
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New Prairie High School in LaPorte County went on lockdown again this morning, and for a similar reason.
According to information released by the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office, administrators at the school said a bullet had been found in their building. The building was placed on lockdown around 9:15 a.m.
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A program designed to promote information about the Court of Appeals in Indiana will make an appearance at Culver Academies.
Three judges from the court will hear oral arguments from a criminal case on appeal from Vanderburgh County. This is the courts’ fifth appearance for their Appeals on Wheels program this year.
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Marshall County Superior Court No. 2 Judge Dean Colvin asked the commissioners this week to assist him in improving the video conferencing system between the courthouse and the Marshall County Jail.
A system was put in place years ago, but it’s time to upgrade, according to Judge Colvin.
“Over the last several years, we’ve run into a couple of issues with the video conferencing as a result of, as I like to call it, planned obsolescence with the regards to technology,” said Judge Colvin. “We’ve worked through the lifetime expectancy of the video conferencing and we’re having technical problems with video conferencing. We need to address those and bring them back up to date and back up to speed.”
Winter weather occurring earlier this week affected schools in more ways than canceling classes.
The wintry mix that descended on the area also delayed ISTEP testing for several schools. The ISTEP test has been discussed for some time in the General Assembly with reforms to the test approved by lawmakers.
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The Plymouth School Corporation has agreed to provide assurances that allow grant funds to continue for adult education.
During last night’s Plymouth School Board meeting, the Adult Education Program – hosted in Plymouth – was reviewed. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development oversees the program.
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Estimates under Indiana’s proposed school funding formula have Culver schools taking a hit on revenue.
Representatives of the school corporation were invited to the statehouse for the third reading of House Bill 1001 in February. That bill deals with the state’s biennial budget, but includes allocations for education.
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The Marshall County Commissioners held a public hearing on the proposed increase in building permit and improvement location fees Monday morning.
Several of the fees increased by $5 while others jumped considerably. Plan Director Ralph Booker explained that the fees will help cover costs. The fees haven’t been amended for several years.
Permit fees for accessory structures larger than 1,601 square feet rose from $80 to $100 for structures up to 2,000 square feet. Permit fees for accessory structures larger than 2,000 square feet will be $150.
