All posts by Rusty Nixon

PLYMOUTH – Monday is an E-Learning day for Plymouth Schools and while students learn at home, all 250+ of our teachers and administrators will be in the Plymouth High School auditorium from 8am-11am for a Professional Learning Community (PLC) interactive event with Jack Balderman from Solution Tree who speaks all around the country about student learning/PLCs.

Over the last year, PCSC teachers across all seven schools have met in collaborative teams to break down standards, develop common assessments and rubrics, and prepare for the launch as a PLC.
Each school has received personal coaching from the company Solution Tree as they complete this work. By collaborating, sharing best practices, and analyzing student data, teachers can identify strategies that work best for their students and tailor instruction to meet their individual needs.

By Rusty Nixon

CULVER – The Culver Town Council heard from members of the Marshall County Crossroads committee regarding support for a hoped initiative to enhance communication across the county in economic development.

Marty Oosterbaan in person and Ginny Munroe of the Marshall County Crossroads Committee appeared before the Council to seek their monetary support for the forming of a hierarchical group to streamline communication between several county entities such as the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation, the Lifelong Learning Network that work towards quality of life projects and other initiatives to attract business and workers to Marshall County.
The group would also work to bridge the gaps between businesses, the community, and county leadership to bring about those improvements.
Oosterbaan said that the Crossroads Committee – formed and in operation since 2015 with basically the same faces and all volunteers – was growing “tired”. He said that the Committee felt that it was time to have a handful of paid staff members to complete work that could not be addressed by the all-volunteer committee.
The group was responsible for bringing Stellar Grant money to Marshall County which has enabled communities and groups around the area to undertake infrastructure projects that would not have been possible without those grant monies.
Culver was able to make improvements to their parks and also create new walking trails around the community with a portion of that grant.
The group would like to hire a full-time Executive Director and ideally a grant writer to take over everyday work.
The Executive Director would also be able to coordinate the county’s economic development agendas with similar groups within the region, such as Elkhart or South Bend, to leverage greater opportunities that are available for such regional cooperative groups.
Monroe pointed out that nearly every government group as well as others in the county are continually seeking grants from various sources. The application process can be difficult and time-consuming. Having a full-time grant writer available on the Crossroads staff to assist in the process would lighten that load for groups in Marshall County.
Crossroads was seeking support from the Council for $20,000 to help with the process. Monroe said that they had presented the request to several governmental organizations already and had received a favorable response.
Council members said that there was a concern about a possible deficit in the town budget for the coming year but despite that concern felt the return on the investment would be worth it.
Clerk-Treasurer Karen Heim told the Council that the budget had already been filed with the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF). The item had been part of a list of options when the budget was put together and “…there was no response.”
Heim said that she would find the funds but said “I wish you had taken action earlier.”
The Council voted unanimously to explore the option of adding the $20,000 to the coming year’s budget.

Local lawmakers are seeking interns for the 2024 legislative session.

According to State Rep. Jack Jordan of Bremen House interns will be paid $900 bi-weekly as they work in downtown Indianapolis during session, which starts in January and concludes mid-March.

“College students and recent graduates have a tremendous opportunity to earn money and gain professional experience through a House internship,” Jordan said. “Interns gain a competitive advantage against other applicants when applying for future jobs and they can learn more about state government.”

House internships are open to college students and recent graduates of all majors.

Paid, spring-semester intern positions are full-time, Monday through Friday, and include free parking, career and professional development assistance, enrollment access to an Indiana government class, and opportunities to earn academic credits through the student’s college or university. Interns are also eligible to apply for a competitive $3,000 scholarship to use toward undergraduate and graduate expenses.

Students can apply for internships in a variety of departments related to their field of study, including legislative operations, policy, and communications and media relations. 

Applications are available online at indianahouserepublicans.com/internship and are due by Oct. 31.

PLYMOUTH — The closure of North Michigan Street at its intersection with Hoham Drive originally planned for this week has been delayed.

It’s anticipated that the street closure will now occur on the week of September 25th. Exact details of the rescheduled closure will be shared as soon as they are known. The purpose of the closure is for the installation of a new storm sewer culvert.
The project is part of the ongoing widening of Hoham Drive between Michigan Street and Western Avenue. The current delay (and the overall delay of the entire project) is attributed to NIPSCO and its subcontractors’ work to relocate underground gas lines in the area.
The City of Plymouth’s leadership is working diligently to resolve these issues and appreciates the public’s patience as this important street project moves toward substantial completion, which is anticipated in December 2023.

PLYMOUTH — Plymouth Police were called to the Marshall County Probation department regarding a subject who had violated his probation.

Police discovered 55 year old Niles Lamberson of Plymouth who had violated conditions of his probation through Marshall County.

Lamberson was taken to the Marshall County Jail.

The Triton School Board heard information on money issues in their regular meeting on Monday.

The Bremen School Board will have their normal monthly meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 10, at 8:10 p.m., Marshall County Central Dispatch received a 911 call for a serious injury accident in the southbound lanes of US 31 near 11th Road.

On Saturday at 4:55 a.m., a Marshall County Sheriff’s Deputy Haygood conducted a traffic stop on 16th Road, just west of Thorn Road.