Christmas Parade has 146 entries

BEDFORD—Bedford’s Christmas Parade entitled “O Holy Night” is quite likely the most festive parade in Southern Indiana!

Site approved for Starbucks in Bedford

BEDFORD—At this week’s meeting of the Bedford Plan commission, a site was approved where Starbucks, the elitist coffee retailer will construct a location in Bedford.

Hunting accidents injures one, kills another

ORANGE COUNTY—A Mooresville man who fell 16 feet when the older tree stand he was using gave way remains in serious condition.

Deer reduction at Spring Mill State Park

MITCHELL—Spring Mill State Park is closed today for the second scheduled deer reduction hunt of this season. The park will re-open tomorrow morning for visitors.

Fire leaves dozen homeless

FRENCH LICK—A fire damaged eight apartments and left twelve people homeless in French Lick Thanksgiving morning.

Monroe County man allegedly fires shotgun at semi truck

BLOOMINGTON—A Monroe County man has been charged with attempted murder after he allegedly fired a shotgun at a semi truck.

Hearing held for legalization of video poker machines

INDIANAPOLIS—The Indiana Licensed Beverage Association is holding hearings aimed at the legalization of video poker machines.

One-square-inch of land for sale

SPENCER—Bidding ended Thursday on a one-square-inch piece of land in Owen County put up for auction on E-Bay. The bidding began at $1,500, which is the minimum amount for which any plot of land may be sold at the county tax sale.

VFDs battle house fire

MITCHELL—A house fire Wednesday afternoon on Dixie Highway brought out the Marion and Shawswick Volunteer Fire Departments.

Page for a Day

STATEHOUSE—Indiana State Senator Brent Steele is inviting students to take parts in the legislative process by serving as a page for a day. Students are encouraged to sign as soon as possible, as spots are limited.

Thanksgiving Travel

The Thanksgiving holiday period has begun. The AAA Motor Club estimates that 37.29-million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday. That’s an 8% increase form last year’s 37-million travelers.

Birthday Wishes to Local Soldier

BEDFORD—The family and friends of Laurie Miller are sending Birthday Wishes by way of e-mail today hoping that Laurie, who is stationed in Iraq, has a chance to check her messages and enjoy their loving support. Earlier this week Laurie e-mailed that one of the patrols from the 100th Bat found over 100 rockets, piles of hand grenades, anti-personnel mines and “bouncing bettys” which are mines that bound up into the air before they explode.

Police investigate multiple break-ins

MITCHELL/ORLEANS—The Mitchell Police and the Orleans Police have had their hands full investigating multiple break-ins Sunday night. In Mitchell, at least four businesses were entered. Barlow Sports Shop, Farm Bureau Insurance, Three Hearts Flowers and Gifts were reported Monday morning.

General Motors to cut 30,000 jobs

General Motors made headlines in all the major media as they announced the elimination of 30,000 manufacturing jobs and the closure of nine assembly, stamping and Powertrain plants in 3 years. Thankfully, Bedford’s facility will be largely unaffected. GM simply has to get its costs in line to compete with the major global competitors.

Newburgh statement lands in French Lick

FRENCH LICK—Debris from the November 6th tornado in southwest Indiana is turning up far away from where the storm touched down. A tax statement was found by a hunter near Patoka Lake outside of French Lick. That means the document had to travel about 60 miles from the Newburgh address listed on the statement.

Turkey prices up a gobble

According to the Indiana Farm Bureau a slight increase in the price of turkey contributed to a very small increase in the cost of a traditional thanksgiving dinner. Carolyn Hegel, IFB vice-president says “We Americans really take our abundant food supply for granted, and Thanksgiving is a good time to remember what we have.”

Take time to reflect this Thanksgiving

The security we have enjoyed since 9/11 is thanks to our military strength, intelligence agencies, law enforcement, and alert citizens who share their observations of suspicious activity. We are the land of the free, because of the brave. Take time to e-mail or somehow get a message to the people you know who are serving in the military. A few words of Thanksgiving to them for their sacrifices will boost their morale.

Greyhound to cut more stops

Back in May, Greyhound bus cut their service to Bloomington and Martinsville, now a number of small cities in the northern part of Indiana will find the service discontinued. Greyhound is undergoing a long-term route adjustment strategy.

Too few people use the buses and the net loss to the company is being addressed.

Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. will pay 3-million dollars

Over in Columbus, the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. will pay the state 3-million dollars to settle a four-year dispute over inaccurate enrollment figures. During the 1990’s there was a miscalculation in the number of district students.

MHS teen maybe on probation

Back in April of 2004, a couple of Mitchell High School girls decided to run an errand during their lunch break. In a hurry to return to school, the driver of the car Amy Land began speeding. Land lost control, the car crashed and Angel Finn, age 15 her passenger friend was killed.

Amy Land, 17 pleaded guilty to a criminal charge of reckless driving.Dduring a lengthy, emotional hearing before Judge William Sleva the victim’s mother related events from her birth to the tragic viewing at the morgue. Judge Sleva sentenced Land to a suspended juvenile detention sentence of six months with all of that to be served on probation. She also will serve 20 days of road crew, or one full day a week for her probation term, should the probation department allow it.

There will be court costs to pay and she is to write a letter to Angel Finn’s parents with details that led up to the accident. Judge Sleva suspended Land’s privileges to drive while she is on probation.

A $500 scholarship in memory of Angel Finn, established by her classmates at MHS, is in the third year of the program.

French Lick Springs to close

As of this Sunday, the French Lick Springs Resort will close and only re-open when all of the renovations at the hotel are completed, and the new casino is ready for business. It will take at least a year to complete the massive projects.

By suspending operations at the hotel, the refurbishing can go forward at an accelerated pace. Another major consideration was assuring the safety of guests.

Right now, the hotel representatives are notifying groups that had booked conventions of the need to make alternate plans. According to State Representative Jerry Denbo somewhere between two and three-thousand people travel to the French Lick area to ski once it’s cold enough to make snow. That time has arrived, and that means that the many innkeepers in the area should find business particularly good this winter.

Time zone decision to be made in January

The final decision as to whether Indiana will be on Eastern or on Central time will be made sometime in January.

Most business people prefer the state be put in the Eastern time zone. Every city, both small and large keeps harping on the need to attract industry and jobs. You’d think that if that is of the utmost importance, the decision will be easy.

Indiana will side with the states to our East. Lawrence County Commissioners David Flinn and Bill Spreen were in the crowd of close to 200-hundred people at the recent hearing in Jasper where the U.S. Department of Transportation listened to input from the public. One point clear-thinking folks agree on is the need that it should be one or the other….no more two-zone confusion within our state borders.

Stamp price increasing

Our Postmaster, Tom Priddy, sent several pages of rate changes accompanied with explanations. The one rate that touches most folks is the cost of a stamp. As of January 8th, the postal rate for a 1 oz. envelope will rise from 37 cents to 39 cents. Next January on the 1st, State Park fees will also increase.

Hunters absent for hunting at state park

The environmentalists and the Department of the Interior have plenty of problems on their hands since re-introducing numerous species of animals into our national and state forests. Grizzly bears have been protected by the Endangered Species Act, but have become so numerous around Yellowstone National Park that plans are taking shape to allow limitee grizzly bear hunting.