Local News

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

TODAY AA: 7:30 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church. AA: 9 p.m. First Baptist Church. SATURDAY NA: 6 p.m. The Sanctuary. Phone: 1-866-683-2022. Sons of the Legion: 1 p.m. 419 New York Avenue, New Castle. Grand Avenue Baptist Men’s Prayer Breakfast: 9 a.m. at the c

Building roads to a brighter future

Here is an image of what proposed new condominiums in Northfield Park would look like. Developer Jeff Smiley presented drawings to theNew Castle Redevelopment Commission Wednesday morning and received permission to spend up to $65,000 for an engineering study on new roads needed for the project.

By DARREL RADFORD - dradford@thecouriertimes.com Build it, and they will move here. City officials seemed to adjust the famous “Field of Dreams” movie line Wednesday morning as they enthusiastically greeted news that Northfield Park developer Jeff Smile

Historically Speaking

By DARREL RADFORD - dradford@thecouriertimes.com Imagine a Michael J. Fox-like time machine picking you up and racing backwards through the years. The itinerary includes some strange names – Uniontown, Wheeland, Woodville, Warnock’s Station and a place

New Castle man arrested on multiple child battery charges

Courier-Times Staff Report The Henry County Sheriff’s Department arrested 27-year-old Jarred Alan Watt Tuesday on suspicion of the beating of two young children around Thanksgiving in 2017. The probable cause affidavit stated the children were 

Local Briefs

Wayne Township Board meets Jan. 22 The Wayne Township Board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22 in the Knightstown Fire Department, 30 S. Washington St. – Information provided Carthage Town Board work session Jan. 24 The Carthage Town Board will be holding a

Man gets 2.5 years for criminal confinement, battery

By TRAVIS WEIK - tweik@thecouriertimes.com An Indianapolis man has pleaded guilty to attacking a New Castle woman in her home in June. Aaron Gallagher, 38, was originally arrested in late July, 2018, for several charges following a domestic dispute. New Castle poli

SALT OF THE EARTH

New Castle Street Department truck driver Pete Hineman climbs into one of the plow trucks that will be salting city streets this weekend in anticipation of more winter weather. The street department ordered 200 tons of salt in preparationfor the storm and frigid temperatures. Hineman and other drivers asked New Castle residents to avoid parking on the streets, if they can, until the plows are able to clear the area.

SALT OF THE EARTH

BLUE RIVER VALLEY SPELLING BEE

Classroom winners for Blue River Valley Elementary School annual school-wide Spelling Bee. Front row, from left, Myah Burcham, Ruby Conwell, Arrin Murray, Brody Jarvis and Nick Courtney. Back row, from left,Matthew Courtney, Jordyn Bainter, Ariauna Cole, Aubrey Dillon, Brayden Baty, Alayna Conner, Serenity Blanchard and Bailey Rose.

BLUE RIVER VALLEY SPELLING BEE

OUT ABOUT FAITH

Henry County Senior Center: 108 S. Main St. 521-7414. Tuesday and Thursday free classes, Tai-chi, 9:30 a.m., Chair and TheraBand exercise, 10 a.m., Angie’s class 10:30 a.m. Lunch daily, 11:30 a.m. age 60 plus, must have 24-hour-advance meal reservations. Mah-

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

TODAY AA: 7:30 p.m. Kennard Friends Church, 101 N. Vine St. Kennard. AA: 7:30 p.m. St. Anne Parish Center. TOPS: 5:50 p.m. weigh-in, CR 950 N, Middletown. New Castle-Henry County Kiwanis Club: noon, Mancino’s. BNI: 7 a.m. Raintree Square. NA: 6 p.m. Sanctuary

Local briefs

Food giveaway is Friday Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana will provide food for families in need at the monthly Second Harvest Tailgate Program from 9 to 11 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 18, at the First Baptist Church located at 709 S. Memorial Drive in New

Emergency OT questioned and defended

By DARREL RADFORD - dradford@thecouriertimes.com Red lights and dollar signs clashed at a recent New Castle City Council meeting, with the Emergency First Aid Unit caught in the middle. City Council President Mark Koger said end-of-year transfers of funds were

Beard board salutes trio for jobs well done

By DARREL RADFORD - dradford@thecouriertimes.com One was a dedicated maintenance man on his way out. Another was a well-trained finance person on her way up. A third, quite simply, is showing the school corporation the way forward financially. All three earned

FOR THE RECORD

GAS PRICES Indiana low last 24 hours: $1.74 at several Indiana high last 24 hours: $2.89 Monticello Pit Stop Pantry New Castle: $1.93 at several Knightstown: $1.99 Love’s Spiceland: $1.99 at several Muncie: $1.99 CountryMark Anderson: $1.99 at several Indiana

YEARBOOK COVER WINNER

Blue River Valley Elementary School student Ava Loveless, left, designed the winning cover for the2018-2019 yearbook. BRVES Principal Todd Reagan, right, recognized Ava during Monday’s school board meeting.

YEARBOOK COVER WINNER

Baby bottles help buy formula for care center

By TRAVIS WEIK - tweik@thecouriertimes.com It’s almost a rite of passage for parents to go through the experience of filling up a baby bottle in the wee hours to quiet a hungry newborn. The Henry County Pregnancy Care Center hopes the community puts

Councilman eyes commissioner seat

By TRAVIS WEIK - tweik@thecouriertimes.com Could Clay Morgan be on the next county election ballot? Definitely maybe. Morgan was elected to the Henry County Council in 2012. He announced in August that he will not seek re-election to the At-Large seat whe

P.E.E.R. GROUP GETS READY

The P.E.E.R. students at New Castle High School spent some time this week preparing to go out to the city’s elementary schools. P.E.E.R. students each have four-or-five elementary school “buddies” they mentor throughout the year. Look for a more focused storyabout P.E.E.R. in The Courier-Times’ Hope Edition, Jan. 27.

P.E.E.R. GROUP GETS READY

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

TODAY NA: 7:30 p.m. Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 535 S. 14th St. Information: 1-866-683-2022. AA: 7:30 p.m. 47 E. Main St. Hagerstown. Breakfast Optimists: 6:30 a.m. Raintree Square. Information: 529-5132. BNI Prime Time: noon, every Wednesday, Montgomery’s

NEW CASTLE MIDDLE SCHOOL honor roll

New Castle Middle School has announced the first semester honor roll lists. A-B Honor Roll 7th Grade Elijah Abrams, Ashlyn Agee, Patience Antrim, Devyn Ayers, Cadence Bartels, Ashlyn Bell, Caden Blackford, Morley Blessinger, Macy Bowling, Alaina Bowma

SHENANDOAH HIGH SCHOOL honor roll

Shenandoah High School has released the first semester honor rolls for the 2018-2019 school year. All A Honor Roll Grade 12 Carly Ann Allen, Tyler Michael Barr, Salem Jeffrey Buchin, Abigail Lynn Carter, Evan Ja

School boards name new officers

By TRAVIS WEIK - tweik@thecouriertimes.com The first meeting of the year is always about getting everyone in the right position for the next 11 meetings. Blue River Valley School Board and Shenandoah School Board took care of their reorganizations Monday eveni

LOCAL BRIEFS

Book talk, signing Jan. 22 at Knightstown Library Knightstown Public Library will host Wayne Township author Robert Guillaume for a book talk and signing at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22. Guillaume will be discussing his new book “Why American Schools

New leadership on school board

Parker Elementary School student Makenzie Foga reads her poem, “Twas the Night of New Year’s Eve” to the New Castle School Board and members of the public Monday evening.

By TRAVIS WEIK - tweik@thecouriertimes.com It is going to be a busy couple of months for the New Castle Board of School Trustees. The board meeting Monday evening offered a glimpse of ongoing projects, with a promise of more to come in the next few weeks and m

Jury trials rescheduled

Courier-Times Staff Report Jury trials originally supposed to be underway have been pushed back. Perkins trail Camron D. Perkins, 28, is accused of two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for the 2016 death of Chancellor “Chance”

Young, Braun join effort to permanently end taxpayer funding of abortion

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) joined Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), and James Lankford (R-Okla.) to introduce the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosu

Saving money, gaining success through early college

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education announced Monday that nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of all Hoosier students earn college credit while in high school through dual credit courses and/or Advanced Placement (AP). The data represent an increase of 15 p

FOR THE RECORD

POLICE Arrest information, including the name, age, address and criminal charges, are obtained from police media reports. All suspects are presumed innocent until found guilty in court. Jan. 14 Amber N. McRoberts, 38, was arrested on preliminary charges of operatin

New Castle Optimist clubs annualInternational Essay Contest open

The New Castle Optimist Clubs are inviting local high schoolers to take part in the annual Optimist International Essay Contest. This year’s topic is “When All the World’s Problems are Solved, is Optimism Still Necessary?”

RDC adds familiar face to its board

By DARREL RADFORD - dradford@thecouriertimes.com Henry County’s Redevelopment Commission welcomed a new member Monday – a person who’s really not new to local leadership at all. The board greeted former Henry County Council President Nate LaMar at

Snow much fun

Hagerstown Elementary School first grader Jason Geiling gets a boost from a buddy during some winter wonderland play time Tuesday. Students in classes led by Stephanie Bradway, Lisa Bane and Pam Chew enjoyed a recess that was really cool – in more ways than one.

Snow much fun

Alert KPD officers get impaired drivers off the road

By DARREL RADFORD - dradford@thecouriertimes.com Alert Knightstown police officers – one of them off-duty – were able to get suspected impaired drivers off the road and into custody last week. Last Friday, Officer Daniel Montgomery, who was off duty at

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

TODAY AA: 7 p.m. Middletown United Methodist Church, 625 High St. Use east entrance. Information: 354-2561. Knights of Pythias: 7 p.m. Pythias Hall. Noon Optimists: Mancino’s. Henry County Community Band: 7-8:30 p.m. Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. NA: 6 p.m. S

Indiana awarded nearly $7 million to support early childhood education

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration announced this week its Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning received nearly $7 million in federal grant funding to strengthen the state’s early childhood education sys

Heritage Environmental & Zinc Nacional to establish Waelz Kiln Facility in Muncie

MUNCIE — Waelz Sustainable Products LLP (WSP), a joint venture between Indianapolis-based Heritage Environmental and Monterrey, Mexico-based Zinc Nacional, announced plans this week to establish operations in Muncie, creating up to 90 jobs over the next

County council makes board appointments

By TRAVIS WEIK - tweik@thecouriertimes.com As part of their annual reorganization, the Henry County Council made the following board appointments and county office liaisons during their special meeting Thursday: • Kenon Gray: Auditor, Board of Aviat

HCSWMD has 'electrifying' end to 2018

By DARREL RADFORD - dradford@thecouriertimes.com No giraffes were sighted on Broad Street, but the Henry County Solid Waste Management District had the weight of one removed from its office at the end of 2018. At last week’s HCSWMD meeting, Executive Dir

FOR THE RECORD

POLICE Arrest information, including the name, age, address and criminal charges, are obtained from police media reports. All suspects are presumed innocent until found guilty in court. Jan. 11 Stefan Zieles, 27, was arrested on preliminary charges of possession of

Traffic stop leads to preliminary drug charges

Courier-Times staff report A traffic stop late Sunday night for a tiny light bulb ended with two men in Henry County Jail. Indiana State Trooper J.T. Burns pulled a Chevy Impala over on Interstate 70 around 11:30 p.m. Sunday because the license plate was not i

There's a new marshal in town

By TRAVIS WEIK - tweik@thecouriertimes.com Speeders need to check themselves when rolling through Lewisville. The town officially has a dedicated lawman watching out for resident safety. Lewisville Town Marshal Ron Walker officially started Jan. 1. The ma

Veteran clerk-treasurer won't seek re-election

Brenda Grider fills out paperwork at the Henry County Voter Registration Office, making her intentons to run for New Castle Clerk-Treasurer official.

By DARREL RADFORD - dradford@thecouriertimes.com Some of the biggest news in the first few days of candidate filing for municipal offices came with who’s not running. Monday morning, veteran New Castle City Clerk-Treasurer Christy York, who is com

Public Meetings

This listing of government bodies meetings for the coming week is compiled from notices provided to The Courier-Times. People planning to attend may wish to contact the group first to be sure the meeting hasn’t been canceled. MONDAY Henry County Redevelopment

Martin Luther King Jr. worship service planned

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C., in December. A tour guide at the site said that the memorial isdesigned to appear unfinished to symbolize that the work of the clergyman and civil rights activist remains unfinished. He lived from 1929 to 1968 when he was assassinated. The granite memorial was done by Lei Yixin and is inspired by a line in the “I Have a Dream” speech: “Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” The sculpture is called Stone of Hope.

By DONNA CRONK - dcronk@thecouriertimes.com This year’s celebration to honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will take place in New Castle at 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20 at The Place, 205 S. 21st St. The evening features a program along with s

SUPPORTING SHOE PROGRAM

Chris Lewis, left, of Lewis Insurance presents a check for $500 to Ryan Smith of the New Castle-Henry County Kiwanis Club for their youth shoe program.In 2018 alone, Kiwanis purchased brand new shoes formore than 600 children in Henry County.

SUPPORTING SHOE PROGRAM

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

New Castle Middle School has named their December Students of the Month. The students displayed the character traitof“Caring.” Listed alphabetically areMichaela Barron, Brooklyn Coomer, Camryn DeNeve, Desiree DeVer, Hailey Fields, Ryleigh Forsberg, Roamyn Grant, Brooklyn Hammond, Elianna Horak, Orlando Izaguirre, Ronald Johnson, Elena Millikan, Gracie Monaghan, Brayden Stanczak, Faith Studt, Colin Taylor, Lauren Watterson, Cole Wheeler, Megan White and Shianne Saylor.

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

HCCF spring grant workshop set for Jan. 30

Henry County Community Foundation (HCCF) Spring Grant Workshop will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30 in the New Castle-Henry County Public Library auditorium. All Henry County nonprofit organizations choosing to submit an application for the Spring 2019 Communi

LEISING IS LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR

Indiana Farm Bureau President Randy Kron (right) presents State Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg, left) with the 2018 Legislator of the Year Award Wednesday, Jan. 9, during a Farm Bureau legislative luncheon in Indianapolis. Leising received the award for her leadership as chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture as well as for her consideration of Indiana Farm Bureau policy on agricultural and rural initiatives in 2018.

LEISING IS LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR

WINNING WITH ROTARIANS

New Castle Rotarian Steve Weidert, chairman of the raffle committee, assisted as Junior Rotarian Tapanga Leary pulled the winning ticket for a seven night stay in St Croix, US Virgin Islands, during the Wednesday Rotary meeting.Proceeds from the raffle will go to support local Rotary projects including two scholarships to New Castle seniors, donations to the high school band and choirs, the YMCA and other youth oriented programs.

WINNING WITH ROTARIANS

Travis Abels to speak at BSU Jan. 17

Ball State University grad Travis Abels – now a creative advertising professional, artist, editor and storyteller, who splits his time between Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles; and New York City – will speak at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, in the Ballroom of

Ind. preps for early issuance of Feb. SNAP benefits

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration is preparing to issue Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for the month of February to nearly 585,000 Hoosiers on Saturday, Jan. 19. The USDA Food and Nutrition Service

In Brief

Offices closed Jan. 21; trash to be day behind New Castle Administrative Assistant Kendra Kennedy announced last week City offices will be closed Jan. 21 to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Kennedy said the trash schedule for the week will be a day behind.

Commissioners move meetings to Wednesdays

By DARREL RADFORD - dradford@thecouriertimes.com One might say the Henry County Commissioners went back to the future Wednesday night on their meeting times. Meanwhile, it’s back to the drawing board on the W.G. Smith Building Project. First, Commissioners de

FOR THE RECORD

POLICE Arrest information, including the name, age, address and criminal charges, are obtained from police media reports. All suspects are presumed innocent until found guilty in court. Jan. 10 Justin Choate, 25, New Castle, was arrested on a preliminary charge of

School board renames football field

By TRAVIS WEIK - tweik@thecouriertimes.com Mark Childs served Hagerstown students for more than three decades. The Nettle Creek School board voted this week to publicly recognize and thank Childs by renaming the Tigers’ home turf in his honor.

Council bids to buy bank building

By DARREL RADFORD - dradford@thecouriertimes.com Knightstown officials have made their move. Now it’s a matter of wait-and-see. Earlier this month, members of the Knightstown Town Council passed a resolution and made an official offer to purchase the old Main

NC man gets 6 years for armed robbery

Courier-Times Staff Report A 2017 armed robbery case has come to a close with this month’s sentencing of the final perpetrator. Isaac D. Davis, 22, of New Castle, pled guilty Wednesday to one count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, a Level 3 Felony, for

Let's get down to business

Henry County Council President Susan Huhn conducts the organizational meeting Thursday evening. The council recessed the meeting and will reconvene at 6 p.m. Jan. 24.

By TRAVIS WEIK - tweik@thecouriertimes.com There was something familiar about Thursday’s Henry County Council meeting. At the same time, it was a brand new experience for many people gathered in the courthouse. In a special organizational meeting, the four ne

Man nabbed on alleged trafficking charge

Courier-Times Staff Report A tip helped drug officers catch a man allegedly trying to smuggle meth into Henry County Jail. The Henry County Area Drug Task Force (ADTF) received information late Friday night that an unknown subject would be arriving at the