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?Board of Commissioners discuss a compromise for CEDIT Plan |
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Wednesday, 24 September 2008 00:00 |
The Washington County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Wednesday afternoon with all members present. The minutes of previous meetings, payroll, and all claims were approved unanimously.
While giving a summary of the September 9 Washington County Council meeting. Commissioner Mike Goering outlined a proposal to remedy the current impasse between the Commissioners and the Council over the use of County Economic Development Income Tax (CEDIT) revenue. Last month, the Council declined to appropriate the CEDIT and Special CEDIT funding until the much reported overspending issues uncovered by the Indiana State Board of Accounts could be resolved.
Citing the minutes of a March, 1989 Council meeting, Goering said that the CEDIT tax was set up with the understanding that the revenue would be used for road paving.
However, in a surprise move, Goering suggested that it may be time to revisit that concept and to revise it to a point where 75 percent of CEDIT and Special CEDIT revenues would be earmarked for road work and 25 percent left to be used for other economic development activities. |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 September 2008 10:31 |
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?West Washington School Board adopts 2009 budget |
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Wednesday, 24 September 2008 00:00 |
At the West Washington School Board meeting held on Monday, September 15, Superintendent Jackson recommended the approval to adopt the 2009 budget, capital projects, debt service, transportation, bus replacement, Special Ed Preschool and retirement severance bond pension fund.
The board passed the recommendation 6-0.
Brain Farmer took the oath of office to become the newest member of the West Washington School Board.
All minutes and claims were approved. |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 September 2008 10:39 |
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?Mississippi State names student housing complex for Zacharias, formerly of Salem |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 24 September 2008 00:00 |
Mississippi State recently dedicated its newest residence hall community in honor of president emeritus Donald W. Zacharias.
In ceremonies Sept. 5, the university formally dedicated Zacharias Village, a complex of four student residences opened over the past few years.
Zacharias, who continues to reside in Starkville, led the university 1985-97, the second-longest tenure in the land-grant institution’s 130-year history. Enrollment soared, growing from 12,000 to more than 15,600, and research and technology contracts more than doubled during his 12 years of leadership. |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 September 2008 10:44 |
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Southern Indiana, Northern Kentucky battered by remnants of Hurricane Ike |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 17 September 2008 00:00 |
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As the remnants of what was once Hurricane Ike made its way north in the form of a tropical depression, a cold front moving southward out of Canada collided with it causing near hurricane strength winds to topple trees, shingles to blow off, roofs to be uplifted and non-secured items to simply blow away.
The result was that most of the Southern Indiana area was without power for most of the day Sunday, and many may not have it until at least the weekend as crews from Duke Energy and Clark, Harrison, and Jackson County REMC made their way from line to line to diagnose and reconnect households, section by section.
Many households are operating on generators, which quickly sold out of local stores as residents made mad dashes to purchase them.
Another dilemma facing residents was that facing water companies. As power went out, so did the water utilities’ ability to pump water to residents. Compounded with no power already and many residents were in dire straits.
Gas stations on Sunday evening and Monday were swamped as those few who still had power were bonbarded with customers, and in some cases found their tanks running low or empty as residents hurried to fill gas tanks and cans for running generators and saws to clean up debris on houses and out of roads.
Officials were saying the damage and resulting repairs were the worst they had seen in over 30 years. Residents in Louisville who are a part of LG&E, may not see power for up to two weeks as crews work around the clock to bring power back on to damaged areas.
The damage throughout the area came in the form of uplifted shingles on houses, torn off roofs from both homes and barns, articles of furniture, and non-secured items being blown hundreds of feet from their original locations, and many, many downed trees and limbs.
Jackson County REMC reported about 12,000 households without power on Monday.
Duke Energy said via television stations that upwards of 144,000 households in their area were without power on Monday.
Clark REMC reported that many of those households might not have power restored for many days as severalroads were blocked by debris and limbs, and were impassable.
Crews from the electric utilities began nearly immediately to work on downed lines, with many homes having power restored as early as Sunday night. Still more got power back on on Monday morning.
As fire departments and highway crews made their way from road the road on Sunday, they would no sooner begin to make headway on a road, then they would be called away for a tree down on a power line elsewhere.
In Washington County, during the height of the storm, virtually every fire department was out simultaneously as they cleared debris, extinguished small blazes, and cut away fallen limbs and trees.
The predicament that may be the largest part of the current delay in restoring power was that many such as Duke Energy and the local REMC companies had committed crews to go to the Texas coast to assist with the restoration of power along the gulf after Hurricane Ike came ashore on Friday night. According to many power company officials they have recalled the majority of them, however, it will take time for those crews to repack, and return to the area. In the mean time utility companies also called on crews from Northern Indiana to assist in the restoration process.
Forecasters had initially called for a wind advisory on Sunday afternoon, feeling that increased winds of 30-40 miles per hour were possible. The convergence of the cold front along with the tropical depression made for the perfect ingredients for the advisory to upgraded to a warning as wind velocity increased to near 60 miles per hour. Louisville television stations reported sustained winds of nearly 75 mph, with one in Orange County clocked at 81 mph.
Keeping that in mind, hurricanes begin at a Category One with winds of 74-95 mph.
According to officials with the electric companies efforts were being concentrated on restoring three-phase backbone lines on Monday and would extend to major taps on Tuesday.
Above all else officials are asking residents to please not go near any downed power lines, and keep away from any trees and limbs that are in contact with power lines. Always consider any line, in the air or on the ground, as hot and dangerous. |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 September 2008 10:22 |
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