Skip to main content

Government & School Board

Snyder announces his candidacy for Indiana Third Congressional District

On Wednesday, Jan. 5, Gary Snyder announced he is running for the Democratic nomination for Indiana’s Third Congressional District. Snyder is the President of the Indiana Talks Network, a syndicated statewide news and opinion program, and publisher of The SnydeReport in Indiana and Michigan, a digital media publication.

Democrats to host meetings

The Huntington County Democrats will start the new year with monthly meetings. The first will be today, Monday, Jan. 10, at 6:30 p.m.

All meetings take place at the UAW Local 2209, located at 5820E-900N, Roanoke.

The group encourages anyone wanting to run for one of the 68 open seats in the 2022 election to attend this organization meeting.

Roanoke TC appoints officials for new year

During the first 2022 Roanoke Town Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 4, the council appointed their officials for the year.
Councilwoman Mandy Sands was elected president and former president Dave Meitzler was elected as the new vice president.

The council liaisons for each town department are as follows:
• Police: Councilwoman Joan Abbott.
• Fire: Councilman Nick Scheer.
• Park: Councilman Pat Scher.
• Utility: Vice President Meitzler.
• Library: President Sands.

Hgtn. County EMA shares 2021 report

The Huntington County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) has released information regarding the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) County Readiness Assessment for 2021. Each year, the Huntington County EMA is evaluated with this assessment, which runs Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. Each assessment is due by the end of the calendar year and is handled by a district liaison.

Holcomb announces appointments

Gov. Eric J. Holcomb has announced several appointments to various state boards and commissions.

Behavioral Analyst Committee

The governor made five appointments to the new committee, who will serve until Dec. 31, 2025:

• Leila Allen (Mishawaka), chief clinical officer with Lighthouse Autism Center.

• Jill Forte (Roanoke), executive director with Children’s Autism Center, Inc.

• Vivian Heerens (Indianapolis), former IPS Innovation school teacher.

• Jesseca Hartman (Indianapolis), director of clinical operations with Damar ABA.

Warren TC talks CEDIT plan

During the last 2021 Warren Town Council meeting on Monday, Dec. 13, Michelle Schweikhardt was chosen as the next council member, effective Saturday, Jan. 1. She will be filling a vacancy in the council, due to President Ethan Stivers relocating to Kentucky.

In unrelated business, Clerk-Treasurer Marilyn Morrison reported that the town received notice that its County Economic Development Income Tax (CEDIT) plan will expire on Friday, Dec. 31.

K-9 visits with Santa for Shop with a Cop


Photo by Katelynn Farley

On Thursday, Dec. 16, members of the Huntington County Sheriff’s Department including Austin Smith (left) and Sheriff Chris Newton (right) brought the department’s new K-9 officer, Kylo Ren, to visit Santa and Shop with a Cop participants at the Huntington Wal-Mart. For more Shop with a Cop photos, go to page 5 of today’s edition of The TAB.

Markle TC accepts salary ordinance

Those present at the Wednesday, Dec. 15, Markle Town Council meeting received a little lesson in inflation and deflation, courtesy of Council President Matthew Doss, as one of the tasks for the evening was to approve the 2022 Salary Ordinance for the town’s employees.

Each year, a salary ordinance is drawn up to reflect what the next coming year’s salary should be. Doss pointed out that there was a 5 percent increase to the salaries for town employees and for the police department and went on to explain the reasoning behind the increase.

School board wraps up 2021

Monday, Dec. 13, marked the final Huntington County Community School Corporation (HCCSC) Board of Trustees meeting for 2021, and several project and policy topics were discussed during the meeting.

Discussion regarding HCCSC’s COVID-19 protocol, as well as updates on quarantine and positivity rates, led directly into discussion about upcoming field trips for corporation students. According to HCCSC Superintendent Chad Daugherty, one of the biggest issues that COVID-19 is causing right now is with staffing – especially with bus drivers.

Warren TC adds member

Michelle Schweikhardt (right) was chosen on Monday, Dec. 13, as the newest Warren Town Council member. Also featured are her 2-year-old daughter Harper (left) and Michelle’s husband Adam.
Photo provided.

On Monday, Dec. 13, Michelle Schweikhardt was appointed as the next Warren Town Council member. She will be filling the vacancy left by Ethan Stivers, who will be relocating to Kentucky.

Schweikhardt said she chose to apply for the council position because she wanted to do her part.

“I’ve lived in Warren my entire life. I’ve lived literally on the same street my entire life and it is such a nice town,” Schweikhardt said. “It’s a small town, it’s a family-friendly town… there’s not a lot of places like Warren I feel like and I thought this is my time to give back.”

City gives COVID-19 updates

The City of Huntington took a procedural step on Tuesday, Dec. 14, to align its COVID-19 guidelines with accumulating data showing the vaccines’ effectiveness in preventing severe illness and hospitalizations.

Executive Order No. 8, signed on Tuesday by Mayor Richard Strick, acknowledges that 46.2 percent of Huntington County residents age 5 or older are fully vaccinated. In addition, Indiana Department of Health data shows that more than 94 percent of statewide hospitalizations in November related to COVID-19 are unvaccinated individuals.