Wild Weekend Weather
Banner publisher Eric Cox photographed some of these scenes Saturday morning. A slideshow of his photos can be viewed here.
Our own family's experience in Kennard was rather scary because none of us could get out of our heads what happened in Kennard over 30 years ago when a massive tornado destroyed a huge part of the town. About the time our electric service went out here Friday night, the first wave of severe weather was at McCordsville and Greenfield and heading east. Not knowing what was going on was nerve-wreaking. In between the different rounds of severe weather we located our weather radio, got updated on what was going on, greatly alleviating the anxiety. I don't think I have ever seen so much lightning for such a long period of time!
What was your experience during this storm? Did you capture any photos or video during/after the storm?
Police Stand-Off in Knightstown
No shots were fired and the man, apparently a substantially decorated World War II veteran, was eventually removed by ambulance gurney and taken to an area hospital. The scene featured over a dozen police cars, canine units and armed lawmen bearing assault weapons and related gear. A news helicopter circled overhead as a sheriff's deputy tried to communicate with Rankin using a police car loudspeaker system. After several apparent attempts to communicate with Rankin, including a simple knock on the front door by former Henry County Sheriff Kim Cronk, police gave up and sent a heavily armed team of SWAT officers to the home's rear entrance. A few minutes later police emerged from the front of the home, signaling a stand-down. The whole scene, which was palpably tense at times, offered a stark contrast to events taking place just two blocks east on Knightstown's Public Square, where children and adults enjoyed the town's Jubilee Days carnival amid rides, music, food and fun. More news and, hopefully, an official account of Thursday's events at Brown and Franklin Streets will appear in the June 4 Banner. The accompanying photos offer a sort of chronological sequence of events. (Story and Photos by Eric Cox)
A slide show of photos taken during the stand-off is now online!
CAB School Board Election Results Now In
Voters came out in what may very well turn out to be record numbers on Tuesday, and, in the process, elected three new people to the seven-member Charles A. Beard School Board.
Mark Fort, Steve Dalton and Tim Wehr were elected, respectively, to seats for Wayne Township, Greensboro Township and Ripley Township. Incumbent Leah Kopp, who was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board in early 2007, held on to a second Wayne Township seat that was up for election this year.
In the Wayne Township race, Fort received 1,224 votes (37.35 percent) to Kopp's 1,142 votes (34.85 percent). A third candidate, Brian Smith, had 911 votes (27.8 percent). Voters in Rush County's Ripley Township actually favored Kopp to Fort by a vote of 298 to 262, but Wayne Township and Greensboro Township voters made up the difference for Fort, giving him a 962 to 844 vote edge in Henry County.
Dalton took in 1,259 votes (58.64 percent) to take the Greensboro Township, beating incumbent Debi Ware, who had 888 votes (41.36 percent). Ripley Township voters gave Dalton a 250 to 231 victory in Rush County, but he had 1,009 votes to Ware's 657 in Henry County.
Wehr claimed the Ripley Township seat with 1,043 votes (49.81 percent). Three-term incumbent Mike Fruth, the board's current president, finished second in that race with 621 votes (29.66 percent), and Jeremy Howard, who also ran unsuccessfully in 2004 and 2006, received 430 votes (20.53 percent) to finish third. The Ripley Township vote was close in this race as well, with Wehr just pulling out a three-vote victory over Fruth there (187 to 184).
The terms of office for Fort, Dalton and Wehr begin July 1. Kopp, who still has one-year left to finish her current term on the board's "lag" seat, will not begin her new term until July 1, 2009.
Yesterday's voter turnout in Henry and Rush counties may have been at record levels. Henry County reported that 50.36 percent of its registered voters voted, far exceeding the 31.59 percent and 29.24 percent respective participation levels from 2006 and 2004.
In the Henry County Republican primary, Sam Beckenbaugh defeated incumbent Phil Estridge for the Southern District county commissioner nomination by a vote of 2,030 (43.79 percent) to 1,655 (35.70 percent). Glenn Anthony finished third in that race with 951 votes (20.51 percent). The Democrats have do not have a candidate in this race, so Beckenbaugh will be unopposed in the fall, absent a challenge from an independent candidate.
In the commissioner's Middle District race, former Henry County Sheriff Kim Cronk beat incumbent Larry Hale by a vote of 2,909 (60.32 percent) to 1,914 (39.68 percent). Cronk will face Democrat Brian Ingermann, who had no primary challenger yesterday, in the fall election.
In the race for three at-large county council seats, Republicans Mike Thalls, Harold Griffin and Mike McKown posted the highest vote totals, beating fellow party members Don Shaw and Bob Veach. Thalls, Griffin and McKown will face a challenge in the fall from Democrat Jeff Hancock.
BREAKING! KEESLING BARN FIRE PHOTOS
Sunset Over Grant City Lake
New Photo Slide Show Posted
Winter Wonderland
Photo of Knightstown Square taken by Banner publisher Eric Cox
Banner Publisher Nearly Loses Fingers to Frostbite Capturing Lunar Eclipse
Satellite Will Be Shot Down
'Crazy' Ideas Being Pushed by Sportsmen
Published February 11, 2008
AMERICA'S SPORTSMEN TAKE AIM AT CONGRESS:
Global Warming Threatens Hunting, Fishing Traditions
Washington, DC (February 12) – More than 670 hunting and fishing organizations from all 50 states, representing the millions of Americans who share America’s sporting tradition, are urging their U.S. Senators and Representatives to target global warming with strong climate legislation.
“America’s sportsmen have a special connection to the outdoors, and for that reason we are on the front lines of global warming,” said Larry Schweiger, President & CEO, National Wildlife Federation. “It has been impossible to ignore the changes happening before our eyes – you don’t need to be a scientist to feel that something is seriously wrong. As a grandfather who looks forward to a time when I can fish with my grandson, I strongly believe we must work together to preserve America’s sporting traditions for our children’s future.”
“This is not a matter of liberal versus conservative,” said Simon Roosevelt, sportsman and great-great grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt. “And it’s not about being red or blue—or even green. It’s a matter of common sense. It’s about the future.”
To fight global warming, America’s sportsmen are calling for comprehensive climate change legislation that cuts global warming by 2 percent per year through a cap-and-trade system and including dedicated funding for fish and wildlife conservation and restoration.
Hunting and fishing have traditionally been pillars of American economic prosperity: 34 million people who hunt or fish in the United States spend $75 billion annually, supporting 1.6 million jobs.
“Sportsmen want America to lead on global warming solutions,” said David Crockett, sportsman and descendant of the legendary outdoorsman. “We have used cap-and-trade systems – and American ingenuity – successfully in the past to cut pollution. Now, similar measures will not only protect our heritage, but also bring new jobs to our cities and rural communities while bolstering a stronger economy.”
The fish and wildlife that support American sporting traditions are feeling the heat. For example, trout populations are declining from increased water temperatures, wetlands critical to waterfowl populations are threatened due to increasing temperatures and sea level rise, and in some areas moose populations have plummeted due to warmer weather.
“We who hunt and fish believe we have a moral responsibility to confront climate change in order to protect our outdoor heritage and our children’s future,” say the more than 670 groups of hunters and anglers, in a letter to Congress.
National Wildlife Federation is America's conservation organization inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future.