The Wabash District #348 school board has voted to spend just under $1 million to put air conditioning in the gyms at the Mt. Carmel Junior/Senior High School and the elementary school. At Monday evening’s school board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Chuck Bleyer said the board’s building and grounds committee and the finance committee have met numerous times discussing the project…
Bleyer said the project will be beneficial in other ways….
A local company has donated $9,000 to District #348 for help buy new wrestling mats. Superintendent Dr. Chuck Bleyer reports that RWE Clean Energy is making the donation to the district. RWE is the company putting a solar farm in rural Wabash County near the former Friendsville Mine. They’ll use Mt. Carmel Grade School as the site for a public meeting this month.
The city of Mt. Carmel is saving about $5,000 on its’ insurance premium after the city council Monday opted to pay the entire amount before November 14th. City Clerk Ryan Turner said the city had three options when it came to paying the IML RMA min/max premium. The first option, which the council chose, saved 1% if the $251,460 is paid by November 14th. The second option was to $253,992 by December 12th; while the third option was to split the premium into two payments due on December 12th and May 15th totaling $256,523.
At Monday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Joe Judge attempted to dispel the notion that all Mt. Carmel Police officers do is write tickets. Judge said local officers responded to a total of 499 incidents in September and of those, just 3 speeding tickets were issued. Other tickets issued included 5 for a revoked license, 3 for uninsured motorist, 4 for no valid registration, and served 5 warrants. To illustrate his point, Judge said officers wrote 63 warnings, a big difference between that and the number of tickets issued. MCPD officers last month also handled 14 accidents, 3 mental health calls, 3 community events, 98 security checks at Wabash General Hospital, 55 residential security checks, and 8 business security checks. Judge said the comment that all the officers do is write tickets was uninformed.
Bids will be opened today on the excavation work at the new city pool on Park Road. After the bid is awarded, Mayor Joe Judge said work will begin and should, weather permitting, be done by the end of November.
Republic Services was back in town yesterday finishing up some spots that were missed during last week’s big trash pick up in Mt. Carmel. Garbage commissioner Susan Zimmerman said the locations were skipped by mistake last week and were scheduled to be picked up Tuesday. She said those that were picked up yesterday were residences that had called City Hall to let them know they were missed.
59-year-old Wayne L. Davis of Mt. Carmel was sentenced in both Edwards and Wayne counties last week on meth related charges. He had been on probation out of Edwards County since February on a meth possession charge.. but violated that probation and was sentenced to 3 years in state prison. In Wayne County, he was charged with delivery of meth and possession of meth - and was sentenced to 3 years in prison to run concurrently with his Edwards County sentence. He will also serve one year of mandatory supervised release following his prison sentence.
Even though leaves aren’t falling in big quantities yet, the city of Mt. Carmel is getting ready for the leaf vac season. Public Works Director Mike Gidcumb told the city council Monday that the start of the leaf pick up routes is dependent on the leaves and when they begin falling. Once they do, Gidcumb said the city’s equipment will be ready to roll.
GIBSON COUNTY Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation announces lane closures for I-69 in Gibson County.
Beginning on or around Monday, October 20, crews will begin alternating lane closures on I-69 near Mackey and Glezen. These lane closures will occur between State Road 168 and State Road 57.
Alternating lane closures will allow for road paving operations. Paving operations will begin in northbound lanes, followed by work on the southbound lanes. Work is expected to last through the end of November, depending on the weather. INDOT reminds drivers to slow down, avoid distractions, and use extra caution while traveling in and around work zones.
On October 12, 2025, at 12:21 a.m. Gibson County Deputy Wyatt Hunt conducted a traffic stop on a Red 2017 Toyota Corolla for disregarding a stop sign at the intersection of Main and Washington Street in Oakland City. Upon conducting the traffic stop in the 300 block of West Morton Deputy Hunt identified the driver as 33-year-old Benjamin Heldt of Oakland City. While speaking with Mr. Heldt Deputy Hunt detected multiple clues that the driver was under the influence. At that point he began a roadside DUI investigation. Once the inquiry was completed Deputy Hunt placed Mr. Hunt into custody and transported him to the Gibson County Detention Center. Upon arriving at the Detention Center Mr. Heldt was charged with Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated.
Deputy Levi Sims and Oakland City Police Officer Michael McGregor assisted Deputy Hunt in his investigation.
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
