Cleveland Dietz

At the March 18 meeting of the Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation school board, RBBCSC Superintendent Steven Kain recommended restricting the hours of employees who work 30 hours a week. The recommendation comes ahead of the required May 1 implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. All board members were present. The act … Read more

The Pence administration enacted its first law Feb. 27 when Gov. Mike Pence signed Senate Enrolled Act 319. The law, proposed by state Sen. Jean Leising, of Oldenburg, will prevent scheduled changes in a tax on agricultural land value from occurring by maintaining the 2011 level for soil productivity. “I’m very pleased to have the … Read more

The Indiana Senate unanimously passed a bill Feb. 26 that would create a statewide articulation agreement between two-year and four-year universities. As it stands, two-year schools, such as Ivy Tech Community College and Vincennes University, must forge agreements with state schools individually. Under Senate Bill 182, a universal agreement would be established. That means transfer … Read more

The Monroe County Council said it was open to discussing a county tax levy of up to 1% on food and beverages during a Feb. 26 meeting. The estimated $2.5 million raised by the tax each year would be used to expand the Bloomington-Monroe County Convention Center, which has an 800-person capacity. “From the beginning, … Read more

Nearly 100 videos have been collected locally in the last year for the U.S. Library of Congress’ Veterans’ Oral History Project. Around 80 need to be edited for submission. Former Sgt. Maj. Ronald Burkhart, a 28-year veteran of the Marine Corps infantry, leads the project in the Monroe County area. Over the last year, he … Read more

The South Central Community Action Program is offering weatherization services to qualifying households in Monroe, Owen, Morgan and Brown counties. Services include analysis of houses for energy leakage and inefficiencies, furnace inspection, and the repair or possible replacement of existing heating systems. “In the past six months, we’ve done over 60 homes. On average, we … Read more

On March 1, federal sequestration is set to begin automatically if the U.S. Congress cannot reach an agreement on austerity measures. The spending cuts would result in budget reductions of 5.3% for most domestic programs and more than 8% on defense spending. They would save the nation $1.3 trillion over 10 years. During the Feb. … Read more

Area police arrested seven Ellettsville residents in six separate meth lab busts over the last year. The statistic is just one of many that indicate the rise of methamphetamine in Indiana. Between 2008 and 2009, there were six total meth lab seizures in Monroe County. In 2012 alone, there were 60 seizures. The county accounted … Read more

Freshmen at Edgewood High School recently met with another class in Ghana over the internet. The event was similar to a video call. Students on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean were able to see and hear each other. EHS Digital Learning Coach Linda May set up the meeting through a email list called Collaboration … Read more

The Richland-Bean Blossom Community School Corporation school board received technology reports at its Feb. 18 meeting as the RBBCSC administration announced its plans to move to a curriculum that would see students use technology at least 60% of the time. All board members were present. During a presentation, RBBCSC Assistant Superintendent Carol Gardiner announced the … Read more