News

The city of West Lafayette is moving forward with plans for a fiber optic network.

However the details of the project have changed.

Initially Metronet officials asked the city to partner with Lafayette and Tippecanoe County to create a tax increment financing district that would enable the company to secure a bond for startup costs.

The Lafayette Redevelopment Commission would have been the lead agency.

But the West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission voted today to establish its own TIF district so it would have more direct input in the process.

Mayor John Dennis is glad the city and Metronet could compromise to make this project a reality.

U.S. Senator Dick Lugar and Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock will face each other just one time before the Primary Election.

The Indiana Debate Commission is working out details of the meeting, such as broadcast time, format, and who will moderate. It’s scheduled for Wednesday, April 11, in the television studios of WFYI in Indianapolis.

Lugar has held the U.S. Senate seat for 35 years. Mourdock has served as Indiana state treasurer since February, 2007.

The debate commission, an Indiana nonprofit group made up of citizens and media, will provide a free live broadcast feed to news organizations interested in carrying the debate.

The Indiana Veterans Home has undergone some changes in the past month.

New doctors, specialists, therapists, and nurses are treating residents of the facility on North River Road in West Lafayette.

Superintendent Tony Stewart says the goal of switching to Indianapolis-based Preferred Home Health Care is to improve front-end care and avoid external hospitalizations.

He says reaction to the changes has been positive for the most part.

The Indiana Veterans' Home is a state-operated facility under the administration of the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Medicare- and Medicaid-licensed facility is home to approximately 260 military veterans or their spouses.

A group from the Lafayette area is preparing to meet with some of Indiana’s Congressional delegation February 29 - March 2.

They hope to share some of their goals with such lawmakers as Senator Dick Lugar and Congressman Mike Pence.

Tippecanoe County Councilman Dave Williams chairs the Federal Government Committee for Greater Lafayette Commerce. He says the goal of these annual trips is to plant seeds with lawmakers, and to come together locally to address common needs.

"I don't know that you can weigh what kind of effect we're having in D.C., but I know what kind of effect this networking has on the local community. It gives us an opportunity to sit down and discuss things that are important to not only Greater Lafayette Commerce, but all of us."

A pair of Korean companies is showing what their technology can do to help local firefighters.

HoyaRobot and DRB have built robots used to fight fires.

HoyaRobot’s device is a small one that uses a camera to help find people trapped in a burning building.  DRB’s is designed to go into a blaze and spray water to reduce the risk for firefighters.

Lafayette Fire Chief Richard Doyle says the technology has great potential for the department in the future, particularly to fight larger fires.

He says the department currently has some infrared technology, but it can only be used when a firefighter is holding a camera inside a blaze.

Members of the department got a first-hand look at the robots Tuesday during a demonstration.

There are more than 100 species of maple trees, and one form or another can be found on nearly every continent. However, maple syrup comes from just a handful of varieties.

While production of the syrup is based in Canada and the United States, Scott Hutcheson says the National Maple Syrup Festival can only be found in Indiana.

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons 100% maple syrup

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

The number of home sales in Tippecanoe County last month was less than it was a year ago.

However, sales prices have increased over that span.

Indiana Association of Realtors reports the county’s sales dropped 2.5-percent over the past twelve months.

There were about 40 fewer homes sold this January compared to last year.

Among surrounding counties, only Benton, Boone, Montgomery, and White experienced an increase in home sales.

But, the median sales price of homes in Tippecanoe is up $1,000 to $124,000.

The state average is $101,000, which is a slight increase from 2011.

Indiana, as a whole, also saw increases in closed and pending sales as well as average sales price.

Two bills making their way through the General Assembly this session would make changes to the state’s inheritance tax, and its elimination may be the ultimate result.

The inheritance tax is levied on people who inherit money or property.  Spouses and charitable organizations are exempt in Indiana.  A Senate bill would lower the inheritance tax by about half as well as expand exemptions.  But a House bill eliminates the tax entirely.  And House Ways and Means chairman Jeff Espich (R-Uniondale) says when the Senate bill comes up in his committee, he wants to amend the bill to include an elimination of the tax.

A bill in a Senate committee would establish a new center for deaf and hard of hearing education.  However, some in the deaf community are pushing back against the idea.

Outreach services to parents and families of deaf and hard of hearing children are handled by the Indiana School for the Deaf (ISD).  The legislation would transfer those duties, and the funds that go with them, to a new center for deaf and hard of hearing education. The bill’s sponsors say they want to establish a place without a bias between two significant groups within the deaf community – those who support oral learning using cochlear implants and those who support American Sign Language, or ASL, education.

Tippecanoe County has officially established its own solid waste district.

Commissioners gave final approval today for the creation of the Tippecanoe County Solid Waste District.

The county has contracted with Southside Landfill to handle the job, which includes hazardous waste collection.

But Commission President Tom Murtaugh says the new site won’t be ready to accept hazardous waste until April 1st.

The County severed its relationship with the Wildcat Creek Solid Waste District last month.

Murtaugh says Southside Landfill will provide expanded hours for hazardous waste collection at no additional cost to the taxpayers.