Reckless driver arrested in Avilla
Avilla Police arrested Timothy J. Rarrick, 18, of Avilla, for reckless driving.
According to the police report, Rarrick was driving recklessly on Baum St., near E. Albion, and almost struck a juvenile female. A brief argument took place, then the suspect drove away.
Rarrick was arrested by Marshal Glen Wills and bond set at $3,500.
Avilla burglary foiled
by Julie Scher
Avilla police on Sunday afternoon, June 14, 4:30 p.m., arrested a man for breaking in to the Trading Post Auction, 104 E. Fourth St., Avilla.
According to police, a neighbor of the Trading Post saw a man drive up to the auction building on a yellow moped, and enter the building. The man brought out a duffel bag and left. The neighbor said the owner's vehicle was not around. The neighbor checked the building and found it had been broken into, and called police.
The officer found that the back door was open and a window broken. Officer K. Houser talked to Marshall Glen Wills about the burglary, and Wills said he knew a man matching that description.
Houser arrived at the suspect's home and noticed a yellow moped in the driveway. With the help of Noble County Sheriff's Deputy Lundy, the two officers made contact with a Robert Prater, 27, 900 Autumn Hills Dr., Avilla. As the officer was speaking with Prater, he noticed items on the floor that were taken in the burglary.
Prater was arrested. All items were recovered inside the trailer.
Assisting Houser and Lundy were Wills, and Officers Arnett and Duncan.
2009 volunteer fire assistance grants; one awarded to LaOtto
Rural and volunteer fire departments from 48 counties across Indiana have been awarded more than $268,000 in Volunteer Fire Assistance grants, DNR Director Robert E. Carter Jr. announced Monday. LaOtto VFD received a $5,000 grant for Safety.
The grants are administered by the DNR Division of Forestry and are made available through the U.S. Forest Service.
DNR Forestry staff reviews grant applications and selects recipients on the basis of population density, acres of public wildlands protected, wildland urban interface analysis, and wildlife fire reporting to DNR Fire Control Headquarters near Martinsville.
VFA grants may be used for training, installation of dry hydrants, or to purchase fire fighting equipment and personal protective gear. The grants awarded Monday range from $360 to $5,000 and were given to 74 fire departments.
Avilla Police arrest drunk driver
Avilla police arrested an unidentified Fort Wayne man on June 6 for drunk driving in town, at about 3 a.m.
According to police, the suspect, Alan D. Hoff, ran a stop sign at Albion St. and Autumn Hills Dr. When the officer made contact with the man, and tested him for blood alcohol, the result was .18.
The man was taken to the Noble County Jail. He had a previous felony arrest for OWI.
Picture Avilla as the hub of entrepreneurial activity for northeast Indiana. It could happen in the near future, if funds are raised, and grants are received.
Local entrepreneurs in renewable and alternative energies, and other emerging technologies will have a place to experiment and grow into our nation's new green industries, to replace jobs lost in the automotive industries that have long been the backbone of this area.
Northeast Regiona IIIA development center is in the planning stage for a 32,000 sq. ft. building in Avilla on land south of DeKalb Distributing on Nicholas Place, where the old Avilla Raceway used to be located, on the southwest corner of SR 3 and 8. The plot contains 12.9 acres, near the pond.
According to Dave Koenig, director of Region 3A, based in Kendallville, his agency's board voted yesterday, May 20, to put $10,000 toward preliminary costs of designing the building and applying for other grants to fund it. "We're hoping for state support and philanthropic organizations to help with the matching funds," said Koenig.
Avilla's town council last night, May 20, voted to give the project another $10,000. The money will be used for preliminary architectural work.
Once the plans are done, Region 3A will apply for funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus bill), passed this spring by the U.S. Congress. Cost of the new building is estimated at $2.8 million. The local group must raise 25% of that amount in matching funds, or $700,000 to get the federal grant.
The building will be designed with LEAD architecural components. LEAD means that energy saving techiniques and materials will be used. The same kind of techniques and materials used to build the new Noble County Library Building in Avilla.
Koenig said the building's flexible design will allow for companies to lease from 600-5,000 sq. ft. "We hope it can be built without borrowing money so it can be self-sustaining and debt-free."
The local business incubator building would promote new technologies and industries that can start and grow into larger, local facilities.
"We want to diversify our local economy away from so much dependence on the auto industry," said Koenig. "This business center is unique because it focuses on alternative energy technologies, but not exclusively. And its the first LEAD building for this purpose in the state." Examples of some of the industries that might benefit from the local entrepreneurial center would be electric cars, solar panels, and wind turbines.
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