FRANCESVILLE - The 45th annual commencement exercises at West Central High School will be at 2 p.m., Sunday (May 26), in the school gymnasium. The program will begin with a baccalaureate service with the address given by Don Nedza, followed by the graduation program.

Forty-nine seniors will receive diplomas. Commencement addresses will be given by valedictorian David Putt and salutatorian Evan Kaeb.

WINAMAC - Commencement exercises at Winamac Community High School will be at 7 p.m., Friday (May 31), in the school gymnasium. The program will include the tradition of awarding several community scholarships.

The Class of 2013 numbers 87 seniors, and will be led down the aisle by valedictorian Kathleen Budd and salutatorian Andrew Brandon.

The annual county Memorial Day Service will begin at 11 a.m., Monday (May 27), on the courthouse lawn, Winamac.

Cathy Fritz of the Winamac American Legion will be master of ceremonies. Speaker will be Eastern Pulaski Elementary School principal Jill Collins. Rev. Matt Landry of the First United Methodist Church, Winamac, will give the opening and closing prayers. The American Legion and VFW auxiliaries will place wreaths at the war memorials.

LOGANSPORT - Civic Players of Logansport will present "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," directed by David Quigney, on two weekends in June.

The five performances are at 7:30 p.m., Friday, June 14; and at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 15. The show will also be staged on the following weekend at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday (June 21-22).

30 counties at 9.0 percent or higher

Pulaski County's unemployment rate fell to 6.1. percent in April, down from 7.7 percent (revised) in March, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development reported Friday (May 17). The rate was 6.4 percent a year ago.

The state's April rate dipped to 8.5 percent (seasonally adjusted), from 8.7 percent in March. The April 2012 rate was 8.3 percent. The U.S. rate improved to 7.5 percent (seasonally adjusted), down from March's 7.6 revised rate. A year ago, the national rate was 8.1 percent.

Also, T-Ball registration underway

The Winamac Town Pool is scheduled to open for the season at 12 noon, Saturday, May 25.

Pool passes may be purchased at the Pulaski County YMCA. Also registration for swim lessons has begun at the Family Y.

WINAMAC - Winamac Community High School will hold its Senior Awards Night at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 28, in the socialtorium. The public is welcome to attend.

Seniors will receive special recognition in the form of academic competition awards, honor roll, scholarship awards and special academic and athletic awards. Representatives from various colleges, local organizations and the school will present these awards.

INDIANAPOLIS - Excuses for not wearing a life jacket when boating abound. "It's too hot! It doesn't look cool. I know how to swim. Nothing is going to happen to me."

Approximately 700 people drown in the U.S. each year from recreational boating accidents. The vast majority of those drowning victims probably used one of these excuses.

Also, sheriff's office to team up with 'Report It'

The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department will hold its annual Memorial Day Service at 12 noon, Tuesday (Mary 28), at the county justice center.

Those honored will include the county's fallen officers, Sheriff Charles Oglesby, Sheriff Milo Lewis and Deputy Sheriff Shad Bassett.

The next Food Finders Mobile Pantry visit to Pulaski County will begin at 11 a.m., Friday (June 7), at the Medaryville Town Park. The event is sponsored by the Food Finders Food Bank.

The food at this "Food Give Away Day" will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. Participants should bring a laundry basket or box to carry their food home.

The Pulaski County Public Library has listed its special programs and activities for May.

All events will take place at the Winamac library, unless otherwise noted. For more information on any program, call the library at 574-946-3432. The April schedule is as follows:

STATEHOUSE - The Legislative Council met Thursday (May 23) to assign topics for the Indiana General Assembly to study during the 2013 interim period. 

Every year, after the legislative session is completed, the Legislative Council meets to assign topics to study during the interim as well as establish any new interim committees that are needed to examine particular issues. 

INDIANAPOLIS – The state’s high school graduation rate inched up to 88.4 percent in 2012, the Department of Education announced Monday.

The rate was 86.6 percent in 2011 and has been steadily increasing. State Superintendent Glenda Ritz had no immediate comment on the new rate.

INDIANAPOLIS – Hoosier workers will get income tax breaks in 2015 and 2017 under a $30 billion, two-year budget bill that Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed into law Thursday (May 8).

The bill reduces individual income tax rates by a total of 5 percent in two steps. It will save a household with $46,000 in taxable income about $46 in 2015 with a second cut of about $32 in 2017.

INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Mike Pence signed a bill into law Thursday (May 9) that will expand the state’s school voucher program in front of 150 students, including some who already are benefiting from the program.

Students from seven different private vouchers schools met at the Calvary Christian School auditorium with signs that said, “I yearn to learn” and “school choice now.”

INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Mike Pence has signed bills to revamp the state’s felony sentencing laws and give some offenders the ability to expunge their records.

“Indiana should be the worst place in America to commit a serious crime and the best place, once you’ve done your time, to get a second chance,” Pence said in a statement.

INDIANAPOLIS – The organization that regulates high school sports will decide next week whether to let some homeschooled students participate in high school athletics.

The move by the Indiana High School Athletic Association comes two years after the issue bubbled up at the Indiana General Assembly, where lawmakers considered but never passed a bill to mandate the change.

WINAMAC – A very deserving wounded veteran was presented with a customized camouflaged accessible van Wednesday (May 22) on behalf of BraunAbility, a leading manufacturer of wheelchair accessible vehicles based in Winamac.

Lance Corporal Michael DeLancey, a native of Pinellas Park, Florida, was injured in Iraq in 2006 when a sniper’s bullet pierced his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down and critically damaging his lung. Despite the life-altering injury, DeLancey has been a force of positive change. He serves as an ambassador for Wounded Warrior Project and speaks with fellow veterans recovering from serious injuries.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly addressed the U.S. Senate Wednesday evening (May 22) in support of a five-year farm bill, the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013, and explained why this common sense plan would help the Hoosier ag community while reducing the deficit.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Jackie Walorski (IN-02) released the following statement Wednesday (May 22) after the passage of the Northern Route Approval Act, H.R. 3:

“The House has once again overwhelmingly approved the Keystone XL Pipeline, providing another opportunity for the President and Senate to join the House to create American jobs and move toward energy independence," she said.

From WKVI Radio

State Rep. Douglas Gutwein visited Pulaski County to speak to the county commissioners and council during a joint session held Monday night regarding a revenue bill vetoed by Gov. Mike Pence that could affect the county’s CAGIT monies.

Gutwein explained that a clerical error at the state level could force the county to pay back taxpayers millions of dollars that had been collected by the County Adjusted Gross Income Tax – money that had originally been collected to cover the cost of the Justice Center and jail – because the state claims that the county overcharged its taxpayers. The county still owes roughly $5 million on the jail facility.

WINAMAC – The Winamac Town Council received an update on plans for the Aug. 10 German Fest at its monthly meeting May 13. 

Don Link, representing the German Fest Committee, presented the update. The committee is working with the Chamber of Commerce.

WINIMAC - Six individuals who work in industry in Winamac received their Electrical Certificate for Maintenance Technicians from Ivy Tech Corporate College May 1. 

The series of courses started in the fall of 2011 and were held at the Distance Learning Lab at Winamac High School and at the Logansport Ivy Tech Campus. Once each week the employees met with their instructor Ken Oravsky for class.

INDIANAPOLIS - Each year, the Indiana Department of Education recognizes schools that perform in the upper 25th percentile of schools in performance on ISTEP+ and ECA state exams, as well their rating determined by the national No Child Left Behind statute's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

Among the schools designated for this honor as Four Star Schools for 2011-12 were Eastern Pualski Elementary School and West Central High School in Pulaski County.

FRANCESVILLE - Alliance Bank has announced three staff member promotions for Tanya Burton, Bonnie Kopka and Jamie Bales.

Alliance Bank is headquartered in Francesville, and has banks in Monon, Monticello, Otterbein, Oxford, Rensselaer, and Winamac.

WEST LAFAYETTE - Warm, sunny days during the week ending Ma;y 20 allowed farmers to make  good progress planting both corn and soybeans, according to the Indiana Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.  

Once again, the most acreage was planted across northern and some central counties. Soils remained too wet across the southern districts to allow much progress to be made.

WINAMAC - Eastern Pulaski Community School Board president Mike Tetzloff outlined the search timeline to hire a new school superintendent at the board's monthly meeting Monday (May 13).

Applications for the position will be accepted until May 28. Interviews will be completed by June 29, and the new superintendent will be named in early July; however, he/she will not be officially placed until the end of July after a public meeting.

Action affects Pulaski County

INDIANAPOLIS - Gov. Mike Pence Thursday vetoed House Enrolled Act 1546, concerning unauthorized collection of local option income tax in Jackson and Pulaski counties after legal authority for those tax collections had expired.