Allen County

Indiana State Trooper Participates In and Completes Chicago Marathon

kpaul.mallasch — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:46:23 -0700

FORT WAYNE, IN - On October 12, 2008, Indiana State Police Senior Trooper Jason R. House participated in and completed the 31st Annual Chicago Marathon which was held in Chicago, Illinois. House, a 13 year veteran of the State Police, began running seriously four years ago when he joined a running club in Fort Wayne as a way to stay in shape. This past July, he joined the newly formed running club in Bluffton called Ouabache River Runners. This group currently has approximately 25 members, of which, House's wife Lisa and their two sons, Logan (7) and Ryan (4) are members.

House had run six mini-marathons in that time and felt that the "mystique of the marathon" inspired him to start training for this year's Chicago Marathon. He began an intense 18 week training regiment for the 26.2 mile run with his ultimate goal of "not only to finish, but to do so in less than four hours". House can boast that his goal was achieved as he was the 5681st to finish out of a field of 31,348 participants, and he did so in a time of three hours, fifty-six minutes and twenty-four seconds.

House is currently assigned to the Indiana State Police post in Fort Wayne and patrols both Adams and Wells counties. He encourages anyone with an interest in joining the Ouabache River Runners to contact its president, Mac McAvoy at (260) 450-1071 or online at teamorr.ning.com.

Source: Indiana State Police

Local college, business receive state's highest award for environmental excellence

kpaul.mallasch — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:46:10 -0700

Goshen College's Rieth Village and Rieke Packaging Systems receive Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence

FORT WAYNE, IN - Representatives from Goshen College's Rieth Village of Wolf Lake, Ind. and Rieke Packaging Systems of Auburn, Ind. were honored with a Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence during the 11th annual Pollution Prevention Conference and Trade Show held at Primo's West in Plainfield today.

Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) Commissioner Thomas Easterly presented the crystal trophies, which recognize Indiana's leaders who have implemented outstanding environmental strategies into their operations and decision-making processes.

Rieth Village, part of the Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College, was presented an award in the category "Energy/Renewable Resources." Honored for their use of sustainable strategies, Rieth Village is a building that will save over 60,000 kilowatt hours annually over a conventional facility through conservation methods as well as alternative energy sources.

"I am honored to accept the Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence in Energy on behalf of my colleagues at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center and Goshen College," said Luke Gascho, executive director of the Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College. "I am grateful for the members of the Merry Lea planning team who, over ten years ago, had the vision for an ecological field station -- now called Rieth Village -- and believed that this green project would stimulate many others in Indiana to engage in sustainable design."

Rieke Packaging Systems has worked to limit emissions, succeeding in a reduction of over 10 tons between 2003 and 2006. Rieke was also honored with an award in the category of "Five Years Continuous Improvement" for processes and practice improvements implemented from 2002 to 2007. Among its many achievements, the company implemented a recycling program, saving over $10,000 in waste disposal costs, as well as improving use and management of supplies to reduce waste.

"Rieke Packaging Systems and Rieth Village deserve this recognition for utilizing innovative environmental practices to protect Hoosiers and the environment," said Thomas Easterly, IDEM commissioner. "Their contribution toward protecting Indiana's environment is a standard that we should all strive to follow."

The Governor's Awards for Environmental Excellence are open to all Indiana facilities, government agencies, individuals and other groups that implement exemplary environmental projects with measurable results. By seeking out and utilizing innovative environmental practices, these facilities and programs have reduced waste, saved money and contributed greatly to Indiana's environmental protection efforts, benefiting the health and welfare of the state's communities and the state as a whole.

"The Governor's Awards for Environmental Excellence honors the many donors and the integrated design team of architects, engineers, landscape architects, waste water treatment professionals and contractors -- all of whom believed that choosing environmentally appropriate building processes would be good for the planet and its people," stated Gascho. "In accepting this award, which honors the great story of Rieth Village and Merry Lea, I believe Hoosiers will be encouraged to be leaders in the best practices of stewardship of the Earth."

Presented in three categories, other Governor's Awards recipients are: Five-year Continuous Improvement award - Frito-Lay, Inc., Frankfort; Energy/Renewable Resources award - General Motors Powertrain, Bedford; Pollution Prevention award- City of Carmel Utilities, Carmel; Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis; Jeffboat, LLC, Jeffersonville; Monaco Coach, Wakarusa; and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana, Princeton.

The Pollution Prevention Conference and Trade Show is focused on linking pollution prevention activities with lean business practices. Indiana Partners for Pollution Prevention, a public-private partnership between Indiana businesses, and IDEM's Office of Pollution Prevention and Technical Assistance (OPPTA) are co-sponsors of the conference. OPPTA is dedicated to fostering innovations that drive environmental improvements in industry.

IDEM created the Partners in 1996 to assist industries in sharing pollution prevention experiences and to advise IDEM on pollution prevention policies and programs. Partners is composed of manufacturers, not for profit organizations, institutions, and government agencies invested in promoting pollution prevention efforts in Indiana. The 53 organizations currently members of the Partners have shown a proven interest in promoting and developing pollution prevention programs to achieve measurable reductions in pollution in Indiana.

Source: IDEM

Indiana State Police to Conduct Sobriety Checkpoint

kpaul.mallasch — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:06:35 -0700

ALLEN COUNTY, IN - The Fort Wayne District of the Indiana State Police will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint during the late evening hours in Allen County on Saturday, September 20, 2008. In an effort to reduce the number of alcohol-related automobile crashes, the sobriety checkpoint will target the impaired driver and will be utilized in an area identified as having a high number of alcohol related crashes.

Motorists are asked to have their driver’s license and vehicle registrations readily available when entering the checkpoint, so as to minimize the amount of time that they are delayed.

A FEW PRECAUTIONS:

Plan ahead and always designate someone as a designated driver.
Don’t get behind the wheel of a vehicle if you’ve been consuming alcoholic beverages.
If you are impaired, please call a taxi or call a sober friend or family member to come and get you.
If you are hosting a party, always offer alcohol-free beverages, and make sure that all of your guests leave with a sober driver.
Remember, Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk. Take the keys and never let a friend leave your sight if you think that they are about to drive while impaired.

Source: Indiana State Police