The Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District is celebrating 50 years of conservation with an open house on Thursday, Nov. 1 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds.

The purpose of a Soil and Water Conservation District, is to provide information about soil, water, and related natural resource conservation; identify and prioritize local soil and water resource concerns; and connect land users to sources of educations, technical and financial assistance, to implement conservation practices and technologies.

The Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District partnered with local organizations to grow more than 200 dwarf tomato and pepper plants for the summer produce donation program.

“These plants will continue to grow in their 2-gallon containers and HCSWCD will provide free technical assistance via text messaging throughout the year," said Andrew Fritz, HCSWCD Urban Agriculture Conservationist.

Drive sober or get pulled over. That's the message drivers should take to heart this weekend when there will be sobriety checkpoints around Hamilton County.

About 750 people are convicted of an impaired driving offense annually in Hamilton County a lone, and nearly 100 of those are repeat offenders. In 2015 in Hamilton County, for example, the State filed 732 cases of operating while intoxicated. Of these, 106 drivers had prior convictions for operating while intoxicated within the last five years.

As part of a pay it forward campaign, Farm Credit Mid-America, a long-time Indiana FFA partner and agriculture lender, pledged up to $30,000 in matching funds to the Indiana FFA Foundation and is challenging businesses, FFA alumni and others to follow their lead. The goal of the campaign is to retire an original loan on the Indiana FFA Leadership Center in Trafalgar, Ind. and aims to raise $60,000 by June 2018.

"FFA lays the foundation of a dynamic generation of agriculture leaders and supports developing skills that benefit the agricultural industry and our communities," said Tom Sloma, Senior Vice President of Farm Credit Mid-America. 

Hoosier homeowners, renters, businesses and private non-profit organizations that sustained uninsured damage caused by severe storms and flooding starting on or after Feb. 15 can now report damage online.

Individuals will be asked to provide their name, address, phone number and type of damage the property sustained. Losses can include structural damage to homes and loss of personal property.

Information gathered from citizens will assist county and state agencies in determining the scope of damage, as well whether state or federal assistance will be available for recovery efforts.

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s office is warning residents to be aware of a new tactic on an old scam. Apparently calls are going to potential victims and the number on the Caller ID shows it's the Sheriff’s office.

According to a press release from the HCSD, the potential victim speaks with a male with a foreign accent, sometimes described as an “Indian sounding voice.” The caller states he has a partial Social Security Number and needs to verify the number and other personal information. As usual, pressure is put on the victim to make a hasty decision under the threat of arrest or being sued.

The following is a newsletter sent from U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks, R-Ind. to announce the end of the government shutdown and explain some about it.

Today, Senate Democrats agreed to move forward with funding the government. Together, we passed a short-term continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the government through February 8, 2018, with an added provision to pay federal workers who were furloughed during the shutdown.

While I am pleased this needless government shutdown has ended quickly, it was irresponsible of Senate Democrats to shut down the government. I never wanted us to get to a point where our men and women in the Armed Forces who work around the clock to keep us safe were not paid on time because of partisan politics. 

E-mail sent from Congresswoman Susan Brooks sent Saturday afternoon, Jan. 20, 2018

At midnight on January 20, 2018, funding for the federal government expired. We are currently operating under what is called “a lapse in appropriations” – that is, a shutdown.

I never wanted us to get to this point. It was irresponsible of Senate Democrats to shut down the government last night. We have tried to compromise and I continue to stand ready to negotiate a solution that will re-open the federal government.

This morning, I submitted a letter requesting that my pay be withheld for the duration of the shutdown. I also signed on as a cosponsor to H.R. 4852, the Pay Our Protectors, Not Our Politicians Act of 2018,

A press release issued by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office reports that several calls have been received regarding a jury duty scam. Sheriff Mark Bowen is once again reminding area residents of a pervasive telephone scam that leaves victims open to theft and identity theft.

The jury duty scam, along with the IRS scam, tax warrant scam, relative in need scam, home improvement scam, and others, come and go in cycles but all require potential victims to be aware of the issues. Most recently, the jury duty scam has once again come to the forefront.

This morning at 7, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security activated the State of Indiana Emergency Operations Center to monitor incoming winter weather conditions across the state.

EOC staff will continue to monitor conditions across the state, and will coordinate the assistance to local entities when needed.

The average life span of a Christmas tree is one month after purchase. Consumers should monitor a Christmas tree for freshness and note that when a tree’s needles drop, it means the tree is too dry. These dropped needles are more than just a nuisance to clean up, but rather are an indication that the dry tree is a fire hazard and should be removed from the home. Remove all decorations before disposing of the Christmas tree.

According to the National Fire Prevention Association, roughly one of every 32 reported home fires that began with a Christmas tree resulted in a death, compared to an average of one death per 143 total reported home fires. Between 2011-15, U.S. fire departments responded to an average 200 home fires per year that started with Christmas trees. These fires caused an average of six deaths, 16 injuries and $14.8 million in direct property damage annually.

With overnight lows and some daytime highs dropping to below freezing, Hoosiers should exercise caution when using alternative heating methods to keep their home warm and cozy.

“Alternative heating sources are one of the leading causes of home fires and fire-related deaths each year,” State Fire Marshal Jim Greeson said. “Fires caused by alternative heating equipment account for 19 percent of home fire deaths in the United States.”

INDIANAPOLIS – With data breaches at a record high, the Indiana Department of Revenue and Internal Revenue Service are proactively working to prevent Hoosiers’ tax information from getting into the wrong hands.

“Too many Hoosiers have joined the nearly 145 million Americans who have recently fallen victim to having their personal information stolen,” DOR Commissioner Adam Krupp said. “Every day, more and more data breaches are occurring, putting personal and financial information at risk, and we believe education is key to lowering that risk.”