News

KNIGHTSVILLE — Several family members of long-time Knightsville trustees Joe Mogan and Elmer Martin helped celebrate the dedication of two new picnic shelters on Sunday in front of the former school building. Knightsville trustee Jeff Thompson said the town had some money available, and was able to hire Dustin Langley to construct the two buildings...

The details are limited concerning an ongoing Clay County Sheriff's Office active investigation into a strange vehicle accident along State Road 59. According to officials, law enforcement was actively searching for the whereabouts of a vehicle potentially involved in a recent hit-and-run accident that damaged the Indiana Sherriff's Youth Ranch sign...

Veterans and a guest will be honored during the Veterans Luncheon at Pappy’s Barbeque, 111 East National Avenue, from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The reservation-only event will have a guest speaker. The Loyalty Day Parade will begin lining up at 1 p.m. on South Depot Street at the U.S. 40 intersection. The parade starts at 2 p.m. with the route along U.S. 40 to Vandalia Street...

Did you know Indiana State Law requires all cats and dogs to be vaccinated for rabies? If your dog or cat needs a rabies shot, the Clay County Humane Society is hosting its annual Spring Vaccination Clinic on Sat., May 8, at the Forest Park Cow Palace from 2-4 p.m. Additional vaccines will also be available...

CARBON — Small towns have a lot going on. Carbon recently celebrated bringing their small park back to life during a Community Day in April, and officials say more changes are coming to celebrate. Laughter and giggles of children playing echoed in the Carbon Park Sunday, April 27, while Town Board officials served lunch, and a friendly T-Rex stopped by to share some candy...

Brazil Main Street helped organize a Community Clean-Up Day recently, and a lot of people joined in the effort this year. Clay County Community Corrections provided volunteers on Friday who came out and picked up heavy trash along Brazil’s Mainstreet...

Flowers, flowers were everywhere - and selling out fast - early Friday morning at the "Paint the town PINK" flower sale to benefit Wabash Valley Breast Cancer Survivors, Inc. at Brazil Shell Station, 1506 East National Avenue. The Tri-School Reunion Committee organized and worked at the fundraiser, including Gary and Gretchen Baysinger, Leesa Nesty, Mary Ray, Deb Smith, Janella Knierim, and Piper German...

Brazil First United Methodist Church will host a program called “Darkness to Light: End Child Sexual Abuse” on May 17 at the church at 201 N. Meridian St. The event is free, and will take place from 7-9 p.m. The program will involve participants in a “engaging and thought-provoking group-led session.”...

Knightsville Water Works has ordered a boil water advisory for Knightsville/Harmony water customers after the loss of water pressure in their water system due to a water line break in Brazil's 18" water line.

Indiana Department of Transportation continues to repair the highway near the Clay Vigo county line on US 40, near the State Road 340 split. Motorists are urged to slow down and use caution while workers are in the area.

Indiana State Department of Health’s COVID-19 Dashboard Data shows Wabash Valley has four counties currently in the YELLOW Advisory category for the Weekly 2-Metric Score, including Clay (score of 1.5), Greene, Owen, and Vermillion counties (all with scores of 1). Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, and Vigo counties remain in the BLUE category with scores of .5...

The community gathered at the Clay County Courthouse Thursday to celebrate National Day of Prayer. It was a time for utilizing the power of prayer and faith by inviting God to be a guest in our community and our lives. The James Family Singers provided inspirational music...

EDITOR’S NOTE: Please send notice of any meetings you would like published in this list to editor.braziltimes@gmail.com. Monday, April 26 2 p.m. — The Knightsville Town Council will meet in a special meeting to discuss and act on Water Maintenance matters at the Knightsville Town Hall...

PUTNAMVILLE — The Indiana State Police Post at Putnamville held their annual memorial service on Wednesday, May 5, to honor those members of the department who gave their lives in the line of duty. Troopers were brought to attention and prepared for roll call by Putnamville District First Sergeant Matt Mischler. ...

April showers bring May flowers but they also bring the morel mushrooms! Bryleigh Moore, 9, of Brazil found these gray and yellow morel mushrooms in an undisclosed location.

The Ivy Tech Terre Haute commencement ceremonies for the classes of 2020 and 2021 will be held Wednesday, May 5 for the School of Health Sciences and School of Nursing, and Thursday, May 6 for all other graduates. The public can watch the livestreams at the commencement webpage: link.ivytech.edu/grad21. To comply with COVID-19 protocols, only graduates who RSVPed and ticketed guests will attend in person...

A Staunton man faces allegations of aggressive and reckless driving and resisting law enforcement after crashing a car in a lake near Staunton Thursday. Kyle Reffett, 22, is currently incarcerated at the Clay County Justice center on a $7,000 cash bond awaiting formal court proceedings...

Clay County Community Corrections provided workers Friday morning to help Brazil Main Street’s Community Clean-Up Day. Workers picked up heavy trash along Brazil’s Mainstreet in preparation for the Saturday event as part of their community service.

The final words of Tuesday’s Safe Haven Baby Box blessing ceremony summed it up best. “This box offers no shame, no blame and no names,” program founder Monica Kelsey said. That was the idea when Kelsey, a firefighter and paramedic, founded the Safe Haven Baby Box in 2015. The focus is on providing a safe and judgment-free place for new parents to surrender an infant up to 30 days old...

Brazil’s stormwater utility project (which has been four years in the making) is causing quite a stir on social media. “I appreciate the fact that people are concerned and want to know where their money goes concerns. It is good that the concern is there,” said Brazil Mayor Brian Wyndham regarding the $5 charge on the April water bill. ...

The Indiana Sheriffs’ Youth Ranch in Clay County has made some progress on its journey to being able to help hundreds or thousands of kids a year. But, there is still a long way to go. The 62-acre property a few miles south of Brazil on State Road 59 was able to hold a few “COVID camps” last summer for limited groups of middle schoolers recommended by sheriffs throughout the state...

The Brazil City Parks and Recreation Board will be applying for a federal funded 50/50 match grant through the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) which, if awarded, will be used to construct a brand-new splash pad at Forest Park...

Sometimes data is right and sort of wrong simultaneously and needs clarification to be understood properly. The Indiana State Department of Health has maintained information about the COVID-19 pandemic since it started in 2020. The Dashboards have evolved throughout to provide more accurate and detailed information regarding public, long-term care facilities, and schools throughout Indiana, which can become challenging to understand...

Clay City’s JV T.E.A.M.S. team consisting of Clay Brown, Elliott Rogers, Logan Ream and Lexi Crabb with reserve team members Caden Bettenbrock, Olivia Owens and Julian Oxby. T.E.A.M.S., which stands for “Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science, is a multi-event competition requiring several different methods of displaying content knowledge and critical thinking skills...

The community gathered to support a local family in need during the American Legion Post #2 Stacy Roberts Benefit Bike and Jeep Ride Saturday, April 24. “I am so overwhelmed at the generosity of this community. We can’t appreciate it enough,” said an emotional Roberts among the hustle and bustle of people enjoying the event despite the gloomy weather. “I’ve had four surgeries since October 5, 2020.”...

Dreary weather didn’t allow for much stomping around recently at “White Pine Manor” during the Multiple Sclerosis event. However, people still came out to enjoy festivities during “Milling Around the Manor for MS.” Jo Ann Wilkerson said the weather probably kept a few people home from coming to the fundraiser, which featured an outdoor benefit concert by Don Morris, a silent auction, food from “Mick’s It Up,” fun outdoor activities, and vendors, plus 16 acres of peaceful woodlands to wander around. “I think everyone who came has had a great time,” Wilkerson said about the event in honor of her friend, Pam Grimes. Grimes was diagnosed in 1992 with MS. Seven years later, Grimes decided to fight back and participated in the Walk for MS for the first time. “I wanted to raise more each year,” said Grimes, whose “Team Grimes” will receive all the funds from Saturday’s fundraiser.

The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods announce that opening up the O’Shaughnessy Dining Room at Providence Spirituality & Conference Center for Sunday Brunch is near. A Mother’s Day Brunch will take place from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., on Sunday, May 9...

The phase three COVID-19 grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs will provide six monthly food distributions for Clay County residents and a partnership to help the Child Adult Resource Services (C.A.R.S.) program. “We received the maximum amount from the grant, $250,000,” said Brazil Mayor Brian Wyndham. ...

Sarah Torbert-Tellechea is the director of the Clay County office for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for children, and her office currently serves 167 children in the county. CASA volunteers can serve a large number of purposes for children who have been subject to one of the many varieties of abuse...

Pursuit ends in a lake after a driver refused to pull over for a traffic stop in Brazil Thursday. Details were limited due to the ongoing investigation as of press time. Still, Brazil Police Department confirmed the pursuit wound through the city, out onto US 40, then State Road 340 and along west county roads before the crash...

Clay County ranks in the upper fourth of Indiana's 92 counties in terms of the percentage of adults aged 16 and over who have been fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. According to the state's interactive online map, available at coronavirus.in.gov/vaccine/2680.htm, Clay County has had 35.63 of its adults to become fully vaccinated...

Lambda Alpha Epsilon, the criminology student organization at Indiana State University, will use Arbor Day, April 30, to kick-off their efforts to reforest and build paths at the new Indiana Sheriffs’ Youth Ranch in Clay County. “LAE members are partnering with sheriffs and deputies in designing a network of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails at our 62-acre not-for-profit youth training academy now under development about 20 minutes east of ISU,” said Vigo County Sheriff John Plasse, an ISYR trustee. ...

Cub Scout Pack 101 of Brazil had a recent canned food collection for the Clay County Emergency Food Pantry. The Tigers won the friendly competition by collecting 220 cans. More than 600 cans were collected in all. Mike Robinson of the CCEFP (front, on left) was on hand to thank the youngsters for their hard work in helping to feed the people of Clay County. The scouts presented the food to Robinson at a ceremony on Sunday afternoon at Forest Park.

Winners have been announced for the Brazil Times Easter Coloring Contest.

After playing with the Brazil Concert Band for fifty-five years and serving as treasurer of that organization for forty years George H. Morgel retired. He had operated the Morgel Jewelry Store on W. National Avenue for many years. Morgel studied under Herman Egner, an old German musician, who also directed his own “Little German Band” that practiced in Hudson’s Monument Shop, where the Dickson Oil Company headquarters became located. ...

Michelle Ruhe did not initially foresee herself as a high school family and consumer sciences teacher. Once she was indoctrinated into the field on a temporary one-class assignment, Ruhe went back to school to get her license and hasn’t regretted it a day since then...

Clay County Sheriff’s Department deputies joined Brazil Police Department officers and Ascension St. Vincent Clay Hospital staff members Saturday for the national Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) “Prescription Drug Take-Back” initiative. Residents dropped off 11 boxes of expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs - which will be disposed of without threat to the environment - during the four-hour event. Pictured are CCSD Brison Swearingen, BPD Detectives Graig Bass and Zach Overton, Pharmacy Supervisor Sarah Cox, Emergency Room Nurse Amy Shelton, and CCSD Eric Oberholtzer.

Four Terre Haute residents were involved in a local traffic accident Monday morning. According to a press release by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, a 911 caller reported around 7:32 a.m. to the Clay County 911 Dispatch a motor vehicle accident in US 40 and CR 425 W...

The Clay County Summer Food Program is asking for your help if it works into your summer 2021 schedule and tugs at your heart. Summer Program 2021 will start the week after school is out. The organization plans on delivering a week’s worth of shelf-stable food this Summer Program like in 2020...

Clay Community Schools Central Curriculum Committee will meet on Thursday, April 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Clay Community Schools Central Administration Office. Items on the agenda include discussion and vote for new textbook and instructional resources for social studies grades K-12 and English grades 6-12...

MANSFIELD — Austin W. Hunt of Brazil was charged with two operating while intoxicated charges after a Saturday evening UTV crash in Parke County. At 5:39 p.m., Parke County deputies responded to a UTV rollover with entrapment and an ejection on Mansfield Road west of Indiana 59. Upon arrival, EMS and first responders extricated the passenger from the field...

Shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday, first responders were dispatched to an accidental structure fire where three people jumped out a window at 228 East Kruzan Street. Brazil Fire Chief Jake Bennett said when firefighters arrived with the first engine; flames were covering the front porch, window, door, and stairway leading to the upstairs apartment...

Clay County was recently awarded $250,000 for grants to small businesses and the City of Brazil was just awarded $250,000 for food distribution/mental health piece. Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced that an additional 80 Hoosier communities will receive more than $18.6 million in federal grant funding through OCRA’s COVID-19 Response Grant Program...

Xandaliegh "Xanny" Golden of Brazil has been missing since being taken to school on Monday, according to a Facebook post by her mother. "If anyone has seen or heard from Xanny please contact me 812-531-8285," Kendra Borders said in the post. "She was last seen wearing a black hoodie and grey sweatpants."...

Greene County Prosecutor Jarrod Holtsclaw has released a statement regarding a death investigation in Owensburg that began on April 16. According to the statement, the Greene County Sheriff’s Department and Indiana State Police responded to the Mason George residence near Owensburg on April 16 at approximately 5:25 p.m. ...

Brazil Eagles Aerie #274, 122 East National Avenue, Brazil, has a new coat of paint thanks to Kenny McMasters of MC Coating Company, Clinton, IN. The lodge is one of many local establishments making time for some “tender loving care” at their businesses and storefronts along main street.

Spring is arriving, and it’s time to prepare for park visitors in Brazil. Rockville’s Lawn America crews are already performing the first mow of the season at several local parks. Brazil Parks Superintendent Marv Moon confirms five parks are owned by the city, including Craig, Forest, Hendrix Street, Turner Street and Skateboard Park...

In March’s Senior Selections, the story “WISDOM from a Nonagenarian” accidentally printed Marion “Sarge” W. Eveland Jr’s age wrong. He was laughing when he called Times Reporter Ivy Jacobs to let her know. “I will be 94 in July,” he said. “Don’t worry about it. We are all human.”...

On July 1, 2021, all pets will have to be spayed or neutered before adoption from rescues and animal shelters in Indiana. According to Shelter Director Lindsay Stevenson, the Clay County Humane Society Rescue and Adoption Center is ahead of the curve. Stevenson says CCHS has provided that service since its beginning...