Around The County

Details: Written by Kelly Jo Ross - Breese Journal Reporter

After some discussion, the New Baden Village Board approved the purchase of a new ambulance at their village board meeting Monday night.
The ambulance, a McCoy Miller Ambulance, Type III, E-450, was approved in the amount of $154,804, which will be lowered by $4,500 to incorporate the State Fleet Contract discount ($150,304).
It was noted that the new ambulance would replace a 10-year-old ambulance.
New Baden EMS has two ambulances on their fleet, one from 2000 and one from 2009.
Trustee Randy Linthicum, who was against the purchase of the new ambulance, said that he thought that the board should look into a cheaper ambulance. with a re-manufactured body.
"We could conserve a little bit of money now and maybe look at a second ambulance down the road," said Linthicum. "That 2000 ambulance is not going to last forever. We are trading away our 2009 ambulance and will have a 20-year-old ambulance. I'm not sold."
New Baden EMS Director Allen Gilbert said that the 2009 has been nothing but bad problems, including the engine.
The 2009 ambulance has a 6 liter diesel engine. Since 2015, they have put roughly $54,000 in repairs to it, replacing the engine and transmission and other costly repairs.
The 2000 is a 7.3 liter diesel and has a better track record, according to Gilbert.
"What are we going to do in two years from now when the (ambulance from) 2000 blows up?" Linthicum asked.
"I guess we will cross that bridge when we get there," said Trustee Bob Oster
"We didn't expect the 2009 (ambulance) to blow up in six years," Zurliene added.
The board approved the purchase in a 4-2 vote, with trustees Linthicum and Tom Kuhn dissenting.
The board also approved a power cot for the ambulance in the amount of $18,948.
Mayor Christy Picard said that members of the Clinton County Ambulance Special Service Area also are in support of the new ambulance and have donated money toward it; as well as other private donors.
"We have been talking about purchasing this ambulance for a long time," Picard said.
In other news, the board approved a motion to review a New Baden zoning hearing officer's decision to deny a variance request.
At a Zoning hearing on Oct. 24, a variance request from Don Schomaker with SDS Stores Inc. was denied by Zoning Hearing Officer Van-Lear Eckert regarding the height of the fence constructed at 409 East Hanover in New Baden (Kokomo Joe's), based on the International Building Code.

Details: Written by Bryan Hunt - Breese Journal Editor

First Baptist Church opens to collect Operation Christmas Child gifts for children in need
This month, First Baptist Church, at 650 Franklin St. in Carlyle, will be among 5,000 U.S. drop-off locations collecting shoebox gifts for children overseas during Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week, Nov. 18 – 25.
On those dates Carlyle families, churches and groups will be busy transforming empty shoeboxes into fun gifts filled with toys, school supplies and hygiene items.
The Samaritan’s Purse project partners with local churches across the globe to deliver these tangible expressions of God’s love to children in need. For many of these children, it will be the first gift they have ever received.
“It’s amazing to see this community rally together. We see all ages getting involved more and more each year,” said Amanda Broughton of Carlyle.
Broughton will serve as the drop-off site leader, managing First Baptist Church of Carlyle which aims to contribute more than 600 shoebox gifts to the 2019 global goal of reaching 11 million children in need.
Operating hours will be: Monday, Nov. 18, 8 – 11 a.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 19, 5 – 8 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 20, 12 – 2 p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 21, 8 – 11 a.m.; Friday, Nov. 22, 5 – 8 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 23, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 24, 2 – 4 p.m.; and Monday, Nov. 25, 8 – 10 a.m.
For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call 314-724-8336, or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination.
Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham.
The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 168 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories