Community awards set for May 11

Registration is open for the Jay County Community Awards.

The event on Saturday, May 11, at Wheel & Spoke Event Center will include a reception with appetizers and refreshments followed by dinner and the awards ceremony. The reception will begin at 5 p.m., with the dinner and awards program at 6 p.m.

Honored will be winners of the awards for The Spirit of Vicki – Lifetime Achievement, Citizen of the Year, Business of the Year, Industry of the Year, Not-for-profit of the Year, Young Professional of the Year, Dunkirk Community Commitment, Innovator of the Year, Community Group of the Year and Small Community Commitment. Businesses celebrating an anniversary will also be recognized.

Those interested in attending can RSVP at form.jotform.com/241007774707154, by emailing [email protected] or by calling (260) 726-4481. The deadline is April 30.

Comment on increase

Ohio Valley Gas customers are invited to comment on the utility’s proposed rate increase.

The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor is reviewing the Ohio Valley Gas request and will fill testimony to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission in mid-May.

For Jay County, the proposed increase would take consumer bills for $45.16 for 20 terms from the current $31.74, an increase of 42%. For 50 therms it would go to $79.24 from the current $79.24 (a 38% increase) and for 100 therms it would go to $136.05 from the current $100.54 (a 35% increase).

The company’s current base rates were approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission in 2017.

Consumers who wish to submit written comments for the case record may do so online at in.gov/oucc/2361.htm, by email at [email protected] or by sending mail to Public Comments, Indiana Officer of Utility Consumer Counselor, 115 W. Washington St., Suite 1500 SOUTH, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

Applications open

Indiana Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications for the Indiana Best Places to Work in Manufacturing 2024 awards.

Manufacturers can register for the program at bestplacestoworkmanufacturingin.com. For more information, email [email protected] or call (281) 602-5004.

The deadline is July 26.

Portland’s Joyce/Dayton Corporation was among the companies honored in 2023.

Hosting walk

Adams Health Network Foundation will host March for Mental Health from 5 to 6 p.m. Friday, May 3, in support of Adams Behavioral Health.

The walk is three quarters of a mile around Adams Memorial Hospital. It is intended to raise awareness to break the stigma with mental health needs.

Station honored

WLBC-FM of Muncie was honored last week as a winner of the 37th annual National Association of Broadcasters Crystal Radio Award.

The award recognizes radio stations for their commitment to community service. They are chosen by a panel of judges representing the broadcasting industry, community service organizations and public relations firms.

“WLBC has been a finalist for the coveted award before, and having two of our radio stations (WMUN) considered this year was even more gratifying,” said WLBC vice president of programming Steve Lindell in a press release. “The hard work affirmed by this award is deserved and appreciated.”

To showcase

Ardagh Glass Packaging – North America is showcasing its beer and beverage bottles at the 2024 Craft Brewers Conference/BrewExpoAmerica this week in Las Vegas.

The company, which has glass manufacturing facilities in Dunkirk and Winchester,  offers bottles ranging from 7 ounces to 64 ounces in a variety of styles. It offers pry-off, twist and cork options.

“Quality beer deserves premium glass bottles,” said Rashmi Markan, Ardagh vice president of sales, in a press release. “Ardagh Glass Packaging is committed to crafting quality in every container, and we continue to focus on developing our portfolio of American-made glass bottles to meet the demands of craft brewers. With 12 glass manufacturing facilities located throughout the U.S., Ardagh offers coast-to-coast coverage in North America.”

The event includes a presentation by Ardagh director of sales Thaddeus Luebbers regarding sustainability.

No confidence

Indiana University’s faculty last week voted in favor of no-confidence resolutions for president Pamela Whitten, provost Rahul Shrivastav and vice provost for faculty and academic affairs Carrie Docherty.

The vote of no-confidence for Whitten passed with 93.1% of more than 900 faculty members in attendance in favor, the Indiana Daily Student reported. The votes of no confidence for Shrivastav and Docherty passed at 91.5% and 75%, respectively.

In a statement after the vote, Whitten issued a statement encouraging the faculty “to suggest innovative opportunities within your department, school or college to share your ideas. In turn, I pledge to listen and learn. I will weigh the guidance from faculty council and the participation of the campus community through shared governance to achieve our collective vision of a thriving campus.”

Adding option

Comcast on Wednesday announced the launch of NOW, a prepaid and month-to-month internet and phone program.

The program includes options for phone, internet and television service as well as access to wifi hotspots. It is in addition to the company’s existing Internet Essentials packages.

“Consumers have told us they want low-cost, easy-to-use connectivity and entertainment options that deliver the same reliability and consistency of our leading Xfinity services,” said Comcast president and CEO of connectivity and platforms Dave Watson in a press release. “With NOW, we’ve developed a new product construct from the ground up to be simple and easy for anybody who wants Internet, mobile or TV on their own terms without sacrificing quality. It rounds out our product offering to provide something for every consumer segment of the market and plays to our strengths in superior network capabilities, WiFi and streaming.”

Growing fast

Yelp recently named Scooter’s Coffee as the second-fastest growing brand.

Scooter’s showed a 50% increase in costumer interest nationwide based on data from Yelp, which publishes crowd-sourced reviews about businesses.. It ranked No. 1 for growth among coffee companies.

“Our tremendous growth as a company is due to the efforts of our amazing team, our franchisees who truly believe in our mission, our baristas who serve up smiles, and our customers who decide to make us part of their day,” said Scooter’s CEO Joe Thornton in a press release. “We can’t wait to give more people in more places the opportunity to Scoot on Around™ to one of our drive-thrus and experience ‘amazing’ for themselves.”

Partnering on line

Walmart last week announced that it is collaborating with The Jessica Simpson brand on a new collection of women’s apparel and accessories.

The line launched last week with 100 new items, including shorts, jackets and dresses. Swimwear and jewelry are also part of the line.

“Our mission is to be the customer’s first choice for fashion by offering great style at an incredible value, and we’re excited that the new Jessica Simpson Collection delivers on that mission in an authentic way,” said Ryan Waymire, Walmart senior vice president of fashion, in a press release. “Jessica’s trademark Texas charm and highly coveted personal style is reflected across this beautiful collection, and we know customers are going to love it.”

Bringing back

Subway restaurants have brought back their honey oat bread and creamy sriracha sauce.

The honey oat bread will be offered for a limited time after a four-year hiatus. The sriracha sauce will be a permanent fixture on the Subway menu.

"These latest upgrades to Subway's menu will delight any sandwich lover craving something with bold and unique flavor, whether it's light and sweet or bringing the heat," said Paul Fabre, Subway senior vice president of culinary and innovation, in a press release. "While our fans know and love our Honey Oat Bread and Creamy Sriracha sauce, I can't wait for them to see how we reimagined our signature Baja Chipotle Sauce in our partnership with Miss Vickie's."