Fisher takes awards

Fisher Meats took home a host of awards from the recent Indiana Meat Packers and Processors Association’s Hoosier Cured Meat Show at Purdue University.
The Portland-based company, which also operates a retail outlet in Muncie, won grand champion bologna, braunschweiger, summer sausage and pepper bacon.
Reserve grand champion awards were claimed for hot dogs, cooked brats, bone-in smoked hams, jerky and venison summer sausage. Fisher was the champion in smoked boneless turkey and barbeque ribs.
Products were judged by experts from universities including Purdue, Wisconsin, Penn State and Ohio State, and by meat processors from other states.
Building permits
Jay/Portland Building and Planning issued 24 permits with a total value of $446,900 during March, with the most expensive project being a new home in Penn Township.
Permits were issued to:
TLA (Tegrant), 1619 N. Meridian St., Portland, restroom remodel, $69,900; Enos EJ Schwartz, 5501 N. 350 East, Bryant, pole building, $10,000; Dues and Sons, 4495 S. 300 East, Portland, pole building, $19,300; Rick Dues, 3464 S. 300 East, Portland, machine shed, $33,420; Matt Minnich, 5212 N. 450 East, Portland, storage building, $40,000; Eugene Schilling, 229 E. Walnut St., Portland, fence, $980; Jesse and Andrea Walter, 6221 W. 500 North, Pennville, home, $75,000; John J. Hilty, 7780 N. 650 East, Bryant, harness shop, $35,000; Donna Richards, 2016 W. 500 North, Portland, residential addition, $5,000; Joe Hibbard, 9596 W. 200 South, Dunkirk, sunroom, $1,500; and Kerry and Kathryn Muhlenkamp, 3536 E. 600 north, Bryant, residential addition, $17,000.
Also, Dan and Tina Dirksen, 6432 W. 50 South, Portland, residential addition, $34,000; Connie Emerick, 309 E. Third St., porch, $3,500; Joshua Watts, 6303 W. 400 south, Portland, deck, $5,000; Dennis Shaneyfelt, 602 W. Main St., Portland, deck roof, $500; Rick Shannon, 301 W. Race St., shed, $1,200; Rick Alexander, 2734 W. Ind. 26, Portland, porch roof, $2,500; Monte Detro, 534 Floral Ave., Portland, carport, $1,500; Troy Gibson, 6739 S. 250 West, Portland, pole barn and porch for home, $15,000; William Bost, 621 W. 600 South, shed, $4,500; Lisa Thomas, 627 S. Bridge St., Portland, storage building, $4,500; Steven Shultz, 2433 W. 400 North, Portland, storage building; and Jack Kahn, 4175 W. 600 North, Bryant, detached garage, $4,000.
Promoted
Rural Portland resident Kimberly R. Snowden has been appointed manager of a branch of CrossRoads Financial Federal Credit Union.
Snowden, who has been with the credit union since 2010, will manage the North Meridian Street branch in Portland.
She will lead branch operations and will also have lending and member relations duties. She has worked in the financial industry for 10 years and also has four years of experience in the insurance industry.

Record revenues?
Purdue University agricultural economists are predicting that Indiana’s corn, soybean and wheat farmers will bring combined revenue of $8.6 billion in 2012 — up from $8.3 billion in 2011.
That record revenue won’t necessarily translate into record net income, as input costs such as land, fuel and fertilizer have increased by about 15 percent, Chris Hurt, an ag economist, told The Indianapolis Star for a story this week.
Hurt said that 6 million acres will be planted in corn in the state this spring, up slightly from a year ago. He also said that the statewide forecast is 165 bushels per acre on corn, with a projection of 48.3 bushes per acre for soybeans.

New hours
The Blackford County WorkOne office will be open from 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday from now through June.
The office, at 1301 N. High St., Hartford City, will be closed Friday through Sunday.
WorkOne offers services to those seeking jobs and employees, including help with resumes, career planning and interview coaching.
For more information, go to www.workone.org.

Going public
Burger King, the No. 2 hamburger fast food chain in the world, expects to resume selling shares on the New York Stock Exchange sometime in the next three months.
Investment firm 3G Capital is selling a 29 percent stake in Burger King for $1.4 billion to Justice Holdings Ltd., a London-based corporation.

Pushing produce
A new program by the Indiana Department of Agriculture is an effort to brand and promote produce and farm goods grown and produced in the Hoosier state.
Indiana Grown is a cooperative effort among farmers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, restaurants and the department of agriculture.
It includes produce, field crops, dairy, meat and poultry products.

Offering rebates
Vectren is offering rebates to natural gas customers who upgrade to higher efficiency appliances such as furnaces, tank/tankless water heaters, residential boilers and programmable thermostats.
For information about the program, go to www.vectren.com or call (866) 240-8476. Vectren, based in Evansville, provides natural gas service to portions of Jay County.

Hearings scheduled
Hearings on a pending request for a rate increase by Indiana Michigan Power will be held in three locations, including Muncie, later this month.
The Muncie hearing will be held in the auditorium at city hall, 300 N. High St., on Wednesday, April 25, beginning at 6 p.m.
Those wishing to provide written comments may mail them to Consumer Services Staff, Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, 115 W. Washington St., Suite 1500 South, Indianapolis, IN, 46204. Send comments by email to [email protected], or by fax to (317) 232-5923.[[In-content Ad]]