Ball State selects football captains

Ball State first-year head football coach Pete Lembo has announced the five team captains for the 2011 season as voted by their teammates and coaches.

Sean Baker, Kreg Hunter, Adam Morris, Briggs Orsbon and Andrew Puthoff will serve as the Cardinals' team captains this season.

"We are confident these five athletes will lead and represent our football program well both on and off the field," Lembo said. "They have been assets during the coaching transition and have earned the respect of their teammates."

Baker, who also served as a team captain in 2010, was an All-Mid-American Conference Second-Team selection last season and won Ball State's John Magnabosco Award as the team's most valuable player. The safety set the career interceptions record for the Cardinals last season as a junior with 16.

Hunter, an offensive lineman, started five games and played in eight last season, but suffered an ankle injury and missed four contests. Hunter had started all 12 games and 15 straight prior to the injury.

Morris, a defensive tackle, started all 12 games last season and tallied a career high four tackles at Central Michigan and against Akron. He managed at least one tackle in 10 games and was credited with his first career sack at CMU.

Orsbon, a wide receiver, was a 2010 ESPN Academic All-District choice and owns a 4.0 grade-point average on Ball State's 4.0 scale. He started all 12 games last season and has started 22 consecutive contests, while appearing in all 38 games in his first three seasons.

Puthoff, a defensive end, started all 12 games last season and played both defensive end and tight end. He made his first career interception at Central Michigan last year and tallied a career high nine tackles at Toledo.

Ball State's football team will open the 2011 season against Indiana University at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sept. 3.

Radio personality coming to Wells County

2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500. To celebrate, radio personality and Indy 500 announcer Howdy Bell will give an interactive presentation titled “Indy 500: Past, Present, and Future” at the main Wells County Public Library branch from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 5.

As a member of the Indianapolis 500 Worldwide Network Team of insiders reporting details of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” Howdy will share stories and anecdotes about auto racing: the drivers, mechanics and their cars. Taped interview excerpts and photos will also be on display that evening.

Howdy Bell, a native of Indiana, has spent more than 30 years as a broadcast personality, and this year will be his 50th race as a professional radio broadcaster to cover the Indy 500.

This event is free and open to the public. All ages are invited, but the presentation is geared toward adults. Registration is not required but appreciated. For more information or to register call 260-824-1612 or go to www.wellscolibrary.org and click on the "Calendar of Events" link.

Chatting with Southern Wells softball coach Sydney Osborn

The Southern Wells Raiders defeated the Bluffton Tigers 7-0 Tuesday at Bluffton. Get all the details about the game in the Wednesday, April 27, News-Banner.

Hoosier Homestead Gathering Details Announced for Salamonie Reservoir

The Hoosier Homestead Gathering will be held April 30 and May 1 on Indiana’s Salamonie Reservoir. The gathering offers the public an opportunity to investigate how to live a more "self-sustaining" lifestyle.

Vendors and Discussion Tables at the event both days:

• Gardening: Victory Acres
• Kettle Corn: LaFontaine Lions Club
• Walking Tacos: American Heritage Girls
• Glycerin Soap
• Egg Testing: Indiana State Poultry Association
• Leave No Trace: Boy Scout Troop 429
• Natural Beauty / Cleaning
• Weaving
• Incubating Eggs at Home
• Home Food Preserving
• Quilting
• Dutch Oven Cooking
• Maple Syrup Conversations
• Wool and other Sheep Products
• Old-fashioned Games for Kids and the Young at Heart
• Candle Dipping: American Heritage Girls
  

Saturday, April 30:

• 11 a.m. Planting Trees and Shrubs for wind breaks, food and shade
• 12:30 p.m. - Roll Farms, Milk Goat demo
• 1 p.m. - Victory Acres: Urban Gardening
• 2 p.m. - Edible Wildflower presentation
• 2 p.m. - Grid-tied Solar Energy Presentation
• 3 p.m. - Victory Acres: Urban Gardening
• 4 p.m. - Chicken Butchering demo
• 5 p.m. – Canning Demonstration

Sunday, May 1

• 11 a.m. – Planting Trees and Shrubs for wind breaks, food and shade
• 12:30 p.m. - Roll Farms, Milk Goats demo
• 1 p.m. - Chicken Butchering demo
• 2 p.m. – Cheese Making Demo
• 2 p.m. Rotational Grazing Presentation
• 3 p.m. Lawn Management Presentation
• 4 p.m. Weaving Rag Rugs

The event runs from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Sunday. There is a $3-per-person fee. All events are held in the Salamonie Interpretive Center and nearby large tents.

For more information, contact Upper Wabash Interpretive Services at (260) 468-2127 or email lfager@dnr.in.gov. Gate fees apply to enter the property: $5 per Indiana vehicle and $7 for out-of-state vehicles. Annual entrance permits also available at the Lost Bridge West State Recreation Area off of Ind. 105 in western Huntington County.

Volunteer work day at Limberlost on May 2

In recognition of National Historic Preservation Month next month, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Historic Preservation will host a work day at Limberlost, the home of Gene Stratton-Porter, famed Indiana author and naturalist, on May 2. Limberlost is located just south of Geneva in Adams County.

The community is invited to participate in what is planned to become an annual event at a different site each year.

The DHPA will team with the DNR Division of Nature Preserves and the Indiana State Museum to assist with regular maintenance at Limberlost. The Friends of the Limberlost group also will participate.

For further information please contact Limberlost State Historic Site at (260) 368-7428 or rlehman@dnr.IN.gov.

Spring turkey season opens April 27

From the Indiana Department of Natural Resources:

If you're wondering why the spring wild turkey hunting season starts as late as it does this year, DNR wildlife research biologist Steve Backs has an explanation.

“It's always the first Wednesday after the 20th of April, so it can be the 21st to the 27th,” Backs said of the date-setting process that is based partly on biology and partly on courtesy to hunters.

“Part of the reason that we went to standardized dates years ago is it gave us the opportunity to set up the season dates ahead of time so those people who plan their vacations would know when the turkey season was,” he said. “We (also) based it on biological knowledge so that we would intercept the peak of the second gobbling period as well as when most of the hens were incubating.”

Backs provides more detail about this year's April 27 opener and other turkey topics in a series of video clips that can be viewed on the DNR website at www.hunting.in.gov/6417.htm.

The same web address also has the 2011 Turkey Hunting Guide. The downloadable guide contains information that every turkey hunter should know, including license requirements, bag limits, hunting hours, equipment regulations; plus it has a comprehensive list of public hunting areas and contact information for DNR district wildlife biologists and DNR law enforcement districts.

The last time the spring turkey season opened on April 27 was in 2005, and hunters set a harvest record that year of 11,159 birds. The next year, the season opened April 26 and hunters again set a record harvest of 13,193.

That record stood until last year when hunters set a new standard of 13,742 birds in a season that began on the earliest possible date (April 21).

This year’s spring turkey season runs through May 15.

Hunters are allowed one bearded or male turkey. A wild turkey hunting license and a game bird habitat stamp are required unless otherwise exempted. Exemptions are detailed in the online Turkey Hunting Guide.

Backs said he is “cautiously optimistic” about what hunters can expect this spring.

“I’d like to project that we’re probably going to kill around 13,000, 14,000 birds,” he said. “If we fall below 13,000 birds, given the summer brood production stuff, I won’t be surprised either.

“As usual, I tell people the highest percentage of the harvest occurs in the first five days of the season. However, if you don’t like hunting with the crowds, I suggest you hunt during the second and third weeks where we have a lot less pressure and still have plenty of birds to harvest.”

State Park Road Rally openings available, May 3-5

Indiana DNR Release:

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. It's almost time for the annual spring State Park Road Rally, May 3-5, featuring McCormick’s Creek State Park in southern Indiana.

Drivers pilot their own vehicles, as a navigator steers teams to adventure on scenic back roads to enjoy various small towns and discover some of Indiana’s lost treasures.

Along the route, should teams accept, there will be educational and exciting “challenges” to complete to earn points for the teams. At the end of the rally there will be an awards ceremony and dinner.

Cost is $225 per person (based on double occupancy), which includes two nights of lodging at Canyon Inn, breakfasts and dinners, two days of road rally events and nightly entertainment. Reservations can be made by calling 1.877.LODGES1.

For more information, visit http://www.IN.gov/dnr/parklake/3397.htm.

Fort Wayne Zoo Opens

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will herald the opening for the season of the remodeled Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo on Saturday, April 23, at 8:45 a.m.

New zoo residents include honeybees, a horse named Sara in the Family Farm area, a tasseled wobbegong shark in the Great Barrier Reef aquarium shark tank, and a male eastern grey kangaroo named Mako in the Australian Adventure. Also, the 7-week-old Ruppell’s griffon vulture chick is growing steadily in the African Journey area.

Admission to the zoo is $13 for adults, $10.50 for seniors age 60 and up and $8.50 for children 2 to 14. Children 1 and under and Zoo Society members are free. Parking is free. There are extra charges for stroller rental, train and pony rides and food purchases to feed some of the animals. The zoo will be open daily through Oct. 9.

The Fort Wayne Zoo's website is http://www.kidszoo.org/.

The Ossian Conservation Club has announced the following May events. For more information call 622-4712 or 622-6810 or go to http://www.ossianconservationclub.com.

Sunday, May 15: Ossian Conservation Club Shotgun Shooter’s informal shotgun shoot, noon to 4:30 p.m. The public is welcome.

Saturday and Sunday, May 21 and 22: Project Appleseed. Project Appleseed teaches the fundamentals of rifle marksmanship and intertwines these skills with the history of the United States. For more information on costs and registration go to www.appleseedusa.org or www.ossianconservationclub.com.

Sunday, May 29: Ouabache Archers will have a one-day shoot at the Ossian Conservation Club. They have several new Rinehart 3-D Targets this year. Shooting runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The public is welcome.

Mushrooms in May

Adopted from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources' newsletter:

April showers bring May flowers, and while these visual treasures might grace the landscape with beauty, some of spring’s bounty makes up for a lack of visual beauty with a pleasant taste.

Fox Island in Fort Wayne recently featured local morel mushroom expert Alex Babich. As he gave his presentation, Babich leaned on his wooden pole with a morel on top and the quantity of mushrooms collected each year burned into it. He talked about how to not just collect mushrooms, but also how to prepare them. Indiana mushrooms can net up to $110 a pound.

Babich recommended hunters use a mesh bag, leaving it unwashed so that new areas visited by the mushroom hunter can be enriched for future honing by the falling spores.

Growing up in the Ukraine and coming to this country in 1991, Babich hunted mushrooms with his grandfather, who gave him the advice now printed on a T-shirt: “Every mushroom is edible, sometimes only once.”

When he arrived in America, Babich met people at a local factory where he worked who told him about morels. From there, Alex’s avocation became his vocation. In fact, he is now partnering with the Travel Channel.

Related links:
http://mushroomexpert.com — This glossary allows the user to select the kind of mushroom he or she wishes to study and then details about the specifications of individual fungi.

http://www.gmushrooms.com/morel/ — Want to try growing morels yourself? Click here to learn more.

www.mushroomgear.com — This is Alex Babich’s Web site. It offers recipes and connects you to shirts, sweatshirts and contact information. One can buy morels directly from him for $35 a pound when the mushrooms are in season.

http://allencountyparks.org/parks/fox-island/ — Check out what is happening at Fox Island.

4-H members preparing

Wells County 4-H had a busy morning Saturday, as about 61 members weighed in their dairy calf feeders from 8 a.m. to after 10 a.m. in preparation for the fair. On the southeast side of the park, the Horse and Pony Club sponsored an open race through the International Barrel Racing Association. The race will conclude Sunday.

DNR implements new firewood policy

Indiana DNR News Release:

There are 140 known pests and pathogens that can be moved from place to place in firewood. We all have a responsibility to conserve our Hoosier forests, so the DNR has implemented a new firewood management policy that will be in place on all of our properties this year.

We also know how important campfires are to each of you when you camp, so we’ve included ways that you can still bring firewood in with you.

You can bring firewood into a state park, reservoir, state forest or state fish and wildlife area if

• It is kiln-dried scrap lumber.
• It is from your home or other location in Indiana and has the bark removed. (Ideally, ½ inch of sapwood beneath the bark will also be removed.)
• It is purchased from a department store, grocery store, gas station, etc. and bears a USDA compliance stamp.
• It is purchased from a local firewood vendor outside the property and has a state compliance stamp with it.
• It is purchased from the property camp store or on-site firewood vendor and has a state compliance stamp.
  

Please go to http://www.in.gov/dnr/entomolo/6413.htm for more details on this new policy and to see the FAQ.

We look forward to answering your questions about this new policy. You may email those questions to firewood@dnr.IN.gov. Thank you for doing your part to protect and conserve the forest resources on our DNR properties.

Bluffton vs. Blackford: Girls' Varsity and JV Tennis

Bluffton's Annessa Reiff and Gina Eisenhut defeat Katelyn Free and Lindsee Fancher 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.



Bluffton's Amanda Stone defeats Erica Reid 6-3, 6-0

State Park Road Rally openings available, May 3-5

Indiana DNR Release:

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. It's almost time for the annual spring State Park Road Rally, May 3-5, featuring McCormick’s Creek State Park in southern Indiana.

Drivers pilot their own vehicles, as a navigator steers teams to adventure on scenic back roads to enjoy various small towns and discover some of Indiana’s lost treasures.

Along the route, should teams accept, there will be educational and exciting “challenges” to complete to earn points for the teams. At the end of the rally there will be an awards ceremony and dinner.

Cost is $225 per person (based on double occupancy), which includes two nights of lodging at Canyon Inn, breakfasts and dinners, two days of road rally events and nightly entertainment. Reservations can be made by calling 1.877.LODGES1.

For more information, visit http://www.IN.gov/dnr/parklake/3397.htm.

Bluffton vs. Southern Wells Track

Read the full story in the Wednesday, April 13, News-Banner.

Indianapolis 500 commemorative program now available

The 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 Official Program and an Indianapolis 500 commemorative issue of Sports Illustrated are on sale now as a special bundle at selected national and Indiana retail locations, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway gift shop and online at www.brickyardauthentics.com.

The bundle costs $15.

The 2011 Indianapolis 500 Official Program will feature multiple, fold-out covers, a special autograph pull-out, numerous feature stories, driver bios, statistics, event and Indianapolis Motor Speedway fan information and more.

For the first time in IMS history, the 256-page program will feature three different program covers. The covers feature art by Thomas Kinkade, David Uhl and Gregory Beall. Each portrait includes different aspects of the 100 years of history of the Indianapolis 500, with Kinkade depicting a start of a “dream race” including cars from all eras of the race, Uhl depicting legends from the 1911 race and Beall depicting several iconic cars crossing the famed Yard of Bricks.

Each of the three covers folds out into a larger, double-paneled image of the artwork.

The program also features a fold-out, mini-poster that showcases the names of all 732 starters of the Indianapolis 500 on one side and the images of the admission tickets from 1911-2011 on the other.

Other features in the program include:

•A 96-page section about the Indianapolis 500’s history, featuring a recap of every year’s race by IMS Historian Donald Davidson and previously unpublished photographs.

•An extended piece on the photography shoot with 33 Indianapolis 500-winning cars on the front straightaway at IMS last fall.

•Anniversary stories about A.J. Foyt’s first Indianapolis 500 victory in 1961 and Rick Mears’ fourth Indy victory in 1991.

National retailers offering the 100th Anniversary Official Program-Sports Illustrated commemorative bundle include Borders, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo (Canada), Hudson News, Paradies, HMS Host and Trofie. Most of the Paradies, HMS Host and Trofie outlets are located in airports and use region-specific names.

These additional major retailers are offering the bundle in Indiana: Meijer, Marsh, Kroger, Walmart, Martin’s, Target, Costco, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid.

Enlarging the Lead

Norwell's Austin Dettmer hits a three-run home run in the third inning against Southern Wells to give Norwell a 10-2 lead.

Bluffton sophomore Matt Morrissey is a member of the Purdue Forestry Club and will be competing with other team members at the conclave.

Video and more photos from today's track meet between Norwell and Bluffton high schools.

Bluffton's Donald Mock starts the final leg of the boys' 4x400-meter relay after taking the baton from teammate Jackson Lambert.

Norwell's Olivia Shapley competing in the 300-meter low hurdles.

Norwell's Corinne Eckert as she finishes the girls' 4x100-meter relay.

Bluffton's Amanda Cerqueira takes the baton from teammate Nikki Blair as they compete in the 4x800-meter relay.

Bluffton boys' assistant track coach Doug Sundling (left) and head coach Bret Grover watch the action.

State Park and State Resevoir Events

Hoosier Homestead Gathering — April 30 and May 1 at the Salamonie Resevoir
Tired of the hectic pace life’s thrown at you? Slow down and take a step back into a simpler lifestyle. Guest speakers, demonstrations and “homesteady” products available.
Gate fees apply: $5 IN vehicles, $7 out-of-state vehicles Program fee: $3.

Celebrate Smokey Bear's Birthday — May 28 at the Ouabache State Park
For more information, contact Upper Wabash Interpretive Services at 260-468-2127 or visit http://www.in.gov/dnr/uwis.

Various events at Mounds State Park near Anderson
Saturday, April 9, 11:00 a.m. - WINTER WAKE-UP. Many of nature’s nappers are slowly waking up. Join us for a hike to see who’s out and about this spring.
Saturday, April 9, 2:00 p.m. - SPRING WILDFLOWER HIKE. On this hike we’ll look for some of Mounds State Park’s early bloomers

Sunday, April 10, 1 p.m. - CRITTER FEEDING. After you’ve had your lunch, come to the Nature Center to find out what’s on the menu for our critters.
Sunday, April 10, 3 p.m. - FROG CHORUS. Our amphibian friends are waking up from their winter’s nap and will soon be calling for a mate. Discover which frogs call Indiana home, and learn to make their chorus of sounds.

Check before you fish

The DNR’s weekly Lake Michigan fishing report website takes some of the intimidation factor from fishing the big lake. The rewards of keeping updated are worth an angler’s time.

The website, http://www.in.gov/apps/dnr/fishing/dnr_fishingreport, provides weekly reports on fishing conditions and success on Lake Michigan. The website also contains updates about fishing tributaries in northwest Indiana as well as many of the state’s other public waters. Weekly updates are also available on a voice fishing hotline, (219) 874-0009.

The website recaps the previous week’s fishing activities and success as well as general information about the Lake Michigan fishery. Data comes from creel surveys done at the various ports along Indiana’s shoreline, as well as from shore and stream anglers.

“Indiana has historically had the earliest and some of the best spring fishing around Lake Michigan,” said Brian Breidert, DNR fisheries biologist for the area. “Spring fishing can change on a moment’s notice as can weather, so investigating conditions before you travel is key to success.”

Each spring as Lake Michigan warms after ice-out, catches of coho salmon, brown trout and the occasional lake whitefish ring in Indiana’s fishing season. As the waters continue to warm, forage fish such as alewife move into the shallow end of the lake, attracting chinook salmon, steelhead and lake trout.

Breidert said providing updates helps anglers know when to fish and what baits and colors are most successful.

The combination of easily available updated information, improving weather, and variety and size of fish make Indiana’s Lake Michigan area a prime spring fishing destination, even for those who’ve never been there before.

“Spring is an awesome time to come to Lake Michigan to try something new,” Breidert said. “Planning prior to the trip can reward anglers with big dividends and trophy-caliber fishing opportunities. New anglers can become hooked for life after just one successful trip.”

Adding fishing excitement in the area, the spring steelhead migration is underway on the St. Joseph River. A fishing voice hotline, (574) 257-8477 (TIPS) is available through April, and again during summer into fall.

REGISTRATION DAY for Norwell Pool Spring Swim Lessons

REGISTRATION DAY for Norwell Swim Lessons is SATURDAY, April 2 from 9am-noon. Registration & payment will be accepted; PRESCHOOL & ELEMENTARY students will participate in swim skills testing (bring swimsuit & towel). You may also register & pay for infant & toddler classes at this time, but will not participate in skills testing. You can also register on-line or by mail.
Session 1: April 4 through April 27, 2011
Session 2 begins May 2 through May 25
There are 8 classes per session; classes meet twice per week on Mondays & Wednesdays only.
The following classes are $45 for in NWCS district; $50 for outside the school district:
Infant-ages 6-18 mos. and Toddler-ages 18-36 mos., - 5:30-6pm
Preschool-ages 3-5 (Levels 1 through 3) - 4:15-4:45 or 6-6:30pm
Learn-to-Swim (Levels 1 thru 6) – ages 6 and up – 4:45-5:30 or 6:30-7:15pm
Swim Team Prep/Stroke Drills – ages 6 and up (must swim length of the pool) – 6:30-7:15pm
To register online, or for more information regarding Swim Programs at Northern Wells Community Schools, visit http://www.nwcs.k12.in.us/NMS/nms.html Click on the Community Swim Lessons & Lifeguard Information Link (midpage).

State Park Road Rally openings available, May 3-5

Indiana DNR Release:

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. It's almost time for the annual spring State Park Road Rally, May 3-5, featuring McCormick’s Creek State Park in southern Indiana.

Drivers pilot their own vehicles, as a navigator steers teams to adventure on scenic back roads to enjoy various small towns and discover some of Indiana’s lost treasures.

Along the route, should teams accept, there will be educational and exciting “challenges” to complete to earn points for the teams. At the end of the rally there will be an awards ceremony and dinner.

Cost is $225 per person (based on double occupancy), which includes two nights of lodging at Canyon Inn, breakfasts and dinners, two days of road rally events and nightly entertainment. Reservations can be made by calling 1.877.LODGES1.

For more information, visit http://www.IN.gov/dnr/parklake/3397.htm.

State Park Road Rally openings available, May 3-5

Indiana DNR Release:

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. It's almost time for the annual spring State Park Road Rally, May 3-5, featuring McCormick’s Creek State Park in southern Indiana.

Drivers pilot their own vehicles, as a navigator steers teams to adventure on scenic back roads to enjoy various small towns and discover some of Indiana’s lost treasures.

Along the route, should teams accept, there will be educational and exciting “challenges” to complete to earn points for the teams. At the end of the rally there will be an awards ceremony and dinner.

Cost is $225 per person (based on double occupancy), which includes two nights of lodging at Canyon Inn, breakfasts and dinners, two days of road rally events and nightly entertainment. Reservations can be made by calling 1.877.LODGES1.

For more information, visit http://www.IN.gov/dnr/parklake/3397.htm.