(1) State Road 129 between Vevay and Pleasant reopened for the winter as the contract states, and drivers moving through the area were already noticing big changes. The biggest was the redirection of the road to behind the Long Run Baptist Church, taking out two sharp curves in the process.
The road will close again in the spring, but the entire project is expected to be completed by the end of 2007.
(2) Vevay Newspapers editor and general manager Patrick Lanman was judged to be the state’s best general columnist for small weekly newspapers for his “To The Point” columns.
The awards were presented by the Hoosier State Press Association.
(3) Jerry McKenzie, a former resident of Switzerland County, was honored by Hanover College with its Alumni Achievement Award.
(4) Switzerland County High School agriculture teacher Greg Curlin attended the National Association of Agriculture Educators conference held in Atlanta, Georgia.
While at the conference he was elected vice president of the organization’s Region Four, and will direct the organization’s efforts in a six-state area.
(5) A.J.’s Diner in Vevay was the winner of the Christmas Tree decorating contest that was held as part of the “First Friday” activities. The event was judged by those who attended the event.
(6) Dylan Griffith, a student at Switzerland County Middle School, has earned the rank of Eagle Scout through the Boy Scouts of America. He joins his father, Morgan; and older brother, Myles, as Eagle Scouts, and is a member of Boy Scout Troop #747.
(7) The Switzerland County Council approved a plan to reduce the pool of funds going into the riverboat revenue sharing formula by 10-percent. Those extra funds will now remain in the control of the county council, which will be able to fund grants and other worthy projects that aren’t a part of the revenue sharing formula.
(8) Loren Lamson, a 2005 graduate of Switzerland County High School, returned to his alma mater to show everyone his new “alter ego”.
For his high school career, Loren Lamson had been the Road Runner mascot for the Pacers; and now he is one of six students at Western Kentucky University who has earned the right to don the famous “Big Red” mascot uniform.
(9) Carroll and Mavis Scudder of near Fairview celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary on Christmas Eve. The couple met with Carroll went to watch Mavis play in a Vevay High School basketball game. She was a member of the first girls team ever at the high school.
(10) The Chord Coffeehouse on Ferry Street in Vevay is celebrating its first anniversary with a party on New Year’s Eve. The dream of Dan and Paula Reitsma, the couple moved to Switzerland County from Chicago 13 years ago with the hope of starting a Christian Coffeehouse, and after a short venture in a small building in Vevay; the couple reorganized and opened the non-profit entity at its current location one year ago.