TERRE HAUTE — Incumbent Judge Phillip I. Adler has filed as a Democrat for re-election to Vigo County Superior Court Division 2, a position he has occupied since Jan. 1, 1997.
Three challengers wanting seats on the County Council also are among the recent filings for the county primary May 6.
Adler served as county prosecutor from 1987 to 1996 before becoming a judge. He was president of Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Association in 1992 and in 1997, and he received the Eugene Feller Award, the highest state award that can be bestowed on a prosecuting attorney.
In 1998, at the request of the Indiana Supreme Court, Adler initiated a pro bono program for District 7, a six-county area that includes Vigo, Clay, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan and Vermillion counties. He served as chairman of the district for nearly 10 years.
In 2001, Randall T. Shepard, chief justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, nominated Adler for the Pro Bono Publico, the state’s highest pro bono award. Adler received that award from the Indiana Bar Foundation.
Adler, 61, was honored again for his pro bono service last year by the Indiana Pro Bono Commission, and Shepard.
“Our District 7 pro bono program has been a success and a model for the state. The real credit goes to the volunteer attorneys, who for no pay help income-eligible citizens navigate through the judicial system,” Adler said.
Since taking office, Adler said he has “cut in half the time that litigants must wait for a jury trial and I will continue to work toward speeding up the process. I pledge to continue to listen patiently to the cases presented to me and to treat everyone respectfully and courteously and to render decisions quickly, based upon the facts and the law.”
Adler is a 1971 graduate of Indiana University’s School of Law.
In other races, incumbent County Councilman Mark D. Bird, 54, who serves as chairman of the council’s budget committee and is a member of the personnel committee, has filed for re-election as a Democrat to one of three at-large seats on the council.
Bill Thomas, who is a past president and member of the West Terre Haute Town Council from 2004 through 2007, has filed for one of three at-large seats on the County Council as a Democrat, along with Democrat John R. Prather.
When Thomas, 54, was elected to the Town Council, that council had to find ways to pay off nearly $69,000 in fines and interest to the Internal Revenue Service because the town previously had paid employment taxes late. The council also had to solidify payments on the town’s wastewater treatment project.
“We had no money to start working with, so we had to cut back. We cut out the town [police] dispatch, which we felt was more of a luxury. We put $170,000 back into the general fund, which when you have a $450,000 annual budget, that is a lot of money,” he said.
Thomas said West Terre Haute also had been spending up to $30,000 a year to service and repair police vehicles. The town bought new vehicles, eliminating high maintenance costs. While on the Town Council, Thomas also worked to bring the town’s wastewater treatment bond and interest payment back into the black.
Now Thomas looks to bring that experience to a county level.
“I want to make sure the money is there for the right projects and would like to get involved with economic growth in the county,” Thomas said.
Prather, 65, of Lewis is retired from Bemis Inc., where he worked for 36 years. He starting out in working in the factory before retiring at age 57 as a product manager.
“My concern is it seems that we get a lot of officials elected and they say they will do a lot of things, then do the opposite when elected,” Prather said. “I had some people ask me to [run]. I wasn’t going to do it, but I thought I might as well give it a go,” he said, adding it is his first attempt for an elected office.
Prather is a 1969 graduate of West Vigo High School and attended Indiana State University. Prather said he is a 32nd degree Mason, Vigo Masonic Lodge No. 29 and a member of Scottish Rite, and is a past president of Lewis Community Center.
Democrat Brandon S. Niece filed as a Democrat candidate for county recorder. Dr. Roland Kohr, a Democrat, has filed for re-election as county coroner.
On the Republican ticket, Jeffrey Harpole, a minister, filed for County Council. Harpole lost in the 2006 election to Kathy Chalos Miller for the District 3 seat on the council. Recently, Harpole was part of a recount commission for the Terre Haute mayor’s race.
At the state level, Democrat incumbent Reps. F. Dale Grubb and Clyde Kersey have filed for re-election, with Grubb of Covington filling for the District 42 seat in the Indiana House of Representatives and Kersey of Terre Haute for the District 43 seat.
Feb. 22 is the deadline to file a declaration of candidacy for anyone wanting to run in the May primary.
Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Several file for County Council seats
- Local & Bistate
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Rockville correctional facility program teaches life skills
It’s hard to know who benefits the most: the inmates or the dogs.
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AAA mag recognizes city for arts works
The nonprofit organization that uses outdoor sculpture to draw attention to Terre Haute is getting some notice of its own.
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State pushing for convenience stores to make safety a higher priority
In 2002, after New Mexico forced convenience store owners to put sweeping security measures into place for clerks working late-night hours, the number of robberies dropped by 92 percent. Assaults, murders and other crimes at convenience stores also dropped dramatically.
Now Indiana officials are hoping voluntary compliance with similar safety standards will bring about similar results.
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Patriotism & Honor
From his vantage point, Sonner Faught could see almost every volunteer in the cemetery.
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Graduation turns to mourning in Clinton
Jeana Lunsford’s graduation from South Vermillion High School Saturday should have been a time of celebration.
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School choice proponents foresee growth of vouchers
Twenty-seven Vigo County students benefited from tax-supported vouchers during the first year of the Choice Scholarship Program, and that number is expected to grow for 2012-13, say Indiana school choice leaders who visited Terre Haute Thursday.
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Tales of obstruction meet first takeover attempts
A decade after Indiana legislators gave the state the power to take over chronically failing schools, the first implementation of the law is meeting with resistance, skepticism and questions about its costs.
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MIKE LUNSFORD: Raising a flag for my father, veteran or not
My daughter, Ellen, and I stood at my parents’ graves on Mother’s Day a few weeks back and talked about how it couldn’t possibly have been so long since we lost them. My dad, for instance, has been gone for 16 years, and that is nearly unimaginable
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3 rescued from burning residence
Quick action on the part of some first-responders is credited with saving the lives of three people in a Vermillion County fire early Saturday morning, according to the Vermillion County Sheriff’s Department.
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He never forgot a name: Friends remember victim of fire at Garfield Towers
When Freddie Poore met you, he never forgot you.
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Hometown boy embraces ‘Promise I Made’: Clinton native Ken Kercheval takes role in Dreams Come True production
Thanks to some help from a hometown boy in Hollywood, “This Promise I Made” is still on track to be kept in Clinton.
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STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Many say they don’t vote in primary because of tag that comes with it
A couple of columns ago, I posed a question about why most Indiana polling places on primary election day had so few customers.
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Police looking for convenience store robber
Police are seeking a robbery suspect following a Saturday morning armed robbery at the Jiffy MiniMart at 25th Street and Eighth Avenue.
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Graduation ‘responsibility’: Rose-Hulman stages 134th commencement exercises
Inventor Dean Kamen gave a first-hand demonstration Saturday of how to be an innovator.
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THE OFF SEASON: To the seniors, one last lecture before you go …
It dawned on me one day last week, as I sat at my desk in my teacher clothes and shoes, a stack of ungraded essays calling to me from a rather tall and depressing pile, that I hadn’t missed a high school graduation in 33 years.
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Water rescuers
Emergency personnel wheel a man who was removed from a vehicle that had been driven into the water at Crystal Lake on Boston Avenue near 14th Street at about 9 p.m. Friday.
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For many, camping outdoors is the way to beat the heat, enjoy nature
Stringing up fishing poles in the shade of American flags, households full of Hoosiers are packing into parks across the state this weekend.
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Towns along National Road readying for next week’s miles-long yard sale
Stretching 824 miles from Baltimore to St. Louis, the National Road — known as U.S. 40 through Indiana — will soon be the host site for perhaps the longest bargain market in the country.
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Rose grads honoring late president Branam at commencement today
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Class of 2012 will honor the memory of Matt Branam during today’s commencement ceremony by wearing special pins with the phrase “Make It Happen; Make It Fun,” a favorite saying of the former Rose-Hulman president, who died unexpectedly on April 20.
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Vigo County Jail Log: May 26, 2012
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Thursday and Friday, based on jail records. Charges are recommended by arresting officers but are not final until the Vigo County prosecutor reviews the case and files official charges.
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A fallen soldier returns home
An Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Spc. Arronn D. Fields early Thursday morning at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
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Official touts trade with northern neighbor
A top Canadian diplomat told a Terre Haute audience Thursday his country was “disappointed” when President Obama at least temporarily rejected a proposed transcontinental oil pipeline from Alberta to Texas.
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Caution urged for summer’s kickoff
Lane restrictions in construction zones on Interstate 70 and other highways around the state will be lifted to accommodate holiday travel for the Memorial Day Weekend.
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Letters delivered
Several positions will be eliminated this summer at the Terre Haute mail processing facility as the U.S. Postal Service begins moving the operation to Indianapolis, a U.S. Postal Service spokesman has confirmed.
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Companies seek Vigo tax abatements
Two Vigo County companies are seeking tax abatements for expansion projects, one of which is included as part of a county incentive package.
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High-speed chase suspect caught in West Virginia
The suspect in a cross-country, high-speed chase originating in Terre Haute last week was reportedly in federal custody Thursday evening.
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Second victim of deadly I-70 semi-trailer crash identified
The Vigo County Coroner’s Office has identified the passenger of a semi-tractor crash on May 16 in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near the 12-mile marker.
- VIGO COUNTY JAIL LOG: May 22-24, 2012
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Burn ban in effect for Vigo County through holiday weekend
Vigo County officials have issued a burn ban effective Thursday and remains in effect until 8 a.m. Tuesday.
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Brazil remembers a Fallen Son
A small town seemed sadly quiet Wednesday, waiting to honor a local fallen warrior.
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