Friday, November 29, 2019 The Commercial Review Portland, Indiana 47371 www.thecr.com $1 I&M Hundreds served route is set By RAY COONEY The Commercial Review Routes for planned elec - trical infrastructure updates have been announced. Indiana Michigan Power released plans this week for the routes for new transmission lines that are part of $45 million in improvements. Construction is expected to begin in mid-2021, with the new and rebuilt equip - ment to be placed into serv - ice in spring 2022. The plans call for build - ing 9 miles of new trans - mission lines along county road 200 north between county road 100 east and Indiana 1. A total of 10 miles (8 miles of 138-kilo - volt and 2 miles of 69-kilo - volt) of existing transmis - sion lines — one section running between Dunkirk and Pennville and another The Commercial Review/Jack Ronald between the north side of Volunteers stand elbow-to-elbow in the Asbury United Methodist Church basement kitchen Thursday morning, Portland and county road 200 North — will be rebuilt. working as an assembly line to put together meals to be delivered to the home-bound for the Thanksgiving holiday. Also included in the work will be upgrading the Antiville substation at the Volunteers make feast that includes 32 turkeys intersection of county roads 200 North and 200 West and the Dunkirk sub - with meals delivered to over 450 home-bound station on the east side of By JACK RONALD ered to the home-bound ner now involves 11 local up the cooking portion of the the city on county road 400 The Commercial Review Thursday. The tables in the churches, including Asbury. event, while other volunteers South. Everyone knows you should Asbury basement were set for Some of the food is prepared keep track of requests for The framework of the count your blessings on 259 guests. The final tally: 700. on-site, and some is brought in, home-bound meals and make project was announced in Thanksgiving. About 15 volunteers were like those countless green bean sure the delivery volunteers early July, with local resi - But how do you quantify an involved in delivering home- casseroles. have what they need and know dents offered the opportu - event like the annual commu - bound meals to every corner Dressing has to be produced where they’re going. nity to ask questions and nity Thanksgiving dinner? of Jay County. Dozens more on-site for health reasons, The number of carry-in pies make suggestions on sever - No matter how you figure it, were involved in preparing though volunteers bring in the can vary, but Smith estimates al possible routes for the the numbers are staggering. those meals and getting the ingredients. So, how much it’s about 50. new lines at a July 25 open How many turkeys were feast ready for the crowd at dressing? Twelve steam-table About 10 gallons of lemonade house. cooked? Asbury. pans full to the brim. were consumed at Asbury on The new line along coun - Thirty-two, cooked in 16 And that doesn’t count the For the home delivery meals, Thursday, and the coffee supply ty road 200 North will build ovens in the homes of volun - dishes prepared at home and the carry-in casseroles won’t was unlimited. in redundancies that is teers then given the finishing delivered as carry-in for the do, again for health reasons. And how long does it take to intended to reduce the like - touch in two ovens in the base - occasion. Instead, it’s just plain green clean all this up? lihood of power outages ment kitchen of Asbury “We can’t keep track of beans. Lots and lots of green Smith said it’s about a three- and decrease the time need - Methodist Church in Port - those,” said longtime dinner beans: Two cases of industrial- hour process, and volunteers ed to put customers back in land. volunteer and spokesperson sized cans were used just for are always needed for that part service when outages How many meals were pre - Carol Smith. the home delivery part of the of the event. occur. pared? Marking its 29th year, the event. Mark your calendar for next Indiana Michigan Power More than 450 were deliv - community Thanksgiving din - Paul and Helen Martin head year. communications represen - tative Tracy Warner said this summer that the equipment to be replaced is aging and needs to be upgraded in order to serve customers better. Hoosier Lottery seeing record sales The new and rebuilt INDIANAPOLIS (AP) year in prizes — an has met its goal as the players, so it’s important nal Gazette reported. lines will utilize monopole — The Hoosier Lottery is increase from $797 mil - payout percentage has for us to message,” she Over the life of the lot - structures rather than the seeing record sales and lion in 2017. remained steady in said. tery, almost $14 billion lattice structures that have sending more money Based on sales, players recent years. But its payouts to play - has gone to winners and foul legs. than ever to Indiana’s tax collected about 64% in “We are also trying to ers has not changed $6 billion to the state to “We know a lot of farm - reserves. fiscal year 2019. do better with winner much even as sales reduce license plate fees ers like those because they Data shows that the lot - Sarah Taylor, executive awareness. As sales jumped from about $1 bil - and aid teacher and only have one pole to mow tery, in its 30th year, paid director of the Hoosier increase, so goes the win - lion in 2015 to $1.34 bil - police and fire pensions. around,” Warner said. about $859 million last Lottery, said the lottery ning opportunities to our lion last year, The Jour - See Lottery page 2 See Route page 2 Trump visits troops By JILL COLVIN Associated Press BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — President Don - ald Trump paid a surprise President announces Thanksgiving visit to Afghanistan, where he ongoing peace talks announced the U.S. and the Tal - iban have been engaged in ongoing peace talks and said he believes the Taliban want a cease-fire. he is spending the holiday and national security adviser, Trump arrived at Bagram weekend, early this morning. Trump appeared in good spir - Air Field shortly after 8:30 p.m. As per tradition, reporters its as he was escorted around were under strict instructions the base by heavily armed sol - local time Thursday and spent The Commercial Review/Ray Cooney 3½ hours on the ground during to keep the trip a secret to diers, as the smell of burning his first trip to the site of ensure the president’s safety in fuel and garbage wafted America’s longest war. He the country. About 12,000 U.S. through the chilly air. Unlike served turkey and thanked the forces remain in Afghanistan. last year’s post-Christmas visit Serving students troops, delivered a speech and Traveling with Republican to Iraq — his first to an active Fort Recovery Local Schools superintendent sat down with Afghan Presi - Sen. John Barrasso of combat zone — first lady Mela - Larry Brown passes out pumpkin pie to first and second dent Ashraf Ghani before leav - Wyoming and a small clutch of nia Trump did not make the graders during their Thanksgiving feast Tuesday. ing just after midnight. He aides, including his acting trip. arrived back in Florida, where chief of staff, press secretary See Visits page 5 Deaths Weather In review Coming up Jay County’s temperatures hovered in the 30s on Thanks - giving with a high of 38 Jay County Solid Waste Saturday — A new hard - degrees and a low of 34. Management District will ware store has opened on Har - Michael Chittum , 65, Tonight’s low will also be 34 have recycling trailers avail - rison Street in Portland. Chattanooga, Tennessee with light rain expected. More able from 9 a.m. to noon Satur - Details on page 2. rain is in the forecast for Sat - day in the parking lot at 220 Tuesday — Coverage of urday with temperatures stay - Lincoln St., Portland, and Monday’s Portland City Coun - ing around 40 degrees. Dunkirk City Park. cil meeting. See page 2 for an extended outlook. The Commercial Review Page 2 Local/Indiana Friday, November 29, 2019 Jay Circuit Court Ash borer continues to be an issue By ENRIQUE SAENZ species of pests that prove devastat - been detected in all 92 counties in Cases filed v. George Bryant, civil col - Indiana Environmental Reporter ing to trees in the Midwest, includ - Indiana. NationStar Mortgage lections Colored leaves crackle underfoot ing one of the most invasive species The state of Indiana imposed LLC v. Janice Calhoun, Afena Federal Credit with every step, while chilly air in the country. county-level quarantines that pro - mortgage foreclosure Union v. Curt Greene, civil guides hands to the warmth of The emerald ash borer is a bright hibited the transfer of wood from LVNC Funding LLC v. collections pockets. For some, there is no better metallic green beetle that is smaller infested counties, but soon dropped Lindsy Sain, civil collec - Capital One Bank v. Jen - time to be outdoors than the Fall, than a dime, but has been responsi - them after the beetles’ spread was tions nifer Aschliman, civil col - especially with the added glow of a ble for the destruction of tens of too quick to allow effective enforce - campfire. AmeriHome Mortgage lections millions of ash trees in at least 30 ment. But even a seemingly innocuous Company LLC v.