Jennings County's Granny Punkbuster

07/16/2025

I just read about young Trent Barger’s pickle with the Jennings County Area Plan folks, and mercy, ain’t that a barrel of baloney!

The poor fella’s been wrung through the wringer over a property he don’t even own, all ‘cause somebody at the office can’t be bothered to check an address proper before sendin’ out their fancy violation letters. Three times now! THREE. That’s three times too many if you ask me.

They’re waggin’ fingers about junk and clutter, but the only clutter I see is in their paperwork. Trent’s over here bustin’ his britches tryin’ to keep up with their mistakes while they sit comfy behind a desk, scribblin’ out citations like it’s bingo night at the church hall.

What’s worse, he even knows the real owner and offered to help sort it, now that’s character, folks. Meanwhile, the commission’s out here makin’ themselves look like they couldn’t organize a one-horse parade.

Jennings County, if you’re listenin’: pull up your socks, check your facts and quit pokin’ at hardworkin’ folks who got enough on their plates.

07/15/2025

River Valley Legal Aid is throwin’ a free walk-in legal clinic today over at the Jennings County Public Library on Highway 3 in North Vernon. They’ll be there from 3 to 5 p.m.

Folks can mosey on in and get no-cost advice on things like adoptions, family squabbles (think child support tweaks, custody tangles, divorces, parenting schedules, guardianships), landlord-tenant ruckuses (slum-lord shenanigans, evictions, livability fusses), powers of attorney, protective orders, simple wills and small estates.

But fair warning, if you come askin’ about criminal law, they ain’t touchin’ that with a ten-foot pole.

07/14/2025

City Council Meeting - July 14th

Sure can't wait to see the memoranda. There has to be quite a few for each meeting as quickly as they get through them with such little discussion.

https://www.youtube.com/live/OxQOaF-hx_4?si=Gg_1MFiYKTxm44XX

07/14/2025

And that right there’s why I can't stand county minutes. Either they're disappearing and reappearing edited or taking twenty-seven years of draggin’ their heels to tweak an ordinance that’s just playin’ catch-up with what the state’s been hollerin’ for since ’97.

07/13/2025

Well now, pull up a chair, honey.

Up in Mississauga, Ontario, there’s an outfit called Elton Manufacturing, they’re the folks makin’ weatherstripping and window doodads. Ran outta elbow room back home, so they packed their ambitions south and scooped up Decatur Plastic Products, a tidy injection-molding firm down in North Vernon, Indiana.

But here’s the thing: Decatur ain’t some backwoods shack, and they weren’t makin’ weatherstripping. They were crankin’ out automotive interior parts, think injection-molded components, flock coating, assembly, sharp as a tack in that niche.

The place had already brought in robots since 2020, aiming to shift grunt work over to tech roles. But let’s not romanticize it: before Elton ever came knocking, Decatur was busy trimming its most senior, experienced folks, cutting payroll to look leaner and juicier on paper. A WARN notice showed 75 layoffs at their Alabama plant (Acquired in 2018) back in 2022 and local employees in Indiana painted a picture of micromanagement and skilled labor shoved under the axe.

Elton didn’t just scoop up machines, they grabbed what was left of the people. They slid Decatur’s former VP, Gary Riley Jr., into the driver’s seat as president of what’s now called Elton USA. Publicly, it’s all smiles and “no big ol’ layoffs,” but come on, that’s corporate PR, not a crystal ball. When a company talks “fancier tech” and “higher-skill roles,” it’s usually got one eye on efficiency… and the other on the payroll sheet.

For the locals? So far, there's promises of training, upgrades, and familiar faces in charge. But don’t hang up the “Mission Accomplished” banner just yet. With Canadian cash flowing in and corporate goals at play, the North Vernon plant’s bound to hum louder, the real question is: will it hum for the community or just for the bottom line?

Keep an eye out for this to be updated.. Original was based off info provided in an article that was more fluff than informative.

07/13/2025

Well now, let me spin ya a yarn ‘bout ol’ Matt, sittin’ there with his britches in a bunch over Granny’s “Subscribe” button.

“Oh, I knew you’d make folks subscribe eventually,” he huffs, arms crossed like a toddler denied his juice box. But here’s the kicker, darlin’, ain’t nobody made to do nothin’ round here. Ain’t no paywall, no “click here or be banished,” no sleight of hand. You see what you see, same as always.

Granny, bless her creaky bones, keeps this whole show rollin’ for free. Tools ain’t cheap, time sure as spit ain’t, but she still spins tales for any drifter passin’ through. The subscribe bit? Why, that’s just a tip jar with a wink, toss in a coin if you fancy, and Granny’ll slip you a couple extra fireside whispers, maybe a saucy little fictional story you wouldn’t catch otherwise.

It’s all voluntary, sugar. Like tossin’ a dollar in the hat for the street fiddler, not payin’ cover at the door. Ain’t nothin’ to cry about, Matt. Dry them tears and sip some lemonade. Granny ain’t takin’ nothin’ from you, just offerin’ a little more to those who wanna toss a log on the ol’ story fire.

Now hush up and let Granny get back to spinnin’.

07/13/2025

Had a couple messages and family ask about this after seeing a post. So I figured I'd clear up some confusions.

POST IN QUESTION, MOSTLY ACCURATE: As of July 1, 2025, under Indiana’s SEA 482, all absences count toward the school’s total tally, even excused ones

like:
Illness
Doctor visits
Family emergencies
Religious holidays
Sent home by the school nurse for fever or vomiting

So yep, even with a doctor’s note, it still goes on the books.

Once your kid hits 5 absences in 10 weeks (excused or not), the school has to:

Notify you
Schedule a meeting
Set up an “attendance intervention plan”

BUT here’s the key:

At 10 unexcused absences, that’s when the law calls them a habitual truant and that’s when the school has to report it to juvenile court or the prosecutor. That’s where legal trouble can come knocking for parents, too.

AND FOR STUDENT DRIVERS:
If your kid is 15–17 years old and hits that “habitual truant” label (10+ unexcused days), the Bureau of Motor Vehicles can:

Deny them a learner’s permit or driver’s license

Suspend their existing license (minimum 120 days, or until age 18, unless they clean up their attendance and the principal signs off)

So, bottom line, even if absences are excused, they still count toward the school’s tracking and after enough, you’ll be called in for meetings. But the big legal hammers, juvenile court referrals and license yanks. That only swings when the absences are UNEXCUSED.

Granny’s advice? Keep a little notebook, save every doctor’s note, and don’t be shy about callin’ the school to stay ahead of this mess. Better to show up with a stack of notes than have the state show up on your porch.

07/13/2025

Here’s a peek at the kind of rollickin’ tales with that lil’ blue badge! Granny with a crossbow, drones buzzin’, robots stompin’, it’s all part of this odd little ride. Sit a spell, and listen.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harlow Bend wasn’t even a dot on most maps, just soybeans, silos, and Sunday sermons. But when the state funded a “rural revitalization” project, well, folks thought their ship had come in. A fancy smart grid to keep the lights humming, a local AI to run the BendWorks factory smooth as butter, and a state-of-the-art comm tower that promised everything from weather alerts to Grandma’s bingo scores in real time.

For a while, it was magic. Farms ran leaner, the factory cranked out parts for half the Midwest, and the townsfolk got mighty proud of their shiny new tech. They called it “Harlow 2.0.” Folks bragged they were the Silicon Valley of the soy fields.

But no one asked what might happen if the whole thing hiccupped.

And hiccup it did..... more like a full-on coronary really.

One July evening, just as the sun dripped down behind the water tower, the grid flickered. First came the brownouts, then the full-out blackouts. But it wasn’t just the power, the AI at BendWorks spat bad code like a rabid raccoon, sending assembly bots into frenzies. Farmer rigs locked into plow mode and tore through fences, drones dive-bombed the town square and phones? Nothin’ but a death rattle of static.

By midnight, it was pure bedlam. The fire department’s automated pumps froze. The sheriff’s cruiser locked him in like a steel coffin. Machines that had been the town’s pride turned........................

That's all she wrote... or was it?

07/12/2025

Oh no, look what they gone and didded, slapped a Subscribe button on Granny!

Now don’t get it twisted, she ain’t askin’ for nothin’, but there it sits, all shiny and blue, like a little badge sayin’, “Hey, you’re somethin’ worth stickin’ ‘round for.” Maybe you get a few extra tales, maybe a peek behind the curtain with unused thingmajigs', but it ain’t much, just enough to help keep the porch light tools paid and the kettle warm.

Granny’s still the same, humble as ever, just with a few more folks pullin’ up a chair to listen.

07/12/2025

Well, well, look at that heap. Ain’t it somethin’?

Funny how little scraps can clog up a place, all weepin’ and wailin’ like they didn’t see it comin’. Granny’s smilin’ like a fox in the henhouse, broom in hand, light as a feather.

And me? I’m sittin’ here wonderin’ if the storm drains are ready for what’s rollin’ in come dawn.

07/11/2025

As of July 1, 2025, Indiana law (IC 5‑14‑1.5‑2.9, as amended by HEA 1167-2023 and HEA 1306-2024) mandates that all “governing bodies” of cities, towns, counties, elected school boards and any board that meets in those same rooms must:

🟈Live-stream public meetings online.
🟈Record and archive those meetings.
🟈Provide public access to recordings, agendas, minutes and any memoranda.
🟈Retain archives for a minimum of 90 days.

Memoranda = internal notes, staff memos, legal clarifications or anything else that explains why they did what they did or what they’re supposed to do next.

For example, if the board lawyer sends a written summary of how a law applies to a vote they took, that’s a memorandum.
If a department head writes a summary after the meeting about what actions to take, that’s a memorandum.

It’s not just “meeting minutes” it’s the behind-the-scenes paper trail they’re obligated to cough up.

North Vernon Utility Board. July 7th meeting video.
Memoranda - No where to be seen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bS7REUv8Rw

I ain’t seein’ hide nor hair of the July 1st North Vernon Parks and Recreation livestream or video. No agenda or memoranda for the public to peek at either.

07/10/2025

https://www.change.org/p/demand-the-city-of-north-vernon-withdraw-from-frivilous-lawsuit-against-private-citizens

Demand the City of North Vernon Withdraw From Frivilous Lawsuit Against Private Citizens