The year in review | News

Gibson County celebrated the return of the Gibson County Fair after COVID-19 canceled the 2020 event, Mayor Greg Wright presented longtime pediatrician Dr. M.S. Krishna the key to the city and the whole county celebrated the accomplishment of Olympic gold medalist Jackie Young. Here’s a look at the headlines of the third quarter of 2021.

JULYJuly 2 — The steering committee for the new Gibson County Corrections Center project voted 3-0 to recommend Garmong Construction Services as the construction management company for the project, pending negotiation on the firm’s fee.

Steering committee members are Gibson County Council President Jeremy Overton, Gibson County Board of Commissioners President Warren Fleetwood and Gibson County Attorney Jason Spindler.

The recommended plan is to build a new 200 bed jail on the existing property downtown. Sanders said seeking a property setback variance might be a good idea, although not a necessity, for the property bordering on East Emerson and North Prince Streets.

RQAW architects are working on preliminary designs for the facility, with the goal of hitting a mid-2023 jail opening deadline set in a federal lawsuit settlement.

July 6 — Princeton Mayor Greg Wright proclaimed Saturday as Dr. M.S. Krishna Day and presented him with a key to the city after making note of his contributions to the community outside of his practice. “We are so blessed as a community to have people like Dr. Krishna,” he said.

As a county health officer, he helped establish the Women Infants and Children (WIC) in Gibson County, and helped launch a community medical clinic in Wabash County, Illinois and Tulip Tree Family Medical Clinic in Gibson County.

He was also instrumental in launching a newborn nursery at Gibson General Hospital until it was phased out. He was the team physician for area schools for several years, giving free physicals to student athletes. He also helped begin an athletic trainers program.

July 8 — A mistrial was declared after jury deliberations ended without agreement in the case against Gibson County Clerk James Morrow.

Morrow, 56, was charged with one level 6 felony count of pointing a firearm at another person, and two level 6 felony counts of criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon.

The charges stemmed from an incident April 30, 2019, outside of the Sam Mart convenience store where Morrow was accused of pulling a 9 mm pistol and pointing it at Andrew Ellis during a verbal altercation.

The jury was deadlocked 3-3. The mistrial leaves the option of having the case retried at a future date.

July 9 — Princeton Common Council will consider a request for sponsorship funding toward a new program aimed at building entrepreneurial skills for high school students around the county.

Rick Coleman made the request after sharing information about the Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities program being developed for all three high schools.

Students will create a single business as a class business in the first semester, and in second semester each student will create their own business.

Coleman said they initially needed to raise $35,000 to start, and this came from Toyota, United Way and Gibson County Community Foundation. They hope to get 35 to 50 investors.

July 13 — Princeton Common Council member Bill Tuley announced he intends to make a bid for the Gibson County Commissioner district 1 seat held by incumbent Mary Key in the Republican primary.

July 14 — Gibson County Redevelopment Commission approved Gibson County Commissioners’ request for use of up to $200,000 in Patoka-Union Township Tax Increment Finance District revenue to pay for repairs of Tulip Tree Drive and some other county feeder roads.

Tulip Tree Drive was constructed by the county in 1996 as the perimeter road around the Toyota property. The project was originally financed with estimated $1.2 million annual payments made from the county’s share of a newly created Economic Development Income Tax.

July 14 — East Gibson school trustees took time Monday to recognize recently graduated golfer Paxton Schwomeyer.

Schwomeyer is the first Wood Memorial High School golfer to go to state after shooting a 76 to earn a third-place finish at the Vincennes sectional and shooting a 73 at the state regional in Washington, qualifying him for the IHSAA State Golf Tournament finals in Carmel.

July 15 — Teachers in the East Gibson School Corporation have concerns about the retention of both students and teachers.

EGSC Classroom Teacher’s Association President Teresa Barton presented those concerns to the school board this week.

Barton highlighted the good things in the corporation, including supportive administration and teachers who volunteer to take on extra work. “The positives are unbelievable,” Barton said.

Teacher pay was the first concern Barton presented, noting the corporation starting pay is about $35,000. “If you look at all the different corporations, that’s well below most of the other corporations,” she said.

July 16 — The final hurdle for financing the Toyota Indiana YMCA in Princeton was met, with Gibson County Council’s approval of a $13.2 million economic development bond.

The bond, said Gibson County YMCA board member Jim McDonald, is a funding mechanism that does not add to the county’s budget.

Gibson County Redevelopment Commission earlier approved use of $13.2 million in tax increment finance revenue from the Patoka-Union Township Redevelopment District. The TIF money is revenue captured from property taxes paid by landowners within the TIF district (mainly Toyota).

Because the full $13.2 million won’t be available at once, the economic development bonds will fund the project and will be repaid with TIF revenue when it is collected.

McDonald said the bond is actually a forgivable loan that comes from the proceeds of the TIF district in annual installments, with the agreement that the $13.2 million will be used at the YMCA facility on the former Lowell school property in Princeton. The funding will be used for expansion, renovation and construction of a gym and pool and other amenities.

The local YMCA project also has about $1.7 million in private donations (including a $1 million starter donation from Toyota Indiana).

July 22 — The special prosecutor appointed in a weapons case against Gibson County Clerk Jim Morrow that ended with a hung jury dropped the charge against Morrow.

The trial jury reported July 7, following two days of testimony, that it could not reach a verdict, and Special Judge Jill Marcrum declared a hung jury, discharging them from the case.

Morrow, 56, was originally charged in connection with an April 30, 2019 incident outside the Sam Mart convenience store on North Main in Princeton. Police accused him of pulling a 9 mm pistol and pointing it at Andrew Ellis during an argument.

July 22 — Gibson County Commissioners agreed to send four requests for use of tax increment finance revenue to the Gibson County Redevelopment Commission for consideration.

They unanimously endorsed Fort Branch-Johnson Township Library’s proposed $2.62 million expansion project, Owensville-Montgomery Township Carnegie Library’s proposed $865,000 expansion project and Gibson County Council on Aging’s $44,950 proposed parking lot paving project.

They also voted 3-1, with Mary Key dissenting, to endorse the Town of Fort Branch’s request for use of up to $6.5 million to make improvements to its waste-water treatment system.

July 27 — An Owensville woman died from injury when her sport utility vehicle was hit by a semi tractor trailer on Ind. 168 at the intersection of County Road 225 West.

Linda L. Folsom, 62, Owensville, died from injury sustained when a 2018 white Western Star 4700 commercial truck went left of center and struck her eastbound blue 2008 Toyota Highlander. The Highlander went into the ditch and rolled on its side.

July 28 — Two Oakland City University graduates are part of the team planting a new Bethany Christian Church campus in Princeton this fall.

Princeton campus pastor Josh Brown said the new church is planted through Bethany Christian Church’s campuses in Washington and Vincennes. Trey Novak, a fellow OCU grad, is the worship leader for the Princeton church.

A spokesman at Showplace Cinemas in Princeton confirmed the church is renting the facility on Sundays, but the theater remains open for movies.

July 29 — Jackie Young gave Princeton yet another reason to celebrate as the community welcomed the gold medalist Olympian home with a parade through town.

The 2016 Princeton Community High School graduate made a whirlwind trip to Tokyo after her vacation was interrupted with a call to join the USA women’s 3×3 Olympic basketball team, taking the place of team member Katie Lou Samuelson, who tested positive for COVID-19.

Young, who previously played for the USA 3×3 team during her NBA off-season, stepped into her new role and as the USA team’s chances of claiming a medal solidified, the Young family invited fans to join them for an early morning viewing party at Princeton Theatre and Community Center.

Interviewed after the win and informed that there were 140 people in Princeton watching her in the early morning hours, Young smiled. “It’s just crazy how much they have supported me,” she said, making note of the high school team’s state championship, the fans who followed her in her Notre Dame career, those who celebrated her first-round pick in the NBA draft and traveled to Las Vegas or Indianapolis to cheer her on with the Las Vegas Aces. “You guys mean the world to me,” she said to fans, “I’ll see you all soon.”

July 30 — Princeton Mayor Greg Wright was so pleased with the prospect of more housing availability here that he put a little too much elbow into his ceremonial shovel, bending it during a groundbreaking for Circle Point Villas.

Reinbrecht Homes is developing the subdivision just south of the roundabout on the west side of Second Avenue. REMAX Midwest owner Tim Mason said more than 100 freestanding townhomes are planned for the acreage, making it the largest subdivision in the county.

AUGUSTAug. 4 — Princeton Common Council members unanimously adopted a statement that stipulates changes in how overtime pay will be calculated for Princeton Fire Territory employees.

The statement makes note that overtime has been calculated and paid incorrectly to firefighters, and in order to be in compliance, the overtime will be calculated pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The statement specifies that sick days and vacation days will not be counted as days worked, for overtime and bonus calculations, and specifies that overtime is calculated after 212 hours worked in a 28-day cycle. Call-back hours are not included in that calculation because firefighters are paid time and a half, by agreement, and can’t be counted twice.

The statement also specifies that shift trades must happen within the same 28 day cycle, and will not be allowed if additional overtime cost is incurred by the fire district, and should not affect operations or shift coverage. Shift trades must be approved by the fire chief or his designee, the statement stipulates.

Further, the statement says that any previous grievances filed pertaining to overtime pay calculation will be paid.

Aug. 4 — Two resolutions declaring creation of new tax increment finance districts along portions of Princeton’s South 2nd Avenue corridor were adopted unanimously by Princeton Common Council members.

The TIF districts are being formed to capture some of the property taxes paid in the 260 acres recently annexed by the city to help pay for infrastructure development.

One TIF district is focused on the 39 acres of property designated for development of Circle Pointe Villas subdivision, which could bring more than 100 new free-standing town homes to that area.

The remaining acreage would be a TIF district for commercial development. Council members have discussed building a connector road from 2nd Avenue to Richland Creek Drive, and adding sidewalks and other infrastructure in the area.

The council also voted to advertise a re-appropriation of $285,000 in unused Stellar Communities grant funds for projects downtown and at Lafayette Park.

Mayor Greg Wright said about $200,000 could be appropriated to develop some of the former Lowell school property donated for use by the YMCA as parking space between Princeton Theatre and the YMCA. Wright said the project will benefit the YMCA, the theater and the Knights of Columbus.

Aug. 5 — The county ambulance service is a long-term tenant of the building just north of Deaconess Gibson Hospital, but commissioners approved a short-term lease renewal with the hospital, hoping to move Gibson County Emergency Medical Services base to another property.

County Attorney Jason Spindler said the new lease goes to Jan. 27, 2022, with annual rent of $12,500, payable in monthly installments

Commissioners and EMS Director David Pond have discussed making a new ambulance base part of future construction projects.

Aug. 5 — Indiana Conservation Officers continue investigation of the death of a child pulled from the Princeton Aquatic Center pool during a private party. Princeton Parks and Recreation Director Brent Denbo closed the pool for the season.

Aug. 10 — South Gibson School Corporation begins a new school year with a new visitor management system at Owensville, Haubstadt and Fort Branch Community Schools and Gibson Southern High School.

The system scans a visitor’s driver’s license and cross references the information that legal guardians of the student provide at the beginning of the school year.

It also cross-references the sex offender registry data base to ensure that a visitor is not in violation of their probation. Once all information is cleared, a badge will be printed for the visitor if they are leaving the front office to move elsewhere throughout the building.

Visitors should bring in their driver’s license or state issued ID. The first time using the system will take a couple of minutes, but after that, the information will already be in the system.

Aug. 11 — A steering committee charged with making recommendations to Gibson County Commissioners for a new Gibson County Correctional Center is still working out a site plan.

County Council President Jeremy Overton told the Gibson County Council that after consulting with bond counsel, he thinks the county can issue bonds of up to $20.4 million, repaid with revenue from the jail tax, with payments starting in 2024. In the interim, the county would collect another $4 million in jail tax revenue, which could make about $24.6 million available to the project.

Overton said he had originally hoped to build the jail with 80% of that revenue and retain 20% of the revenue for ongoing maintenance, but he believes the project will probably require about $25 million.

Aug. 11 — Gibson County Redevelopment Commission unanimously funded the Fort Branch Teen Center’s $4.03 million request for use of tax increment finance revenue for a major renovation and expansion of the facility.

The old Fort Branch school gym, donated to a non-profit volunteer organization by South Gibson School Corporation, is used for community events, rentals, gym classes, recreation league basketball and for the Fifth Quarter teen activities.

Aug. 11 — Sheriff Tim Bottoms has seven openings at the Gibson County Jail, ambulance service director David Pond is looking for pay increases to keep paramedics — and Gibson County Health Department Nurse Administrator Diane Hornby offered her job to a nurse as a way to retain professional help at the health department.

Filling positions and keeping good employees is a problem for those county departments. Hornby asked permission of Gibson County Council members to increase the pay of a specimen collector from the $15 hourly clerical rate to $20 for the certified collector rate. The collector conducts the COVID-19 testing swabs, she explained.

A COVID-19 grant will pay for the staffing of the testing site. Hornby said she also needs a clerical assistant for the operation.

Aug. 12 — North Gibson school trustees may buy a 7.94-acre parcel of land near the high school tennis courts and football field.

The school board voted 4-1 to authorize school board president Joe Williams and Superintendent Brian Harmon to pursue the purchase for possible future school use.

No purchase amount was specified, but a full board vote is required to approve any proposed purchase agreement.

Aug. 14 — A Petersburg woman serving a 45-year prison sentence in connection with the 2018 shooting death of Samuel Bethe of Buckskin has filed a petition for post-conviction relief.

Ashley Robling pleaded guilty to murder last summer, and was

sentenced in Gibson Superior Court July 23, 2020 to 50 years in prison with five years suspended to probation.

According to court records, as a part of her plea deal, Robling waived her right to appeal her conviction and waived her right to appeal her sentence. She received credit for time served prior to the July sentencing date. As a part of the plea deal, the prosecution agreed to dismiss a request for life sentence without parole.

Robling, who is incarcerated at the Rockville Correctional Facility, wrote Judge Robert Krieg a letter seeking modification of her sentence Aug. 2, and the request was denied. She followed up with a petition for post-conviction relief, filed Aug. 11.

Her petition alleges “ineffective assistance of counsel” and “misconduct of judge.”

Aug. 18 — Princeton Fire Territory trustees voted unanimously to install a Safe Haven Baby Box at the Princeton fire station. The program requires a $10,000 donation for construction of the box and $5,000 for installation.

PFT Firefighter Keith Sander reported a $15,000 anonymous donation has been received for the project, which would allow babies to be safely deposited in the box at the fire station.

Princeton’s Board of Public Works and Safety also approved the construction, since the box would be installed on the city-owned Princeton fire station.

Aug. 19 — Gibson County Commissioners unanimously approved Tenaska Corporation’s permit application for the Elliott Solar project in eastern Gibson County.

About 1,600 acres are under lease for the $170 million project to develop a 200 megawatt solar farm south of Francisco in Center, Barton and a portion of Columbia townships. The life cycle of the project is about 35 years, with capacity to produce enough power for 35,000 homes per year.

Spokesman Rick Reed said construction could start in 2022 and it could be operational in 2023.

In addition to the $170 million construction investment, Reed noted the company will pay about $22.6 million in annual property taxes, and about half of that revenue will benefit East Gibson government units. He said Tenaska will make more than $60 million in lease/easement payments to landowners.

The construction will create about 300 jobs, and once the project is completed, about 11 full time jobs will be created for operations/maintenance.

Aug. 18 — Retired Gibson County Sheriff George Ballard will serve as the owner representative in Gibson County’s new jail construction project.

Gibson County Commissioners unanimously appointed Ballard to the position at a rate of $75 per hour, pending approval of that rate by the Gibson County Council.

Consultant Byron Sanders recently resigned from the project.

Aug. 18 — Gibson County Tourism, Inc., Gibson County Chamber of Commerce and Gibson County Economic Development Corporation are exploring ways to create unified branding for Gibson County.

Executive Director Eric Heidenreich noted that he and Patty Vanoven of the chamber and Tami Muckerheide of GCEDC have met with Perry County officials who combined sources to create the common brand of “Pick Perry.”

Unified branding could include one website shared by the local organizations in a one-stop location to promote the county.

Heidenreich said the agencies would still operate independently of one another, but work cooperatively to promote the county.

Aug. 19 — An Olney, Illinois man died at the scene of an accident on U.S. 41 at County Road 100 West. Bert A. Marvel, 79, Olney, a passenger in a 2004 Ford F150 pickup, died from injuries when he was trapped in the vehicle.

Jennifer L. Smashey, 54, Olney, was driving the pickup northbound on U.S. 41 behind a 2002 Sterling commercial truck operated by Steven W. Couts, 60, Oakland City.

Couts accelerated at a low rate of speed in the right lane of the highway from the traffic signal at CR100 West, and Smashey was traveling at a higher rate of speed in that lane, according to the report, when she hit the back of the commercial truck with the front right side of the pickup.

Aug. 19 — A $150,000 donation from Toyota Indiana will fund stabilization and renovation work on the former Greek’s Candy Store building.

Toyota Indiana Vice President of Manufacturing Tim Hollander made the announcement at an event in front of the historic building at the corner of Hart and State Streets.

Princeton Mayor Greg Wright, who is also the Gibson County Historian, said the building was constructed in the 1880s, and while a devastating fire demolished many buildings on the west side of the square in 1893, the building remained standing. Over the years it served as a bank, drug store, and the upper floor once served as a meeting site for the YMCA.

Greek’s opened in Princeton 115 years ago on the northwest corner of downtown Princeton’s square, owned and operated by the Andriakos family. It was ordered closed in 2012 by the health department, and purchased that year by entrepreneur Kyle Johnson, who hoped to find a buyer that would reopen it as a restaurant with the Greek’s name.

Downtown Princeton Inc. received possession of the building earlier this year, and with donations and fundraising, plans to start construction on the main floor and a back patio.

Aug. 21 — Princeton Fire Territory trustees unanimously appointed Nick Medler as the new chief of the fire district.

Medler, a 16-year member of the fire department, succeeds Mike Pflug, who returns to the rank of lieutenant on the department after serving as chief for 10 years.

Medler becomes the third chief of the merged Patoka Township and Princeton fire departments. Tim Speedy was named the first chief of the newly created Princeton Fire Territory, and Pflug succeeded Speedy in the post. Speedy recently retired from the department this summer.

Aug. 25 — Gibson County is among the half of Indiana’s counties which lost population over the past decade, according to a study of U.S. Census data by the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

According to Census data Gibson County’s population declined from 33,503 in 2010 to 33,011 in 2020.

The 2020 Census numbers determine federal funding for schools, infrastructure, housing and public health for the next decade.

The data reports Princeton’s population shifted from 8,664 in 2010 to 8,301 in 2020; Patoka from 735 to 706; Oakland City from 2,429 to 2,279; Somerville from 293 to 253; Mackey from 106 to 131 and Hazleton from 263 to 194.

Francisco population increased from 469 to 545; Fort Branch from 2,771 to 2,965; Haubstadt from 1,577 to 1,638; Owensville from 1,284 to 1,338, according to data.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 9 — Gibson County Commissioners voted to send a letter with a purchase offer to the owner of property on the northwest corner of Brumfield and Main for future jail expansion.

It’s part of the county’s effort to comply with a federal court settlement ordering the county to operate a jail that is not overcrowded and understaffed, by June 30, 2023.

Commissioners didn’t specify the amount of the offer for the property at 106 East Brumfield Avenue, but said it has been appraised. The county council must also approve the offer before it is made.

Commissioners also agreed to advertise for bids to demolish the former Good Samaritan clinic property just north of the jail, which is already owned by the county.

Acquiring the 106 East Brumfield ground would give the county ownership of that full block, making room for jail expansion at that site.

Sept. 8 — The developer of the Fort Branch Train Station apartment complex plans a new apartment complex in Princeton along South Second Avenue.

Wayne Kinney told Princeton’s Common Council Tuesday evening that he’s proposing a 144-unit complex on 23 acres of property in the northwest corner of the 2nd Avenue roundabout.

He asked the council to rezone the property, and the council tabled action to allow the proper timeline for the issue to be considered by the Princeton Plan Commission.

Sept. 11 — On the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Gibson Countians offered reflections of their experience that day.

Sept. 9 — Oakland City is among seven Indiana communities awarded grant funding from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs to develop a specific plan to implement community and economic development projects.

The city received a $50,000 grant for its comprehensive plan updates. The city submitted a grant application for $50,000, with $7,000 in local matching money to come from city EDIT funds. The grant covers the cost of hiring a consultant. The city’s matching funds cover the cost of grant administration.

Sept. 10 — Francisco, White River Township and Hazleton are among 25 rural communities in the state sharing in $12.8 million in federal grants awarded through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.

The Town of Francisco is awarded $75,000 for the demolition and clearance of the abandoned, deteriorated former “IOOF” building on Ind. 64 in Francisco.

White River Township is awarded $100,000 for the demolition of the Old Patoka School, at 200 S. Main St. The project includes complete demolition of the building and the remediation of any needed environmental abatement.

The Town of Hazleton is awarded $700,000 to provide upgrades and improvements to its water filtration system.

Sept. 16 — Oakland City Mayor Jim Deffendall reported progress on the Wirth Park bike trail, suggesting the city help with the projected $20,000 cost to complete the trail.

Oakland City University donated $5,000. The council unanimously agreed to donate $10,000 toward the work, which has already begun.

Sept. 17 — A steering committee formed to explore how to use Gibson County’s $6.5 million in American Recovery Plan funds heard proposals for several big projects: a new ambulance base, I-69 sewer/water/broadband infrastructure, a branding campaign for the county, a youth entrepreneurship program, infrastructure for new subdivision and infrastructure for proposed business expansion.

Sept. 17 — Gibson County Visitors and Tourism board members voted to pay half of the $2,720 cost for research into Gibson County’s role in the Underground Railroad as part of the National parks Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom

In 2019, Dr. Anna-Lisa Cox successfully researched and applied for official designation for two sites in Gibson County. With that approval, a third site telling the story of Gibson County’s role in the Underground Railroad can be designated.

Cox wrote to Lyles Station Historic Preservation Corporation’s board about the historic Black community as an ideal candidate for the designation. Stanley Madison, founder of Lyles Station Historic School and Museum, and board president of the tourism board, brought the proposal to the tourism commission, noting that Lyles Station will pay half the cost. The board approved the funding for the rest of the expense.

Sept. 17 — After a grant application for the Town of Fort Branch’s sewer project was denied, town council members discussed their next steps.

The town previously asked for use of Patoka-Union Township Tax Increment Finance District revenue, and sent a letter to the Gibson County steering committee overseeing use of how the county’s $6.5 million in American Recovery Plan grant revenue, seeking financial assistance for the project.

Sept. 19 — Ricky J. White Jr., 44, Princeton, was sentenced in Gibson Circuit Court to 28 years in state prison, and ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

White took a plea deal, admitting to a level 1 felony count of child molesting and a level 4 felony count of child molesting in the case that was filed in January.

He was originally charged with those two counts as well as a level felony 3 charge of rape, level 4 felony charge of incest and a second level 1 felony count of child molesting, according to court records. Those charges were dismissed in the plea agreement.

The case stems from a report to the Princeton Police department asking to assist the Department of Child Services regarding a sex abuse case Jan. 2.

Sept. 22 — Princeton’s $8.4 million wastewater treatment plant rehab project is about 70% complete, on track for substantial completion by Valentine’s Day, 2022.

Sept. 22 — In testimony before a Senate panel, Toyota Indiana Plant President Leah Curry stressed the auto industry’s need for more skilled talent and greater private sector participation in developing the nation’s workforce development system.

Curry highlighted Toyota’s $3.5 million investment since 2010 in 184 K-12 schools in Indiana and across the country to implement “Project Lead the Way” programs that give students more STEM education and career pathways. She noted the partnership with local schools called the 4T Academy, which is designed to connect upper-level high school students with career opportunities in advanced manufacturing.

Sept. 24 — Lyles Station Historic Preservation Corp. and Wayman Chapel A.M.E. Church are among 11 sites significant to Indiana’s African American history that are receiving restoration and rehabilitation assistance through a fund established by late Eli Lilly chemist and preservation champion Standiford “Stan” Cox.

Lyles Station Historic Preservation Corp. Inc. receives $25,000 to continue rehabilitation of the Joseph Lucas Home for use as an interpretive center, while Wayman Chapel A.M.E. Church, receives $15,000 for critical repairs to the foundation and sanctuary ceiling of the 1887 church.

Sept. 24 — COVID-19 and ongoing challenges with the supply chain prompted Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana to schedule a planned production suspension.

“Toyota will continue to face shortages that will affect production at most of our North American plants,” said plant spokesman Stacy Carr. “Our manufacturing and supply chain teams are working diligently to minimize the impact on production. Though the situation remains fluid, in North America, we are projecting a reduction of approximately 60,000 to 80,000 vehicles in October. As a result, Toyota Indiana will have some planned downtime. We will suspend production on Friday, Sept. 24,” she said.