Montgomery County

4:30 p.m. UPDATE:

Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton says negotiations on the expansion started around the first of the year and seemed all-or-nothing in nature.

Barton says if Crawfordsville hadn’t landed the additional jobs, it was likely the plant would have closed entirely as Penguin Random House streamlines its operation.

The company now has two national distribution centers. The other is in Maryland.

Original story:

Hoping to prevent violent actions like those at the Tippecanoe and Howard County courthouses, Montgomery County officials are trying to expedite security upgrades to their courthouse.

County Commissioner Phil Bane says a judge recently received a phone call threatening his life, leading to discussions about how to make the structure and its inhabitants safer.

The City of Crawfordsville and Montgomery County are working with a developer who wants to acquire the Culver Hospital building, which has been vacant for nearly 30 years.

The city is pledging $150,000 to Sustainable Solutions to buy one of the three parcels that make up the property. The county is helping the nonprofit with the other two parcels, which have issues with back-taxes. The plan is to rehab the building for affordable housing.

The history of Montgomery County is highlighted in the Indiana Archeology journal.

A group from Ball State received a nearly 50-thousand-dollar grant from the Historic Preservation Fund to examine 915-acres of agricultural land northeast of Crawfordsville.

Archeologist Christine Keller says the information offers details on how early inhabitants of the area lived.

A Crawfordsville facility that once housed inmates will now house White Pacific shrimp.

The Montgomery County jail is being converted into a fresh seafood business.

James Leaming and his family now own the property.

He plans to use it for raising and selling the shrimp.

"It is very suitable for raising fish, because of the walls being cement block stand well to humidity, which there is a lot of humidity in raising fish," said Leaming.  "There are a lot of drains, so, I decided that it would make sense."

Montgomery County voters seem satisfied with those representing them on the local level.

Seven county office holders faced a challenge during the Primary. All were able to claim their party's nomination.

County Recorder Kathy Traughber and Clerk Jennifer Bentley won the GOP nomination, both earning more than 60% of the vote.

County Council At-Large members Tom Utley, Michael Plant, and Aaron Morgan earned the three spots on the November ballot over Tracy Budd.

A metal processing company is building a new factory in Crawfordsville.

Herr-Voss Stamco will construct the 20,000 square-foot facility in the Nucor Road Industrial Corridor, southeast of the city.

The company is expecting to employ 25 people in high-wage positions at the location by 2014.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation is offering Herr-Voss Stamco up to 225-thousand dollars in conditional tax credits based on the job creation plans.

Construction of the plant is scheduled to begin this year.