Indiana passes 50% vaccination mark
INDIANAPOLIS â Just over half of Hoosiers age 12 and older are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but northeast Indiana remains behind the curve.
As of Friday, 2.89 million Hoosiers have completed either a two-dose Pfizer of Moderna vaccine or received a single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, putting the state at 50.66% of its eligible population of just over 5.7 million fully vaccinated.
Northeast Indiana, by comparison, still lags the state by a fair margin. The four-county area as a whole is only 36.25% vaccinated, although that regional average is dragged down by the state-worst LaGrange County and Noble County, which is tied for 14th-worst of Indianaâs 92 counties.
ALBION â The Noble County Highway Department is moving away from using inmates from Chain Oâ Lakes Correctional Facility as part of its manpower.
Noble County Highway Department Superintendent Richard Rogers and Engineer Zack Smith addressed the issue with the Noble County Commissioners Monday morning.
Rogers and Smith have adjusted how the highway departmentâs full-time work force is utilized, allowing for more productivity even when the prison crews were available.
âWeâre getting more done,â Rogers told the commissioners.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the highway department hasnât been able to utilize a prison crew for more than a year. The last full year the crews were available, Noble County Highway only had the use of a crew 70 times, Smith said.
ALBION â The 5-mile stretch of Old S.R. 3 from Avilla to LaOtto is going to be getting a much needed facelift in 2026 thanks to federal aid money, the Indiana Department of Transportation and the Noble County Highway Department.
The Indiana Department of Transportation announced Monday that $100.8 million in federal transportation funding is being awarded to 54 cities, towns and counties in rural portions of Indiana to invest in local road and bridge improvements as well as sidewalk and trail projects. Combined with local funds, approximately $124.9 million is being invested in infrastructure in communities receiving funds.
Noble County was awarded $4,587,200 for the Old S.R. 3 project.