Trash

ELKHART -- There were some tense moments for a trash truck driver in Elkhart early Monday morning. According to police, the sanitation worker was emptying a dumpster in the 2700 block of Emerson Drive just after 6 a.m. That's when the worker noticed a person, who was reportedly sleeping in the dumpster, was dumped into the trash truck. Emergency responders were called to the scene to check over the person who was dumped into the truck, but the person reportedly did not suffer any injuries.

ELKHART - The first step in making residents pay for trash collection has been taken in Elkhart. The mayor is proposing the fee to help balance the budget. It would mean residents would pay $11.35 a month, starting in January for trash pickup. The City Council heard the plan on first reading Monday night. A public meeting is now in the works, and the issue could come up for a vote at the next regular council meeting in two weeks. The move is in response to a large drop in property tax revenue in the city.

OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say a baby found in a box in a trash bin at a Kalamazoo-area apartment complex earlier this month has been placed with a foster family and is doing well. The newborn was found by a man hunting for returnable bottles and cans April 14 at Mill Creek Apartment Homes in Oshtemo Township, west of Kalamazoo. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports that investigators this week still were looking for the infant's mother. ___ Information from: Kalamazoo Gazette, http://www.mlive.com/kalamazoo

DETROIT (AP) - An abandoned beagle is receiving medical attention after being found in a urine-soaked trash bag on Detroit's east side. The Michigan Humane Society says Thursday that the 2-year-old dog may have been inside the bag for days and possibly suffered some type of trauma before she was found Wednesday by a person who works in the area. The dog appeared to be in pain when picked up by the Humane Society. It was examined by veterinarians and given painkillers.

BREMEN - More methamphetamine is popping up in our area's waters. CLICK HERE FOR POLICE PHOTOS OF METH TRASH CLEANUP Indiana State Police became aware of the problem after a Marshall County fisherman found several suspicious items floating in the Yellow River near Peach Road and 14 th Road which he believed could be meth trash. The State Police Meth Suppression Section and the Underwater Search Rescue/Recovery Team joined forces to clear the meth from the river.

Starting New Year's Day, it will be illegal in Indiana to discard televisions, computers and certain other electronics for regular trash pickups. The new law taking effect Saturday bans computers, computer monitors, TV sets, printers and computer peripherals (such as keyboards and mice), DVD players, video cassette recorders or fax machines from being incinerated or dumped in landfills. The banned electronics often contain mercury and other hazardous materials that can cause serious pollution concerns if they end up in the landfill.

ELKHART - The city of Elkhart is in for some deep budget cuts, which include keeping police and firefighters at home -  unpaid. Next year's controversial spending plan still has to pass the Common Council, but it looks like these reductions will become a reality. It's a tough reality for that community, which has pitted Mayor Dick Moore against some members of the council. Both say these cuts could've been avoided. The news is just sinking in on Main St. where folks are learning of the mayor's plan to keep some first responders at home unpaid as a way to save money.

A 72-year-old Albion man was killed Friday morning in downtown Nappanee when his car collided head-on with a trash truck. Nappanee Police reported the crash happened in the 100 block of West Market Street just before 9 a.m. It's not know why Marvin Pease drove across the center lane of traffic and collided with the truck, police said. Both Pease and the truck driver were taken to Elkhart General Hospital. The crash is still under investigation, according to a police news release.

ELKHART COUNTY - Owners of the former American Countryside Farmers Market in Elkhart County are moving forward with plans for the site. Elkhart County commissioners voted unanimously on Monday to rezone the property so that Waste-Away Group can use it for trash and recycling operations and office space. The company bought the property along US 20 for more than $3 million dollars in June. Waste-Away hopes to attract other business to the 275-acres site, which it's re-naming "Elkhart Eco Park.