WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — While West Lafayette does not have a set of strict rules for trick or treating, they are offering guidelines that the West Lafayette Police Department encourages the public to observe this Halloween (Saturday, Oct 31).

• Children under the age of 12 should be accompanied by an adult.
• Carry a flashlight
• Cross the street with care
• Consider wearing reflective clothing
• Complete trick or treating prior to 9pm.
• No one should be out after dark alone.

Drivers should be cautious, especially in residential areas and at dusk when visibility is diminished. Remember, in the excitement (and sugar rush) of the moment, children often forget to hold hands or look both ways before crossing the street.

For further questions contact the West Lafayette Police at 765-775-5200.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Paintings, glass work, jewelry, photography and pottery by 35 artists from eight counties will fill West Lafayette’s Tapawingo Park on Sunday, September 20, from 10:00a to 4:00p for the fourth annual “Art on the Wabash, a Local Artists’ Fair.”

Kathleen Kitch, who works primarily with kiln-formed (fused) glass, is one of the Greater Lafayette artists whose work will be featured at Art on the Wabash.

The public is invited and admission is free, with free parking available in the Wabash Landing parking garage for those attending the fair. The artists will be on hand to talk about their art; some will demonstrate their work.

Purdue University Galleries will bring its ArtCart, offering free, hands-on art activities to those attending.

“This fair showcases the unique creativity and diverse talents of artists from this area, and gives residents and visitors an opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind artwork,” said Beverly Shaw, Art on the Wabash committee chair. “It’s also inspiring and interesting to browse the art and enjoy a day in the park.”

Artists from a 15-county area were invited to apply for the fair. Those who will participate were chosen in a juried process by Indiana artist Kathleen Dugan of Noblesville, an assistant professor of art and design at Anderson University. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University’s School of Fine Arts and master’s of fine arts from Yale University.

The 4th annual Art on the Wabash will be held at West Lafayette’s Tapawingo Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, September 20, 2009.

Participating artists include:

• Glass: Kathleen Kitch, Sharon Owens, Beverly Skinner
• Jewelry: Carolyn Cason, Linda Elmore, Caroline Erdahl, Cheryl Hart, Lisa Hopkins, Rebecca Minniear-Schneidt, Joanne Kuhn Titolo, Lisa Walsh
• Mixed Media: Thomas Billeaux, Terri Duncan, CJ Fang, Sara Vanderkleed
• Painting: Michael Altman, Rebecca Brody, Rena Brouwer, Shirley Chapman, Kathryn Clark, Sandra Daniel, Alice Harpel, LaDonna Vohar
• Pottery: Lynne Corrigan, Mary Thomas Firestone, Scott Frankenberger, Christine Heisler, Gail Johnston, Linda LeMar, Rachael Schatko, Roberta Schonemann
• Other: Philip Conlon, boxes; Al Knight, photography; Rhonda Mitchell, pen-and-ink; Deb Remsburg, gourd art

The fair is presented by the City of West Lafayette and West Lafayette Parks & Recreation Department with assistance from Tippecanoe Arts Federation and sponsorship funding from KitchenArt, The Store for Cooks.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Indiana American Water employees will be conducting hydrant flushing in portions of the West Lafayette area over the next several weeks as part of the process for bringing two new water treatment facilities online. The affected are is generally located north of Meridian Street/Kingston Drive and to the north and west of Purdue University. The flushing is being done to clean out water lines and to replace the unfiltered water with filtered water from the recently completed treatment facilities.

Crews will open and flush fire hydrants from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 15 through July 3, 2009. The company conducts this program to maintain water quality and to ensure hydrants are working as they should. By opening fire hydrants under controlled conditions, sediments are flushed from the system, resulting in cleaner pipes, better water quality, and improved capacity. The program also helps to make sure fire hydrants are in good working order and that any needed repairs are made. Flushing is part of a regular maintenance program for water distribution system.

Customers may experience a slight drop in water pressure or a temporary discoloration of their water while this program is underway. Customers should refrain from doing laundry while flushing is taking place. If discoloration should occur, Indiana-American recommends allowing several cold-water faucets to run for a short time until the water runs clear. Customers who have questions regarding hydrant flushing may call our customer service center at 800-492-8373.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — West Lafayette is ranked the sixth smartest small town in America in a survey out this week by Forbes magazine.

Of West Lafayette, the magazine said in its story: “Purdue University draws top science minds to this west Indiana town with its high-ranking engineering program. High-paying science and tech jobs in Purdue Research Park – from employers like Nissan Chemical, Nanovis and Butler International – keep them there.”

Bethesda, Md., is rated the most-educated small town on the Forbes list. Ranking second through fifth are Wellesley, Mass.; Palo Alto, Calif.; McLean, Va.; and Los Altos, Calif.

The view westward up State Street from the corner of State and Northwestern in Chauncey Village.

West Lafayette is the only Indiana town on the list and is the highest-ranking city in the Midwest, ahead of Wilmette, Ill., near Chicago, which is 13th.

To come up with the most-educated small towns, the magazine used data from the U.S. Census 2005-2007 American Community Survey, which surveyed more than 2,500 regions with 20,000 to 65,000 residents about their education. The number of graduate degrees – including master’s degrees, doctorate degrees, professional degrees, bachelor’s degrees and associate degrees – were each divided by the population of the town over age 25 and then weighted to give a final average for each location.

According to the magazine, 46.9 percent of West Lafayette’s population of 27,664 residents hold advanced degrees, 30.3 percent have bachelor’s degrees and 3.3 percent have associate degrees.

“There is no question that well-paying jobs offered by high-tech companies in the research park, in addition to the university itself, play a big part in attracting well-educated people to West Lafayette,” said Joseph B. Hornett, senior vice president, treasurer and chief operating officer of the Purdue Research Foundation, which oversees the Purdue Research Park.

To read the story in Forbes, go to http://www.forbes.com/realestate/2009/01/02/educated-small-towns-forbeslife-cx_jd_0105realestate.html. For the top 20 listing in Forbes, go to http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/02/educated-small-towns-forbeslife-cx_jd_0105realestate_slide_2.html?thisspeed=15000

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University West Lafayette has issued an updated list of traffic disruptions for this week.

Several streets will be affected this week by the Harrison Street Aerial Line Relocation Project. Plans call for closure of South Martin Jischke Drive at Harrison Street until Saturday, such that southbound vehicles will not be able to reach that intersection. East-west traffic on Harrison/Nimitz Drive will continue to have rerouted lanes. At times, Gates Road may be blocked and flag workers will direct traffic. Also, plans call for positioning of a crane at the southeast corner of Gates Road and Nimitz Drive at 10 a.m. Tuesday for installation of electrical material for the aerial line project; traffic is likely to blocked during that work. A general pattern of disruptions for construction of Discovery Learning Center and Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology, each just north of Harrison Street on either side of South Martin Jischke Drive, will continue through summer 2009.

In other traffic matters:

– The area north of Harrison Hall, and south of Hillenbrand Hall, is now a plaza and unavailable for parking or through traffic.

– South Russell Drive, south of Harrison Street, is expected to close July 7 for reconstruction. During the closure, access to the south service area of campus will be from South River Road via Ahlers Road. http://www.purdue.edu/physicalfacilities/travel/pdf/S.Russell_RR.pdf.

– Closure of Stadium Avenue along the intramural fields is expected July 7. The Tippecanoe County Highway Department plans to replace a small bridge on Stadium Avenue just west of David Ross Road. http://www.purdue.edu/physicalfacilities/travel/pdf/Tippi_Bridge_Stadium.pdf.

– Numerous other summer projects call for caution by motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists. The High Voltage Project continues in several areas: http://www.purdue.edu/physicalfacilities/HVP. Masonry work is under way on Hicks Undergraduate Library, Stanley Coulter Hall, the Civil Engineering Building, and Lynn Hall.