NORTHEAST, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) - Lt. Governor Becky Skillman renewed the state’s commitment to rural Indiana, announcing a series of 12 town hall meetings to gather information on the needs of rural communities. A similar effort in 2005 brought together a broad-based group of rural-serving organizations to address issues identified by rural residents and helped determine the priorities of the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA).

Led by OCRA, the initiative again will include a number of partners: the Association of Indiana Counties (AIC), Hoosier Energy, Indiana Association of Cities and Towns (IACT), Indiana Association for Community Economic Development (IACED), Indiana Association of Regional Councils (IARC), Indiana Economic Development Association, Inc. (IEDA), Indiana Farm Bureau, Indiana Grantmakers Alliance, Indiana Rural Health Association, and Wabash Valley Power Association (WVPA).

Registration for all events will begin at 5:00 p.m. and the events will begin at 5:30 p.m. All times are local. Dates and locations for the events include:

Monday, July 28, 2008	Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Riverside Center	Peru High School
231 E. Monroe St.	401 N. Broadway
Decatur, IN 46733	Peru, IN 46970
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Steuben Community Center
317 S. Wayne St., Ste. 1A
Angola, IN 46703

Citizens can also submit feedback and find more information online at www.beyondtheboundaries.IN.gov

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