Fans of winter sports and family fun when the weather turns cold. The City of Kokomo is adding an ice skating rink to Kokomo Municipal Stadium. The skating rink, known as The Frozen Sandlot, will operate from Dec. 5, 2018 to January 13, 2019.

The 60-foot by 90-foot rink will feature real ice, unlike other temporary rinks which utilize artificial or synthetic ice-like materials. The rink will be placed close to the backstop so spectators and non-skaters can watch.

New officer first hired through Lateral Entry Program; three additional officers going through traditional hiring process

The newest Kokomo Police Department recruit will be sworn-in on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. The public is invited to witness the induction ceremony for Zachary Griffith, age 29, will be formally inducted at 10 a.m. Griffith is the first of four officers going through the hiring process and the first officer hired under the Kokomo Police Department’s Lateral Entry Program.

The hiring of two new firefighters will be part of the agenda at the Oct. 31 meeting of the Kokomo Board of Public Works and Safety.

Firefighters Ryan Wells and Thaddeus Hall will join the Kokomo Fire Department on Nov. 5, 2018. Wells and Hall will receive five months of classroom and hands-on training to become certified. They will also complete a National Registry Emergency Medical Technician course within their first year of employment.

The City of Kokomo will begin collecting leaves from residences on Monday, Oct. 29, 2018. Collection will rotate continuously around sections of the city until Dec. 7. In the event that leaves are still falling after that date, leaf crews will continue on a limited basis until weather no longer permits collection.

The Kokomo Department of Public Maintenance and Refuse anticipates that each area of the city will receive leaf collection service a minimum of three times during the leaf season. The department cannot guarantee that leaves placed out after Dec. 7 will be collected in a timely manner.