Probate court able to recover ‘pretty quickly’ after winter weather

Published 1:33 pm Monday, February 24, 2014

By GINNY COOPER / Staff reporter

Though sunny skies and spring temperatures have finally come to Shelby County, many municipal offices are still looking back at the effects the Jan. 28 and Feb. 12 winter weather had on the community.

Judge Jim Fuhrmeister, Judge of Probate in Shelby County, said that though the Jan. 28 did delay court hearings in the probate court, they were able to recover “pretty quickly.”

“We did have to re-schedule some court hearings, but we are getting them re-set quickly,” he wrote in an email. “All of the parties and attorneys in our hearings were much more concerned with getting home to families than getting to court so it really has not been an issue.”

The biggest concern for the courts was the safety of employees, Fuhrmeister said. Some staff and others in the courthouse were unable to get home, but no major injuries were reported.

“In my opinion, the storm could have been much worse in terms of human suffering,” Fuhrmeister said. “The generosity of strangers kept it from becoming a truly tragic event.”