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John Werner sports a crazy Viking balloon hat created by, Dan the Balloon Guy, during the North Elementary Family Fun Night. Approximately 340 meals were served during the evening of games, raffle prizes, face painting and fellowship. Photo by Valerie Werkmeister
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
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(USPS S4 439-500) 39 500)) Volume 135 Edition 4
Posey is a tough sell for ED Lack of shovel-ready infrastructure sends up red flags By Valerie Werkmeister Posey County Councilman Don Mattingly may have said it best when he likened the county’s situation to a ‘chicken and egg concept.’ The county needs more industry to provide more jobs and attract more residents. But, they can’t attract industry without providing a ‘shovel-ready’ environment that includes a designated industrial park area complete with water and sewer facilities. According to John Taylor of the Executive Director of the Posey County Economic Development Coalition big industries frequently express an interest to build here. The flat, spacious landscape is appealing. However, when they learn the county does not have adequate sewer or water infrastructure, they are forced to look elsewhere. County leaders that include the commissioners, council and redevelopment commission members are well aware of their dilemma. During the redevelop-
ment commission’s meeting last Thursday, January 22, they discussed the issue. The major problem is, the county can’t afford to provide the amenities until after it receives the tax benefits from a TIF (Tax Increment Finance) District. Those funds are available only after the business has located here. ‘Once the widely-discussed Midwest Fertilizer plant arrives and the county begins to see tax funds from that project within its coffers, county officials are hopeful it will be a catalyst for these amenities as well as the construction of a western bypass around Mount Vernon. Taylor remained optimistic the fertilizer plant will break ground in the next few months. He stated the company has moved Mike Chorlton from his consultant position and named him as the CEO. Taylor said he is frequently asked, “When is this going to happen?”
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War hero Dawson is MVHS grad
Staff Sergeant Jeffery M. Dawson
By Dave Pearce There’s a new movie out at American Theaters called American Sniper. It is a movie where U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) takes his sole mission -- protect his comrades -- to heart and becomes one of the most lethal snipers in American history. His pinpoint accuracy not only saves countless lives but also makes him a prime target of insurgents. Despite grave danger and his struggle to be a good husband and father to his family back in the States, Kyle served four tours of duty in Iraq. However, when he finally returns home, he finds that he cannot leave the war behind. Posey County may have it’s own version of Kyle, as information has been received that 2005 Mount Vernon High School graduate Jeff Dawson will be awarded a Distinguished Service Cross on February 17, 2015, at Fort Benning, Ga. During one of his tours of duty in Afghanistan, Dawson was awarded a Purple Heart as a result of injuries he received, as described later in this story. “Mainly my job focus is around the preservation of life,” Dawson said, during our conversation by computer at his home near Ft. Bragg, NC. “I like to keep others safe. That’s my job. I find improvised explosive devices (IEDs) so others don’t find them unintentionally.” So why did he pick such a dangerous job? “Before I joined I had a few prior Marine Corps friends and I had serious discussions with them. They told me that if they were to reenlist in the Marine Corps they would go EOD,” Dawson said. I talked to them about what they did, I was pretty much sold from that moment on. So after training, Dawson took up the job. But does he worry about his own safety in situations such as the one he found himself in 2013?
“I do worry about my own safety, but I realized that there was still a mission to accomplish and I was the only one on the ground that had received the training to handle a situation like that,” Dawson said modestly. “The way I see it is that I was only doing my job. That’s why I get such intense training, so that I’ll be able to react and remain calm in tense situations.” Dawson’s family is obviously proud of him. “After receiving the Purple Heart, they put him in for this Distinguished Service Cross and it had to go all the way up through
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Staff Sergeant Jeffery M. Dawson and wife, Patricia
Posey looks at plan to keep roads in better shape By Valerie Werkmeister Posey County Commissioners have decided to take a tougher stance on companies and individuals who damage county roads. They are working on an ordinance that will require anyone who operates a vehicle in excess of 10 tons on county roads to obtain a permit from Steve Schenk, Posey County Highway Superintendent. They would like to hear feedback from local companies or individuals this ordinance may affect. The concept is not new as many other counties within the state also require permits
and bonds or restrict overweight traffic to specific routes. Neighboring Vanderburgh County requires the latter. That option is not feasible in Posey County. Jacob Weis of Bender Law, LLC in Poseyville described the details of the ordinance during the January 20, commissioners’ meeting. The measure stems from problems with road destruction during last year’s rough winter. Heavy trucks and semis destroyed roads in Griffin while accessing oil wells. Following residents’ complaints, commis-
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cost to Posey County and the permit application of various routes. The permit will list the dates and which specific roads the applicant can operate. Before the permit is issued, the applicant will be required to post a cash and surety bond with Posey County Auditor, Kyle Haney, of at least 20 percent of $100,000 per mile for each mile of surfaced blacktop; $100,000 per mile for each mile of chip and seal road to be used and $50,000 per mile for each mile of
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Sweethearts of Fair Dinner, Dance is Feb. 7
Zion Lippe UCC offers Yoga Classes If health and fitness was one of your new year’s resolutions, give yoga a try. Starting January 27 beginner’s yoga classes are Tuesday and Thursday mornings 8:30-9:30 a.m. at Zion Lippe UCC (Copperline and Ford Road). Contact Lisa Calvert with questions at 985-5622 North Elementary is Blue Ribbon School North Elementary School has been nominated by Indiana to join the esteemed community of National Blue Ribbon Schools. National Blue Ribbon Schools are public and non-public elementary, middle, and high schools that are producing outstanding results for all students. They have demonstrated consistent excellence, and made progress in closing gaps in student achievement. The National Blue Ribbon Schools recognition program is part of a larger U. S. Department of Education effort to identify and disseminate knowledge about effective school leadership and promising instructional practices. Troop 387 to host pancake breakfast and spaghetti dinner Boy Scout Troop 387 will host a pancake breakfast and spaghetti dinner fundraiser on Saturday, January 31. The pancake breakfast will begin at 7 a.m. and end at 10:30 a.m. Breakfast includes: pancakes, sausage, eggs, fruit, coffee, milk or juice. A minimum donation of $5 is requested. Dinner service will be held from 4:30 - 7 p.m. and includes spaghetti, breadsticks, salad and tea or lemonaid. Desserts will also be available. Both meals will be held in the Poseyville Community Center. St. Philip Catholic School hosting ‘Check Us Out’ open house St. Philip Catholic School is hosting a ‘Check Us Out!’ open house night for prospective families on Thursday, Jan. 29 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Guests will tour the school, meet the teachers and ask questions about the Kindergarten through eighth grade curriculum, programs and community. St. Philip School also offers an all-day pre-school and pre-kindergarten enrichment program. Call Principal Andrea Lodato-Dickel at 985-2447.
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sioners Carl Schmitz, Jerry Walden and Jim Alsop decided to explore the idea of permits and road bonding. Permits can be obtained from Schenk at the county highway garage. According to the draft ordinance created by Weis, prior to issuing the permit Schenk will consider the following: the place of origin and destination of each load; the condition and load limits of various county highways and county roads which provide access; the loads to be carried on the permitted route; the frequency of the loads and the likely damage to and relative
By Pam Robinson Hawg ‘N’ Sauce owner, Jeff SchelRecent unseasonably warm horn, expects a sell-out crowd of winter weather has hinted at hot 480 people, the maximum allowed summer days when the sun climbs at the 4-H Fairgrounds Commuhigh in the sky and casts long shadows. During the height of summer, the annual Posey County 4-H Fair in mid-July creates a bond among our small communities. The county fair brings together residents from all over Posey County for fun and fellowship. Friends and neighbors wave each other down and visit while they participate in fair activities and enjoy home-cooked meals in the air-conditioned community center. Fair board members and additional volunteers spend months preparing for this ‘really big show,’ the biggest county-wide These ladies enjoyed the kissing booth festival held in the sum- 4-H Fair. Photo submitted mer. As part of the planning, Hawg nity Center. ‘N’ Sauce will present the Third He says all profit from the dinAnnual Sweethearts of the Fair ner and dance is earmarked to bring Dinner and Dance, the biggest midway games and rides to the fairfundraiser for the Posey County -an expensive, long-term undertak4-H Fair, on Saturday, February 7. ing. To bring rides alone to the fair,
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Schelhorn explains, requires not only a significant cash layout, but also early planning: carnival rides get booked about a year and a half in advance of an event. “Unfortunately, there is no automatic fair,” he comments. “After two years of hosting the Sweetheart Dinner and Dance, we are finally building a little cash reserve.” He adds the 4-H Fair Board is now in the third year of working a five-year plan aimed at restoring the county fair to its former glory. Certainly, nostalgia motivates Schelhorn to work the plan. He remembers the happenings at the Posey County 4-H Fair in the 1970’s when he was in his mid-teens. “The midway covered at the the entire top of the hill with games and rides,” he says. Schelhorn especially liked the games and won small prizes at his favorites, the ring toss and darts. He hoped to impress the girls with his success.
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