Special ELECTION SECTION Inside
“Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain.”
$1.00 (USPS 439-500)
Since 1882 ~ Successor to The Poseyville News and The New Harmony Times • New Harmony, IN
Tuesday October 23, 2012
Posey County’s locally-owned newspaper
Volume 133 Edition 42
St. Phillips card party set The Saint Philip Ladies Club will hold a Card Party on Wednesday, November 7, 2012, at the Saint Philip Center at 6:30 p.m. The doors open at 6 p.m. The party features a red, white and green floral quilt, special raffle, Chinese auction, half pot raffle, theme basket raffle, tasting table and kitchen fare with chicken salad and ham salad sandwiches, breadsticks, fruit and veggies. For tickets or info, call Jennifer at 499-8682, Sherry at 985-9174, or Jackie at 673-2188.
Adam Lamont Stewart
Amanda Shockley
Antjuan Rollins
Austin Kusturin
Buddy Snelling
Cathy Gahl
Chad Marchand
Chris Jolley
Chris Trafford
Gary Goodsen
Jacquelyn Jo Shell
Jarod C. Allred
Jeremy Quinn
Kenneth Ashby
Matthew Cory Ricketts
Melissa Adler
Mellissa Anderson
Nicholas Forsee
Rachel Osborne
Rachel Schmidt
Ronald McDowell
Scott Bowles
Siera Burton
Stephen Miller
Terry Vaupel
Tonya Ricketts
Vitula Wilkerson
William E. Mayville
Popcorn sale ends Oct. 27 The Buffalo Trace Council’s 32nd Annual Popcorn Sale will run until Saturday, October 27.
NHBA to host party New Harmony Business Associates and ghoulish friends invite you to the annual Halloween trick-or– treat and kids costume party on Tues., Oct. 30. From 3 until 5 p.m. there will be a kids trick-or–treat at New Harmony businesses. From 6 until 8 p.m. a kids costume party will be held at Ribeyre Gym located at the corner of Main and Tavern streets.
NHHC offers ‘Kids Safe Treats New Harmony Healthcare will be holding a “Kids safe treats” event on October 31 from 3 – 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public of all ages. It is located at 251 Highway 66, New Harmony, Ind. For any questions call 812-682-4104.
Harmonie Friends to meet The date for the next Friends of Harmonie State Park meeting has been rescheduled for Wednesday, November 14, 6 p.m. at the Alexandrian Public Library in Mount Vernon. Harmonie State Park needs and invites visitors and community members to support this new non-profit organization.
Early voting is underway Early voting has begun at the Posey County Courthouse from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Early voting will be three additional satellite locations the two Saturdays before the General Election. Those are Workingman’s Institute in New Harmony, Carnegie Library in Poseyville, St. Peters U.C.C at 10430 Highway 66, Wadesville, and the Posey County courthouse will be open from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on those days. With proper identification, any registered Posey County voter may vote at any of these locations.
Flu shots available Flu shots will be available on Oct. 24, 2012 at the Poseyville Community Center from 8-10 a.m. and the New Harmony Ribeyre Gym Annex from 11 a.m.1 p.m. For any questions call Posey County Council on Aging at 1-800-915-1919 or 838-4656. Do not forget to bring your Medicare card.
Chamber hosts seminar On November 13, the Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana is hosting a “Grow Your Business” Seminar at the Western Hills Country Club at 7:30 a.m. Join area business leaders and learn about resources that can help your company grow. For more information, please call 838-3639.
Black’s Chapel plans meal Black’s Chapel United Methodist Church will host their Chicken Supper on Saturday, November 3, in their new location at 1800 West Fourth Street, Mount Vernon. Serving will be from 4 until 7 p.m. Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children. The menu includes chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, dumplings, slaw, green beans, corn, drinks, and a huge variety of desserts.
Operation Fair Warning nets 32 drug arrests By Dave Pearce If there were ever any doubts about how Posey County law enforcement feels about drugs and drug dealing in their county, everyone has now been given fair warning…Operation Fair Warning, that is. At last count, about 33 of the 35 warrants in this raid had been executed and arrests made. Early on Friday morning, around 100 members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Indiana State Police, the Evansville Police Department, the Mount Vernon Police Department, the Posey County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana Conservation Officers, the New Harmony Police Department, the Warrick County Sheriff’s Department, and officers from Indiana Excise, and the Posey County Drug Task Force gathered at operation headquarters in Posey County. They were joined by members of the Indiana State Police Department SWAT team as
well as members of the Department of Children and Family Services, The Posey County EMS and the Black Township Fire Department to begin Operation Fair Warning. Posey Prosecutor Travis Clowers had nothing but praise for Posey County Drug Task Force Supervisor Kenny Rose. Clowers stated that the organization of such a sweep involves weeks and months of planning and despite being the supervisor of the Posey County Drug Task Force, Rose found time to plan and oversee the events of Friday morning. But Clowers said it was also critical that all the organizations involved were willing to come to Posey County and work together on such a cause. “What has happened here in Posey County today, I believe will change our streets for the next decade,” a grateful yet humble prosecutor Travis Clowers said. “I think this will have an even bigger im-
pact with some bigger names that have been dealing for a long period of time. The desire and the resources have always been there. This is simply the result of taking a new approach…a whole new mindset. The biggest change has been the mindset.” Beginning in September, 2011, the Posey County Drug Task Force, a multi-agency task force made up of officers from the Posey County Prosecutor’s office, the Posey County Sheriff’s Department, and the Mount Vernon Police Department, initiated covert undercover investigations and drug buys. The operation became known as Operation Fair Warning. The operation was coordinated by Posey County Drug Task Force Supervisor Kenneth Rose. According to Posey County Sheriff Greg Oeth and Posey County Prosecutor Travis Clowers, the pair met back on Feb. 11, 2011,
only a few days after taking office. They instantly realized they were on the same page when it came to efforts to rid Posey County of drugs and drug dealing. “Right after I came into office, we sat down with Kenny Rose, Detective Jeremy Fortune, Glenn Boyster, and members of the Mount Vernon City Police and said, ‘OK, where are our problem areas and who are our problem people’,” Clowers said following the raid. “We have not set back and passively watched; we have actively gone out and pursued the people who are selling drugs in our community.” The two, with help from several of Oeth’s contacts from his previous employer, the Indiana State Police, spent a few weeks honing the skills they already had acquired during numerous hours of undercover drug operations.
Continued on Page A9
Mount Vernon runs into snag with dog ordinance By Pam Robinson The Mount Vernon City Council seems to have let the dogs out with its proposed “Ordinance Updating, Restating, and Recodifying Title IX – General Regulations, Chapter 91.” Resident complaints to council members—not to mention an existing zoning ordinance regarding the number of pets allowed in city households—caused council to back down from passing the ordinance on third reading at its recent Thursday night meeting. As City Attorney Beth McFadin Higgins advised council, an existing zoning ordinance supersedes any city ordinance, and that ordinance restricts the number of domestic animals to three per household. She added that council might pass its ordinance with amendments or choose to do nothing. Indeed, council member Andy Hoehn moved to table the ordinance indefinitely (seconded by council member Becky Higgins) and form a committee to review the ordinance and figure out why council was duplicating ordinances. Following considerable discussion, a unanimous vote indeed thus killed the ordinance. Hoehn noted that his Google search indicated a typical litter of puppies numbered between five and eight—which would put a household outside the ordinance. Again, he emphasized forming a committee to discuss current restrictions. He suggested the committee might include council member Becky Higgins, concerned community
ThePCN
residents, Sarah Appel representing the Posey Humane Society, and a local veterinarian. Later, council member Higgins stated the humane society is indeed worried their facility will be overrun with animals as residents work to comply with the existing zoning ordinance. One resident, Ken Rudibaugh, a self-described dog lover, came to the podium and took issue with government telling him how many animals he could keep on his property. He suggested if there is a problem, long-time pet owners should be issued a grandfather clause in writing. During the discussion, Rudibaugh agreed he would serve on the newly forming committee to address such issues. City Attorney Higgins advised that council may refer their concerns to the Area Plan Commission, or APC, and the APC would then have hearings again to amend the current zoning ordinance. After APC action, the amendment would return to council in the form of another ordinance. Once the committee decides the number of animals allowed in a household, for example, Attorney Higgins said then the committee would need to go to the APC by recommendation from city council. APC’s Mindy Bourne was present in the audience, and she stated her office had received numerous phone calls before the adoption of the zoning ordinance, but nothing since then. She added that a lot of time was spent on the ordi-
Continued on Page A7
Go to www.poseycountynews.com
Inside this issue... Retrospective ................... A4 Legals ................................. C8 Classifieds ..................... B5-6
nance, not in regard to the number of animals per household, but regarding the kind of animals allowed within city limits. A bit later, she said the APC could amend the Mount Vernon portion of that particular section regarding the number of animals per household. City council will require a report from the committee before action on the ordinance will continue. In other business: •Council passed on first reading an ordinance to amend the Mount Vernon Code of Ordinances, Title 15 – Land Usage, Chapter 153 – Zoning Code.” Council member Bill Curtis explained this ordinance plainly: it requires anyone requesting Use Unit 20 to go before the zoning board and ask for special use. Use Unit 20 would no longer be a use by right. •Two items were discussed as old business. First, council member Hoehn received an update on the status of the sewer line on the bridge east of town. Council member Curtis advised that the city will move forward only after confirmation from county council that the county is moving forward with construction on the bridge. Next, Hoehn asked about the Greg Russell, Venice Avenue area that floods near West Elementary School. He suggested a 30” line be run to Mill Creek to resolve the problem once and for all. After several comments, Mayor John Tucker ad-
Community ........... A5 Social ...................... A6 Deaths ................... A3 Sports ................... B1-4 Church .................. A7 Bus/Ag .................... A8
457476310