Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times
LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1882
“OUR LIBERTIES WE PRIZE, AND OUR RIGHTS WE WILL MAINTAIN.” Posey County’s ONLY Locally Owned Newspaper.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
$1.00
(USPS S4 439-500) 39 500) Volume 135 Edition 49
Health care continues to be hot topic
last three years. The display lights are synchronized to blink on and off in unison with 11 songs that people can hear in their cars by turning to the 93.1 FM frequency on their radio dials.
By Lois Mittino Gray The Mount Vernon School Board terminated the district’s group insurance plan for the custodial/maintenance workers at its November 30 meeting. The vote to take this action passed despite a plea from Maintenance Employee Mike Reynolds, who spoke on behalf of these Teamsters Union employees, to ask for a two week delay on the action ‘to figure things out.’ After discussion at this meeting and the one prior to it, the board decided if it waited another two weeks it would put the affected employees at risk to not get sufficient counseling on what alternatives are available before the January 2 termination date. The Teamsters had a ‘Cadillac plan’ with Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Health and Welfare Fund for many years. State Law now requires every employee in the district to be offered the same insurance plans with various deductibles. The Teamsters plan would be too expensive for the district to offer all employees, so the board decided to only offer the Meritain plans used
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The Kuhn Family gathered in front of their impressive home light show on Tile Factory Road in Mount Vernon. Photo by Zach Straw
Family light show certainly no ‘Christmas Vacation’ By Lois Mittino Gray Oh no. The top of the too-tall Christmas tree just burst through the shingles on the roof of the Kuhn home at 5701 Tile Factory Road in Mount Vernon. This simulated scene is one of two new additions to the lavish Christmas light display Keith Kuhn has been putting up for the
New Harmony Christmas 2015 one of best
The New Harmony Christmas parade is led by former Town Marshall Scott Champlin driving the new Town Marshall Caleb McDaniel. Caleb was selected just that morning and the announcement was made during the parade. Their entry was entitled ‘Out With the Old and In With the New.’ Photo by Theresa Bratcher
By Lois Mittino Gray Unseasonably warm weather led to record crowds at this year’s 31st annual Christmas in New Harmony. Afternoon temperatures in the mid-50s and sunny skies both Saturday and Sunday delighted shoppers as the weekend kicked off holiday sales. The celebration opened with the traditional lighting of the tree at the New Harmony Inn Friday evening. About 75 onlookers watched as Eric Arneberg and his young son Per pushed the button to light the tree covered in tiny white lights. The group sang “Silent Night” holding candles in hand for a tender moment and then went inside the Entry House for hot wine, hot chocolate, cookies and roasted chestnuts. Christopher Layer
entertained with Christmas carols played on bagpipes for an unusual sound. About 321 meals were served at Breakfast with Santa Saturday morning at the Catholic Community Center. Santa heard requests from children, accompanied by his wife Mrs. Claus, who donned a brand-new floor length forest green cloak this year for the event. “This was one of our best attendance records ever for this,” said Shelley Powell, Breakfast Chairman. The group has been serving red and green pancakes to start the day for over 25 years. Santa was the Grand Marshall of the morning Christ-
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Music has been anchor in life of MV’s Stone By Brooke Simpson The band director at Mount Vernon Senior High School embarked on an exciting new journey this past season. Joseph Stone had just graduated from Western Kentucky University ready to begin a new chapter in his life. He applied for 33 music positions that were open. Three other schools and The Metropolitan School District of Mount Vernon were the ones who called him in for an interview. Ironically the old director from the high school was up for another job along with Stone, in Hopkinsville
Ky. The day after his interview, Stone was offered the position at Mount Vernon and little did he know what an exciting adventure his first year of teaching would be. Born into a military family, Stone took a different route. His parents supported his goal of becoming a band director but it was very clear that he would have to handle the steps needed to take this path. It is not just an assumption but a testimony from nearly everyone who has been in a band program before, it is not just a music program. Band is a way of life. Lessons,
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Mount Vernon’s new band director Joseph Stone.
Country Kitchen returns to MV
Briefly Live Drive-Thru Nativity, Christmas Eve Service scheduled Mount Vernon Community Church - Black’s Chapel UMC will be staging a Live Drive-Thru Nativity on Sunday, December 20 from 5 - 8 p.m. at their location at 1800 West Fourth Street, Mount Vernon. Plans are to again have live camel, sheep and a donkey, if weather permits. Please drive-thru the nativity and help us celebrate the birth of Jesus. There is no charge for this event. MVCC - Black’s Chapel will also hold a Christmas Eve Service at 11 p.m. on Thursday, December 24. Come join us in celebrating the birth of our savior, Jesus, with worship and song.
Nominations sought for Torchbearers Indiana’s 200th birthday is next year, and a torch relay celebrating this achievement is coming to Posey County in September 2016. The Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay was created to honor Hoosiers who have demonstrated exceptional public service, achievement, acts of heroism and/or volunteer service to their neighborhood, community, region or state. Patterned after the Olympic Torch Relay, Indiana’s version will pass through all 92 of the state’s counties, cover 2,300 miles over a five week period, while averaging 72 miles per day. Posey County is one of the few counties where the torch will stop twice, in Mount Vernon and New Harmony. In addition, Posey County will have a maximum of 20 torchbearers. The torch will pass through Posey County on Sunday, September 11, 2016. Torchbearers must be nominated by another person, self-nominations are not allowed. Once all the nomination forms are collected, a juried nomination process will be employed in each county to select torchbearers. Nominations are due December 31, 2015. For more information about the torch relay and for nomination forms, visit http://www.indiana2016.org/torchrelay/ or ask for them at the New Harmony town hall.
USI to hold two Fall Commencement ceremonies December 12 The University of Southern Indiana will hold two Fall Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, December 12, in the Physical Activities Center (PAC). A 10 a.m. ceremony will be held for degree candidates from the College of Liberal Arts, Romain College of Business, and Outreach and Engagement. Doors open at 9 a.m. Students in the College of Nursing and Health Professions and Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education will receive degrees at 1 p.m. Doors open at noon. As the recipient of the 2015 Distinguished Professor Award, Kathryn M. Waters, professor of art in the College of Liberal Arts, will present the commencement address at both ceremonies. A reception will be held on the first floor of the University Center East immediately following each ceremony.
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experiences, friendships, comprise family you have the rest of your life. Stone lived in seven states over the course of his childhood, finally settling down in Kentucky for high school and college. For him the music programs over the years became a constant, a family outside of the home. Starting high school as a stranger to the community, the band provides a comfort unlike any other. Each person working toward the same goal. Moving others through sound,
By Brooke Simpson Want a good home cooked meal, but don’t want to break out the pots and pans at home? You will be glad to know that Mount Vernon is going to have just the place for you to enjoy a good country cooked meal. Sharon’s Country Kitchen, due to open on December 14, is located on the corner of Fourth and Pearl streets in Mount Vernon. Fairly fresh off of a positive experience as a cook at the popular “The Gathering” restaurant that closed a while ago, Sharon Cox is opening up a restaurant and from the looks of it, there will be some pretty tasty food coming out of her kitchen. Helping Tina McCloud, Mary Price, and Connie Thompson, Sharon worked with the ladies several days a week. She got the idea that she might like to run her own restaurant someday, and placed this idea on her Bucket List. That day is just about here. The carpet is laid, the kitchen appliances are almost ready and the stoves will be fired up soon ready for anyone looking to fill their bellies with the foods that moms and grandmas have made for years. The general foods thought of with country cooking will be offered at Sharon’s Country Kitchen - meatloaf, fried chicken, country fried steak, salads, corn, mashed
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Sharon Cox stands outside her new restaurant Sharon’s Country Kitchen located on the corner of Fourth and Pearl Streets in Mount Vernon. Photo by Brooke Simpson potatoes, and much more. Sharon says that there will be desserts that will be made fresh, and there will be some items much like the ladies at The Gathering had in their eatery, as well as some new things. Prices will vary depending on the menu items for the day. Her husband Darrell, two sons Chuck and Robbie, and daughter Sherry have been an encouragement through this whole process. At 64, she wasn’t really sure this was something she wanted to attempt. Her son approached her after church one day and informed her that the old Silverwood Restaurant would be closing its doors. Asking God for guidance and
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waiting on Him to show her what doors to take, she prayed and spoke with her husband about how he felt. With both of them being retired and being able to just pick up and go, she wanted to make sure he was ready and OK with the idea of his wife running her very own kitchen. Her husband’s words were simple and full of love, he said, “If you want to do it, do it, it’s always something you have wanted to do. Her son Robbie called her and said he had bought the pots and pans, and Sharon’s thoughts were ‘I haven’t even said yes yet.’ Yet she knew this was God opening the
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