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Wildcats win Round One Inside id This hi Week: Opinion ................A2 Obits .................... A3 Retro ....................A4
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Social ....................A5 Church .................A8 School/Business ..A9
Jump ................. A11 Business Dir ........B2 Sports .............B4,5,8
Court News .........B9 Legals ...................B9 Classifieds..........B11
SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times
P C N $1.00
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Volume 140 Edition 49
Fitts is recipient of Logan Award as Covid rage continues By Lois Mittino Gray Posey County Health Department Nurse Martye Fitts was surprised and honored to be recognized as the 2020 Responder of the Year at the December 1, meeting of the Posey County Commissioners at the Hovey House. Larry Robb, Emergency Management Agency Director, presented her with the Harry Logan Responder Award plaque at the meeting, amidst a rousing chorus of applause for the hardworking professional leading the county through the Covid-19 crisis. “For the last 10 years we have been recognizing someone as the Posey County Responder of the Year. Harry Logan of Marrs Township was given the first award for Posey County Health Nurse Martey Fitts is awarded the Harry Logan his lifelong commitment to making Responder Award during a meeting of the Posey County Commissioners Posey a safer place to live and the this week. Presenting the award is Larry Robb, Emergency Management award was renamed to honor his memory. Most people first think of Agency Director. Photo by Dave Pearce
emergency responders as Firefighters, Law Enforcement and EMS Personnel. But we look at all agencies that may be considered responders. Now, due to COVID 19 National Emergency, we recognize the local health department as a Response Agency with Public Health emergencies. We thank Martye for her work to make Posey County a better place,” Robb said in making the plaque presentation. Fitts works to ensure safety through contact tracing, quarantine requirements, and keeping tracks of county case numbers. At the meeting, she reported 1303 cases to date, with 198 of those still considered active and 18 deaths. Robb also spoke in support of continuing the contract agreement with Onsolve LLC to provide Code Red Service to Posey County. The Com-
Posey officials hear first news regarding solar farms locally
missioners approved the three year agreement with an annual cost of $18,750 per year. Posey County Probation Officer Michelle Fortune spoke in support of extending the contract with Empowerment Behavioral Service LLC with her department for another year. The firm conducts biopsychosocial and substance abuse assessments on behalf of the Posey County Circuit Court Probation Department. Payment will be made monthly in the amount of $3,750 for eight months and will be funded by a program grant. In other routine commissioner business: • Commissioners approved a list of all 2021 meeting dates. They will all be on the first and third Tuesdays of
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More Tresslar demolition bids received, under advisement
By Lois Mittino Gray A joint meeting of the Posey County Commissioners and the Posey County Council took place on Tuesday, December 1, right after the regularly-scheduled Commissioner morning meeting at the Hovey House. The special session was called to hear a presentation on economic development plans for the new Posey Solar Project and to hear a TIF and tax abatement training presentation on the basics involved in granting abatement to projects such as the solar farm. Jarrod Pitts addressed the councilors on the Posey Solar Project, a project entity of Capital Dynamics, one of the largest solar investors in the world and the largest private owner of solar in the United States. He represents Tenaska, the development company that provides services to Midwest Solar DevCo to construct the solar generating farm. Working together, the companies have developed 8,000 Megawatts of solar projects across the United States. Pitts said the proposed solar project will cover approximately 2400-3000 leased acres in Marrs Township and would be an estimated 254 million dollar investment. The panels would generate 300 megawatts, enough to power 50,000 homes annually. “That is more than enough to power all Posey County residents through the peak hours. We would be a quiet neighbor, with panels Santa himself made an appearance during the informal golf cart parade in New Harmony on Saturday anticipated to be placed no more than evening. For many years, an annual Christmas Parade was held along Main Street in New Harmony on twelve feet off the ground. It is very Saturday morning to kick off the Christmas in New Harmony celebration. However, with the restrictions this year, the parade was canceled. Photo by Dave Pearce Continued on Page A11
By Lois Mittino Gray Round Two of opening bids on the demolition of that crumbling eyesore of the Tresslar Building, now called the 1888 Main Street Building Project, was the ‘main’ event of the December 3, meeting of the Mount Vernon Board of Works. Would they be submitted higher or lower and in the detail required after board members rejected as incomplete the original three bids on the complicated project at their November 5 meeting? Board members listened anxiously as Clerk-Treasurer Christi Sitzman opened the three resubmitted bids, in the order in which they were received. The first bid received November 30 from RCRA, Inc. doing business as Earth Services from Benton, Illinois, was for $ 385,000. This was the same amount as its original bid. Evansville-based Klenck Company’s bid of $335,000 arrived on December 2, at 9:51 a.m. This was down considerably from its original bid of $485,900. Shroyer Brothers Inc. of Muncie, whose bid came in slightly afterwards at 12:40 p.m. and slightly under at $ 334,780 was the lowest bidder for the project. Shroyer’s first bid was originally much lower at $291,550. All were accompanied by acceptable bid bonds. A motion to acknowledge receipt of bids and that they be taken under advisement for review by City Attorney Beth Higgins and City Engineer Barry Tanner passed unanimously. They expect to act on the bids at the next meeting. Clerk-Treasurer Sitzman then opened bids for 2021 supplies, as advertised, in the order in which they were received.
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Wandering teacher comes back home Love for students and study make Farrar a favorite
Carrie Farrar
(USPS 439-500)
By Lois Mittino Gray Carrie Farrar may be the fresh new face at North Elementary School in Poseyville this year, but she is no novice when it comes to days spent behind an elementary teacher’s desk. Mrs. Farrar is a veteran educator who has taught for 15 years at the Evansville Christian School—Bethel East on Lincoln. Eleven of those years were spent teaching Kindergarten and four were in first grade. “It was a wonderful experience and a fantastic place to work,” she reminisced. “I just had to quit because it was time to take a breather.” Why the needed breather? “I wanted to stay home with my new little ones,” she explained. Carrie and her husband, Jason, fostered and then adopted three young children. The trio came into their lives at ages 13 months old, 10 months old, and 9 months old within a few years’ time. These days older sibling
Kellan just turned six. He and five-year old brother, Rylan are both in kindergarten at North Elementary. Younger sister Kami is a four-year old in pre-K at the school. “They all get along together really well. Of course, they have their squabbles at times, but it’s the usual as expected,” she said, with a sure shake of her head. Farrar always knew she eventually wanted to go back into the classroom and teach, so when a position opened at the school where her children attend, it was a godsend. “I’m so thankful to be at North, first as a parent, then as a presence in the school. I was thrilled by how welcoming everyone was. It feels like home here. Subjects are important, but what really matters is the relationships and they are strong here,” she reflected. “I believe if you earn a student’s trust and respect, then they will listen to what you have to teach them,” she stated. “I
especially love to ignite a passion for reading. My second grade teacher did that for me and I will always be grateful to her.” With the election a hot topic this year, she read “The Kid Who Ran for President” and “The Kid Who Became President” with her fourth graders. “My students loved the books and learned many social studies facts, too. For example, the Kid had to get the law changed that a person has to be 35 years of age to run,” she explained. Later in the school year, she plans to study a novel with them. She is not real enthusiastic about the new comic-type books, preferred by many of that age, but notes, “anything that gets a book in their hands has value.” All of her students are assigned their own one-on-one Chromebook laptop computer to use and take home. “That has been a new thing for me, but they
are really awesome to have as a resource tool. Especially this year, with so many virtual lessons assigned. They use Google Classroom and Canvas often.” Farrar loves science and teaching about plants and animals, stars and planets, and properties of matter. Fourth grade has a specialized focus on Indiana History in Social Studies. She does language arts and math workbooks and small group games and activities in her self-contained classroom with her population of 23 students. Carrie hails from Cloverdale, Ind., and moved to this area in 1997 to attend the University of Southern Indiana. She was graduated from USI in 2001 with a BS Degree in Elementary Education, with an additional Kindergarten endorsement. After graduating mid-year
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