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, February 16, 2016
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(USPS S4 439-500) 39 500)) Volume 136 Edition 7
Posey towns, new jail to benefit from safety tax By Valerie Werkmeister Posey County Council members have approved an additional funding mechanism in order to pay for the expansion and renovation project planned for the Posey County Jail. During their meeting last Tuesday, February 9, they approved a 0.25 percent Public Safety Income Tax. This will generate an estimated $1.2 million the county can use to put toward the project. Other communities will also benefit from the implementation of
this tax. The tax allows each town to retain a portion of the tax dollars raised. Cynthiana could see $8,145; Griffin - $1,478; Mount Vernon - $348,007, New Harmony - $18,149 and Poseyville - $33,353. A report prepared by Umbaugh and Associates outlines how the proposed $11.5 million jail would be funded. A $9.5 million bond amount plus $2 million from the county’s Rainy Day Fund would fund the project. The institution of the Public Safety
Tax would be used to repay the bonds. The preliminary figures have not been finalized and are estimates provided to council members in order to help them make decisions. The council approved implementing the tax and by Indiana statute they must send the measure to each town for its approval. They will have 30 days to respond to the council on their vote. During the public hearing portion of the meeting, Posey County resident Russ Grand-
erson voiced his opposition to the Public Safety Income Tax. He pointed out the fact that the state will retain a portion of the tax which is put into a trust. The only way to get the funds from the trust is through a bill approved by legislators in the future. Granderson stated he would be in favor of the tax, if the county received the entire amount. He felt that it was unfair the state
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Projects progressing in North Posey schools By Valerie Werkmeister MSD of North Posey School Board members found lots of ways to ‘spread the wealth’ during their meeting last Monday, February 8. They approved the expenditure of funds in a myriad of ways they hope will appeal to the masses. First, Superintendent Dr. Todd Camp presented a request to finish 2015 projects by fully equipping the new gymnasiums still under construction at North Elementary (NES) and South Terrace Elementary School (STES). New bleachers with a seating capacity of 289 people that will be powered for maneuverability similar to the ones at the high school along. They will also have a skirt to block access underneath that will be purchased at a cost of $41,000. Camp stated there are remaining funds from this project that will allow them to purchase the bleachers for each gym. They will also purchase wireless scoreboards at a cost of $4,800. Both projects are steadily progressing, but construction at STES is approximately three weeks behind that of NES. The basketball
goals and ceiling grid have been installed and the floor has been started at NES. Purchasing promethean boards for the junior high/high school media center will round out the final items necessary to complete the 2015 projects. Moving onto this year’s projects, Camp outlined a number of projects on the ‘To Do’ list. Starting at NES, the current multi-purpose room that is used as the cafeteria and gym would be transformed into the new library and media center. Walls would be added to reduce the space along the south wall where the library would be placed. This will allow for an outside exit and entrance. The current area utilized for the YMCA before and after school care program would be turned into a classroom for moderate and severely handicapped students. By doing this, two classrooms in other parts of the building would now be free. Life-long friends Maddie Plough and Olivia Trent try on some of the costumes at the photo booth at The current library that is a failed open-concept design would be the Mount Vernon Winter Formal held at the Posey County Community Center on Saturday evening. renovated for additional learning Plough was sent home shoeless after her shoes were gone when she returned to retrieve them after dancThe formal was well attended. Join the other 14,120 people who have enjoyed Winter Formal picContinued on Page A12 ing. tures on the Posey County News Facebook Page. Photo by Dave Pearce
Postmaster Roedel to retire March 1 By Pam Robinson After 36-and-a-half years of dedication to the United States Postal Service and her patrons in Indiana, Wadesville Postmaster Darlene Roedel will stand at the sale window her last day on Monday, February 29, 2016. A few days before, the public is cordially invited to attend her retirement party on Friday, February 26, 2016, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Wadesville Post Office, 7255 Main Street. Roedel’s professional life proves the good Lord directs a person’s steps. The Elberfeld native recalls her start as a U.S. postal worker. “Our neighbor worked as a part-time clerk for 28 years in Elberfeld. Right before I got out of high school, she said, ‘What are you going to do?’ I said, ‘I’m not sure.’ She told me she was going to retire and said, ‘Why don’t you try for my job at the post office?’ The week after I got out of high school, I started in
her old position on June 8, 1979. It cost 15 cents for a stamp to mail a letter then.” Roedel continued to excel with the U.S. Postal Service. She moved from Elberfeld to Mount Vernon as a clerk/city carrier and later served as a supervisor there. In 1993, she became Postmaster in Griffin. A few years later, she served as Postmaster in Cynthiana until she settled down as Postmaster in Wadesville in 2002. In addition, Roedel gained expertise in Evansville’s main post office sorting mail and operating as rural analyst to maintain information on rural carrier jobs. She served a few months each in Inglefield, New Harmony and Francisco as Postmaster to train for a permanent position in that capacity. While Roedel stood at the post office window this past Sat-
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Caucus will determine NH Town Council member
Wadesville Postmaster Darlene Roedel.
By Lois Mittino Gray There have already been inquiries about filling the vacant seat on the New Harmony Town Council created by the recent passing of Councilman Don Gibbs, according to Posey County Democratic Party Chairman Ed Adams. Adams said he has fielded a few phone calls from interested persons and outlined for everyone what the process will entail. Adams says he has 30 days from the
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than one, then the precinct committeemen from Harmony and myself talk it out and select one,” Adams explained. As for setting the caucus date, Adams wants to give Don’s widow, Betty, a little more time to grieve and think about whether she would like to fill the position, as is often the custom. Adams said he will post notices of the caucus date as soon as it is set in the local post office and newspapers.
Senior sweethearts proof love can wait
PC Historical society commemorates Black History Month The Posey County Historical Society will meet on Saturday, February 27 at 10 a.m. at the Elks Home in Mount Vernon. The program will commemorate Black History Month. All members and friends are invited to come. Mobley to sign autographs at Hawg ‘N Sauce Cody Mobley will be signing autographs at Hawg ‘N Sauce from 1 to 3 p.m., Saturday, February 20, 2016. Come wish him well and get an autographed picture. Mobley, a MVSHS graduate, will be leaving to join Seattle Mariners for spring training in March. South Terrace raffle tickets on sale now Walt Disney World Tickets, St. Louis Cardinals Tickets, Holiday World Tickets and a ‘Visit Indy’ package are all prizes in a raffle the South Terrace Elementary PTO is conducting in conjunction with their annual Winter Carnival. Drawings will occur at the Carnival on February 27, 2016 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., ticketholders need not be present to win. Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased at the school, Barton’s Automotive, Froggy’s Restaurant, Silver Bell Restaurant, or by contacting the PTO at SouthTerraceElemPTO@gmail.com. Poseyville American Legion to hold meeting The Poseyville American Legion Post 278 will meet on February 18, 2016 at 6 p.m. Meeting will be held at the American Legion Post in Poseyville, Indiana.
Bus/Ag .................A9 Classifieds ...... B9-10 Community...........A4 Church...................A7
date of Don’s funeral (February 6) to set a date for a Democratic Party caucus to choose a replacement. Interested persons need to fill out a CEB5 form called a ‘Declaration of Candidacy for a Vacant Office to be filled by a Political Party Caucus.’ The form is available from Adams and must be returned to him, signed and notarized, 72 hours before the caucus. “If there is only one candidate, he or she gets the position. If there are more
By Pam Robinson Romantic love is meant for the young, or so the entertainment industry would have us believe. We see famous big screen couples spanning the decades, such as Rhettt Butler and Scarlettt O’Hara from ‘Gone With the Wind,’ Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson from ‘Grease,’ Han Solo and Princess Leia from the ‘Empire Strikes Back,’ Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton from ‘The d Notebook,’ Edward Cullen and Bella Swan from ‘Twilight.’ (The Top Tens 2015 website) As for real life Hollywood couples, again the young dominate: Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Amal and George Clooney, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shel-
Deaths .................... A3 Legals.................B7-8 Opinion ................A11 Retrospective........A5
ton, Giselle Bündchen and Tom Brady, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie—and more readers will bring to mind. Often, these partnerships fail to last. Passion draws the young from one partner to another. The young love model would never do for Mount Vernon residents Don Oeth and Shirley Rickert, looking for true love. Both now approaching 80, they had prayed faithfully for a soul mate after the loss of their first spouses. As God directed, one day, Don and Shirley found each other—a gift of His grace, the couple will witness. The couple reveals their generation’s traditional Christian values in their long courtship. Don’s first wife, Glenda, had died March 21, 2007. Shirley
School ....................A8 Social .....................A6 Sports .. .........B1, 3-4 TV Guide...........B5-6
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