Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times
LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1882
E, “OUR LIBERTIES WE PRIZ L MAINTAIN.” AND OUR RIGHTS WE WIL Posey County’s ONLY Locally Owned Newspaper.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
$1.00
(USPS S4 439-500) 39 500)) Volume 135 Edition 8
Posey spends week in deep freeze By Dave Pearce You’ve heard it said that if you don’t like the weather in Southern Indiana, just stick around a little bit. Mother Nature gave area residents a taste of what the East Coast has recently gone through this past week with areas reporting anywhere from five to 10 inches of snow in front of sub-degree tem-
peratures. After enjoying a couple of 60-degree days around Valentine’s Day, things went downhill fast. The first front dropped the snow on Posey County and temperatures, which reportedly reached record lows, kept the snow in place just in time for another precipitation event over Thursday and Friday.
One of many slide-offs investigated by the Posey County Sheriff’s Department during the winter storms of this past week. Photo submitted
Local schools, government offices, and some businesses were closed for at least part of the week. Temperatures were reported to be negative five degrees at times in Posey County. According to Posey County Sheriff Greg Oeth, the record low temperatures, snow, sleet, freezing fog, and icy drizzle all combined to keep Posey County Sheriff’s Deputies very busy this past week on Posey County roadways. Oeth reported that deputies provided assistance and services to several motorists who had experienced vehicle problems brought on by the frigid low temperatures. They also responded to numerous property damage vehicle crashes and slide-offs, caused by slick roads that were snow and ice covered. The freezing precipitation made for extreme poor travel conditions throughout the county. Fortunately no one sustained any severe injuries from weather related 911 calls. Athletic events scheduled for the end of the week in Posey County were cancelled with the exception of the Mount Vernon-Mater Dei basketball which was played
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Poseyville Boy Scout Ryan Grice poses with his cake, the winner of one of the prizes doled out at the annual fundraiser held Sunday afternoon. Photo by Dave Pearce
Posey man is guilty of animal cruelty charge Kevin Dale Kincheloe was convicted and sentenced on Friday, February 20, 2015, in the Posey County Superior Court for Cruelty to an Animal a Class A Misdemeanor. The charges arose when a concerned citizen called Officer Colton Givens with the Mount Vernon City Police and reported what they believed to be a dog that had been abandoned by Kincheloe. Givens investigated the matter and found that Kevin Dale Kincheloe was residing on Second Street in the City of Mount Vernon and was the owner of a Great Dane. Givens found that Kincheloe had moved out of the residence and left the animal without food or water, and trapped inside the home. Givens acted quickly to get the animal medical attention through Hawthorne Animal Clinic. It was determined that ‘Diesel’ the Great Dane was approximately 25 pounds underweight and suffered from parasites and infection caused by his owners neglect. On October 9, 2014, the Posey County Prosecutor’s office sought and obtained an arrest warrant for Kincheloe for Cruelty to an Animal. Kincheloe was found and arrested in Illinois on November 17, 2014. Kincheloe spent four days in the Richland County Jail before being able to post bond. Kincheloe appeared in the Posey Superior Court on February 20, 2015, and pled guilty to Cruelty to an Animal. He was sentenced to one year in the Mount Vernon High School students appear to be enjoying themselves during the Winter Formal Posey County Jail. His sentence was suspended to probation on the condisponsored by the Mount Vernon High School marching band. The event was held at the Posey County tion that he pay $799 of restitution to the City of Mount Vernon for medical care and housing of Diesel and $108 of restitution to Posey County Pound Community Center on Saturday evening and drew a large crowd. Photo by Dave Pearce Puppies for medical care and housing of Diesel. In addition, Kincheloe may not own or possess any animal while serving his sentence, must com-
Bank is latest New Harmony loss
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Briefly Upcoming events at Poseyville Carnegie Library Hey Kids - How big is your imagination? Do you love building big structures? How about destroying them? Come to the Poseyville Library and we can fuel your imagination with Duplo Blocks. We will play games, make towers, and have loads of fun. No Registration Required. Grades K-5, Tuesday’s from 4-5 p.m., February 17, 24; Pre-K, Thursday’s from 12-1 p.m., February 19, 26; Free Play, Saturday’s from 10:30-11:30 a.m., February 21, 28. We hope to see you at the library for these fun events. For more information, contact the Poseyville Carnegie Public Library. Phone: 812-874-3418 Email: circulation@pcpl.lib.in.us. TOPS holds meetings in Wadesville TOPS - IN 902 meets each Tuesday at the Wadesville Christian Church at 6 p.m. For more information, please contact Christine Crews 812-682-4306. Deaconess VNA Plus Home Hospice Invites Public to Monthly ‘Lunch Bunch’ Support Group If you have lost a loved one and are looking for an informal opportunity to get out and socialize with others who understand what you are going through, Deaconess VNA Plus Hospice invites you to its monthly Lunch Bunch on the fi rst Friday of every month at 1 p.m. The event rotates among a variety of Evansville restaurants. The March Lunch Bunch will take place Friday, March 6 at Golden Corral at 130 Cross Pointe Boulevard; lunch is on your own and you are welcome to bring a friend. To make a reservation, please call Anisa Evans, Spiritual Care and Bereavement Coordinator, at 812-425-3561 or toll free, 800-326-4862. The Southwest Indiana Chamber to host annual Report to the Posey County Business Community On Wednesday, March 4 at the New Harmony Inn and Conference Center, beginning at 5:30 p.m.the Southwestern Indiana Chamber will present a highlight of recent business impacts made in the Posey County community and for a celebration of 2015 Posey County award recipients. Keynote speaker for this year’s even is Jonathan Weinzapfel, Chancellor, Ivy Tech Community College. Register online at www.swinchamber.com or by calling 812-838-3639.
Retrospective ...... A 4 Legals ............... B 6 - 9 Classifieds ...... B9-10 Community ......... A 5
By Lois Mittino Gray First New Harmony lost its only grocery store, then the bridge to Illinois and the local school closed, followed by the demise of the Catholic church in town. Now the community has learned it will lose its only bank in the spring. Fifth Third Bank mailed letters to customers this week who have safe deposit boxes at their New Harmony branch informing them that the branch will close at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 15. The New Harmony Banking Center will be consolidating with the Poseyville Banking Center, located at 19 West Main Street in Poseyville. The letter explains that all the same services will be available at the Poseyville location or suggests that the Mount Vernon branch may be more convenient. Safe
deposit boxes will not be relocated to another branch and owners must arrange to transfer their valuables themselves. The bank is requesting that box renters close their boxes and transfer by Friday, April 24. After that date, the bank will drill open the box, inventory the contents and store them in a secure location. For the Inconvenience, the bank will allow transfers to use the box one year rent free at any branch office. Poseyville Branch Manager Bruce Baker said that his branch has quite a few safe deposit boxes,but they are limited in sizes. “If someone wants one of the bigger boxes, I encourage coming in as soon as possible as there are not as many of those,” he noted. Baker declined to comment on reasons why the bank was closing and referred all questions to the marketing department in Indianapolis next week.
John Tucker to seek a third term By Lois Mittino Gray vice. His time as mayor is marked with an emphasis on After grappling with the decision for weeks, Mount proper planning and responsible spending. Vernon Mayor John Tucker has decided the third time “When I first ran for mayor, I saw serious problems will be a charm in leading the city facing Mount Vernon, with the fedforward into the future. He filed erally mandated combined sewer papers for re-election to a third overflow project as my top priorterm this past week after giving the ity to address. Our city was under choice much thought. an Agreed Order with the Indiana “I love this job and I have worked Department of Environmental Manon so many projects in the last two agement for years and we had to terms that I would like to see to their move on this. We completed the decompletion. This city is moving sign of this major sewer project and ahead with great strides. However, I received grant funding of over $7.2 also want to make sure I spend qualmillion dollars to do it. By May, ity time with my family, especially 2010, the Agreed Order was dismy daughter, so I gave the matter missed and we are now in complitime to mull it over,” he explained. ance with US EPA and IDEM stan“Leadership requires action, leaderdards,” he explained. Water utility ship means not only doing things upgrades were also completed. right, but doing things for the right Tucker is also proud of the Rivreason. The citizens of Mount Vererfront revitalization project done John Tucker files for mayor of during his term. It was underfunded non are the right reason”. Mount Vernon for a third term. so a hunt for funds was undertaken. Mayor Tucker was first elected in 2007 and took office in 2008. He served as a City The project was designed and completed with 80 perCouncilman for twelve years prior to that. He retired Continued on Page A12 from the local police department after 33 years of ser-
Deaths .................... A3 Church ................ A 6 Social .................. A 5 School ................. A 8
Sports ........... B1, 3-4 Bus/Ag ................ A 7 Opinion ..............A 1 1 TV Guide........ A9-10