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, March 15, 2016
$1.00
(USPS S4 439-500) 39 500)) Volume 136 Edition 11
Curtis is new MV mayor By Lois Mittino Gray The new mayor is a Mount Vernon native Bill Curtis plans to take advantage of all the who attended St. Matthew School for eight groundwork already laid to make Mount Ver- years and was graduated from Mount Vernon non a better community High School in 1964. and then he’ll add his He earned a degree from own special skill set Purdue University in to his new role as City 1969 in English EduMayor. He was chosen cation, with a minor in to fill the position by Child and Family Studa caucus of the Demoies. His Master’s Degree cratic Party on Wednesfrom the same institution day, March 9, replacing is in Educational PsyJohn Tucker who rechology. After a starting signed March 1 due to stint elsewhere, Judge health issues. Back got him ‘back’ to Prior to this appointMount Vernon by offerment, Curtis was serving him a job with the ing his second elected Newly appointed Mount Vernon juvenile delinquency/atterm as District Four Mayor Bill Curtis settles in comfort- risk prevention program. Councilman and May- ably behind his new desk at City Hall. After seven years at or Pro-Tem/Council Photo by Lois Mittino Gray that job, he worked as a President. He has reprelicensed clinical social sented his district for a total of nine-and-a-half- worker with the Southwest Indiana Mental years, initially caucused in for a year-and-a- Health Center, as coordinator working with St. Matthew School Principal Vicki Wannemuehler is all smiles as auctioneer Andy half, and then running successful races the other at-risk children out of the local Posey County two terms. A replacement for his district four office. He moved on to accept the role of Ex- Winiger announces that the St. Matthew Annual Auction surpassed the overall $1 million mark in the sixteenth year of the auction held Saturday night at the Posey County seat on the Common Council will be chosen at Continued on Page A12 Community Center. Photo by Dave Pearce an upcoming caucus after the date is set.
SBOA looks into 2013 Cynthiana pay raise By Valerie Werkmeister A recent audit by the Indiana State Board of Accounts (SBOA) found a problem with a raise given to Greta Mounts, the Cynthiana Town ClerkTreasurer in July 2013. The current town board’s attorney, Jacob P. Weis, of Bender Law in Poseyville, explained the situation during the boards’ meeting last Tuesday, March 8. Weis stated the SBOA found an improper change to the 2013 salary ordinance during a routine audit in which the previous board approved the amendment providing a $10,920 salary increase to Mounts. The salary increase was approved by the board which consisted of Gary Smith, Scott Cox and Jim Sheets during their July 9, 2013 meeting. During that meeting, it was stated Mounts would move from part-time to full-time in her duties as clerk-treasurer. According to SBOA and confirmed by Weis, a clerk-treasurer does not have authority to declare themselves part-time or full-time. The job is a salary position and the clerk-treasurer may set their own work hours at their discretion. However, if the clerk-treasurer is paid a salary from a portion of the town utilities such as gas, water or sewer, the SBOA suggests setting hours to collect payments and answer questions regarding the utility. They also approved a $1,927.38 payment in employer contributions to Social Security/Medicare and the Public Employee Retirement Fund (PERF). In addition, the council also improperly approved and paid $4,296.72 in health insurance premiums in 2013 and $1,886.76 in 2014 for Mounts. Altogether, the SBOA determined Mounts was improperly compensated a total of $19,030.86 during the time of January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2014.
Donor helps bring body cam to Poseyville police
Mount Vernon’s Fine Arts Academy delighted audiences with a musical adaptation of ‘Big Fish.’ Seen here are the Alabama Lambs, Gabby Gilligan, Emily Juncker and Alyssa Juncker. Photo by Zach Straw
Well water quality tested By Lois Mittino Gray Captain Bruce C. Tierney would like Posey County residents who have wells, especially those living near an oil field, to look at their water when it comes out of the faucet. Does it look cloudy and effervescent? Does the bubbling remind you of old-fashioned ‘seltzer water’ and go away after a minute? If so, this is methane gas escaping from your water into your home. Captain Tierney, a medical officer with the exposure investigation team of the US Public Health Service, and his associate Karen Scruton gave a presentation to interested citizens at the Hovey House on Tuesday, March 8. They are employees of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) of Atlanta, Georgia. This federal agency was created by the Superfund
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By Valerie Werkmeister Thanks to an anonymous donor, Poseyville Town Marshall Doug Saltzman may soon be equipped with a body video camera. Saltzman informed town council members during their meeting last Wednesday, March 9, he had received a $2,500 donation towards the purchase of the item. He stated the body cam only costs approximately $200, but the additional funds will be needed to pay for a new computer and video storage device. Videos must be stored for a minimum of two years. Council Attorney Jacob P. Weis of Bender Law Firm suggested a policy be drafted prior to use of the body cam. Council members Bruce Baker, Ron Fallowfield and Steve Ahrens were in support of the use of the camera and will seek technology information for the appropriate data storage device. Town-Clerk Treasurer Julie Mayo reported the new gas tracker will be 26 percent less than the previous amount. The new tracker will be applied to gas consumption months of February, March and April. Gas utility users will see the new amount apply to their bills in March, April and
May. Town employees have been busy preparing for the upcoming street work on Highway 165 through Main Street. They have been marking utilities for the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). Beginning at the southern junction, State Road 165 will be milled down and replaced with asphalt. The work will extend to State Road 68. In addition, 43 sidewalks along the route will be replaced with American with Disabilities Act compliant surfaces. The project comes after INDOT resurfaced the road with chip and seal during the summer in 2014. Business owners, residents and members of the council were displeased with the chip and seal work through the heart of town. Council members met with INDOT officials on several occasions to point out the problems chip and seal created. This type of surface is more commonly used on rural roads. Work is to begin soon or within the next few weeks. It is expected to be completed before July, weather permitting. At times, Main Street and its sidewalks will be barricaded as work
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Posey’s Linda Willis experiences Tapiti Festival By Lois Mittino Gray While many of us were shivering in snow in February, Linda Willis was sweltering in sunshine in one of the most mystical places in the world. The retired Mount Vernon teacher traveled to Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean, home of the huge stone heads found along the coastline of the triangular shaped island and nowhere else on earth. Willis, who loves to travel, first heard about the trip when she was visiting Iceland-Greenland on a tour in September. Friends told her about the wonder of the island, especially if she were to visit during its Tapiti Festival, held during the first two weeks of February. The intrepid traveler heeded their
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Harmonie State Park Campground cleanup day set Harmonie State Park Campground cleanup day will be held March 19, 2016 at 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Meet at the overflow parking lot at the campground gate, lunch will be provided. Come help an hour or all day, what ever fits your schedule. This year our continued park cleanup with go until April 24. Free camping for those who would like to stay and work a minimum of 20 hours per week per campsite. For more information contact Sherri Allen by March 13 in a private message on her Facebook page if you plan to help, if you are wanting to stay and camp, or to get on the Harmonie Events email list. Do not call the Park. Inaugural Benjamin Dickhaut Kickball Tournament set The Inaugural Benjamin Dickhaut Kickball Tournament will be held May 7, 2016 at Zion UCC Ball Field, 9000 Copperline Road, Mount Vernon. Kick-off will be at 9 a.m. All proceeds will support the Benjamin Dickhaut Scholarship Fund. Refreshment will be for sale, a silent auction will be held, prizes for first and second place
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advice, packed her bags, and with the help of a travel agent boarded a plane on February 5 for Santiago, Chile. Easter Island has been considered part of Chile since 1888, although it is 2,250 miles off the coast of it and about 2,531 miles from Tahiti in the middle of a vast ocean. She flew LAN airline into the small island airport and was met by her bilingual (Spanish and English) tour guide offering her a beautiful floral lei and a ride to her bed and breakfast type hotel in Hanga Roa. Willis spent the first two days exploring the town which is the capital, harbor and main tourist center for the 64-square-mile island. She walked everywhere along its one main street looking in shops, eating local fare and Linda Willis stands in front of the Tonariki group of 15 statues in a row. Photo submitted
winners, and prizes for most unique dressed team will be awarded. Contact Joanna Dickhaut at 812-205-5730 or email at jodickhaut@gmail.com for more information. Registrations due by April 15, 2016. St. Peter’s UMC Flea Market, Vendor Fair, Rummage and Bake Sale date set St. Peter’s United Methodist Church, 2800 St. Phillips Road, will hold a Flea Market, Vendor Fair, Rummage and Bake Sale on April 16, 2016, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be lots of items to choose from. If you would like a booth, please call 812-985-5143. New Harmony Class of ‘66 plans reunion, seeks help finding some members A Class of ’66 Reunion is planned for Friday, May 27, 2016, the day before the Annual New Harmony High School Alumni Reunion. Twenty-three students graduated that year, but through the years prior to graduation we had friends who attended with our class but moved away. We have lost track of some of these and are seeking the public’s help in
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contacting them. They may have married and changed their name. Here is a partial list of persons who we would like to contact: Barbara Anderson, Randy Carter, Debbie Garrett, Barbara Hardesty, Dixie Short, and Rita Underwood. This is only a partial list so anyone who attended school then for even a short period of time, we want to hear from you. If you know any of these individuals, please let them know we want to hear from them. Contact: Margaret Axton Rapp 812459-9851 or maggierapp@sbcglobal.net. Order MV Bicentennial Book now to receive pre-order price Just a reminder that the pre-order price of the Mount Vernon Bicentennial book will only be available at $37.50 (plus tax) until delivery day. After that day the price will be $47.50 plus tax. To pre-order you can still go on line to Mt. Publishing to order by credit card. Or mail your check to MV Bicentennial Book, 520 Main Street, Mount Vernon, IN 47620. An easy way, if your local, is to stop by Printcrafters, 304 West Fourth, Mount Vernon to place your book order.
School ..................A8 Social .....................A6 Sports ...............B1, 3 TV Guide...........B5-6