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SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times POSEY COUNTY’S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED NEWSPAPER
Volume 137 Edition 13
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Board looks to resolve work-flow backlog Cynthiana town clerktreasurer’s health interfering with duties By Valerie Werkmeister A backlog of unfinished work for Cynthiana Town Clerk-Treasurer Greta Mounts has forced town board members to do something about it. A special meeting was held last Wednesday, March 22, in which board members discussed options on how to resolve the problem. According to board president, Todd Kennedy, Mounts is suffering from poor health which has caused her to be unable to perform her duties as clerk-treasurer and utility clerk. He said the final straw came when she was unable to complete payroll for town employees the previous week. Kennedy said he had spoken to Mounts and she had agreed help was needed. Board members Gary Smith, Carolyn Price and Kennedy discussed options with attorney Jason Spindler. Mounts’ duties as utility clerk for the town’s water and sewer services are separate from those of her elected position as clerk-treasurer. They decided to place a help wanted ad as
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Local farmer, Dale Koester, sprays a wheat field near North Posey’s football field Friday. Look inside today’s edition for The Posey County News Spring Agriculture special section. Photo by Michelle Gibson
District losing long-time employee Buchanan retiring after 43 years By Lois Mittino Gray “What if we say no?” School Board Member Kathy Weinzapfel asked wistfully as she expressed regret accepting the retirement of Mary Buchanan at the March 20 board meeting. Mary is the Mount Vernon School District Treasurer and Secretary to the Superintendent. She started with the district right out of high school and has been there for 43 years. “She has helped guide and support four superintendents and we hate to lose her,” Weinzapfel said. School Superintendent Dr. Tom Kopatich
them,” Kopatich quipped. The retirement of another valuable office person was accepted, too. Luonna Uhde, Accounts Payable and Administration Office Secretary to Business Director Loren Evans, will retire this summer after twenty years of service to the district. Resignations were accepted from Hillary Chang, a Marrs Elementary teacher, and assistant coaches James Cox, Kevin Slaton, and Casey
said she “is more efficient than Radar on the old M*A*S*H TV show, if you can believe that!” He said coming into the job, the veteran employee was an invaluable tool to him and he appreciates her so much. The district is advertising for a replacement now, but Mary will stay around to help train Mary Buchanan her successor and use up some comp days for a while. “In the meantime, she is making notes for her reContinued placement and there are pages and pages of
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Mount Vernon police cracking down on large trucks By Lois Mittino Gray Police Chief Tony Alldredge started the March 16 meeting of the Mount Vernon Board of Public Works with the announcement that his department is cracking down on large trucks driving through the Lawrence Subdivision. “We will be stepping up enforcement in the area. The signs we posted saying ‘no large trucks’ are not working,”
Briefly New Harmony: Town-wide Yard Sale April 1, 7 a.m. New Harmony, IN MV Bicentennial Committee: Time Capsule Closing April 1, 9 a.m. - Noon Police and Fire Meeting Room, MV St. Paul’s UMC: Musical Performance, Carry-In Dinner to follow March 31, 5:30 p.m. St. Philips Road, MV MVJHS: Musical April 7, 7 p.m. Mount Vernon, IN Marrs Township: Egg Hunt April 8, 10 a.m. rain/shine Ford Road, MV Second annual MDA event: Fundraiser March 31, Starting 10 a.m. Wesselman’s, MV Johnson United Methodist: Order Ham Loaves Pick Up April 7, 9 - 11 a.m. and 4 - 6 p.m. Church, NH More information on these and other events inside today’s Posey County News
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(USPS SPS SP S 439 4 439-500) 39 500 5 00
Alldredge said. The large, heavy trucks turn off Main Street and cut through the subdivision on streets not made to accept the weight load. They are going to GAF warehouses, Countrymark, and Warehouse Services on Lower New Harmony Road. New city councilman Mark Clements was in the audience to observe and asked, in reference to
this truck traffic in the Lawrence area, if anyone has contacted GAF or Countrymark for their help? Mayor Curtis replied, “Oh, yes. Multiple times!” Curtis continued by stating these companies tried to help, but frankly, some drivers are just not fluent in English to understand the signs. Many are just following their GPS routes leading them that way. He added that he
has not had complaints really on any Countrymark trucks. In other board action: • Street Commissioner Max Dieterle brought up the street sweeper purchase discussed at the last meeting. He had a quote of $189,000.00 for the desired model. $10,000 was offered on a trade-in of their old model. He also brought a quote for a lease
purchase with a three year rate at 3.21 percent or five years at 3.53 percent. After talking earlier in the day with Mayor Curtis, they decided to put $100,000.00 down and finance the remaining $89,000.00. Dieterle said City Attorney Beth McFadin Higgins told him he would
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Life abroad USI international students visit eighth graders By Lois Mittino Gray Flags from six nations were unfurled in classrooms and on staircases at Mount Vernon Junior High School Friday afternoon as eighth graders listened to USI international students tell about their homelands. The program, held during the daily “home base” hour, fascinated the local students as they watched slides and heard tales of life in faraway lands. Daniela Gonzalez, a freshman studying elementary education plus several minors, surprised the students by saying the Mexican food served here in the Evansville area is nothing like the food served in her home of Mexico City. “It is so much spicier in Mexico and the tortillas are so different made with corn.” Mehak Fayaz, a freshman who hails from the Punjab area of Pakistan, also talked about eating, bemoaning the lack of spices in our foods. “The food
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Jerry Wayne Rosser, Jr.
Traffic stop ends with Taser deploy and arrest
trict, asked the council for a $75,000 temporary loan. He said the funds are needed until the entity gets its allotment from the state in June. The Solid Waste District intends to repay the loan in December. Bennett said the district is operating on a revenuebased budget of $783,000 and has eliminated two fulltime positions “to shore up the budget.” He explained the entity is not able to keep up with the amount of
By Dave Pearce A “routine” traffic stop in Posey County on Saturday evening in Posey County turned into more than routine for Posey County Deputy Justin Rutledge. According to information provided by Chief Posey County Deputy Sheriff Tom Latham, on March 25, 2017, at just a few minutes after midnight, Rutledge observed a white Cadillac traveling eastbound on State Road 62. The vehicle had no license plate light. The Cadillac was traveling in the right lane and crossed the center line partially into the left lane multiple times. Rutledge then initiated a traffic
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Alex Lopez from Columbia and Daniela Gonzalez from Mexico, wrap themselves in their native flags in the hallways of the junior high. Photo by Lois Mittino Gray
Council adds funds to help waste district By Valerie Werkmeister Members of the Posey County Council agreed to additional appropriations that would help the Solid Waste District stay afloat and construct a new storage building for county equipment, but tabled a request by the Purdue Cooperative Extension office to increase funds for a full-time employee. The council met last Tuesday, March 14, to discuss the issues during their monthly meeting. Ron Bennett, Controller for the Solid Waste Dis-