T
P C N SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times POSEY COUNTY’S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED NEWSPAPER
Volume 140 Edition 9
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
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Posey courts have a busy week Wolf faces battery to child sentence Special to the News years in prison. Robert Wolf, of Mount Vernon, will As part of his guilty plea, Wolf adserve prison time after pleading guilty to mitted to striking his three-year-old Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury to a stepdaughter in the face. On DecemPerson Less Than 14 Years of Age, a Levber 27, 2018, Kent Gottman of Indiana el 5 Felony. Department of Child Services (DCS) Wolf, age 30, appeared in the Posey reported the allegation of child abuse Circuit Court on Wednesday, February 26, to Indiana State Police Detective Wes where he was sentenced by Judge Craig Kuykendall, who took lead in the crimGoedde to four (4) years, with one (1) year inal investigation. According to police to be served in prison followed by three (3) records, Wolf struck his stepdaughyears on Posey County Community Corter over a potty-training accident. The Robert Wolf rections. Goedde further ordered that Wolf child victim suffered bruising on her have no contact with the child victim. face in the shape of a handprint. Wolf pled “open” to the court without the benefit “I’m grateful for the courage of this young surof a plea agreement from Posey County Chief Deputy vivor to stand up to her abuser,” commented Lugo. Prosecutor Javier Lugo. As such, Judge Goedde had Continued on Page A9 discretion to sentence Wolf from one (1) to six (6)
Ours faces eight years for drug dealing North Posey Royalty Faith Droege and Camden Bender were named homecoming Queen and King during Friday night’s basketball game. See photo of the homecoming court Inside. Photo by Dave Pearce
Special to the News as many other law enforcement officials Macer Ours, of Mount Vernon, appeared from local, state and federal agencies, in the Posey Circuit Court on Friday, Febexecuted arrest warrants stemming from ruary 28, where he was sentenced by Judge an undercover drug investigation termed Craig Goedde to eight (8) years in prison af“Operation Guillotine.” On the day of the ter pleading guilty to Dealing in Methamphetraid, Ours was unable to be located and his amine, a Level 4 Felony. arrest warrant remained outstanding. Ours, age 22, did not receive the benefit Ours was ultimately arrested in Roane of a plea agreement from the Posey County County, Tennessee, and he was later Prosecutor’s Office. Because of this, Ours transported to the Posey County Jail in faced a possible sentence of two (2) to twelve September of 2019. A total of 42 drug of(12) years in prison, with the exact sentence fenders have been arrested as a result of Macer Ours to be determined by the Court. “Operation Guillotine.” As part of his guilty plea, Ours admitted to Posey County Prosecutor Thomas selling methamphetamine to an undercover police infor- Clowers commented, “We believe Judge’s Goedde’s mant in Posey County in February of 2019. sentence was appropriate based on the seriousness of the On April 26, 2019, the Posey County Drug Task Force, crime. This is a clear message – if you deal drugs in Posey along with the Posey County Sheriff’s Office, Mount Continued on Page A9 Vernon Police Department, Indiana State Police, as well
White County Bridge Commission turns NH bridge over Special to the News White County Bridge Commission (WCBC) was created by an Act of Congress on April 12, 1941 to acquire and operate a bridge and approaches thereto across the Wabash River just west of the city of New Harmony, Indiana, and all or any ferries across the river within a mile of the bridge. The bridge is commonly referred to as the New Harmony Bridge but was originally known as the Harmony Way Bridge. The White County Bridge Commission has been regarded by the federal government, the State of Indiana and the State of Illinois as a “private” entity, even though the Commission was exempt from paying all federal and state taxes, but did pay real estate taxes to Posey County, Indiana and White County, Illinois.
Because of the “private” entity determination, the WCBC was never eligible to apply for any state or federal grant opportunities to rehabilitation of the bridge. The Harmony Way Bridge was operated and maintained throughout the years mainly funded by the tolls paid by those who used the bridge. The bridge was closed in 2012 because of the lack of funds to make structural repairs that where needed following an engineering study of the bridge. Since 2005, the late Dr. David Rice and Spud Egbert have never given up working to transfer the Harmony Way Bridge to a governmental entity or entities to fully rehabilitate the bridge as an economic engine for the southern Indiana and Illinois region. Egbert stated “It saddened me that Dr. Rice did not live to experi-
ence this new chapter in the restoring the Harmony Way Bridge.” One of the last official acts of the White County Bridge Commission by the last member of the Commission, Spud Egbert, Carmi, Illinois, was to transfer ownership of the Harmony Way Bridge to the Illinois New Harmony River Bridge Authority and the Indiana New Harmony and Wabash River Authority. Effective February 19, 2020, that transaction was completed and both authorities received joint ownership of the Harmony Way Bridge connecting Indiana State Road 66 and Illinois Highway 14. In a bi-partisan attempt at the federal level, the State of Indiana and State of Illinois, the two authorities
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Posey County, Indiana Chief Deputy Recorder Barb Smith facilitates the deed transfer from the White County Bridge Commission Secretary/treasurer, Spud Egbert, to its new owners, the Illinois New Harmony River Bridge Authority and the Indiana New Harmony and Wabash River Authority. Photo submitted
Mount Vernon’s ‘free wifi’ spot could move from Riverbend By Lois Mittino Gray A discussion on possibly moving the location of Mount Vernon’s free WIFI ‘hot spot’ at Riverbend
Park and the amount the city should charge for a lease agreement to put repeater antennas on two of its water towers took place at the February 27,
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meeting of the Water Utility Board. City Attorney Beth McFadin Higgins told board members that the current agreement allows a company, known as SITGO, to place repeater antennas on the smaller water towers on Farmersville Road and near Mount Vernon Community Church on Fourth Street. The city is paid $100 a month rental for each tower, or $2,400 for the year. The company also provides one free ‘hot spot’ location for the city as part of the agree-
ment. A company called WATCH has now acquired SITGO, according to Attorney Higgins and the board needs to reapprove the agreement. WATCH has signed and approved the agreement, with the only change being the name of the company. There is a three year term on the agreement and it can be renewed successive times. She brought the lease agreement to the board to discuss terms, before they signed on to the
company switch. Board member Andy Hoehn commented that he feels $2,400 a year is a pretty low amount. He would like to see $5,000, or even $10,000 paid to the city for the lease year. Board member Rusty Levings asked if there would be a penalty and what would that penalty be, if the city should decide to back out of the lease. Attorney Higgins replied if the city backs out
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Singing your way through school, into hearts New Mount Zion Church pastor employs husband, wife teamwork into ministry By Pam Robinson A southeast Missouri native, Pastor Mike Trotter can look to his parents for opening the door allowing Jesus to walk into his life. A General Baptist minister himself, Jim Trotter and his wife, Jean, set the example for their son and his younger brother, now a resident of Francisco, Indiana. Pastor Mike’s grandma saw into the future when she said to the five-year-old as she rocked him, “One day, you’ll be Grandma’s little preacher.” By the time he was a senior in high school, he preached almost as much as his dad, a full-time pastor, in area youth groups and churches, both Baptist and Methodist. In addition, he shared his God-given musical talents, playing the piano and singing, in a popular Christian quartet he and his teen friends formed, the “Young Impressions.” The quartet was in high demand in south-
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east Missouri and northeast Arkansas. His talent caught the attention of Dr. James Murray, long-time President of Oakland City University, or OCU, and he offered the young itinerant preacher a scholarship to sing with OCU’s traveling praise group, “Earthlight.” As Pastor Mike explains, “I actually sang my way most of the way through college.” He graduated from OCU with a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Education. Between his sophomore and junior year in college, Pastor Mike met a young woman, Kathy, at her home church in Heber Springs, Arkansas, where he served as an intern for the summer. He and Kathy fell in love through regular letters and occasional visits. “We became engaged almost immediately after I started pastoring my first church, and on the first Sunday of 1980, she arrived
as the pastor’s wife of a church she’d never attended. I’d been serving there for four and a half months. She was 18 years old, and she’d been out of school less than a year.” He was 21 years old. They celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this past December 30, 2019. Throughout their married life, Pastor Mike and Kathy have served as a team, just like his dad and mom served their congregations. They left Mount Olive General Baptist Church in Dale, Indiana, after three years, but only because the church worked with bi-vocational ministers and Pastor Mike wanted to work in ministry full time. “That first church was just incredible for a young couple. They used our young age to their advantage. . .They were just open to anything I wanted to try. They didn’t treat
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Pastor Mike Trotter