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“OUR LIBERTIES WE PRIZE, AND OUR RIGHTS WE WILL MAINTAIN.” Posey County’s ONLY Locally Owned Newspaper.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
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(USPS S4 439-500) 39 500)) Volume 136 Edition 10
is New Safety is a top concern for jail expansion Alsop Harmony Town
By Valerie Werkmeister What price would you pay to make your work environment safe? The answer to that question will differ among groups, but for the Posey County Sheriff’s Department the answer is simple: it’s priceless. During last Tuesday’s Posey County Commissioners meeting, they approved the new jail design proposed by RQAW Engineering that will move the current prisoner booking area into the new portion of the jail where prisoners will be held. By doing so, the two areas will be in close proximity and much safer for law en-
forcement officers. This will increase the overall project cost, which became a point of contention during a previous joint commissioners and county council meeting. Before making the decision, the commissioners, along with Sheriff Greg Oeth and his chief deputy Tom Latham, visited a jail with a similar design in Salem, Ind. However, they opted not to move their booking area and officers must walk a long corridor between booking and the holding area. It certainly brings officer safety to the forefront of concern. Latham stated it best, “How would you like
to wrestle someone 125 feet versus only a few feet?” The commissioners also decided they could save money by choosing a pre-fabricated steel structure versus a design-build or brick and mortar structure. Commissioner Jim Alsop stated this option brings approximately $560,000 in savings. Alsop stated the decision to expand the jail didn’t just happen overnight. It has culminated after three years of meetings and discussions planning for the jail expansion. The current jail
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Fifteen body cams come to Mount Vernon PD By Lois Mittino Gray Members of the Mount Vernon Board of Public Works learned at its March 3 meeting that fifteen new body cams were purchased by the city police department thanks to two generous donations from the local community. Retiring Police Chief Grant Beloat attended his last meeting to announce the donation from the American Legion Owen Dunn Post 5 and the Fraternal Order of Eagles 1717.
Acting Police Chief Bryan Angel said it will be Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all Mount Vernon officers to wear and operate the body cams whenever they are working outside their vehicle. The body cam upgrades have already been purchased for the department, but Angel said they will need a new computer hard drive with a lot of storage to store the recordings. The current requirement for smaller precincts is to store re-
cordings for two years, unless they are needed for an ongoing investigation. Larry Haag, Lochmueller Engineering, reported that the geotechnical work for the East Side Sewer Project was completed and the project was ready for advertising. Permission was granted to advertise for bids on March 9 and 16 in newspapers, hold a pre-bid meeting on March 24, and open sealed bids on April 7.
Asked by Mayor Pro-Tem Bill Curtis whether he thought the bids might come in lower than previous ones, Haag noted that, “contractors now will have a better understanding of soil conditions, so I think they will be lower and more realistic. They originally put in a margin of error to account for the unknown in the soils, so I hope they will be lower than before.”
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Posey’s Philip Hagemann is honored by USI At its regular meeting on March 3, 2016, the University of Southern Indiana Board of Trustees approved a new strategic plan that will frame the University’s priorities over the next five years. The previous five-year strategic plan came to a close in 2015. The approved 2016-2020 strategic plan includes three overarching goals: Excellence in Learning for the Entire USI Community; Access and Opportunity by Design; and Purposeful and Sustainable Growth “The work in our strategic plan has a grand purpose: to educate in ways that are lasting and prepare
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North Posey High School Principal Scott Streiter, far right, presents Wadesville resident Scott Silver (Raffle Winner), second from right, with the annual Expressway Truck Give-away prize certificate. At far left is Viking Booster Club representative Tim Schmidt and North Posey Athletic Director Virgil Ferguson.
Briefly
By Lois Mittino Gray Virginia Alsop will be sworn in as the newest member of the New Harmony Town Council on Tuesday, March 8 right before its 8 a.m. meeting. Alsop was selected for the office at a Democratic Party caucus held on Wednesday, March 2 with precinct committeemen. She was the sole applicant for the vacancy created by the death of Don Gibbs on February 3. Alsop Is a familiar Virginia Alsop face around the Town Hall as she regularly attends all the town council meetings and most Posey County Commissioner’s meetings, too. This is her first foray into the political world and she is looking forward to helping New Harmony grow and thrive in any way she can. Her appointment will put her in charge of the Street and Solid Waste Committees. “I hadn’t thought about running for office until it hit me about two weeks ago to apply for the opening. This is my hometown and I’m interested in what’s going on and concerned about the many issues facing us,” she said. Mrs. Alsop is a New Harmony native, born and raised on Steammill Street in the Culliver family ?home?. Her mother’s family, named Fisher, lived on Cutoff Island. She is a 1962 graduate of New Harmony High School. After graduation, Virginia attended beauty school and worked for a few years in Nancy Manchette’s beauty shop. She married Don Alsop and moved out to a country farm between New Harmony and Mount
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‘Safe Exchange Zone’ established in MV
MV Elks to hold Relay fundraiser The Mount Vernon Elks Lodge 277 will have a fundraiser to benefit Relay for Life on Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Carry out lunches of Fish Filet or Pork Chop and Potato Salad, Oven Baked Beans, Pickle, Onion and Bread will be available for $8.50 per lunch. Canned drinks will also be available for sale. Call 812-8383361 to reserve your lunches. Delivery is available for large orders. Call on Friday or Saturday to check availability of extra lunches. South Terrace, North Elementary set Preschool, Kindergarten Registration South Terrace School in Wadesville and North Elementary School in Poseyville will have Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten registration for 2016-2017 beginning March 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. Information and enrollment forms may be picked up starting March 1 at the schools. Children that will be three or four years of age by August 1, 2016 are eligible. Parents of incoming Kindergarten students will soon receive information on the upcoming Kindergarten ‘Round-ups.’ If you have not turned in your student’s name to the school, please call to be put on the mailing list. Please call the schools for information. North Elementary 812-874-2710 and South Terrace 812-985-3180. 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. PCPP needs your help Due to the recent dog hoarding situation, PC Pound Puppies is greatly in need of donations. These dogs have required extensive medical care, and even the smallest donation will be greatly appreciated. They were found in unspeakable condition, and are being given a second chance. If anyone suspects other cases of abuse and neglect, please call animal control before things reach this level of cruelty. Please send your donations to: PC Pound Puppies, PO Box 295, Mount Vernon, Indiana 47620. 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.
Bus/Ag .................A10 Classifieds ........ B 8 - 9 Community...........A4 Church...................A7
Council choice
By Lois Mittino Gray Councilman Larry Williams presented a simple idea to help ensure public safety at the Mount Vernon Common Council meeting of March 3 that was wellreceived and hailed as ‘really forward thinking’ by this cohorts. He told council members, “So many people today buy things on
Craig’s List, eBay, and other outlets that they need a safe place to make their purchase or exchange since the seller is often a complete stranger.” Williams proposed designating a Safe Exchange Zone at the police department. It would only require marking an area in the parking lot and putting up a sign where
people could arrange to meet and make their transactions in a public area. The action cannot guarantee that nothing bad will happen, but Williams felt this would be a plus for the community at little cost. The others agreed and Street Commissioner Max Dieterle was given
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Dreams come true at NH Boutique Stephanie Cole and Andrea Mercer took the name planning is not limited to weddings. Baby showers, ‘The Dream Team,’ to a whole new level when they anniversaries, engagement, retirement, and anything opened their shop ‘Dream Makers Boutique,’ in New else one could dream of can be planned and carried Harmony Indiana. out with Cole and Opening just about Mercer. However a month ago inside the duo really want the Main Event to help their cusshop the two ladies tomers and will help offer several differthem stay within a ent items and serbudget and can be a vices in their shop. full-on-take-charge Stephanie has just kind of service or recently ventured just a coordinator into this full time, of the event. It is rewith her previous ally up to what the line of work being client wants. Cole in office managesays she has done ment. With the talweddings at just ent and desire she about every country has for the business, club in Evansville, she really embraces and has done sevthe idea Steve Jobs eral events in New had of, “The only Harmony. way to do good The ladies set up work, is to do the an initial consultawork you love.” tion with clients so Stephanie Cole stand next to some of the items offered they can sit down Planning a wedding could not be through Dream Makers Boutique, her decorating business and have a face-toeasier with Cole and located in New Harmony. Photo by Brooke Simpson face, personal conMercer at the helm. “We want to make our customers nection when starting to plan that special event. visions and dreams actual reality when it comes to Continued on Page Axx their special day,” says Cole. Yet the party and event
Deaths .................... A3 Legals ...... .........B3-4 Opinion ................A11 Retrospective........A5
School ..................A8 Social .....................A6 Sports ...... .........B1-2 TV Guide...........B5-6