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LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1882
“OUR LIBERTIES WE PRIZE, AND OUR RIGHTS WE WILL MAINTAIN.” Posey County’s ONLY Locally Owned Newspaper.
Briefly Caucus set to fill opening for MV Council There will be a caucus on April 5 at 6 p.m. to fill the opening on the Mount Vernon council in District 4. Anyone interested in this spot must have paperwork filed 72 hours before the caucus. Contact Ed Adams for questions. 2016 MV Riverdays set for September 9-11 The Mount Vernon River Days Committee is currently planning another fun-filled festival this year, scheduled for September 9-11, 2016. This years’ event includes special entertainment, the Orsanco Aquarium, a Classic Car Show, Bike Show, lots of crafts and food, plus much more. If you are interested in serving on the committee, or want more information about a food or craft booth please contact Chairperson Kay Kilgore at 812-483-2922, visit our website at mtvernonriverdays.wikispaces.com or follow us on Facebook at Mt. Vernon River Days. Hoosier Salon New Harmony Gallery sponsors Kid’s MiniWorkshop The Hoosier Salon New Harmony Gallery is sponsoring a Kid’s Mini-Workshop on Saturday, April 23 during the 18th Annual First Brush of Spring Paint Out. The session is from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Murphy Park Shelter House in New Harmony. Jamie Rasure will coordinate the event which will provide children the opportunity to create original art which they may enter into the Youth Competition at the Paint Out. Pre-registration is required. Hoosier Salon children’s programs are offered free to all children and some supplies will be furnished. Children younger than 12 years old must be accompanied by an adult. For more information or to enroll a child, call Jamie at 812-673-2777 or 483-2357. Order MV Bicentennial Book now to receive pre-order price Just a reminder that the preorder 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. Tri Kappa Soup Luncheon set A Soup Luncheon sponsored by Tri Kappa will be held on April 3, 2016 at the Catholic Community Center in New Harmony, Ind. Serving up soups, hot dogs, and desserts from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Adults $7.50 Kids $5. Glow for Cure set for April 8 Glow for a Cure 5K will be on Friday, April 8 at 8 p.m. Start and finish line at Western Hills Country Club. $20/person and $65/famil. Proceeds benefit Relay for Life of Mount Vernon. Register at https://www.raceit. com/Register?event=36769 For questions contact Brittaney Johnson at 812-319-9027 or johnsonb8809@gmail.com MVHS Class of ‘76 to hold reunion The Mount Vernon High School Class of 1976 will be having a organizational class reunion meeting. It will be Thursday, April 7 at 6 p.m. at Hawg ‘N Sauce in Mount Vernon. Hope to see you there. Contact Chris Nix Harp or Becky Higgins 812-2047388 for more information.
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
$1.00
(USPS S4 439-500) 39 500)) Volume 136 Edition 14
Public has little input on Hovey
By Lois Mittino Gray When State Senator Jim Tomes arrived at the special meeting on Hovey Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area held on Tuesday, March 29, he was surprised to learn that the kabosh had essentially been put on all discussion of the controversial office move. He walked into the Hovey House a few minutes late, armed with a file folder full of letters from the state budget director concerning work he has done already to pursue a new building on the old site.
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Called to the scene at 2 a.m., area first responders rushed to Dean’s Diner on Mount Vernon’s West Second Street to put out a fire. The building housed an apartment on the second story and the resident made it out safely. Though the diner and apartment were destroyed in the fire, the connected Alles Brother Furniture business was unscathed. The Indiana State Fire Marshals’ office ruled the event an accidental spontaneous combustion of cleaning rags. Photo by Zach Straw
Wastewater problem moves to top of MV list
Bruce Baker, Poseyville Fifth Third Bank manager, on right, listens to Dwight Hamilton, President of Fifth Third Bank of Southwestern Indiana on his last official day of work. Baker will retire after 30 years of work at the bank. Photo by Valerie Werkmeister
‘Mayor’ Baker retires By Valerie Werkmeister Bruce Baker has worn many hats in his lifetime. He has been a Poseyville Town Marshall, youth league coach, member of the Air Force, father and grandfather to name a few. After Friday, April 1, he will hang one of his hats on the hook for the last time. It’s no April Fool’s Joke…Baker really did retire as the manager of Fifth Third Bank in Poseyville. A small reception was held in his honor last Friday afternoon at the bank where he has worked for the past 32 years. Friends, local business leaders and colleagues came out to wish Baker well during his retirement. Baker began his banking career in 1984 as an employee of Farmer’s Bank and Trust. He was quickly promoted and in 1989 assumed the role of Assistant Manager to the Poseyville Banking Center. Finally, in 2000, he was promoted to Finan-
cial Center Manager where he has remained in that capacity. He has seen the bank through several transitions as it changed to Citizen’s Bank, Civitas Bank and finally Fifth Third Bank. Just like his professional career, Baker also assumed many community leader roles. He served as a deputy sheriff for Posey County as well as a Poseyville Town Marshall. He has also been on the Sheriff’s Merit Board. He has been a member of the Poseyville Town Council for 30 years with most of those years serving as town council president. He is affectionately known as the ‘mayor of Poseyville’ and hopes to continue serving the town. Friend and fellow Poseyville Town Council member Ron Fallowfield read a proclamation declaring April 1, as Bruce Baker Day.
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By Lois Mittino Gray Members of the Mount Vernon Board of Public Works agreed at the March 31 meeting that it was high time to get the ball rolling on the EPA mandate to remove all phosphorus from city wastewater by December, 2018. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) is requiring that a plan of action for removal be submitted by June 15 of this year. The board approved a preliminary engineering contract with Lochmueller Engineering for $15,000, pending legal review, to start on the plan. Once the plan is in place, the city will be eligible to apply for and use State Revolving Fund (SRF) money which is earmarked for water infrastructure projects. Initial estimates range from 2.4 to 2.7 million dollars to do the project. “Since Lochmueller built our wastewater plant, it stands to reason they will be the best choice to design this new unit to remove
phosphorus,” said Mayor Bill Curtis. Acting Wastewater Superintendent Dan Moss said the separate unit involves a chemical process that binds the phosphorus to aluminum and the element clings to it and drops it into the sludge. Sludge removal work will be doubled with this treatment. Wastewater employee Gene Carroll said the phosphorus is not coming from detergents anymore as in the past. It comes from fertilizers and can form in the treatment plant itself. Other wastewater work involves “a big problem we have with communication,” Moss said. The SCADA alarm system is not working in the large Mill Street lift station across from Koodie Hoo’s and in other locations. Moss and Carroll have tried resetting the alarms manually to no avail. Franke’s Engineering has tried to reset them remotely from their office in In-
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Annual NH work day April 9
By Lois Mittino Gray There’s strength in numbers and if all goes as planned, the town of New Harmony will have a very strong turnout for its first unified townwide work day on Saturday, April 9. The Town Council declared the ‘official’ work day at its March meeting and Barb McConnell is serving as its coordinator getting all volunteers lined up with projects. University students have been recruited to help with planting projects. McConnell said landscape students from Purdue University and Ball State will be down on April 8 and 9 to do plantings and anything else needed around town. They will be housed overnight at the Barn Abbey. “My students were here about two years ago and accomplished quite a bit in a short time. We planted 2,000 daffodils in Tilich Park and thousands of Virginia Bluebells in Carol’s Garden,” said Kent Schutte, land-
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Baiers honored for 34 years with United Way By Lois Mittino Gray Elizabeth Baier was feted with a farewell reception at the Western Hills Country Club on Wednesday, March 30 attended by at least one hundred friends, family and local dignitaries. She was especially touched that Roger Frick, newly retired Executive Director of the Indiana Association of United Ways, and Lisa Hanger, Vice-President for training of IAUW, traveled down from Indianapolis to make her night special and present her with a proclamation touting her 34 years of service with United Way. “She was surprised to see us, but there was no way she could retire without our acknowledging that she is the longest serving Executive Director in one location in the state,” Hanger explained. “Seeing Roger there had special meaning to her since she worked with him back when he was assigned to southwestern Indiana. In fact, she has worked with
United Way of Posey County Campaign Chairman John Raisor and Executive Director Grant Beloat welcome area residents and businesses to UW’s new location on Third Street in Mount Vernon. Photo by Zach Straw
Bus/Ag .................A10 Classifieds ........ B 8 - 9 Community...........A4 Church...................A7
Deaths .................... A3 Legals ...................B7 Opinion ................A11 Retrospective........A5
him the whole time.” Elizabeth, the Executive Director of Posey County United Way, has retained that position for 34 years. “I would just like to say that she is a very special person, a true gem, beloved by her board and the community and truly respected by all. She will be greatly missed. And we will miss Don, her husband, always by her side the entire time supporting her. Who knows how many hours he’s put in?” Hanger mused. State Senator Jim Tomes and House Representative Wendy McNamara appeared together to present the retiree with a joint proclamation of honor from both houses of the state legislature. Mayor Bill Curtis presented a proclamation on behalf of the city of Mount Vernon for her years of service. Local IGA manager and Councilman Larry Williams
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State Senator Jim Tomes, left, and House Representative Wendy McNamara, far right, presented Elizabeth Baier with a joint proclamation of honor at her farewell reception held Wednesday evening at Western Hills Country Club. Don Baier, second from left, was presented a ‘Volunteer Extraordinaire’ plaque from Michelle Hudson, not pictured, for his years of service to United Way. Photo by Theresa Bratcher
School ..................A8 Social .....................A6 Sports ...... .........B1-4 TV Guide...........B5-6