Inside This Week:
NORTH POSEY SOFTBALL WINS SECTIONALSee Page B3
This Copy Especially Reserved For:
SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times
T
P C N $1.00
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Volume 142 Edition 22
Speed limits in MV could change By Lois Mittino Gray A discussion on lowering the speed limit on Main Street coming south into town was initiated by Councilman Andy Hoehn at the May 18, meeting of the Mount Vernon Common Council. He proposed changing the limit at the Main Street and Eighth Street intersection to 20 mph instead of 30 mph. Mayor Bill Curtis noted that would require an ordinance change and asked where, at the present time, Main Street goes down to 20 mph. Acting Police Chief Corbin Sellers replied, “It is 30 mph up to Sixth Street from the railroad tracks crossing on Main Street. Sixth Street south starts 20 mph.” The objective of the change would be to slow large heavily-loaded trucks down to eliminate their noise and vibration. Homeowners in the discussed area, especially those on the four street corners, are concerned that the vibrations are destroying the foundations of their vintage pre-1900s homes. Being older, they do not have concrete foundations. Mayor Curtis said he talked with the Evansville Metropolitan Planning Organization, an organization that works with traffic planning, since some citizens
suggested a four-way stop be put in there. EMPO says the intersection does not meet the standard code criteria with enough traffic to put one there. EMPO does not feel that would be an effective measure to solve the truck problem. The stopping and starting of the trucks would be hard on the streets. Mayor Curtis offered to give the information from EMPO to the councilors. A sign could be erected though stating the speed limit was going to slow down ahead. Councilwoman Dana Baldwin agreed the speed limit needs to be lowered and wondered about the police doing a little bit more driving through the area and watching for speeders. Captain Sellers replied his department could do that and provide enhanced enforcement. “Where would an officer pull a semi over in that area? What do you do in a case like that where it seems pulling a semi over on Main Street would be a safety hazard?” Mayor Curtis asked. Captain Sellers stated when there are accidents on Main Street, one lane is usually closed off as the street is so narrow. An offi-
Continued on Page A10
Mount Vernon Sheriff’s Deputy Danner Latshaw participates in the Memorial Service Monday morning at Maple Hill Cemetery in New Harmony. Photo by Dave Pearce
Gottman plays key role in Wartime Museum
Executive Director Forrest Gottman in front of the P-47 display in the Evansville Wartime Museum. By Trisha L. Lopez Dozens of guests…many wearing hats or shirts identifying themselves as veterans…milled about the spacious hangar space not far from Evansville Regional Airport on Saturday. A
large American flag hung from the rafters over the bright red, white and blue Hoosier Spirit II airplane that served as a focal point in a room filled with priceless pieces of southern Indiana wartime history. Saturday marked the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Evansville Wartime Museum. Founded to honor the area’s importance as a production hub during World War II, the museum is a labor of love for the men and women who have dedicated themselves to telling stories in danger of being lost as the generations who lived them pass on. Museum Executive Director Forrest Gottman, a 2017 Mount Vernon High School graduate, understands the importance of that duty all too well. “I’ve always been interested in history, local history specifically. My father inspired a love of history, a longing to learn at a young age. He’s always been really interested in World War II and Korea. My grandpa fought in Korea,” Gottman said. “One of the biggest things that we try to do is if someone was involved with World War II or Korea or any other event like that, we try to interview them to get their stories. If they don’t tell their stories, those stories will not be carried down for anyone else to hear them. My grandfather didn’t talk about a single thing he did in the Korean War. We had no idea what
Continued on Page A7
North Posey High School senior Brant Elpers gives the ‘thumbs up’ heading into graduation. Photo by Dave Pearce
Finance class to better the chances By Trisha L. Lopez Jeff Greenwell knows a thing or two about service. The United States Navy veteran has spent most of his adult life working to help others. After his time with the Navy, he began a career in finance…guiding Posey County residents in retirement and insurance decision making. He’s even jumped in as a substitute teacher for the MSD of Mount Vernon. “I had been in an MBA program for over a year and a half and I was wrapping that up and I was wondering what I was going to do with all of my time. I was looking for a new mission…something I could do to leverage my education and experience in a positive way,” Greenwell said. His search for a mission led him to develop a proMount Vernon senior Julie Kingery fights silly string to make her way gram to help inmates at the Posey County Jail learn about money, giving them tools to guide their financial out of graduation. Photo by Dave Pearce
decisions once their sentences are complete and they’ve transitioned back into society. “Maybe I saw something on TV or read or something…I don’t know. But I got to thinking about these people that have been in jail. A lot of them in there have just really basic understanding of making money and finance skills. I thought that maybe if we could help them develop those kinds of skills and knowledge that they may not go back to jail later on,” Greenwell said. Data shows that Greenwell is right. The U.S. prison population is lingering at around 2.3 million, a tenfold increase since 1970, and about 700,000 individuals are released from prisons and jails each year. A National Institute of Justice study in 2005
Continued on Page A7
Mount Vernon honors retiring employees with gathering By Lois Mittino Gray Emotions ran high at the Mount Vernon School District’s Goodbye Breakfast Gathering on the last day of school for teachers on Thursday, May 25 in the high school cafeteria. It was a chance to meet and eat together again after two years of COVID hiatus to swap stories, discuss summer plans, and regale retirees. After the program, teachers dismissed to have building staff meetings and go to their own classrooms to finish up, eerily quiet as the students left the day before. The morning program was dignified, yet fun, as the NEA Mount Vernon Teacher Union President Rick Jesch kicked things off telling attendees, “Go put your play clothes on and go out and play. It’s where we are now.” He did an audience participation survey asking teachers to clap if this was a difficult year, which many did. Then he asked them to clap if this was one of the three most difficult years in their career. Again, there
(USPS 439-500)
was loud applause. Lastly, he asked them to clap if they thought next year would be better than this year. The response was thunderous. “That is why you are in public education. You believe you can make the world a better place,” Jesch praised. Jesch and School Board President Greg Oeth and School Superintendent Matt Thompson distributed pins and rocker bars for milestone anniversaries of service. Travis Wolfe howled on the way to get his ten year pin to the crowd’s delight and there was a big “aww” when Jesch hugged his wife Connie Jesch after receiving her 35 year pin. Twenty five year pins went out to Jennifer Hobgood, Roxanna Spence and Jim Valentine. Thirty year pins were received by Julie Kissinger, Leigh Latshaw, Jacquelyn Maier, and Jenny Ploetz. Carol Stratton was honored with a forty year pin and Thelma Sebree received a
Continued on Page A7
Retirees honored at the Annual Mount Vernon Goodbye Breakfast this week were: from left: Betty Montgomery, Donna Koenig, Jeannette Head, Beth Johns, Tammy Allison and Lisa Dixon. Photo by Lois Mitino-Gray