SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times POSEY COUNTY’S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED NEWSPAPER
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Volume 136 Edition 36
Mount Vernon gets first-hand look at bullying issue By Lois Mittino Gray Stories of escalating problems with a group of local bullies were the focal point of the September 1 meeting of the Mount Vernon Common Council. A contingent of concerned and angry citizens attended the meeting and told tales of juveniles with crowbars, foul mouths, total disrespect for other children and adults, and property vandals. Ernie Lurker, who lives next to the Imagination Station playground on 613 College Avenue, started the session by reading a prepared statement to council members con-
cerning the safety of children. “There is bullying and vandalism going on in our area and it is getting more violent each passing day. We have been forced to call the police several times. Officers have asked the kids many times to stop and leave the area and they return within a matter of minutes,” he told the council. “They have no respect for the law and taunt adults as well as other kids.” Lurker said they even climbed on top of neighbor Ron Greenfield’s car last weekend and jumped on it like it was a trampoline Lurker’s son was followed by a group of
seven to his home where they came up on the porch with a crowbar. He said his son has been attacked on three different occasions. He stated his son got kicked by one of them today at school. “These kids aren’t playing. How can parents be sure their kids are safe? Eventually, someone is going to get badly hurt. This needs to stop or we, as adults, have failed these children.” Lurker spoke with Police Chief Tony Alldredge who told him there is a meeting scheduled for September 6 with the prosecuting attorney and the juvenile department.
“There are currently lots of cases against this certain group of children as they wreak havoc wherever they go. The community needs a solution. This is an example of poor parenting—are the parents being held responsible?” he queried. Councilman Andy Hoehn asked if these problems occur mainly at night? Lurker replied it is happening day and night. He said he calls the police department all the time, but these kids are just itching for a fight. He
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Higgins is River Days parade head By Lois Mittino Gray Councilman Larry Williams proudly announced at the September 1 Mount Vernon Board of Public Works meeting that his cohort on the board, Becky Higgins, was selected to be the Grand Marshal of the River Days Parade taking place on Saturday, September 10. “I don’t mean to cause you embarrassment at this meeting, but this is a well-deserved honor. You have worked so hard as the chairman of the Bicentennial Celebration Committee and it is fitting. Congratulations.” Higgins said she was excited about the honor, but was a little disconcerted when Police Chief Tony Alldredge came over in full uniform to tell her the selection news. “I wondered what was wrong, but everything was just right.” During department reports, Chief Alldredge had a quote from Expressway Dodge to purchase a 2016 Dodge Charger to replace the car that was involved in an accident in July. It was approved at the government bid sale price of $22,277. The money for the car will come from COIT funds, as the insurance reimbursement has already been paid and deposited into that account. Alldredge was also given permission to send two officers to breath test operator certification school in Indianapolis on September 14. They will be allowed to use a city vehicle and the city credit card for a hotel room the night before and meals.
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Responders praised for ST response
city or county government. Our private rescue operates through donations and a few grants. We receive no funding by any government agency.” In addition to numerous donations from Posey County residents, Parker drew attention to several large donations responsible for putting PHS back in the black. The Mount Vernon Eagles presented a check for $1,500; an anonymous donor, a check for $1,800; and one of Parker’s friends, a check for $1,000. Amanda Thompson set up immediately a YouCare fund (like Go Fund Me) already at $2,000 and counting on Sunday afternoon. Larry Williams and his management team at McKim’s IGA has started a ‘paws’ sale, sure to multiply the $400 counted on Friday, and allowed the set-up of a donation table on Saturday yielding $226. Likewise, Jeff and Sabrina Schelhorn, owners of Hawg ‘N Sauce, sponsored a give-back this past Friday and Saturday with a percentage of food ticket sales going to PHS. Chantil Conyers has pledged to host an online Scentsy
By Valerie Werkmeister A leaking transformer caused a disturbance at South Terrace Elementary School during the first week of school. The incident has been resolved but the MSD of North Posey is still dealing with a few after-effects. Superintendent Dr. Todd Camp read a statement during last week’s special school board meeting about the incident and praised Vectren’s response to the incident that occurred on Thursday, August 18. He stated they went above and beyond what the usual protocol is by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and performed a ‘heightened cleanup.’ They either cleaned or removed every area that was affected by the oil spill. A low level of PCBs was found in the oily liquid that leaked from the transformer. PCBs were widely used in transformers before their use was banned by the US EPA in 1979. PCBs were found to cause ill health effects with human exposure. According to a timeline of the event noted by principal Kelly Carlton, staff and one parent discovered the leaking transformer during recess around 12:20 p.m. Vectren was contacted and the fire department was also called. Students who came in contact with the oil on their skin washed with soap and water and all had their shoes removed. Parents were notified via telephone of the incident
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CSB State Bank president Steve Bennett, at left, presents the deed to property located behind the Poseyville branch of the bank to Town Council President Bruce Baker and Poseyville baseball representative Kent Schmitt. The area behind the bank has been used for baseball field parking for a long time so local attorney Bill Bender donated his time and expertise to transfer ownership of the area to the baseball organization. Photo by Dave Pearce
Private funds perform rescue at PHS By Pam Robinson “Who would have thought that 142 shares and three days later this [Facebook] post changed my days from stressed to the max to proud and hopeful,” Posey Humane Society Board President Tina Parker wrote Sunday afternoon on Facebook. “Three days after the fact, we not only have enough money to get our air conditioner replaced, but we are able to put some money back for future building maintenance expenses and some on our vet bills...wow!” The typically energetic and enthusiastic Parker put out an S.O.S. this past week to shore up a depleted general fund. Posey Humane Society, or PHS, was lacking the means to pay more than $13,000 in bills: over $8,000 in vet bills alone. Another $5,000 was required to replace a failed air conditioning unit. No wonder, Parker was “stressed to the max” about the completely privately-funded, no-kill Posey County rescue for cats and dogs. “There is a huge public misconception about our funding,” Parker emphasized during a phone interview Sunday morning. “PHS is not funded by either
Briefly PC Republicans to hold caucus September 12 at APL The Posey County Republican Party will hold a caucus on September 13, 2016 to select a successor to Lindsay Suits as Black Township Trustee. The caucus will be held at Alexandrian Public Library in Mount Vernon and will begin at 6:30 p.m. Anyone interested in seeking the position must file a declaration of candidacy with Greg Newman, Posey County Republican Chairman, at least 72 hours prior to the caucus. For information, please contact Greg at 812-480-3893. Long-Range Transportation public workshop planned for September 12 Lochmueller Group will be holding a public workshop to gather input regarding a Long-Range Transportation Plan for Posey County. A brief presentation will be given at the onset of the meeting followed by a facilitated input session focused around all modes of transportation. Lochmueller Group is a multi-service engineering firm that specializes in transportation, environmental, and water resource services. The group was hired by Posey County, as well as the Posey County Economic Development Partnership (PCEDP) to prepare a Long Range Transportation Plan for Posey County. Monday, September 12, 2016 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Poseyville Community Center, 25 West Fletchall Avenue, Poseyville, IN 47633. 2016 MV Riverdays set for September 9-11 Mount Vernon River Days 2016 will be an even more festive event this year as Indiana and Mount Vernon are both celebrating their 200th birthday. River Days is in its 9th year of celebrating life on the Ohio River with scrumptious food booths, a variety of craft booths, a special bicentennial themed parade, the ORSANCO Mobile Aquarium, the Legion Riders Bike Show, the Pony Express Mustang and Classic Ford Club car show, the ever popular Smoke on the Ohio BBQ contest along with Kids ‘Q’ Hamburger grilling competition, packed full of musical entertainment all three days, historical demonstrations, fireworks, and much, much more. On Sunday, September 11, the Bicentennial Torch will arrive at the courthouse square along with Hoosier Experience Mobile Visitors Center. Opening ceremonies begin on Friday, September 9th at 11 a.m. and will conclude on Sunday, September 11th at 3 p.m. River Days is a very family and wallet friendly festival. For more information, check out our website at https://www.mtvernonriverdays.wikispaces.com or our Facebook page at Mt. Vernon River Days. Poseyville Autumnfest to be held September 23-25 The Kiwanis Club is once again putting on the Poseyville Autumnfest on September 23-25, 2016. The Autumnfest Princess and Miss Autumnfest Contest will be held Friday evening. For the Saturday evening entertainment there will be a band performing for a couple of hours followed by a 30 minute professional fireworks display. This year will also see some games added: cake walk, beanbag and egg toss, ugly hat and ugly apron contest, water balloon contest, paper air plane contest, sack race, pie eating contest, and power wheel and big wheel race. If you have any questions or comments concerning the Autumnfest the Kiwanis Club would like to hear from you, please call our Autumnfest Chairman, Warren Korff at 812-550-7662; Don Schenk, at 812-874-3249; or James Reynolds at 812-963-5700. Community Center to be site of Rummage Sale The Posey County Community Center, located at the Posey County 4-H Fairgrounds on Highway 69 South of New Harmony, will be hosting a Rummage Sale on Saturday, October 1, 2016. The doors will be open to the public from 8 a.m. until noon. Vendors will be in attendance with a wide variety of clothing, shoes, boots, kitchen and household items, collectibles, dolls, jewelry, antiques, decorations, picture frames, books, glassware and much more. There is still vendor space available. For a registration form or more information, contact the Purdue Extension Office at: 812-838-1331 or download the form from our website at: https://extension.purdue.edu/posey.
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New Harmony is home for Bullitt County movie scene By Lois Mittino Gray Lights, camera, action! New Harmony will once again be the set location for a movie. The town was chosen due to its “iconic streets and storefronts,” according to Josh Riedford of ‘Mr. Pictures,’ an independent film company. Named ‘Bullitt County,’ the movie will be filmed October 23-26 utilizing sites on Main and Church Streets. The film is set in the 1970s and will require period autos, with no others allowed to park on the street. Riedford gave a talk on the movie and his company’s plans in a public presentation at Sara’s Harmonie Way on Saturday August 25. The evening also featured Josh and his brother, Erin, performing live music from the movie, a showing of a prior film, and some Bullitt County winetasting. A promotion page explains that the movie is an action/thriller about four friends who reunite for a bachelor party for Gordie, the prospective groom. Keaton is his best man who plans what he thinks will be the perfect bachelor party. The quartet will go on a full tour of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, something they all failed to complete in college. Along for the ride is Wayne, a serious-minded guy who can’t leave his work at home and Robin, who is ‘one of the guys.’ As much as they want to recapture their past, they have a secret weighing on them that they tried to bury ten years
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Local businessman Jeff Smotherman talks with movie producer Josh Riedford on right about using his antique shop in the movie Bullitt County to be filmed in New Harmony in October. Photo by Lois Mittino Gray