September 8, 2020 - The Posey County News

Page 1

This Copy Reserved Especially For:

Opinion............................. A2 Obits ................................ A3 Retro ................................. A4 Social ................................ A5

T

Church ............................. A6 Jump ................................. A7 PCSWCD .................... A9-10 Legals ...................... A8, A11

Court News ............... A8, A11 Sports ............................ B1-3 Business Dir ......................B6 Classifieds .........................B7

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 36

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

$1.00

Winds of change will not blow turbines in Posey Co. By Lois Mittino Gray The ‘Winds of Change’ can swirl quickly, as many Posey County residents learned when they heard major investor RWE Renewables decided to pull out of its two-year effort to build a 200-megawatt, 30,000 acre, wind farm development in Gibson and Posey County. Opponents, members of groups such as PoCo Wind and Posey County Citizens for Property Rights, expressed victory in postings and comments, while farmers who anticipated making beaucoup bucks from having the machines on their land were dismayed. Some already had contracts signed which could result in thousands of dollars of income annually. Karsen W. Rumpf, Wind Development Manager for E.ON Climate & Renewables, a parent company based in Chicago,

said that recent restrictions put on wind farms have made the effort no longer worthwhile, “The decision to terminate the Gibson County and Posey County wind projects is a disappointing end to what we had hoped would be a collaborative, productive conversation with the counties about the future of renewable energy development opportunities here,” he wrote in a statement released on Monday, August 31. “Unfortunately, in the face of a small but loud group of opponents, the counties passed ordinances that made clear they don’t want to see the hundreds of millions of investment dollars wind projects could bring.” “We want to thank our hundreds of participating landowners and supporters for working hard to help make these projects and the jobs and investment they would have created here

a reality. We remain committed to driving Indiana’s transition to a clean energy future and we had hoped the Tri-State area’s long history as a leading energy producer in the state would continue into the next century with renewable energy. Unfortunately, we now have to look to invest elsewhere in Indiana due to the anti-business stance of Gibson and Posey counties,” Rumpf wrote. Rumpf said even though the idea of wind energy in those areas is dead, the idea of renewable energy is not. New zoning rules were passed by Gibson County this month and a request from the Posey County Commissioners to the Area Plan Commission to amend Posey County’s wind ordinance and put more restrictions on where the giant tur-

Continued on Page A7

COVID-19 funded handicapped ramp to be at Coliseum by 2021

New Harmony residents Susie Hersch and her mother Cecelia Hersch enjoyed the graciousness of friends Michael and Mary Beth Guard who allowed their friends to use their golf cart on Sunday afternoon. After returning the cart, the friends were caught admiring the flowers in the front yard of the home. Photo by Dave Pearce

Child molesting charged filed here Special to the News According to Sheriff Tom Latham, on August 25, 2020, the Posey County Sheriff’s Office Detective was notified by the Indiana Department of Child Services of a possible sex offense in Poseyville, Indiana. Detective Kyle Reidford conducted an investigation at Holly’s House in Evansville, Indiana with a three-year-old victim. After the investigation, it is alleged that

23-year-old Kody Lee Middleton had sexual contact with the threeyear-old victim on multiple occasions between the dates of August 1, 2020 and August 24, 2020 at his home in Poseyville, Indiana. Posey County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Kody Middleton at his home in Poseyville, Indiana after Reidford obtained an arrest warrant for two counts of Child Molesting. Middleton was lodged in the

New COVID-19 Testing Site The Posey County Health Department is forming a Community Testing Site, which will be managed by a partnership with Deaconess Hospital, Inc. dba Deaconess Regional Laboratory. The test site will be located at 232 West Second Street, Mount Vernon, Ind., (across from Half Moon Saloon) and will be operational from September 2020 through June 2021. This site will help serve more

residents of Posey County with local testing by means of drive-thru and walk-up testing beginning Tuesday, September 8, 2020. The hours of operation are as follows: Monday 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Tuesday 12 – 8 p.m. Wednesday 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Thursday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Friday 1 – 5:30 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Sunday Closed

Kody L. Middleton Posey County Confinement Center on the charges of Child Molesting, a Level 1 felony (which if convicted holds a sentence of 20-50 years in prison), Child Molesting, a Level 4 felony. Once at the jail he was also arrested for incest, a Level 4 felony. If convicted a Level 4 felony holds a sentence of two-12 years in prison. Middleton is being held on a $500,000 or $50,000 cash bond.

By Lois Mittino Gray The Posey County Commissioners unanimously approved the design for a new handicapped ramp into the Coliseum Building at their September 1, meeting at the Hovey House. The ramp will be paid for with COVID-19 funds secured from the state, as long as the construction project is completed by the end of the year and all claims submitted on time. The reason the ramp qualifies as a COVID-19 security measure is because at present, the ramp is in the back of the building and ramp users must enter through the back door. The Sheriff would prefer that all visitors to the Coliseum use only the front door entrance. Security is easier to monitor from one ingress, ensuring that no one enters who is symptomatic for the virus. Jim Farny, Senior Project Manager for the Lochmueller Group, presented his design and project report to the Commissioners, as well as to the four members of the Coliseum Board of Directors who were present. “There is a lot of grade at the location. The door into the building is five foot higher than the adjoining sidewalks. The ramp will be masonry, with a black ornamental railing. All railing presently on the front steps will be replaced,” he described. Farny said two wide parking berths in front of the ramp will be designated for handicapped parking. The stalls will be twelve foot wide to safely exit a vehicle on the traffic side of the street. Farny noted the fire hydrant is fine where it is now, but the handicap access curb at the corner on the street would have to be reworked. The mail drop box will be repositioned a few feet away from where it is located now.

Commissioner President Carl Schmitz asked about the fate of the beautiful azaleas planted by the Mount Vernon Garden Club in front of the building, as concern has been expressed about them. “We can keep one in place,” Farny explained. “We can probably transplant the others elsewhere around the Coliseum.” Coliseum Board Member/County Building Commissioner Ed Batteiger inquired if a folding wheelchair lift was ever considered as an alternative to a ramp. Farny said no, but would consider it if requested to explore by the Commissioners. Posey County Council President Heather Allyn spoke up from the audience to say the Carnegie Library in Poseyville put in a folding wheelchair lift and people are not willing to use it much and are shy to ask for help. After discussion, Commissioner Randy Thornburg encouraged use of the ramp only, as more people than just handicapped would use the ramp, especially in winter if it was heated and the snow and ice was melted. Commissioner Jay Price made a motion to accept the design as presented and advertise and get bids on the project as soon as possible. It passed unanimously. Farny speculates that bids may come in somewhere between $200,000 to $250,000, when they are opened at an autumnal Commissioner meeting. Work could start by November 1, but weather in December is “iffy,” Farny observed. The county will pay for the project with Capital Cum funds, that will be reimbursed by the state when claims are sent in by the end of December. “We’re in a big hurry then,” Farny declared.

Continued on Page A7

Mt. Vernon Flower Shop to end 57-year run At 87 and 86, Joe and Mary Fickas decide it is time to begin to slow down By Lois Mittino Gray Joe Fickas is a “flower whisperer” who can whip up beautiful bouquets. His wife, Mary, said she suspects he learned that special talent in life’s classroom, as much as in any formal educational setting, after 57 years in the floral business. As for formal training on how to be a plant pro, Joe points to his diploma from the Chicago Academy of

(USPS 439-500)

Floral Arts proudly displayed behind the cash register at the Mount Vernon Flower Shop and Garden Center. Joe and Mary Fickas have decided to retire from their lifetime career and will close the doors to the shop on October 31, Halloween. Prior to that time, selected items in inventory are on sale for thirty percent off and other increments may follow gradually. Flowers and green plants will remain at regular prices at this time. “We know what it means to persevere,” Mary said. “We’ve been waiting for this for a long time. Joe and I have worked side by side for 57 years now, almost as long as the 66 years of our marriage.” Mary recounted the story of their long union from the beginning. “Joe was born in Vanderburgh County, the eighth of twelve chil-

dren born to AH and Mary Pearl Fickas. His family moved to Saint Wendel in 1946, where he met me. I was born near the county line, the first of five children born to Raymond and Ethelinda Frick. Joe graduated from Reitz and I went to Mater Dei. We married on May 15, 1954.” After high school, Joe worked at McCarty Seed Center, before signing on with Colonial Garden Center. Four months after his marriage, Joe was drafted and served two years in the Army. In the meantime, Mary worked as an Accounts Clerk for George Koch and Sons, a position she held for ten years. Upon his return from military service, a job awaited him back at the Colonial Garden Center, this time as an Assistant Manager. “I

Continued on Page A7

Joe and Mary Fickas stand beneath their retirement sale sign in front of the store they have run for 57 years. Photo by Lois Gray


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.