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Since 1882 ~ Successor to The Poseyville News and The New Harmony Times • New Harmony, IN Posey County’s locally-owned newspaper
Adams edges Gibbs
In the only contested race in Posey County on Tuesday, Mount Vernon political newcomer Ed Adams edged former Black Township Trustee Albert Gibbs. Adams will now face the only Republican on the Mount Vernon City Council in Andy Hoehn in the fall general election. Hoehn was appointed when his wife, Nancy, who served on the Council, was elected Posey County’s Assessor in November.
Dinner concert offered
The Mount Vernon High School Vocal Music Dept. will host a “Sweetheart Dinner and Concert” on Tuesday, May 17 at 6:30 p.m. in the MVHS cafeteria. Entertainment will be provided by the MVHS Chamber Choir and men’s ensemble “Cul” and will include selections ranging from Broadway to “Do Wop.” Tickets are $10 per person and include dinner and the concert. For reservations, please call 833-5932.
Tuesday May 10, 2011
Volume 131 Edition 20
Fourth Posey ambulance favored Audit finds Council must decide whether to fund recommendation By Dave Pearce The big event of Tuesday morning’s Posey County Commissioner’s meeting was supposed to have been the announcement concerning the ambulance recommendation. But when Commissioner president Scott Moye opened Tuesday’s 9 a.m. meeting, there were more people in attendance regarding a zoning ordinance than were there to hear the ambulance announcement. But at the conclusion of the meeting, Moye told those left in attendance that it would be the recommendation of the commissioners to add a fourth ambulance to Posey County and station it in Marrs Township. Moye also indicated that Poseyville’s 24-hour 7-day a week ambulance would return to its station and EMS director Chuck Thompson was instructed to go ahead and make sure that a “demonstrator” ambulance which
had been priced is still available. While most of the commissioners’ approved items are routinely funded by the Posey County Council, residents will have to wait until at least this week’s Posey County Council meeting to see if the body that controls the county’s purse strings will find a way to pay the $450,000 in additional appropriations to get the ambulance up and running. Along with the ambulance, the $450,000 figure includes a raise for EMS personnel to help attract ambulance personnel, which is said to have been a problem in the past. The Commissioners were aggressive with their plan, indicating that following the March 29 full-house meeting at the Posey County 4-H Fairgrounds community
Robb Township alums meet
Attendees of the Robb Township School in Poseyville will hold their 36th annual alumni reunion on June 11, 2011 at the St. Francis Cafeteria in Poseyville. For reservations, please send $14.50 to Helen Niemeier, 5412 West Haven Drive, Evansville, Ind., 47220 by June 1.
North Posey honors day set
North Posey High School will hold its annual Honors Program on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 in the high school main gym. The program will begin at 8:15 a.m. with the presentation of academic and scholastic awards.
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Cab Service to begin operation here
$15 for trips in the surrounding area and $30 round trip to Evansville. Jackson added that his cab may provide service within a 50-mile radius of Mount Vernon, including Illinois and Kentucky. Jackson agreed to update the board on any changes he may make to his business. In other business: •Leonardo Gonzales, the newest officer with the Mount Vernon Police Department, or MVPD, was sworn in by Clerk-Treasurer Cristi Sitzman. Thomas Rueger, MVPD’s newly appointed detective sergeant,
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NHS Alumni to meet
The New Harmony Alumni Association will be holding the 99th annual dinner and dance on Saturday, May 28, 2011. Dinner will be at 6 (doors open at 5), the dance will be immediately after the dinner and will be open to the public. For more information check the website at www.newharmonyalumni.org
Port info meeting set
The Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana-Posey County Committee will host a noon meeting on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at Western Hills Country Club to learn more about the Port of Indiana- Mount Vernon, its businesses and its affect on our region.
Wadesville Farmer’s market
Posey County Farm Bureau, Inc., are starting a Farmer’s Market in Wadesville this summer. It will be open on Thursday afternoons from approximately June 16-Sept. 1 in the empty lot across from Subway at the corner of Hwy 66 & Springfield Rd. from 3-6pm or until produce is sold out. There will be a vendor mtg. on Thurs. May 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Wadesville Fire Dept. Anyone interested in being a vendor should plan to attend, or they may contact Carla Schenk at 673-2151.
ThePCN
Point Township residents use a boat to help take care of their neighbors and animals as record flooding has taken over Posey County. See Page 11 for more photos of the flood. Photo by Dave Pearce
Record rainfall leaves farmers behind By Dave Pearce The second wettest April on record has many Posey County residents scratching their heads, especially those involved in the farming community. While it appears that the Ohio River has crested and has begun a slow downward trend, it will leave behind roads that have been damaged by the currents as well as great uncertainty as to when farmers will be able to begin getting into the fertile croplands along the Ohio and Wabash rivers. According to the Advanced Hydrological Prediction Service (AHPS), the Ohio River rose to 46.78 feet (14.26 meters) at Evansville, and reached 56.94 feet (17.35 meters) at J.T. Myers Lock and Dam on
Inside this issue... Retrospective ................. A4 Legals ....................... B9-10 Classifieds .............. B6-8
Former clerk Lupfer suspected of extortion
May 5, 2011. The crest at the Lock and Dam was the highest recorded since 1937. Meanwhile, the Wabash River rose to 23.67 feet (7.21 meters) at New Harmony (north of the area shown here)—the highest water level since 1943. Just when it looked like things might be getting a little better in Posey County last week a position of the man-made levee in New Harmony was damaged by a log that was carried by the swift current into the sandbags. Although members of the Posey County Emergency Management Association were immediately aware and
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Erika Myers-Bromwell along with infant Carson Walker sell peonies from New Harmony’s Fragrant Farms on Saturday morning at the Arts in Harmony celebration of artisans and their work. Photo by Pam Robinson
By Pam Robinson Mount Vernon Cab Service was unanimously approved for business by the Mount Vernon Board of Public Works and Safety at the Thursday, May 5, meeting. Owner and operator L.B. Jackson appeared for the vote, which followed a quiet public hearing, with all his paperwork in order. A Mount Vernon resident for eight years, Jackson said he believes the city needs a cab service, especially for the elderly. He explained that his patrons will receive monthly bills for his service. With no meter in his cab, Jackson will bill according to flat rate charges: $10 for Mount Vernon trips,
Poseyville utility funds are missing By Valerie Werkmeister Disappointment and shock is how Poseyville Town Council President Bruce Baker indicated he first felt after learning last December that former clerk-treasurer, Chris Lupfer, allegedly stole $53,557 in town funds. Accountants from the Indiana State Board of Accounts (SBOA) completed their six-month investigation last week and published their findings online at their website www.indiana.gov/sboa.Lupfer in December after a routine state audit found discrepancies in the town’s records and bank statements. According to Baker, SBOA accountant Karla Giesler, contacted him early last November while performing a routine three-year audit citing irregularities in bank statements. “I was in shock and disbelief at the time. The evidence showed it had happened, but I was still shocked,” Baker said. “I think we were all hurt by it, it was kind of hard to believe.” Lupfer was elected in 2004 and prior audits had shown no problems he added. “Now, I feel very disappointed and the legal system has to take its course,” Baker said. “We cooperated fully with the State Board of Accounts and the State Police. We didn’t want to harm their investigation in any way.” Baker declined to talk openly about the matter while the investigation was underway the past few months. According to the SBOA report, Lupfer had created a very complicated and intricate procedure to steal funds and conceal it by tampering with bank statements. She also falsified reports and claims that were given to town council members for their review each month. After giving the council their report, she would often go back and make changes to the report after the claims had been approved. This allowed her the ability to cut multiple checks to herself without anyone’s knowledge. “There’s no way anyone in the office or on the board could have noticed this because she did a very good job covering it up,” Baker said. It was only after meticulous review by Giesler, that she discovered Lupfer had apparently forgotten to make changes, thus resulting in differing balances. The one-time careless mistake caused the entire elaborate scheme to unravel. According to the report, not only did Lupfer create and cash additional paychecks for herself, she also bounced checks using town funds and used a bank purchasing card to pay for personal items such as meals at Harold’s Restaurant, The Feed Mill and Hacienda. She also paid for personal bills including Cingular, Direct TV, Duke Energy, TDS, AT&T and Insight. The report states on several dates she issued herself a hard copy of her paycheck and cashed it in addition to receiving her pay through direct deposit. In 2008, she received an additional $2,937.95. In 2009, the tally rose to $7,228.33 and in 2010 it increased again to $15,373.16 for a total sum of $25,539.44. On several occasions in 2008 and 2010, she increased the amount of the direct deposit into her personal bank account for a total of $7,488.97. She also went so far as to issue herself an additional check when it wasn’t a payday. The report showed she issued a $961.72 direct deposit into her personal account on August 12, 2008. It was determined this was not a payday and no documentation was presented to explain the disbursement.
Food Pantry help
The Mount Vernon Food Pantry is looking forward to the annual US Postal Service food drive this coming Saturday, May 14. Residents are urged to place nonperishable food items and toiletries in a bag next to their mailboxes, and their postal carriers will pick it up Saturday and deliver it to the local food pantry! It is a super easy way to donate, and is a very important drive to help the food pantry stock up for summer. Erin Hollinger, Director of the Mount Vernon Food Pantry, is asking each household to consider donating at least one bag of food on Saturday. She challenges all of us to spread the word to others in the area. Here are items the Mount Vernon Food Pantry needs and uses: spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, spagettios, hamburger helper, peanut butter, pork and beans, canned tuna, canned fruits and veggies, cereal, jelly, saltines, macaroni and cheese, toilet paper and toiletry items.
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