Don’t forget the time changes Saturday night! Remember clocks FALL BACK this weekend!!
“Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain.” Since 1882 ~ Successor to The Poseyville News and The New Harmony Times • New Harmony, IN Posey County’s locally-owned newspaper
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Tuesday November 1, 2011
Volume 131 Edition 45
and the school board understand the existing options. Amick has experience as a teacher, principal and superintendent and has worked as a consultant to schools for the last seven years. “My role at New Harmony is to make sure that I research the options available to the board and to provide some understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of each option,” Amick explained during the meeting. She outlined three major issues facing the school district. The first is the state of the economy in general. During the current economic slump, state funding has decreased and the method of determining funding has changed, negatively affecting the cash flow for the local
School board member Jason Wilson and Sara Gray.
New Harmony School, community face tough choices By Rhys Mathew “A Great Place to Learn.” This statement graces the crest of New Harmony School. However, the future of the school is in a grave position and the things learned in New Harmony this week were not to the desire of most of the town’s residents or the school’s graduates. A town hall-style meeting was held on Oct. 27 at Murphy Auditorium to inform the community about the possible future of New Harmony School and to allow the community to ask questions and provide input. The New Harmony School Board hired Dr. Phyllis Amick about six weeks ago to gather and analyze technical and financial information to help the community
Jim Spahn
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Positive use of idle time is goal of jail library
Legion Old Unifrom night set
By Dave Pearce An escape plan is being instigated at the Posey County Jail. However, unlike other escape plans, this one is legal and is being supervised by and has the blessing of Posey County Sheriff Greg Oeth. Gail Lee, a seven-year former employee of the Alexandrian Public Library (she left in 2009) and a recent masters degree graduate of Indiana University, has recently began providing a library for inmates in the Posey County Jail. Lee participated in a fellowship program. The fellowship was called “Librarians Leading in Diversity.” “I actually was taking a class at IU and a staff member from the Monroe County Jail came to speak to the class about their jail library program,” Lee explained. “From then on, I was hooked and I did an internship at the Monroe County Public Library in the outreach department and part of my job was working at the jail.” Lee said she returned to Indiana University to earn her master’s degree to be able to get the most out of her education. But Lee’s interest took her further into the subject of how to study how to best provide library service to inmates of the Vanderburgh County Jail. “I surveyed the inmates. I passed out a questionnaire and of the 460 that went out, 244 came back,” Lee explained. “I had all these people and I asked them why they wanted to read. Did it help relieve stress or was it simply boredom. Then I actually asked what types of books they would like to read.” Lee said that one of the surprising parts of the survey was that even those the questions were “closed-end” questions, inmates were responding with comments on what kinds of books they would like to read and how it might help them. “So I thought that rather than doing it just on paper, I should begin to do it in real life,” Lee explained. “So I held book drives and I had a really good turnout. The Junior League of Evansville donated a lot of
Post 5 American Legion will host it’s annual “Veterans Appreciation Night” AKA “Old Uniform Night” on Saturday November 12 this year. Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. followed by entertainment and then a dance from 8 to 11 p.m. The Evening activities are open to all Post 5 Legion Family members (Legion, Auxiliary and SAL). No, you do not have to wear your uniform, as most of us can’t.
Demo women to meet
The Posey County Democratic Women’s Club will meet at the Mount Vernon Senior Center, which is a change from the original meeting place, on November 17, at 7 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend. The agenda will include the election of officers for the coming year.
Johnson ham loaf sale set
The United Methodist Women of Johnson United Methodist church are again making their famous ham loaves for sale in time for Thanksgiving. The price remains the same at $2 each. They will be available at the church on November the 11th. Please call Rosemary Alsop at the church office, 812-682-4648 or Marsha Bailey 812-682-4852 to place your order and make arrangements for pick up or delivery. There is a limited supply so order early.
school. “The impact of the economy on the national level has filtered down to the states,” Amick explained. Increased mandates in regards to personnel benefits, specifically insurance, are costing the schools more, and the number of families requiring assistance has increased. Amick has also completed research on the cause of declining enrollment in New Harmony and found that a change in state policy was a major cause of the decline. “Students are now able to attend practically any school with minimal tuition cost and vouchers are available for students this year,” she stated, explaining why enroll-
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Vanderburgh County resident and former Alexandrian Library employee Gail Lee has been instrumental in starting a library at the Vanderburgh County Jail and now in Posey County. Photo by Dave Pearce
Poseyville will choose between Grimes, Shell for clerk-treasurer
Viking Express now open
Viking Express opened Monday, Oct. 17 for your North Posey apparel needs.See details on the North Posey web site: www.northposey.k12.in.us, then click on High School and then the Viking Express link. Pictures, prices, sizes, descriptions and order forms are on the web site. Please call 673-6611 with questions and a student will return your call.
Correction:
The DNR open house planned for Nov. 16 at the Hovey House in Mount Vernon will be from 4 until 7 p.m.
By Valerie Werkmeister Republican candidate Nancy Grimes hopes to reconnect with the Poseyville community if elected as Town Clerk-Treasurer on November 8. The 16-year Poseyville resident is currently working in the accounting and auditing department at the University of Evansville (UE). When you work outside of town for eight hours a day, it’s hard to keep up with everyone. I really want to work in Poseyville,” Grimes said. Grimes is not a newcomer to the position. She held the same office from 2000-2004 before being defeated by Chris Lupfer. Lupfer held the position until December 2010 when she resigned. She was later arrested and charged with eight felonies for stealing town funds. She stated her daily respon-
sibilities at UE include working with budgets, taking part in the audit process and working with cash flow analysis, similar things a clerk-treasurer would do. She has worked at UE since 2004 and has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies during this time. Grimes will also draw upon her experience in the banking industry during her four years of employment at Fifth Third Bank in Poseyville before being elected in 2000. She feels she will be a good clerk-treasurer because she is familiar with the job. “It is an important responsibility to be accountable for the town’s funds,” she said. Grimes’ family includes husband, Chris, and sons Charlie, 23, and Fred, 20. Her extended family lives in Bedford, IN however she stated she has lived in Poseyville
A few members of Sesame Street were on hand at the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Trunk-orTreat event on Sunday. Big Bird or Megan Durchholz, Megan Baehl as Elmo and Courtney Crowder as Cookie Monster handed out treats to visitors. Photo by Valerie Werkmeister
ThePCN
Inside this issue... Retrospective ................. A4 Legals........................... B5-6 Classifieds ................. B6-8
Grimes Shell longer than anyplace else. She considers this home and in that regard wants to serve her community well. “I like taking care of the town and just feel this is the right thing to do,” Grimes said. Charlie is currently attending Ivy Tech and is the seventh grade basketball coach and the high school boys’ tennis coach at North Posey. Fred was sent to Afghanistan in April, where he serves in the infantry as a sawgunner. He received a Purple Heart after he was wounded when his camp was bombed. Bits of bomb shrapnel were lodged inside him, but did not seriously would him. “I’ll believe Fred’s home when I see him walk in the back door,” Grimes said. Until then, she is focusing on winning the election and hopes that people will take the time to come out and vote. Poseyville newcomer, Jennifer Shell is the Democratic opponent of Grimes in the upcoming Poseyville Town Clerk-Treasurer race. Shell has lived in Poseyville for two-and-one-half years and has a desire to show Poseyville citizens that trust can be placed in the clerk-treasurer’s office again. She vowed transparency while stating, “I can perform the job the way it should be done.” Shell’s experience speaks for itself. Like Grimes, she also has been in office before. She served as Clerk-Treasurer for the City of Gaston, Ind., for six years. Currently, she is the Deputy Clerk-
Treasurer in Princeton. Her credentials include being an Indiana Accredited Municipal Clerk, Certified Municipal Clerk through the Indiana Association for Municipal Clerks, a Certified Elected Official through the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns and is working toward her certification as a Certified Public Financial Administrator through the Treasurers of Canada. She is also nearly complete with certification that will qualify her as a Master Municipal Clerk through the International Institute of Municipal Clerks. Her position as Deputy Clerk in Princeton affords her the ability to continue with state mandated training that will benefit her if elected as the next clerk-treasurer. She is learning how to use the software that will be required to submit budgets in the following year. Aside from the technical aspect of the job, Shell stated she likes the social side as well. “I like to be around people and I want to serve the citizens. I like helping in the budget process. I guess I like the challenge of the job. I will do my best to ensure good audits that will later aid the town in qualifying for grants,” Shell said. Shell and her husband, Tony, have been married 12 years and together they have two children. Haleigh, 11, is in sixth grade and 10-year-old Andrew is in fifth grade at North Elementary. Most of her spare time is spent cheering her children on during their various sporting events. Shell hopes to see a good turnout at the polls on November 8. She plans to spend the day at the Poseyville Community Center with family and friends as she awaits the final vote tally in the evening.
Go to www.poseycountynews.com Community ........... A5 Social ...................... A6 Deaths ................... A3 Sports .................. B1-3 School.................... A9 Bus./Ag .................. A8
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