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“Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain.” Since 1882 ~ Successor to The Poseyville News and The New Harmony Times • New Harmony, Indiana
Tuesday November 9, 2010
Posey County’s locally-owned newspaper
(USPS 439-500) Volume 129 Edition 45
Posey voters embrace ‘change,’ GOP is winner By Dave Pearce Just as Dorothy told Toto, “We’re not in Kansas anymore,” Posey County political candidates must have been pinching themselves wondering if they were still in Posey County as election returns came in on Nov. 2. United States President Barack Obama ran his Democratic presidential campaign two years ago emphasizing one word…change. After only two years in office, Americans and even Posey County voters sent a resounding message to the White House and throughout the halls of the Congress and Senate on Election Day. They apparently are dissatisfied with the “change” that has occurred or is anticipated. The lack of support by voters to what is happening in the Washington, D.C., could well have spelled what would happen in Posey County…more change. In a county that has voted predominantly Democratic for at least the past 30 years, things were quiet in the Posey County Courthouse as the votes were being tallied. Until election night, Democrats held 100 percent of all Posey County offices. But as precinct after precinct reported, it seemed that the more precincts that reported, the more of a lead the Republican Party garnered. An unprecedented
nearly 55 percent of registered voters voted in the mid-term election. “So many people have said that Republicans cannot win in Posey County and we proved that wrong tonight but this is just the first step,” Posey County GOP Chairman Greg Newman said. “Now we have to govern and do what we said we were going to do.” Long-time Democrats stood in disbelief as the party took the worst hit in memory. Perhaps a statement made by long-time Posey County resident and former Posey County Sheriff Bill Cox said it best as he left Democratic headquarters in Mount Vernon. “I’ve enjoyed a lot of elections, had a lot of good times and smiles in this building but not tonight,” Cox said. But at the Mount Vernon Elks, where the Posey County GOP set up camp for the night, the disbelief was for a totally different reason. The Republicans had won nearly every race. Perhaps the biggest tale of the tape was in straight party ballots, where Democrats traditionally had ruled in Posey County. But on this night, straight Republican ballots outnumbered straight Democratic ballots by a count of 1,483 to 1,094.
See Page A10
Recount likely in Deig, McNamara race for Dist. 76
Elks offer scholarships The Elks National Foundation will award 500 Most Valuable Student scholarships to deserving high school seniors across the United States. All completed applications must be received on or before December 1, 2010. Completed applications can be dropped off at the Mount Vernon Elks Lodge at 131 E. Fourth Street between 4 and 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. They may be also be mailed to: Connie Seifert, 5411 Waterstone Drive, Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Questions, please call Connie at 985-0877. High school guidance counselors have been given information packets for these awards.
grandfather in her decision to run for the school board. This is her first time to serve on a public board. “My grandfather was in the military and was very proud of fighting for our right to vote. He said that when you sit around saying ‘somebody ought to do something,’ sometimes you’re that somebody. So as I watched things unfold here in Mount Vernon, I decided I should step up and do something.” She has been involved in the schools by volunteering in various ways through her four children who range in age from two years old up to the oldest in eighth grade. “My main goal is to have open communication. My ears are open and I will listen to anyone’s concerns about anything,” Allyn said.
Wendy McNamara Bob Deig By Dave Pearce While much of America and particularly Posey County was swept away in a tide of GOP wins on Election night, one critical race remains undecided. The race between Democrat Bob Deig and Republican Wendy McNamara remains up in the air a week after the election and is likely to remain undecided for some time. If residents of Indiana District 76 ever doubted that one or two votes can make a difference, that should no longer be substantiated. The vote in Posey County echoed the closeness of the vote around the entire district as McNamara claimed a slight 7-vote edge in Posey County when the votes were totaled. After all the votes in the district were apparently counted on election night, Deig held an eight vote lead. Then on Wednesday morning Vanderburgh County Clerk Susan Kirk indicated that there was one voting machine in Perry Township No. 5 and one voting machine in Ward 6, Precinct 12 that did not have all the data recorded. On November 3, the remaining data was downloaded and the vote count changed, putting McNamara ahead by a two-vote margin. Deig indicated in correspondence late this week that he felt this downloading should have been performed on election night. Deig explained the situation as it stood on Sunday evening. “My opponent asked the Recount Com-
Continued on Page A10
Continued on Page A10
NPJH Vets honored North Posey Junior High School will have a Veteran’s Day program on Thursday, Nov. 11 at 9 a.m. We are welcoming veterans and grandparents to this event.
MVJH hosts parent night Mount Vernon High School will be hosting Junior Parent Night Tuesday Nov 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Media Center. This presentation will cover SAT and ACT, college admissions, scholarships and financial aid, and other important topics to ready students for their senior year of high school.
Pound Puppies host crafts PC Pound Puppies will host its Annual Holiday Craft Show on Sat., Nov. 20, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Posey County 4-H Fairgrounds. A silent auction will run during the craft show with all net profits to benefit the organization. Beat the Black Friday crowd and still be prepared for Christmas while supporting a worthy cause.
Wings to help band Buffalo Wild Wings gives back to the Mount Vernon Band Boosters on Wednesday, November 10, all day long. See your favorite band student or booster for a coupon or call Kristy at 270-1101. The Posey County Democratic Women’s Club will meet at Democrat Headquarters on November 18, at 7 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend.
Legion flea market set The American Legion Auxiliary located at 230 Walnut Street, Mount Vernon will host a Flea Market on November 13. The hours will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will baked goods, food, christmas items and lots of other merchandise for sale. For more information contact Jenny Witt at 838-5341
Demo ladies to meet The Posey County Democratic Women’s Club will meet at Democrat Headquarters on November 18, at 7 p.m. Everyone is invited.
Although on opposite sides of the political fence, sisters-in-law Martha Breeze, Democratic Recorder race winner, and Nancy Hoehn, winning Republican Auditor race winner were all smiles following Tuesday’s election. Photo by Dave Pearce
New faces to tackle MV school issues By Valerie Werkmeister Last week’s election results brought sweeping changes throughout the nation and right here in our own county. Voters clearly enacted their own version of change starting with their right to vote. All Posey County school boards will see new faces, but the highest turnover was doled out in Mount Vernon. Newcomers Heather Allyn, M. Brian Jeffries and Kathy Weinzapfel defeated their opponents to become the newest members of the MSD of Mount Vernon School Board. Weinzapfel triumphed over the only incumbent, Lucinda Bippus in District 1 with a vote of 3,248 to Bippus’ 1,954. Allyn defeated opponent Larry Williams in District 2 by a vote of 2,687 to 2,594. In District 3, Jeffries had a total of 1,751 while Kim Jackson had 1,462, Susan Gooden had 1,242 and Shelly Blunt had 819 votes. Allyn stated she was largely influenced by her
Posey County poets are turning lots of heads By Pam Robinson “If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off,” 19th century American poet Emily Dickinson writes, “I know that is poetry.” The work of four Posey County women poets may not have caused any heads to roll (yet), but it’s turned a few heads. Alison Baumann, Linda Reising, Susan Stark and Jessica Thompson—all four women recently read, along with more area poets, on Thursday evening, October 21, at Barnes and Noble in Evansville. All of them have written state and national awardwinning poetry that has appeared in such respected publications as “Comstock Review,” “Southern Review,” “Hudson Review,” “The Heartland Review,” “The Southern Indiana Review,” Brescia College’s “Open 24 Hours,” “Tiferet,” and locally the “Posey Magazine.” Yet, they all agree with the assessment of Savah resident Alison Baumann, the wife of Bruce Baumann, who publishes “Posey Magazine.” “The joy is the writing of it,” she insists. Poseyville resident Linda Reising adds, “If I never had another word published, I would still write. It’s not a conscious choice.”
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Posey County poets pictured, left to right, are Linda Reising, Jessica Thompson, Susan Stark and Alison Baumann. Photo by Pam Robinson
Inside this issue...
ThePCN
Retrospective................ A5 Community........... A7 Social...................... A6 Legals.......................... B11 Deaths................... A3 Sports.................. B1-5 Classifieds .............. B12-14 School.................B6-8 Business/Ag .......... A8
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