s p e c i a l Daily Reporter s e c t i o n
community connections hancock county 2020
A D ay i n t h e L i f e o f H a n c o c k CO u n t y
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FRIday, February 28, 2020
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
co v e r a n d in s id e p h ot os b y T o m R usso
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
FRIday, February 28, 2020
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How we chronicled a day in the life of Hancock County
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REENFIELD — Twenty-four hours is a long time. Just ask Tom Russo. Tom, who never turns down a challenging assignment, took this one in stride when we first talked about it in early January. The task: Help chronicle a day in the life of Hancock County. By “day,” it was made clear, we didn’t mean an eight-hour shift. It didn’t mean even a 12-hour one, which would be a test of stamina in itself. No, we were going to go twice around the clock, a full 24 hours, sunrise to sunrise, telling stories and offering a snapshot of life in our communities. Tom, as always, was game. Think of it, I suggested by way of comparison, as an experience similar to the transAtlantic flights you take twice a year to photograph golf tournaments in Europe. Just like touching down in Paris or London, your day will only be half over by the time you get to baggage claim. “Right, boss,” Tom said. The idea for a day-in-the-life study originated in a discussion last fall with publisher Bud Hunt and advertising director John Senger. We were casting about for ways to reinvent our tired Progress edition, which had not changed in at least 20 years and so was in desperate need of a reboot. Bud suggested a concept he called “Community Connections,” which would be a deep dive into the personalities that make Hancock County tick. The beauty of the concept is that it could be reinvented every year. One year, we might focus on women in business; the next, we might profile movers and shakers in the nonprofit sector. For the inaugural edition, we decided to examine a single 24-hour period in Hancock County. We picked Thursday, Jan. 30, starting at 6 a.m. The result of that reporting project is what you’re holding in your hands right now.
david hill editor
The ground rules for the project were simple: Our goal was to simply take a cross-section of our communities, like a strata of rock, and describe what we saw in every layer over the course of a day. I solicited ideas from everyone in the Daily Reporter building, and by the time they were finished, we had close to 75 suggestions on sticky notes pasted next to times — starting at 6 a.m. and ending at 6 a.m. the next day — written on the white board in our conference room. We gravitated toward ideas we thought would have some “gee-whiz” value. That is, stories that would make you pause and say, “Wow, I had no idea.” We also tried to be sure every geographic area of the county was represented and that we looked at a cross-section of society: government, business, schools, nonprofits, medicine, public safety and even pets. (We weren’t able to include agriculture — a vitally important aspect of our communities — this time around. We will publish a special section in March to celebrate National Ag Week.) Some ideas sounded better than they eventually turned out. I thought a good story would be to interview the person who opens and closes the gates every day at New Palestine Cemetery. Alas, reporter Kristy Deer revealed after a little investigation, the gates are on a motor with a timer. No human intervention necessary. We narrowed the list to about 30 ideas and vetted them as carefully as we could. Such background reporting
would lay the groundwork for our efforts starting first thing on Jan. 30. For example, we worked with Jenn Cox, the director of marketing at Hancock Regional Hospital, to get access to the emergency department at midnight. We also worked with Sheriff Brad Burkhart to arrange a ride-along for Tom and reporter Jessica Karins, who got much more than they bargained for when Deputy Gary Achor responded to an emergency. You can read that story starting on Page 22. We wound up with 24 time slots — one for every hour — and completed 22 stories. Not everything went according to plan. A scheduled visit to Indianapolis Regional Airport fizzled when the person we were to meet was called away unexpectedly. We missed closing time at Legacy 9 Cinema because Tom and Jessica were still miles away with Deputy Achor. A family Kristy had arranged to visit to chronicle the chaos of an early morning on a school day
called at the last minute to cancel. Everyone was staying home that day because of the flu. Five reporters worked with Tom throughout the 24 hours. Staff writers Kristy Deer, Shelley Swift, Jessica Karins and Mitchell Kirk, joined by ace correspondent Jim Mayfield, fanned out with Tom in shifts that averaged five hours. Mitch took the overnight shift, 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, which meant he was responsible for making sure Tom was OK as the hours dragged on. At 5:30 the next morning, after Tom had been at it for 23 hours, I asked him how he was feeling. He giggled a lot, which I took to mean he was pleased with how the marathon assignment had gone. Later that day, after several hours of sleep, he was a little more circumspect. “We aren’t going to do this again,” he said.
David Hill is editor of the Daily Reporter.
Pictured at left: The team that reported on 24 hours in the life of Hancock County, from left: Mitchell Kirk, Jessica Karins, Jim Mayfield, Shelley Swift and Tom Russo. Not pictured: Kristy Deer. // Pictured above: In the wee hours of Friday, Jan. 31, Tom Russo grabs a few precious minutes of sleep at the Daily Reporter offices before heading out to one more assignment. David Hill; Mitchell Kirk | Daily Reporter
FRIday, FebRuaRy 28, 2020
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
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coFFee-FueLeD RituAL
cafe helps start many mornings in new palestine n EW PALESTINE — She’s one of the people in town who helps folks wake up. Kara Daugherty, a brew master at Brew 52, the coffee and food shop located near the busy intersection of U.S. 52 and Gem Road, is up well before the chickens rise. She and her staff brew fresh coffee and put out fresh pastries in time for the first customers when the store opens at 6 a.m.. “It’s not too bad for me, getting up so early,” she said. “We put
a few things out, get the coffee going and we’re ready to go.” The shop is owned by three families, including J.R. Redmon, who also manages Brew 52. Redmon, who has always been in the restaurant and bar business, had to make quite the adjustment getting up early in the mornings to make sure everything runs smoothly. “It’s neat to see the town and everyone kind of wake up and know that we’re a part of it,”
Redmon said. “A lot of parents will take their kids to and from school so they’ll stop and get donuts or a cup of coffee.” The shop used to be open at 7 a.m., but the new owners, who purchased the business in October 2019, decided to open an hour earlier to help serve the community. The other owners of Brew 52 are Kenny Ball and Russ Whetsel and their families, all of New Palestine. They employ seven, including
a couple of high school students and three full-time workers. Redmon said they plan to turn Brew 52 into a full-scale restaurant eventually, but for now they’re doing well serving coffee, treats, and lunch selections. “We’ll remodel and do a full scale restaurant because it’s something this community needs,” Redmon said. “I think we’re going to surprise some people.”
— Kristy Deer
Pictured: Kara Daugherty prepares for the morning rush of coffee lovers at Brew 52 in New Palestine.
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
FRIday, FebRuaRy 28, 2020
STELLAR WORKS!
Lizbuth Ann’s Kitchen (pictured, Greenfield) is the first complementary project completed from our Regional Development Plan. This new event space can accomodate groups of about 50 people and has a lovely garden area. Schedule a museum tour today or book your next event.
In 2020 Look For...
Fortville Main Street Reconstruction Depot Street Park in Greenfield Concepts and designs for Trail/Park improvements in Shirley Greenfield’s Inclusive Playground Regional Historic Facade Funding Regional Homeowner Repair Funds
DR-35034692
GET READY FOR A GAME OF CONES
Construction is coming to many of our favorite regional spots. Rule amongst the cones by participating in special events and deals at your favorite small businesses. Stay tuned for more on Facebook @healthandheritageregion
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daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
at courthouse, a spiritual plea
H
ANCOCK COUNTY — He’s usually the first person to walk inside the Hancock County Courthouse each morning. Sometimes, Warren Aldrich leaves home at hours some people would consider the middle of the night. One day in late January, he strolled into the courthouse shortly after 4 a.m. “There’s no traffic this early,” Aldrich said with a laugh. “You’d be surprised how it starts to pick up after 6 a.m.” Since Aldrich couldn’t go back to sleep on this day — and since he knew he had work ahead of him — he got an early start. He was at a desk outside the courtrooms, folding notices to be mailed to people who have upcoming court dates. Aldrich, a retired Indiana State trooper, has worked in the courthouse for 15 years, and he is present most
mornings. He started working under Judge Richard Culver in May of 2005 and remained working for Judge Scott Sirk after Culver’s retirement in 2017. While it’s nice to beat the traffic and get a jump on the day’s work, Aldrich said his early arrival helps him fulfill a bigger role. He normally starts each day by opening his Bible and reading scripture for at least an hour. He also prays for the people who work there and for those whose matters will go before a judge starting in a couple of hours. “I read through the Bible about 10 times now,” Aldrich said. “Each time I do, it’s like reading a new book.” On this day the first case in court is scheduled around 8:30 a.m. But, as Aldrich said, after his prayers, there’s always something to do in one of the county’s busiest buildings.
— Kristy Deer
Pictured: Warren Aldrich processes paperwork at his desk outside the courtrooms at the county courthouse.
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
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A smart Utility Providing Infrastructure for Communities to Thrive
FREE IN A GOOD HOME
Elderly dogs live out their last days at rescue
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EW PALESTINE — The three furry faces inside the cages at Frenzy Animal Rescue are eagerly awaiting breakfast to be served by the shelter’s owner, Betty Wilkins. For years Wilkins has cared for countless unwanted and neglected dogs in the area, helping them get off the streets and into forever homes. The rescue operates on donations and generously discounted veterinary care from Dr. Bob Barnes at Mt. Comfort Animal Hospital. On this morning, she is preparing to give a little comfort and food to three elderly dogs she is caring for until they die, since they’re too old for adoption. “To tell the truth, I’m not sure I could part with any of them,” Wilkins said, while hugging one of her favorites, Ninja, a 13-year-old rescue. By the look on Ninja’s face and the wag in his tail, he seemed to feel the same way. “He’s in our senior program,” Wilkins said. “We do that a lot, sort of
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like hospice care for the senior dogs.” Most days start around 6 a.m. She gets the day going cleaning the cages when the dogs are let outside, followed by feedings a few hours later. “We like for them to have their food and water when they come in,” Wilkins said. Ninja, Twinkle and Dinky are just three of the hundreds of dogs Wilkins has rescued through the years. On this day, in addition to looking after these unwanted animals, she also is getting the word out about Frenzy’s upcoming fundraiser, the Spay-Getty & No-Balls Dinner at the New Palestine Lions Club, 5242 West U.S. 52. The event will start at 5 p.m. April 17. The need for donations is unrelenting, and Wilkins needs a good turnout. “We’re about $1,000 dollars in the hole,” Wilkins said. “But, we can’t not care for the animals.”
317.326.3131
ninestarconnect.com
— Kristy Deer
Pictured: Betty Wilkins of Frenzy Animal Rescue along with two of her dogs, Ninja and Twinkle.
DR-35033027
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MENU MASTERS Today’s lunch guest list: 310 hungry junior high students
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EW PALESTINE — Lunchtime comes early each day in a school system, and for the food preparation crew at New Palestine Junior High School, it’s a fast pace every day. This morning, the staff already has been serving breakfast to a number of students. They are cleaning up and quickly turning around the cafeteria for lunch. By 9 a.m., employees from Aramark, with whom the school district contracts to provide food service, are already setting lunch out for the first group of students, who’ll head into the cafeteria around 10:20 a.m. They’ll serve food all they way up to 2 p.m. The three person crew sets up around 310 lunches as well as 50 breakfasts each day. They make sure all sorts of food is ready, from walking tacos to country fried steak with hot rolls. For Aramark, the same process plays out in thousands of districts nationwide every day. It serves about 2 million students a year, or about 370 million meals, it says on its website. While much of the main food prep is done at an Aramarkt site before it arrives at the junior high school and other schools in the
district, the lunch workers still have other tasks, such as baking rolls and putting pizzas together. “Oh, there’s plenty of prep,” said Charissa Igo, the district’s food manager with Aramark. She’s in a district lunch room every day making sure students are fed and the food service runs smoothly. The lunch workers at the junior high, including Jackie Bullard, kitchen manager, have to cut up the fresh fruits and vegetables every day and get them set up on the lunch line. The other food service workers at the school are Mya Mullen and George Doyle, who on this day are helping Bullard put nacho chips in individual holders. They will be be covered in cheese as they are handed to hungry students. Mullen said each day is a challenge because the main lunch entree changes while they offer a standard meal such as pizza, chicken and nachos every lunch session. A couple of the crew work from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., while the other person comes in from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
— Kristy Deer
Pictured: Jackie Bullard and a colleague set out trays of fresh vegetables and tortilla chips for lunch, which begins in just over an hour.
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
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CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH IN SIGHT
2019 Progress
Endowment $44.58M
Grants Awarded $1,171,883
$16.3M Awarded Since 1992
GIFT VII $1M Matching Grant Met
Scholarships Awarded $310,953
Babies Enrolled In Imagination Library: 1,689
Women's Fund 275 Gifts $53,818
300+ Funds
Charitable Funds Established In
2019
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REENFIELD — Davon France settles into a black leather exam chair at Hancock Eye Associates. The Westfield woman doesn’t mind the 40-minute drive to the Greenfield optometrist’s office, where her family has been going ever since Dr. Christa Walling helped her infant daughter work through some vision problems when she was born prematurely 16 years ago. Now that her kids are 11 and 16, her family continues to go nowhere but the Greenfield office her husband Chris visited while growing up in Hancock County. It’s not unusual for doctors at the 52-year-old practice to see generations of patients from the same family, said Walling, whose own family photos of her husband and two sons adorn the walls at her practice. France and the optometrist banter back and forth like friends about the
weather, the traffic and other bits of small talk during the vision check, as Walling clicks through screens on her computer, making the letters projected on a wall several feet away smaller and smaller until they can no longer be read. The patient giggles as her breathing fogs up the exam spectacles that cover her face. “Your vision has somewhat improved in that eye. You must be doing something right,” Walling tells her, rolling her stool over to get a closer look into France’s eyes. Armed with a clean bill of visionary health, France exchanges pleasantries with the doctor, slips back into her coat and heads to the lobby to schedule next year’s checkup, as Walling heads down the hall to her next patient.
— Shelley Swift
Pictured: Davon France has her eyes examined at Dr. Christa Walling’s office.
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Patient travels far for an annual exam
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317.462.8870
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daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
FRIday, February 28, 2020
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Drivers for nonprofit are sometimes a lifeline for the people they serve
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sswift@greenfieldreporter.com
REENFIELD — As the clock ticks toward delivery time, Tammy Andis is finishing up packing an assortment of sandwiches, salads and miniature cartons of milk into plastic bags at the Meals on Wheels distribution center, in the kitchen at Hancock Regional Hospital. Soon, nearly a dozen volunteers will be coming in to pick up containers of hot meals and the plastic sacks of sandwiches to be delivered to the 70 or so Meals on Wheels clients throughout Hancock County, each one delivering seven or eight meals each day. Roughly 250 volunteers take part in delivering the meals throughout the year. “It takes about 230 volunteer hours a month to deliver all the meals,” said Lynda Kosh, who has served as executive director at the local Meals on Wheels office since May 2019. The local program is part of a nationwide nonprofit that aims to serve those who struggle to provide meals for themselves each day. Many are seniors who no longer cook, or those with disabilities. Clients have also included new moms and pregnant women on bed rest, Kosh said. A nutritionist handles all the meal planning, creating menus based on each individual client’s needs. Clients pay $7.50 a day for two meals — one hot and one cold. Subsidies are available for those who need financial help. There’s no age limit for clients, but each must present a prescription from a doctor. Meals on Wheels is a national nonprofit funded solely by donations and fundraising and fueled by volunteers. Many drivers are retirees, while others are employed by companies like Covance, Elanco and Greenfield Banking Co. that support employees volunteering for the program. A number of churches and service organizations also contribute volunteers, Kosh said. The director said the food delivery program provides nourishment in more ways than one. “We say we deliver more than a
meal,” Kosh said. “We have folks from out of town who pay for their parents to get the meals, mostly so they can have eyes on them. For many clients, the person delivering their meal may be the only person they see in a week’s time.” Joan Moore’s eyes light up when she opens the door to find Lorraine Clutinger standing on her front step, with her and her husband Wayne’s meals in her hands. The Greenfield couple signed up for Meals on Wheels in October, when Joan Moore’s declining vision made it increasingly hard for her to cook on her own. “The service is really helpful, and the food is very good,” said Joan Moore, who invites Clutinger into her home like an old friend. She and her husband always enjoy making small talk and share their thanks whenever Clutinger stops by. For Clutinger, knowing she’s helping others is all the thanks she needs. “I’ve been saying all along, some day it may be me on the other end,” said Clutinger, 75, who has been delivering Meals on Wheels since 2012. “I enjoy meeting the people, making sure they’re OK,” she said. Clutinger gets emotional when she recalls finding one client who had died at home, but she finds peace in knowing she was able to notify someone as soon as possible. Meals on Wheels drivers are trained on what to do if a client doesn’t leave a cooler from a previous visit outside their front door; or if the client doesn’t answer the door. “Our volunteers see if something’s not right and know how to respond appropriately,” Kosh said. Years ago, a woman who was receiving her first meal delivery had fallen and was able to call out to her driver to call 911. Another client was evacuated from her home when the driver delivering her meal discovered a gas leak. “It makes you feel good to know you have the opportunity to watch out for others while providing them with a good meal,” said Clutinger, as she hopped in her car to head off to her next stop.
Pictured from left: Meals on Wheels volunteer Lorraine Clutinger loads her car for the day’s deliveries. // Clutinger, left, talks with Joan Moore at her home after dropping off the Moores’ meals for the day.
Now accepting enrollments for the 2020-2021 school year.
EASTERN HANCOCK COUNTY COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION Designated an “A” School Corporation by the Indiana Department of Education A Small School with a Big Heart
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Shelley Swift | Daily Reporter
Scan this code to access our Transfer Student form.
317.936.5444 | www.easternhancock.org
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
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At chocolate shop, artists pour their hearts into their work
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REENFIELD — Julie Garcia has been dipping toffee into melted chocolate for what seems like hours, but she still has a smile on her face. The southside Indianapolis woman considers it a privilege to be among the 10 employees who get to prepare and package the sweet treats at the Greenfield Chocolates shop in downtown Greenfield.
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
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Greenfield mayor Chuck Fewell discusses city business at a favorite downtown spot
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REENFIELD — As he does at lunchtime on many days, Mayor Chuck Fewell is holding court at Lincoln Square Pancake House in Greenfield. The downtown restaurant, just up the block from city hall, is one of the mayor’s favorite spots for conducting business over the lunch hour. “We try to move around to as many restaurants in town as we can. We try to hit them all,” he said. On this particular day, the mayor is joined by the city’s police chief and human resources manager as they meet with two engineers from an Indianapolis firm, who are there to network and learn about any upcoming city projects their firm may be interested in bidding for. Chatting over lunch is a great way to conduct business outside of the office, said Fewell, who appreciates the chance to get to know people better while sharing a meal.
“I can get the feeling for if they’re capable and honest and trustworthy. That’s the important part of having a good network of people to rely on,” said Fewell, who has lunch with various staff members and occasional guests almost daily throughout the week. Costa Stylianou, owner at Lincoln Square, said his restaurant is a frequent meeting place for city and county employees, church groups, service groups and nonprofit organizations. He moves from table to table, flashing a broad smile and greeting visitors in his heavy Greek accent. He seems to know everyone. “The guy there at the counter is here almost every day. That couple over there comes in here four or five times a week,” he said, motioning toward the regular customers he’s come to know as friends.
— Shelley Swift
Pictured: Greenfield Mayor Chuck Fewell, right, talks shop along with his some of his staff while at lunch at Lincoln Square Pancake House.
February is peak season for the 8-year-old shop, where many visitors over the next couple of weeks will stop to score gifts for Valentine’s Day. The staff had dipped 5,600 pieces of toffee and truffles on a recent day. “That was a long day,” Garcia said with a smile. Truffles, turtles and toffee are popular sellers, as are chocolatedipped graham crackers and caramel wrapped pretzels. Creating such works of edible art takes long hours and more than a little patience, said store owner Jayne Hoadley, as she lightly pressed a fork into the top of freshly dipped caramels — piece by piece — creating an intricate pattern in the top, before sprinkling a bit of sea salt onto each one. “We can get 6,000 to 7,000 pieces of candy done on a shift at the max, working with a full staff doing continuous dipping,” Hoadley said. Other, more intricate candies, like the hand-painted, heart-shaped
chocolate caramels crafted for Valentine’s Day, take more time to create. “I did 210 of those the other day, painting them by hand with colored cocoa butter,” she said. Despite the meticulous work, Garcia, who sells the locally made chocolates at pop-up shops in nearby hospitals, said she never gets burned out by the task. “When I see the work that goes into the truffles, for example, I have a new appreciation for the process,” she said. “A lot of love and time goes into it,” confirmed Hoadley, even when things don’t go according to plan. The unique butterscotch liqueur cream caramels she recently made were the result of a “creative mistake” that resulted when a batch of cooked caramel didn’t turn out quite right, she said. Customers snatched up the gourmet candies, priced at $2.85 apiece. “After Valentine’s Day we hardly had anything left,” she said.
Character Rich Smart Design
— Shelley Swift
Pictured: Jayne Hoadley of Greenfield Chocolates looks over a plate of truffles.
www.JoynerHomesOnline.com
FRIday, February 28, 2020
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
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PRESSING MATTERS Winter is cider season at Tuttle Orchards
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ANCOCK COUNTY — January might slow things down a bit at Tuttle Orchards, but there’s still plenty to do when the apples are off the tree. On this January day, Kathy Pizzano is minding the orchard’s farm store, whose winter hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Chef Kelly Kimpton is serving bison
meatloaf, chicken pot pie and other farm-to-table fare in the cafe, which open weekdays 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. There are greens sprouting in the high-tunnel greenhouses and plenty of farm and equipment maintenance to ready the orchard for spring, but midwinter is primarily cider season,
Pizzano said. “We make cider from the middle of September when we have enough apple varieties until the end of February or the first of March,” she said. The last of the orchard’s apples harvested in late October are stored in moisturized coolers for pressing throughout the winter. Every other week, the orchard
turns out a new batch of cider. Earlier today, workers made the sweet-tasting cider that will be “jugged” tomorrow, she said. The operation keeps some of the freshly made cider on site but sends enough stock to the freezer to keep inventory constant yearround, Pizzano said.
— Jim Mayfield
Pictured: Kathy Pizzano of Tuttle Orchards surveys one of the storage areas containing apples from the fall harvest.
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
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scHooL, AFteR HouRs
program helps enrich kids, even in their pajamas
course, snack time. The program is provided through the services of Greater Indianapolis YMCA’s Youth Development program, which currently serves more than 100 schools in central Indiana, including all Hancock County elementary schools and an intermediate school, said program director Madeline Sites. In addition to the program’s regular fare, local organizations such as the Girl Scouts and Hancock County Public Library present special activities. Today, Stefany Boleyn and Cheryl Curry of the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana are supervising a table of girls engaged in the art of constructing “Sit-Upons,” which as everyone knows is a bag stuffed with plastic shopping bags and stitched at the top. Not only do Sit-Upons refine one’s stitching and needlework skills, they keep pajama bottoms dry in the event of a wet seat.
Miller’s Jewelry specializes in providing quality diamonds, fine jewelry, watches, class rings, clocks and gifts at reasonable prices. Their knowledgeable sales staff will help you select the perfect piece of jewelry that is right for you. Repair service is available for jewelry and watches. Miller’s also offers remounting, custom gold nuggets and other creative ways to give your old jewelry a new look. Miller’s Jewelry looks forward to assisting you with your jewelry needs.
"Your Hometown Jeweler for Over 60 Years”
Founded by: Gerald & Winifred Miller
— Jim Mayfield
Pictured: Scarlett Prince, left, and Haven Davis sit together during an YMCA program at Mt. Comfort Elementary School.
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T. COMFORT — It was Pajama Day at Mt. Comfort Elementary School, and students see no particular need to doff their comfy attire for after-school care. Deja Lockett, site director for the school’s after-school care program, has been shepherding kids after school in a labor of love for the past five years and watched many of them sprout from kindergartners. “You get to mentor the younger kids, and you get to watch them grow up, too,” Lockett said. Currently, there are approximately 50 students under the eyes of Lockett and her six-person staff who do much more than babysit until parents arrive. “We try to foster relationships through activities and provide as much inclusion and diversity as possible,” Lockett said. Between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day, students rotate through physical activities, STEM projects, arts and crafts and homework help, and, of
60 West McClarnon Drive Greenfield • 462-6365 www.millersjewelrygreenfield.com Hours: Mon-Thurs • 9-5 • Fri 9-6 • Sat 9-4
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A LEAGUE of
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daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
Simulator helps golfers compete, even in winter
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REENFIELD — Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt on a raw, cold afternoon, Cody Hyde lines up his tee shot at Hawk’s Tail of Greenfield. A big hitter, Hyde swings, and the ball cracks off the tee like a rifle shot. It slams into the computergenerated screen in front of him and ricochets into two collector bags. Glancing at the yardage and just about every other data point a golfer would want to know about his shot, Hyde collects his ball and steps off the platform. While it’s less than a favorable day for a round outside, it’s warm and comfortable inside the Hawk’s Tail clubhouse. It’s winter league simulator golf at Hawk’s Tail, and the linksters have been at it for some time this day, getting in their mandatory weekly nine holes, sharing jokes and beer, while not totally ignoring the pizza scattered around the room.
“It’s fantastic,” said Matt Bricker of Greenfield, a former club champ at Hawk’s Tail. “It’s become a really big draw.” Today, the ADTs are up. “All Day Thursdays,” as the group is known. Playing a full nine holes on Hawk’s Tail’s two Full Swing golf simulators, installed six years ago by the club at a cost of about $50,000 apiece, Bricker said, is a lot better than being outside on this gray, blustery day or not playing at all. The league has grown to about 100 golfers that keep the simulators booked daily. “It’s become very popular,” said Rob Hall. “It beats not swinging a club from mid-October to mid-March.” The club now has simulator leagues in the fall from October to December and over the winter from January to March.
— Jim Mayfield
Pictured: Golfers sharpen their swings on a simulator at Hawk’s Tail of Greenfield.
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
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READY FOR ANYTHING
911 operators occupy the front lines of first-responders said Greg Duda, public information officer for the 911 center. “After 8 p.m., we tend to see more medical runs.” Historically, statistics show the heaviest call influx occurs between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., but today, things are relatively calm. Still, the center averages about 227 calls daily. Last year, the center fielded almost 25,000 911 calls, just under 56,000 nonemergency calls and 2,410 911 calls that were abandoned. Though Duda said the types of emergency calls remain fairly consistent throughout the center’s 24-hour vigil, the volume increases during the afternoon drive. “Everyone is either on the road or just getting home,” he said. “Right about now, there’s probably going to be an auto accident.”
— Jim Mayfield
Pictured: 911 dispatcher Bryce Viehweg mans his station during his night shift.
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he glow of computer screens cuts the darkness of the Hancock County 911 call center inside the county’s Emergency Operations Center at 640 S. Franklin St. Inside the squat bunker, four dispatchers with headsets monitor their screens, prepping for what is generally the busiest time of day at the center. The work load is divided between a primary call taker/screener, the fire desk, Greenfield city desk and a station assigned to the county. Of course, pre-determined procedures are altered if the center receives a number of calls at once. And that could happen at any moment on this shift. And if things really get cracking, a reciprocal back-up arrangement with Shelby County kicks in to make sure calls are answered timely. “It usually starts getting busy between 2:30 in the afternoon and 10:30 at night,”
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daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
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A KEEN observer
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
FRIday, February 28, 2020
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Worshipers find comfort during an intimate Mass
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t 5:40 p.m., the nave of St. Michael Catholic Church is empty and quiet. It is softly well-lit and peaceful in contrast to the brightness of the sanctuary. In the sacristy, the small, cloistered room behind the sanctuary, Father Aaron Jenkins is alone as he deliberately and soberly dons the vestments before slipping off to hear confession. His demeanor is not that of a man simply changing clothes. In short order, the congregants begin arriving for St. Michael’s weekday Mass, held every evening at this time Tuesday through Thursday and Friday morning at 8:30 a.m.. One by one, they dip fingers into the Holy Water and make the sign of the cross, genuflecting just before entering their pew. Darlene Davis and Dodie Fleming attend multiple times each week. They sit near the front, as peaceful as their surroundings. Fleming passes Rosary beads through her fingers. Her expression indicates
she is engaged in something far deeper than simply sitting in a pew with friends. Tonight, some two dozen are attending the service, which is about average for weekday Mass, Davis said. Ellen Pack is the evening’s sacristan, charged with seeing that all is in order for this evening’s Mass. The chalice and its accoutrements, the books, the candles. When mass concludes she will put things away. She returned to the Catholic Church 12 years ago, she says. And performing the night’s duties is pleasing to her. “I like it,” Pack said. “It’s meaningful to me to be a part of the Mass.” At precisely 6 p.m., the quiet is broken by the deep tolling of the large bell signaling the beginning of Mass and calling the faithful to recall their sins and trust in God’s mercy. “Lord, have mercy….”
— Jim Mayfield
Pictured from left: Ellen Pack lights candles for the night Mass at St. Michael Catholic Church. // Father Aaron Jenkins, right, meditates moments before the night mass
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Scorekeeper at MV game watches excellence in motion
HOMETOWN
book for about seven years, and she also has been keeping score at Mt. Vernon volleyball games for 25 years. Her daughters both played sports at Mt. Vernon when they were in high school, and being part of the games helps her feel that she’s still involved in the school community. “We’re having a great season,” Kirby says, eight days before the Marauders, who hadn’t lost in three months, are upset by New Palestine in the sectional. “My favorite thing about watching the games is the teamwork — not knowing who’s going to step up. We have several different girls that can score, and that’s what’s fun, because it’s not always the same person.”
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ORTVILLE — Cheerleaders are warming up, Michael Jackson music is playing over the speakers, and spectators are drifting to their seats with hot dogs and hot pretzels in hand. At Mt. Vernon High School, the girls’ varsity basketball team is about to start playing, and a large crowd has gathered in the gym to support the players. On the sidelines, Janice Kirby is one of the people who keeps the system running. Serving as scorekeeper for the games, Kirby is equipped with paper, a pencil and a watchful eye. “We keep track of the lineup, fouls, all of that. All by hand,” Kirby says. “You just always keep your eye on the floor, always keep your eyes on the players who’ve got the ball.” Kirby has been doing the basketball
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FRIday, February 28, 2020
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
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‘I’M GOING to get out’ Young prisoner vows that G this time, it will be different
By Jessica Karins | Daily Reporter jkarins@greenfieldreporter.com
REENFIELD — In the late evening at the Hancock County Jail women’s wing, a nurse is handing out pills to many of the inmates. There’s a long line for medication. Each inmate’s prescription is written on an alphabetized card, and they take their pills with small, plastic cups of water.
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
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Pictured from left: Hancock County inmates Brianna Thompson and Sarah Wampler share a small cell. // Rebecca Jones, LPN, passes out medication to inmate Makala Cross at the Hancock County Jail. // An inmate’s hand sticks out a jail door.
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High School, and like many of the women in jail tonight, she’s here because of drugs. “I got in the wrong crowd of people, and started using drugs, and just got bored and kept using drugs and kept getting in trouble. But this time, I’m going to get out,” she says. She was initially locked up in May on drug charges, but was part of a work release program and was sober for several months before relapsing. She’s been here, this time, for about 60 days. “I get out February 29, and I plan on being sober. I’ll be on probation, so I want to get my life together.” Thompson has participated in recovery programs in jail, including the Jail Interdiction Program established in 2018. The program is based on the 12-step approach popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous and encourages participants to think about the root causes of their drug abuse and how they can ask for help. Thompson hopes that what she’s experienced while incarcerated will help her stay off drugs. “I think overall it made me stronger. It helped me deal with people, and I have anxiety really bad, so it’s helped with that too. I can cope with it in more healthy ways.” Like a lot of the women, Thompson has a daily routine. She stays up all night and sleeps all day. Time goes by faster that way, she says. When she’s released, she wants to get her own apartment, get a job, and have a normal life. “It’s hard sometimes. A lot of times I stay to myself and do what I gotta do to get out,” she says. “It’s really survival in here. People should really try to not go to jail.”
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There’s a precision to this system, but the crowd of women gathered in a concrete common area is chaotic. The jail is overcrowded — that’s why the county government is planning to build a new, larger one — and some of the women are packed three to a tiny holding cell. That means two people in bunk beds and one on a mattress on the floor. Others, those who are a risk for violence, are alone in locked cells. But the most noticeable thing about the jail, in the dead of winter, is that it’s hot. This is a constant problem. The inmates typically only put on the outer orange layer of their uniforms when they have visitors. There’s a lot of overlapping chatter when there are so many people in a small space. Some of the women are talking about their suspicion that an inmate in another wing is an undercover cast member on the TV show “60 Days In.” Some are texting — many of the women have a device called Chirp, which allows them to send text messages to family members. Some say they sleep during the day, because it’s easier or because there’s nothing else to do. Brianna Thompson is one of three roommates in one of those tiny cells. The walls are covered in art the three of them have drawn as well as items from their family members. They have a card table they made out of milk cartons — this isn’t strictly allowed, but no one has taken it away from them. “There’s a boiler right under the next cell,” one of Thompson’s roommates says. “It gets pretty hot.” Thompson is 23, but she looks younger. She’s a Hancock County native who went to Greenfield-Central
FRIday, February 28, 2020
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FRIday, FebRuaRy 28, 2020
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At DeAtH’s DooR
a routine patrol becomes a harrowing intervention to save a woman’s life By JeSSica KarinS | Daily RepoRteR
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jkarins@greenfieldreporter.com
REENFIELD — At the scene of the overdose, there’s a TV show playing on mute in the living room. It’s one of those shows about prison — something on A&E or the Discovery Channel about real life behind bars. A lot of the people on the show are probably in jail because of drugs. It’s the biggest category of crime in the United States. It’s late at night and Gary Achor, a
Hancock County sheriff’s deputy on the night shift, has just responded to the scene. A few minutes earlier, he was on a standard, quiet patrol. Then he got the call and raced to the address at 85 miles per hour along dark county roads. An ambulance and several other vehicles are already in the driveway of the small home when he arrives. Inside, a woman is lying unconscious in the kitchen. From behind her is the faint sound of a baby beginning to fuss — the woman’s 1-year-old child,
held by her boyfriend’s father. He’s the one who made the call. He doesn’t know what she took, he says. Maybe heroin. Shawn Booker, a firefighter and paramedic with the Greenfield Fire Territory, is one of the first people to respond to the scene. He says paramedics found the woman unconscious with agonal respiration — a kind of labored, gasping breathing. They administer Narcan, the injectable medication that can, in an emergency situation, reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana She denies taking anything. This exchange repeats many times; she’s still repeating it outside in the ambulance, looking around with what seems like genuine confusion, or maybe fear. Achor says this is common. It’s easy to understand why; anything said in this vulnerable moment could be used as evidence if the patient is charged with a crime. After the woman is taken to the hospital, DCS is called, but she is not arrested. No one finds heroin or a needle in her home. What happened here is simple — despite her protestations and the missing injection method, it’s almost certain this woman overdosed on heroin. But the questions it raises are complex. What’s the best way to help her? Is it a medication or an abstinence-only treatment program? Would an arrest and a criminal conviction do anything for her except throw her life into further disarray? Should her child stay with the family? It’s a crime to possess illegal drugs, but it’s also an indication of a mental health problem. Many experts no longer refer to “addiction,” but to substance abuse disorders. “Twenty years ago, we didn’t understand it as well as we do today, but a relapse is often part of a recovery,” Achor says. Booker says this kind of call is common — in fact, it’s almost daily. Sometimes it’s too late — the patient dies. That’s especially tough for responders, and they hold a debriefing after those calls to talk about how it affects them. Sometimes, when paramedics respond to an overdose, the patient isn’t breathing. Sometimes their heart has stopped. The responders try to use that to get through to them. “We explain those things,” Booker says. “‘You were technically dead, and now you’re not, so you’ve got to get some help.’” Achor says he’s often affected by what he sees at overdose scenes, by the obvious stress and trauma of the family members. He knows this woman, like many struggling with addiction, is trying to get help. He says officers often ask drug users if they’re ready to get help, but also that there isn’t much they can do to encourage them to pursue it. “Their problems are a lot bigger than a deputy talking to them at the scene,” Achor says.
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Pictured from left: Hancock County sheriff’s deputies and paramedics discuss a woman’s condition after she overdosed on drugs. First-responders revived her with two doses of Narcan, a product that reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. // Hancock County deputies Matt Kelly, left, and Gary Achor search a house for drugs after responding to an overdose.
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“It took two doses of Narcan to bring her out of it,” Booker says after the fact. “She’d been clean for almost a year.” In fact, the family member on the scene told responders she had undergone a drug test earlier that same day from the Department of Child Services. Both the woman and her boyfriend have previous convictions, and their custody of their child was being monitored. That monitoring might have ended soon, had she not relapsed. Perhaps, responders at the scene speculate, she relapsed precisely because she had been screened for drugs earlier in the day, figuring she had a month or two before being tested again. Achor and other responders begin to search the woman’s bedroom for drugs or for paraphernalia. It’s a small space, and it’s suffocatingly cluttered. There are clothes all over the floor. There are dozens of places you could hide a heroin needle. Achor finds what seems like an incredible number of bottles of prescription drugs, but no opioids. He ponders the situation: If she hadn’t overdosed on opioids, Narcan wouldn’t have been able to revive her. Meanwhile, the woman’s boyfriend arrives home. He says heroin is her “drug of choice,” but that she hasn’t been using for months. In many ways, the most disturbing part of the scene is the baby, who is held in his father’s arms as the man talks to the police and the paramedics. The child has blond hair and very wide eyes and isn’t crying. He’s too young to understand what’s happening today. This dynamic plays out all too often. According to data from the Department of Child Services’ Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, 87.1% of questionnaires administered when children are removed from their parents’ custody in Hancock County indicate that parental drug or alcohol abuse was a factor. That compares to the overall state percentage of 61.2%. Eventually, paramedics succeed in reviving the woman and move her onto a stretcher so she can be transported to the hospital. “What did you take?” they ask her. “I didn’t take anything,” she replies. “We know you took something. We need to know so we can help you,” a paramedic says.
FRIday, FebRuaRy 28, 2020
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FRIday, February 28, 2020
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
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‘NEVER SAY THE Q-WORD’
In Hancock Regional emergency room, staffers pass the time warily
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REENFIELD — Heart monitors beep on computer screens in the nurses’ station in Hancock Regional Hospital’s emergency department. A persistent cough rattles from down the hall. Staff in scrubs work at their computers, some with office phones pressed against their ears. There’s a business to the atmosphere, but it’s calm and collected. Other than that, it’s quiet. And while
that may be so, it should never be declared, for fear of jinxing the moment. “Never say the Q-word,” says Krissy Golden, patient care technician. About six or seven work the overnight shift in the ER, Golden says, including nurses, radiology employees, a secretary and a doctor. They’re currently looking after nine patients, soon to be 10, as an ambulance has just pulled up outside. Moments later, paramedics with the
Sugar Creek Fire Department wheel in a man complaining of pain all over due to leeches, none of which seem to be apparent The staff concludes his troubles are probably a psychiatric issue. Beyond the nurses’ station are 14 regular rooms and four trauma rooms, one of which holds a woman recovering from a drug overdose. Golden said typical ailments during the overnight shift are the flu,
especially this time of year, along with chest pain, shortness of breath and other breathing problems. The ER gets about 60 to 80 patients a day, Golden said. Sometimes patients can’t be seen right away and are addressed based on the severity of their illness or injury. “It’s not like a restaurant, where it’s first-come, first-serve,” Golden said.
— Mitchell Kirk
Pictured: John Heald, Sugar Creek paramedic, cleans his gurney after a run to the Hancock Regional Hospital’s emergency room.
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Restaurant is a popular overnight stop
— Mitchell Kirk
Pictured: Jaylynne Flannagan works the night shift at the Waffle House in Greenfield. When not clearing tables or taking orders she works on her homework for her degree at IvyTech College.
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Jaylynne Flannagan, a server at Waffle House, says business usually picks up when local factory shifts end. It’s the only place in town open 24/7 where you can sit down and eat, she adds. “I love all my regulars,” Flannagan says. During slow times, she squeezes in some schoolwork for her business administration and human resources studies at Ivy Tech Community College in Lawrence. Business also tends to pick up around 2:30 a.m., when bars are getting ready to close, ushering in a clientele Westerfield and Flannagan say can be “entertaining.”
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REENFIELD — Eggs and sausages sizzle and silverware clinks against plates as orange juice swirls in a clear tank at the Waffle House in Greenfield. A gaggle of men at the counter sip from mugs and make small talk with a pair of apron-appareled employees working before a backdrop of stainless steel commercial kitchen equipment. Steven Westerfield, third shift supervisor, says Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest days to work overnight, a time when the restaurant’s All-Star Breakfasts and Breakfast Bowls are its hottest sellers. Activity ebbs and flows throughout the wee hours, Westerfield says. “It’ll be like a ghost town,” he says, “then, boom! They’ll all come in at once.”
our customers and
FRIday, February 28, 2020
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
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LIGHTS OUT
Hope House has a reason for its nighttime curfew hours
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REENFIELD — Steve Ramsey, night shift monitor at Hancock Hope House, sits in the glow of the security monitor in an office of the homeless shelter. On this night, the facility is housing about 30 people. That’s pretty full, Ramsey says, adding there are two open beds for men and one for women. He volunteers to work overnight
twice a week. Ramsey hangs out in the office, keeping an eye on the security monitor. If residents need anything, they come up to his window. Residents aren’t supposed to be out and about between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., Ramsey said, but one has an infant and has to get up occasionally throughout the night to feed.
Hope House enforces its lightsout rule as a way to help get residents into a routine. “We don’t want people staying up all night and trying to work,” Ramsey says. A large chart covers a wall in the office indicating when and where residents are working; when they have visits; their release dates; and the number
Pictured: Steve Ramsey of the Hope House works the night shift.
of days they’ve stayed. Residents can remain at Hope House for about 35 days. If things go according to plan, residents in their new lives will be able to keep regular hours and develop positive routines — things they will have learned at Hope House from nights like this.
— Mitchell Kirk
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
FRIday, FebRuaRy 28, 2020
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A wAypoint in tHe niGHt truck stop is an epicenter of cargo and caffeine
What’s he hauling in his trailer emblazoned with “USF Holland”? He doesn’t know, and he doesn’t care. “We haul everything from bullets to snow shovels,” he said. Inside the truck stop, a microwave hums while a traveler awaits a quick meal. Brooke Stewart monitors several shelves of coffee pots during her overnight shift. The hot, caffeinated beverage along with soda and cigarettes are the biggest nocturnal sellers, she said. Stewart added business is pretty slow until around 5 a.m., when the day starts to begin for many in the area.
— Mitchell Kirk
Pictured: Patrick Payne, who has logged a million miles as a truck driver, prepares to transfer his trailer to another driver.
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HIRLEY/WILKINSON — Patrick Payne pulls his semitrailer truck into the Speedway truck stop just east of the Hancock-Henry county border. Beyond him stretch long lines of rigs with drivers resting in their cabs. Every once in a while a hiss of brakes will join the chorus of chugging engines filling the cold air with the sour smell of diesel. Payne regularly makes the trip from Edwardsville, Illinois, to the Indiana truck stop, where he unhooks his trailer for a fellow driver to pick up and haul back to Akron, Ohio. The millionmile driver says the spot serves as a midpoint for a lot of truck drivers.
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sweet shop’s palate-pleasers await early birds G REENFIELD — Colorfully frosted and glazed doughnuts fill glass cases at the Sweet Shop, which brims with the aroma of sugar and warm dough. Boxes of orders are stacked on a counter, which include regular deliveries to local convenience stores. Coffee is brewed and patrons are already coming in to get a
sweet start to their day. In the back, doughnut-covered trays pack wheeled metal racks. Owner Monty Guinn says his brothers start baking at 11 p.m., getting an early start on deliveries. He and his wife arrive at 3:30 a.m. to get those deliveries ready along with the rest of their stock to sell to the public for the day, beginning at 4 a.m.
The Sweet Shop, 1309 W. Main St., is in its 49th year after Guinn’s parents started the business. He can’t count how many doughnuts the shop bakes in a day. After nearly a halfcentury, however, they have an idea of how many to make. Any leftovers go to the Hancock Hope House and Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen.
Pictured: Racks of donuts are already on display, read for a pre-dawn rush of customers.
This time of year marks a bit of a slow time, Guinn said, with the holidays over and everyone on their New Year’s resolution diets. But he’s confident business will start picking back up again. For a business institution that has served generations of doughnut lovers, it always does.
— Mitchell Kirk
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
FRIday, FebRuaRy 28, 2020
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pRe-DAwn tune-ups intrepid workout warriors get REENFIELD — The sun hasn’t started to come up yet and the roads are quiet in Greenfield, but inside Hancock Wellness Center is a bustle of activity. The whir of treadmills and other cardiovascular exercise equipment mixes with Top 40 music as images flicker across television screens lining the walls. David Barrett says he’ll be doing 45 minutes of weights and cardio, adding he tries to work out five days a week. He likes to get it done first thing in the morning. “When I get home from work, it’s the last thing I want to do,” Barrett says. It leaves him feeling energized the rest of the day, he also says. While Jenny Cooley works the front desk, she says exercisers are usually lined up at the door at 5:30 a.m. when the wellness center opens. This early, most of the activity is cardio, she says, with some heading to the pool to swim laps. Craig Davis makes his way
into the wellness center with his sons, Aidan Davis, 15, and Landen Davis, 11. They come early for much of the same reason Barrett does. “Our afternoons are so busy; our mornings are the only thing that can’t really be messed with,” Craig says. Craig and Landen have been starting their days with early-morning workouts since December. They come about four times a week for about 40 minutes per session to do cardio and weights. Landen wants to get stronger and faster to play on the junior high football team next year. Aidan joins his father and brother for the first time. Craig says that first month of early-morning workouts was really hard. “A lot of soreness,” he says. “Hadn’t worked out for quite some time. But now we’ve been here and we’ve been working out since December now. Kind of got our bodies tuned up.”
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school bus drivers prepare for another daily mission c HARLOTTESVILLE — Flecks of snow flutter through the headlight beams of rumbling school buses warming up on the campus of Eastern Hancock’s elementary, middle and high schools. Seventeen yellow school buses and about four smaller white buses will head out soon to pick up about 900 students living in the eastern part of Hancock County. There are a handful of bus stops in Shirley, Wilkinson and Charlottesville, says Greg Turner, the district’s transportation director, but everything else is door-to-door. “Out here we are very rural, and we are picking up in driveways and dropping off in driveways,” he says. Each driver has a route sheet, and it doesn’t take them long into the school year to memorize them, Turner says. This morning comes with a
complication: Turner is filling in for a driver, and he hopes he’ll get some assistance during his run with a passenger who’s good with directions. “It’s nearly impossible to read a route sheet while you’re driving, but you try to memorize the first three or four kids,” Turner says. “And if you don’t have a big kid (to help) by the first three or four kids, you normally turn your dome light on and find your five, six and seven, and you will eventually find a kid that wants to help you.” As the engines heat up and the overnight chill inside the cabins falls away, the drivers soon will climb behind the wheel and finish their pre-route preparations. Already, another day in the life of Hancock County has begun.
— Mitchell Kirk
Pictured from top: Greg Turner, Eastern Hancock’s transportaion director, makes sure the fleet is ready to roll on time. // A line of buses warms up before the morning run.
daily reporter • hancock county, indiana
FRIday, FebRuaRy 28, 2020
Pictured clockwise from top left: CVS employees unload pallets from a truck in New Palestine. // Kathy Pizzano of Tuttle Orchards surveys one of the storage units which house the many different apples the orchard offers. // Hancock County deputy Gary Achor responds to a residence for an overdose.
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W E L C O M E T O H A N C O C K H E A LT H G A T E W AY .
F I N D O U T M O R E A T H A N C O C K G A T E W AY . O R G