September 21, 2021 - The Posey County News

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This Copy Especially Reserved For:

#poseyproud Opinion...........................A2 Obits ............................... A3 Retro................................A4 Church/General ..............A5

Social/Community..........A6 Social/Community..........A7 Legals ..............A8, 9, 10, 12 Court News......A8, 9, 10, 12

LifeStyle........................A14 Sports .......................... B1-4 Bus Directory...................B6 Classifieds.......................B7

SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times

T

P C N Tuesday, September 21, 2021

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Volume 141 Edition 38

Posey Deputy sustains life-threatening gunshot wound

Members of the Posey County law enforcement community come together to work following a shooting in New Harmony on Saturday. Pictured are Kevin Ellison, Jeremy Fortune, Colton Givens, Andy Porath, Tony Alldredge, and Darrin Lemberg. Photo by Dave Pearce

By Dave Pearce It had been a fabulous first day of the New Harmony Kunstfest. The booths were closed and visitors were out and about enjoying the things that draw people to quiet and quaint New Harmony. But a few minutes before 7 p.m., Posey County Deputies, along with the New Harmony Town Marshal Aaron Straub, responded to a welfare check at 612 Short Street in New Harmony. Everything changed. According to a statement from Posey County Sheriff Tom Latham, “Shortly after law enforcement arrived Posey County Deputy Sheriff Bryan Hicks sustained a gunshot wound to his head. After an exchange of gunfire with the male assailant, identified as 70-year-old Paul Wiltshire, and the scene was made safe by law enforcement officials, Posey County EMS and New

Harmony Fire Department personnel rendered aid to Deputy Hicks and Mr. Wiltshire. Deputy Hicks was transported to Deaconess Hospital where his condition is critical, but stable.” According to information provided by the sheriff, Chief Deputy Jeremy Fortune took over the reins at the scene while Latham rushed to the hospital to be with the family of Hicks. Neighbors described what they heard as what they believed to be loud firecrackers going off nearby but soon realized the gravity of the situation. Wiltshire had served as the New Harmony Town Marshal some 16 years ago and spent many years living in the town. He was wounded in the gunfire and neither the hospital nor

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Fisher chosen principal at NPHS

Members of the North Posey School Board welcomed newly hired North Posey High School Principal Sean Fisher to the ranks at their September 13 meeting. From left Assistant Superintendent Michelle Walden, Board Members Larry Kahle, Amy Will, Greg Schmitt, Fisher, School Superintendent Michael Galvin, Board Members Geoff Gentil and Vince Oakley. Photo by Lois Mittino Gray

By Lois Mittino Gray It’s official! Sean Fisher was hired as the North Posey High School Principal at the September 13, meeting of the North Posey School Board. School Superintendent Michael Galvin recommended him for hire to the board, after the search committee interviewed three applicants for the position. A fourth was included, but did not show for the interview. The Search Committee consisted of Galvin, Assistant Superintendent Michelle Walden, Junior High Principal Steve Kavanaugh, South Terrace Elementary Principal Erin Koester, High School Teachers Sean Nance, Carrie Schmitt, Brad Wallace and Student Representative Max Muensterman. The board unanimously accepted Fisher as the new administrator. He has been the Assistant Principal at the high school for three years and was acting principal, filling in for Scott Strieter in the interim after the former principal resigned in August. Fisher taught Business at the school prior to the principal jobs. He was congratulated and wished well by the board. School Board President Geoff Gentil opened the

meeting to conduct a public hearing on the proposed 2022 School Budget, the Capital Projects Plan, and the Bus Replacement Plan, as advertised on the school website. The budget and several budget resolutions will be presented for consideration of adoption at the October 12, meeting. Gentil asked if there were any patron comments regarding these items and there were no takers. Gentil recommended the official Public Hearing be left open; in the event any patrons might enter the meeting to ask questions regarding the 2022 budgets. A motion was made to adjourn the Budget Hearing at 7:11 p.m. as no patrons entered to address the board during the general meeting. Gentil also opened another Public Hearing for 20212022 North Posey Teachers’ Association Contract Negotiations to hear public testimony regarding teacher compensation and collective bargaining in the school. Galvin presented information from a preliminary negotiations meeting with union representatives two

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APC OKs preliminary solar plan

Mount Vernon homecoming royalty Julia Kingery and Tristan Clowers are all smiles at homecoming. Photo by Garry Beeson

By Trisha L. Lopez The Posey Solar Project got the preliminary go ahead from members of the Area Plan Commission during a continuation of the July 29 special meeting at the Posey County Community Center on Thursday. The preliminary application, submitted to the APC office by developer Tenaska in April, passed by a 6-3 vote after about an hour of discussion. Andy Hoehn, Randy Owen, David Pearce, Keith Spurgeon, Hans Schmitz and Mark Seib voted in favor of the preliminary application. Randy Thornburg, Kevin Brown and Mike Baehl voted against. An independent project review submitted by Mount Vernon-based Tanner Engineering, LLC., conducted at the behest of the APC, highlighted areas that Tenaska attorney Mary Solada assured members would be addressed prior to the submission of the final application. Areas tagged for further examination include, among others: full contact information for all participating project landowners; updated setback depictions in the project site plan; confirmation of up-to-date Indiana building code requirements; completed evaluations from required government agencies; and updated information on the use of mature trees for buffers. Despite the areas mentioned, the Tanner report found the preliminary approval package to be “very thorough.” Thornburg, a member of both the APC and Posey County Commissioners, made a motion to table the vote on the preliminary application for 30 days until all areas of concern could be addressed. Baehl seconded

the motion. “No other client that I know of coming to the Area Plan Commission without all of the paperwork has to be in order and all of the issues addressed. I don’t want to see exceptions made for this client. I don’t want to see any favoritism. I want it to be equal across the board,” Thornburg said. “I think they need to work it out like everybody else has to before it moves on.” A roll call vote shot down the motion. Hoehn, Owen, Pearce, Spurgeon, Schmitz and Seib voted against. Thornburg, Baehl and Brown voted in favor. Attendance was noticeably lower than in previous meetings with the Posey Solar Project posted on the agenda, but the right side of the room was filled with residents donning yellow anti-industrial solar stickers seated behind Michael Schopmeyer, attorney from Kahn, Dees, Donovan and Kahn, LLP, representing the remonstrators to try to stop the project. Attorneys representing both sides were allowed 10 minutes to address the commission and were allowed to answer follow-up questions presented by members. The public portion of the meeting was closed at the conclusion of the July 29 meeting, but no speaking time was needed to convey the feelings of the dozens of residents seated behind Schopmeyer. Facial expressions told a story of anger, dismay and disbelief as those who have fought against the project from its inception heard the roll call vote that propelled the development to the next stage in the process...a final public hearing

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Following in family footprints Young Robb doing well at filling big family traditions

Christopher Robb

(USPS 439-500)

By Lois Gray “Thank you for displaying the flag today. It means a lot to my kids,” a young mother whispers as she walks by the canvas chair Christopher Robb sits in under the giant flag for the two days of New Harmony’s Kuntsfest Festival. As a member of the New Harmony Volunteer Fire Department, he is one of several on the force who will sit vigil to respect the thirty by fifty foot banner as it flies in the breeze from the arm of the department’s 8Ladder1 truck. Robb and others on the force sitting with him, estimated that the department has been doing this tradition since around 2002.

“We purchased it in response to the 9/11 attack and it has become part of the festival to fly it at the corner of Church and Main streets every year since then. We get a lot of thank-you’s and positive comments from people as they pass. They really love the giant flag. One man said he likes to watch it wave on high as he drives into town,” Robb commented. “We make sure somebody is with the flag at all times and we take it down by 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. We don’t do the intricate folding up here, we wait and do it when we get back to the station,” he explained. Vendors at the festival have ex-

pressed their appreciation for the firefighters attending to the flag by bringing them free food and drinks. Robb specifically mentioned Boy Scout Troop 393, the Mount Vernon Moose Club, and the Posey County Right to Life for their generosity. Robb, 34, has been a member of the force since 2005. After 16 years, he currently holds the rank of Captain. “I guess you could call it a ‘family tradition.’ Both of my grandfathers, an uncle, and of course, my father were members of the department.” His father is Larry Robb, Posey County Emergency Management Agency Director and his mother is Millie Robb.

Captain Robb enjoys serving the community and has participated in fighting several large and small fires, working accidents, and helping those in medical need. “Have you ever had to rescue a cat from a tree like in all the fireman cartoons?” I jokingly asked. He replied, “As a matter of fact, just a few months ago, we had to get a cat down that was on a utility pole behind Yellow Tavern. There were so many wires and we had to be careful, but it eventually came down on its own and was okay.” Christopher is a New Harmony native and attended New Harmo-

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