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theREGISTER THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2014

188TH YEAR

ISSUE NO. 1 $1

Rally against constitutional amendment Jan. 4 Dearborn Co. Courthouse event one of several hosted by Freedom Indiana

speakers and prayer to support rejecting HJRBy Denise Freitag Burdette 6, a proposed constitutional amendment “that Assistant Editor would permanently alter the Indiana Constitunewsroom@registerpublications.com tion to define marriage and would remove exIt has been coined a rally “in support of liberty isting protections under law for same-sex and for all Hoosiers”- and it is headed to Dearborn unmarried couples and families,” said Jennifer County. Wagner, Media and Communications Freedom At 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 4, at the county Indiana. courthouse, 215 W. High St., Lawrenceburg, “Freedom Indiana is a statewide bipartisan Freedom Indiana will host an event with local coalition of parents, businesses, faith leaders,

civil rights and community organizations, and the amendment or send it to voters for a stateindividuals united to defeat HJR-6,” she said. wide referendum next November. If it does not pass or is not called for action, “Our coalition includes our Constitution will be protens of thousands of Hoosiers tected, and marriage will still be along with major employers and institutions such as Cum- Read a letter by Lawrenceburg- defined as between one man and mins, Eli Lilly and Company, based attorney Martin DeJulia one woman, as it is currently,” said Wagner. Emmis Communications, the against HJR-6 on Page 4A. Freedom Indiana In-District Indy Chamber, IU Health, InOrganizer Chris Geggie apdiana University, Ball State University, Wabash College, DePauw Univer- proached Dearborn County commissioners about holding the rally during the Tuesday, Dec. 17, sity, Hanover College and Butler University.” commissioners meeting. He was joined by attor“In the 2014 legislative session, Indiana lawmakers can choose either to table or vote down

Related

See RALLY, Page 6A

House fires in Moores Hill, Aurora

Shooting victim, father arrested after Friday incident

By Erika Schmidt Russell Editor

By Erika Schmidt Russell Editor erussell@registerpublications.com

erussell@registerpublications.com

Moores Hill-Sparta Township Volunteer Fire Department & EMS battled flames as well as cold and ice in the wee hours of New Year’s Eve morning. It took firefighters about 30 minutes to knock down the fire at 17704 Palmer Road, but far longer to get hot spots extinguished, said Moores Hill Fire Chief Bobby Russell. Moores Hill was dispatched to the fire at just before 12:45 a.m. The homeowner had arrived home a little after 12:30 a.m. to find the roof of the house on fire, said Russell, adding by the time the department arrived at the Palmer Road house a few minutes later about 70 percent of the house was on fire. There is no city water on Palmer Road, so the department had to haul water to the scene with tankers. Also providing manpower and tankers/pumpers were Milan, Hogan Township, and Aurora fire departments, with about 42 firefighters and EMTs on the scene, he said. “The roof collapsed, so we had to deal with that to make sure it was out,” said Russell, adding those hot spots took about three hours to get out after the fire had been knocked down. The Dearborn County Sheriff’s Department had two officers assisting at the scene, and Moores Hill Town Councilman and town employee Lanny Dell used a salt truck on the route from the fire department to the scene because ice was forming from hauling the water, said Russell. No one was injured, even with the substantial ice that was on the ground from all the water being poured on the fire, he said. The Southeastern Indiana Red Cross is helping the family, and he’s not sure if they have insurance. “I couldn’t even start to estimate the amout of damage,” said Russell. Lawrenceburg Fire Chief Johnnie Tremain, one of the Dearborn County Fire Investigation team members, was coming to help determine the cause, as well as an investigator

See FIRE, Page 6A

© REGISTER PUBLICATIONS, 2014

PHOTOS BY CHANDRA L. MATTINGLY/The Register

Aurora Clerk-Treasurer Randy Turner points out elements of a sign honoring John Mehrle, Richard Ullrich and Ed Dierking, the bicycle enthusiasts who pushed for creation of the trail between Aurora and Lawrenceburg.

MUD not slung, but honored in Aurora

the trail. Judges chose the top five logos, which were displayed at the former Aurora Borealis Art Galcmattingly@registerpublications.com lery in May 1999 so the public could view and MUD was the main topic at the December Au- vote for their favorite. Lyndsay Hunger, a SDHS rora Park Board meeting. student, took first place More specifically, the and was awarded $150. park board recognized Other winners, in order, the MUD Brothers, three were Kristen Weber, St. men who were instruMary, $100; Nina Robmental in the creation of erts, SDHS, $50; and, the Aurora to Lawrencetied, Kelly Kohorst, St. burg portion of Dearborn Mary, and Joshua Lukie, Trails along an abanSDHS, $25 each. doned railroad bed. “I love the logo,” said The trio, Ed Dierking, Turner. John Mehrle and Richard Aurora Mayor DonUllrich, were “lifelong binie Hastings said when cycling enthusiasts,” said he was on city council, Aurora Clerk-treasurer Dierking “grabbed” him Randy Turner, who had and walked him along researched some of the the abandoned railroad trail's history. The three bed. now are recognized on “He had a vision and signs posted behind two he stuck to his guns,” new trail benches made South Dearborn High School Superintendent said Hastings. from the capstone of a John Mehrle, left, and Aurora resident Ed DierIt took 12 years for stone wall which stood king, are shown with the sign recognizing their the Aurora portion of the successful efforts to get a walking and bicycling at the former Dierking trail to be funded and residence on the west end trail built on an abandoned Big Four railroad built, from the first inbed. Richard Ullrich, the third member of the of Exporting Street. kling of an idea in 1994 One bench is at the “MUD Brothers,” is not shown. to the ribbon cutting Manchester Landing trail March 4, 2006. Lawrenceburg's end would follow, head; the other at the eastern end of Aurora's por- opening in late 2007. tion of the trail, said Turner. Previously, Mehrle said the idea for the trail The signs also include the original logo for the was spurred by a comment from his cousin Dan trail, at that time named the ALT trail. Engelbrecht, Evansville, who thought the former “When I was a teacher, we had a contest with Big Four railroad bed would make a great trail. the art students” at South Dearborn High School Dierking picked up on the idea and was the and other local schools, said Mehrle, who now is major push behind it, although all three MUD SD Community Schools superintendent. The logo Brothers were involved. was printed on T-shirts sold to raise funds toward By Chandra L. Mattingly Staff Reporter

See MUD, Page 6A

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Aurora police responding to the report of a shooting at 411 Hanover Ave. Friday evening, Dec. 27, ended up not only arresting the shooting victim, but also the victim’s father after finding various drugs inside the house. Zachary Murray, 24, was shot in the leg, and is charged with criminal recklessness and pointing a firearm, both class D felonies, and intimidation with a deadly weapon following an argument with his brother, Josh Sigmon. According to court documents, Zachary Murray had pointed a rifle at Sigmon and it went off during an altercation between the two. Charges have not been filed against Sigmon. Meanwhile, Patrick Murray, 53, is facing charges of possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia, both class A misdemeanors, and maintaining a common nuisance, a class D felony. According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Aurora Police Det. Vernon McBride, Zachary Murray got into a fight with Sigmon over a broken item and “a missing bra.” Zachary Murray, who paid his father rent to live in the basement of the house, during the argument went downstairs, and retrieved a Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic carbine, and loaded it. He also retrieved a .45 caliber handgun, but noticed it was missing a clip. Sigmon went downstairs to confront Murray. According to the affidavit, Zachary Murray told

See SHOOT, Page 6A

Rails & River: SI Port Authority looks at both

By Chandra L. Mattingly Staff Reporter cmattingly@registerpublications.com

The Southeast Indiana Port Authority elected officers, hired an attorney, and discussed its capabilities during its first-ever meeting Friday, Dec. 20. But the new entity could become moot if the state lawmakers pass legislation giving jurisdiction over Indiana's federally-regulated waterways to the Ports of Indiana, said Aurora City Attorney Jeff Stratman. The POI, which dates to 1961, currently has jurisdiction over three public ports in the state. Stratman later explained his comment was based on a two-minute conversation with Ind. Rep. Ed Soliday (R-Valparaiso) who essentially said legislation would be proposed to give Ports of Indiana exclusive jurisdiction over Indiana's federal waterways. Whether that would affect existing port authorities or not was not discussed. Meanwhile, however, the SIPA voted to meet the third Friday monthly, alternating between Aurora, Lawrenceburg and a Dearborn County location. The next meeting will be at 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, in Lawrenceburg City Council chambers, 230 Walnut St., Lawrenceburg, with public comments to follow the business portion of each meeting. SIPA members voted Aurora Mayor Donnie Hastings to be chairman, after he volunteered; Hughes to be secretary; and agreed to hire Aurora City Attorney Jeff Stratman as attorney. Stratman, who had been appointed to the SIPA by Hastings, immediately resigned as a member. Others attending the SIPA's first meeting in the Aurora City Building included Adam Rosen-

See PORT, Page 6A #9385

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