VOL. 1, ISSUE NO. 2
WWW.THEOWENNEWS.ORG
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2024
Public comment policy change Commissioners update requirements at recent meeting By Nicole DeCriscio Correspondent
The Owen County Board of Commissioners approved an updated public comment policy
during their April 17 meeting. The conversation started with County Attorney Dana Kerr reading the draft policy out loud. “The handbook on
Indiana’s Public Access Laws from the Office of the Public Access Counselor states that Indiana’s Open Door Law ‘does not guarantee the right to speak at public meetings. Although an
individual has the right to attend and observe all public proceedings, no specific statutory authority allows an individual to appear before and address a governing body. A
JUSTICE FOR ‘BIZZY’
governing body may choose to provide an opportunity for comments or discussion at any time or may allow a limited number
POLICY | PAGE 4
EPA soil testing continues
By Nicole DeCriscio Correspondent
Jay White convicted in murder of Elizabeth ‘Bizzy’ Stevens By Travis Curry Correspondent
A
39-year-old Spencer man was convicted on April 24 in connection with the Sept. 14, 2021 death of Elizabeth “Bizzy” Stevens. An Owen County jury returned verdicts finding Jay White guilty of murder and obstruction of justice, concluding a sevenday jury trial. Special Judge Darcie Fawcett, of
Monroe County, entered a judgment of conviction based on the jury’s verdict. Owen County Prosecutor Benjamin Kim and Deputy Prosecutor Robert Garrett represented the State of Indiana at the trial, where White was accused of shooting Stevens, 26, also of Spencer, while they were both passengers in a vehicle. “There was a passerby who found a dead body on Texas Pike and called
it in [to Owen County Security Center Dispatch],” Owen County Sheriff Ryan White told The Owen News. “When our units arrived, they found who they later identified as Elizabeth Stevens deceased due to extreme head trauma.” An autopsy conducted the following day in Terre Haute determined Stevens succumbed to a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.
JUSTICE | PAGE 6
Elizabeth “Bizzy” Stevens’ headstone asks for “Justice for Biz.” On April 24, an Owen County jury found 39-year-old Jay White guilty of the Spencer woman’s Sept. 14, 2021 murder. TRAVIS CURRY| THE OWEN NEWS
Discussion of building a new county jail has been ongoing for at least a decade, with additional taxes being levied as recently as 2020 to fund the project. The current jail was dedicated in March of 1987 while the late Harley Melton was sheriff. It replaced a small jail located half
a block north of the courthouse and west of the Tivoli Theatre. The special joint meeting last month with the Owen County Council and Board of County Commissioners to discuss the project was standing room only. All three county commissioners – Gary Burton, Bob Curry and Joel Lowe – were present along with council members Andy Wood, Steve Carrell, Amy Casebeer, Nick
Robertson, Polly Chesser and Anton Neff. “We want to make it real clear that there is no current jail proposal on the table. There is no jail being built. It’s still in conversation. That’s why we’re all here tonight,” Commissioners President Burton said. “There’s been talk on social media that we’re raising taxes; none of that’s true.” Burton said that the council established a tax in 2020 that took
EPA | PAGE 9
Owen News Celebrates Launch
Staff Report
effect in January of 2021. “Everybody in this room that is an Owen County citizen is already paying that tax, so there is no tax increase,” Burton said. “So again, just a quick update: we’re not raising your taxes and there’s no $40 million jail on the table.” The project relies on the two government bodies working together – the commissioners are responsible for signing
The Owen County Chamber of Commerce (OCCC) has announced plans to host a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the recent print launch of The Owen News, the only non-profit local newspaper in Indiana. The event will take place Friday, May 17, from noon to 1 p.m. at the OCCC’s Exchange Coworking space and Fiber Garden, 114 S. Main St., Spencer. The Fiber Garden is located behind OCCC. Community members, local government officials, business owners, and those
COMMITTEE | PAGE 9
LAUNCH | PAGE 8
Jail project committee established By Nicole DeCriscio Correspondent
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has started remedial investigation into the Franklin Street Groundwater Contamination in Spencer. The site was added to the national priorities list in May of 2018, but work to start the remedial investigation, the next step in the site milestones, did not start until last fall, with the testing starting earlier this year. The contaminant tetrachloroethene (PCE) was first detected by Bean Blossom Patricksburg (BBP) Water Corporation in 2011 and has been completely removed from the treated water since 2017. Even at the initial detection, the contaminnat’s levels were 1.2 parts per billion (ppb), which is under the maximum contaminant level set by the EPA at 5 ppb. “We’re the ones that found the problem in the first place because we do annual water testing,” BBP CEO Todd Gardner said. “Even though the finished water was under