Friday, March 22, 2024
MAKING AN ENTRANCE
Crews work yesterday on repaving and leveling the concrete area in front of the Shelby County Courthouse. | photo by ANNA TUNGATE
Powell Steps Back into Surveyor Role
Following Taylor Sumerford’s retirement last week, Jeff Powell has been named Shelby County Surveyor, returning to the same position in which he served back in the 1990s.
“It’s not new to me,” Powell said yesterday in a phone interview while en route to a task.
Powell, a Morristown High School graduate who holds a land surveying degree from Vincennes University, was elected to the spot last time. But with Sumerford’s resignation, Shelby County Republicans recently held a caucus to name a successor. Powell won the opportunity to finish out Sumerford’s term, through 2026, and return to county work after being in private practice full-time since 2006.
It has been a busy few decades since he last held county office.
“None of us have to advertise,” he said of local surveyors. “We’re covered up all the time.”
While he will continue surveying on the side, his full-time duties with the county will involve both routine and development projects. And he knows that in Shelby County, he can expect another continual challenge.
“If the phone rings and it’s the public calling, nine times out of 10 it’s due to drainage,” Powell said.
NOTEBOOK:
The Parks Department’s Community Easter Egg Hunt is set for next Saturday, March 30, at Kennedy Park. The bunny arrives at noon with egg hunting beginning shortly after. The free event is for children 10 and under.
The number of home sales in Shelby County last month ticked up from January, from 27 to 32, also slightly higher than February 2023, when 29 homes were sold, according to the latest MIBOR report. The median sold price last month was $215,500, slightly below January’s $217,000 but above the $195,000 median price last February. There were 34 new listings in Shelby County last month, nearly on par with last February’s 33. The median number of days on the market, however, was 67, up from 47 last February.
NATIONAL NEWS: The parent company of Temu, the app for cheap stuff, has reported revenue of 88.88 billion yuan ($12.5 billion) in the last quarter of 2023, up 123 percent year over year. In the whole year, PDD made 247.64 billion yuan, up 90 percent year over year. Temu is not exactly a store: It doesn’t own any stores, and rather just uses third-party delivery services to connect vendors to customers, regardless of where the vendor, delivery service or customer might be. (Nikkei Asia/Numlock)
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This Day in Shelby County History
2014: Centaur Gaming marked one year of owning the casino in Shelbyville. They had replaced over 400 aging slot machines, built more barns to house more horses and added over 300 parking spaces. Renovations were also underway at the grandstands sports bar on the casino side.
2004: A drunk man at a bar on East Locust Street was unable to find his cell phone that he had placed on a nearby table and accused another man of stealing the phone, stabbing the man four times. As it turned out, his phone had not been stolen. The man’s friend had placed it in his pocket for safe-keeping.
1994: J & L Tool & Machine announced plans to add 8,000 square feet to the Miller Ave. building and add five jobs. It was the second machine and tool manufacturer to announce expansion plans within a month. Brewer Machine & Manufacturing was moving from 1237 Jefferson Ave. to the former Wickliff Sales building, 1501 S. Miller Ave., and adding 3,000 square feet.
1984: Shelby County Spelling Bee champions were listed. Susan Runnebohm with Tammy Crouch as alternate at Waldron Junior High; Nathan Feuerstine with Mike Riehle, alternate, at Waldron Elementary; Jay Boring with Brad Willey, alternate, at Coulston; Tisha Mohr with Kiley Lewis, Southwestern; Scott King with David Dayhoff, alternate, at Loper.
1974: Bill Garrett, who led the Shelbyville Golden Bears to the Indiana High School basketball crown in 1947 and 12 years later coached Indianapolis Attucks to the title, was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Garrett in 1974 was serving as assistant dean for student services at IUPUI.
A dedication and open house was held at the new Church of God parsonage on Columbus Road. The home was occupied by Rev. Loyd Corbett and his family.
1964: The Spurlin Radio & TV building at 28 W. Polk St. was remodeled. The store offered color and black and white TVs and stereophonics. Color TVs started at $480 ($4,820 in today’s money).
1954: A long line of Milan cars was escorted through Shelbyville by a fire truck with siren blaring as Milan celebrated its upset victory over Muncie Central in the state championship game. The procession took over an hour as fans made their way home to Ripley County.
1944: The Chamber of Commerce held a discussion about how Shelbyville, post-war, could fit into the transcontinental airways system as a feeder location for larger cities.
Sgt. Irvin Perkins, a Fairland High School graduate who had lived in Fairland with his grandmother before the war, was reported missing in action.
1934: The Shelbyville Common Council adopted a resolution asking the state to limit the number of commercial vehicles using State Roads 9 and 29 through Shelbyville and Shelby County. The resolution had been the idea of James Pierce, agent for the Pennsylvania railroad.
1924: The state fire marshal ordered two buildings in St. Paul had to be razed within 60 days. The buildings, located south of the traction station, were owned by Jacob Johannes, who had used his as a buggy shop for 50 years, and W.L. Miller, who rented his out to William Wise for use as a junk shop.
Janitors of school buildings No. 4 and No. 1, located on Colescott St. and East Franklin St., were given police powers to stop those speeding past schools in vehicles. The council rejected sending police to the school, which would “take the officers away from the city building at hours when they might be most needed there,” The Republican said. Mayor Lee Hoop also advised children to be careful. “He stated that at this time of the year boys are wont to congregate in the streets to play marbles, taking a heavy risk,” the paper said.
1914: Madame Corrinne, a “scientific palmist,” set up shop on Public Square. She asked to “not be classed with so-called clairvoyants and tricksters” and quoted Job 27:7 in her ads: “He sealeth up the hand of every man that all may know his work.”
OBITUARIES
None today