Friday, May 29, 2026
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: STEPHENSON RIFE ATTORNEYS
FOLLOWING FRANCIS
Students from every grade at St. Joseph School participated in “The Richest Poor Man,” an original production presented May 19 honoring the jubilee year of St. Francis of Assisi and the 800th anniversary of his death. The play featured scenes from the life of St. Francis, including the Wolf of Gubbio, the Nativity at Greccio and his meeting with the Sultan during the Crusades. | photo by Audrey Berauer
Morristown Town Council Discusses Wastewater Costs, Road Funding and Long-term Planning
The Morristown Town Council on Wednesday received a brief update from Town attorney Briane House about ongoing discussions with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management regarding wastewater treatment plant issues. The Town continues to work through engineering and remediation issues in regard to the system.
“This has become ferociously expensive for the community, between engineering, remediation, etc., the community has spent, or will spend… about $600,000,” House said.
He added that the town has implemented stricter enforcement procedures with industrial users connected to the sewer system and has issued multiple notices of violation in recent weeks as officials work to prevent future problems. He said the town hopes IDEM will view the community’s response efforts favorably as enforcement discussions continue.
Council members also approved a $36,000 proposal from Wessler Engineering related to updates to the town’s sewer use ordinance and continued wastewater consulting work.
In other infrastructure discussion, Brian Sheehan of HWC Engineering updated council members on the town’s Community Crossings Matching Grant projects and future road funding opportunities. He said Morristown is still waiting for reimbursement funds from a previously awarded project and likely will not receive them until the start of the state fiscal year in July.
Sheehan also presented information on the 2027 Community Crossings program, including a proposed $32,100 engineering and planning contract that would help the town prepare applications, complete required asset management updates and oversee future road projects.
Council members discussed the challenge of balancing future road improvements with local matching fund requirements, particularly as the town continues managing wastewater-related costs.
They also discussed broader planning efforts. Sheehan said certain state grant opportunities require communities to have designated Main Street organizations and updated planning documents in place before applying.
Council President Dave Benefiel said town officials have continued exploring downtown development ideas and ways to position Morristown for future grants and investment opportunities.
During public comment, resident L.V. Spencer presented a proposed housing and workforce development plan focused on increasing housing opportunities in Morristown. Spencer said rising housing costs and limited inventory are affecting local workers and school enrollment trends. He encouraged the town to consider zoning updates allowing duplexes, triplexes and small multifamily developments while also creating a housing and workforce coalition involving local employers, schools and community leaders.
The council also heard a presentation from Trine University student Jacob Batton, who thanked the town for supporting his senior engineering design team’s fuel-efficiency vehicle project. Batton said the student-built prototype vehicle competed earlier this year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Shell Eco-marathon competition and achieved nearly 350 miles per gallon during testing before experiencing mechanical issues.
Su Casa Expands to Shelbyville
Blue River Community Foundation (BRCF) and Su Casa announced the opening of a new Su Casa office in Shelbyville, which will expand access to support services for Latino families in Shelby County and surrounding communities. The office is located in the Blue River Community Foundation building, 54 W. Broadway Street. Su Casa has served Latino families across South and Central Indiana since 1999, a BRCF press release said.
“Through conversations with local leaders and organizations including St. Joseph Catholic Church, Shelbyville Central Schools and MHP, we have heard repeatedly that connecting Latino families to services and resources can be challenging due to language, trust, transportation and other barriers,” Jennifer Jones, executive director at BRCF, said in a statement. “As Shelby County’s Latino population continues to grow, we recognize the importance of ensuring families have access to necessary services and support.”
Ashley Caceres, executive director at Su Casa, said the organization was grateful for the support from BRCF and excited to open a local office.
The Shelbyville location will offer Family Support Services, including connections and referrals for housing, food, employment, medical services, school enrollment and financial aid applications, along with translation services, family goal-setting and support, resource connections, legal service referrals and advocacy and community support.
The office will be open Mondays and Tuesdays from 12 to 5 p.m. and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Individuals seeking services can call Su Casa at 812-375-9370 and press 3 for the Shelbyville office.
BRCF is supporting Su Casa’s work in Shelby County as a component of the GIFT IX Community Support Grant opportunity through the Lilly Endowment Inc.
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: FULL CANOPY REAL ESTATE
NOTEBOOK:
The county highway department will replace a culvert on East Vandalia Road west of S 600 E beginning this morning through June 12 around 5 p.m. Vandalia Road will be closed between S 500 E and S 600 E. All addresses in the 5000 block of E. Vandalia Road will be accessible from the west only.
The 12th annual Taste of Shelby County will return to downtown Shelbyville on June 5, featuring food and drink vendors, live music, family activities and the Darrin Glessner Memorial Car/Truck and Bike Show. The event drew more than 9,000 visitors in 2025, including attendees from several surrounding states, according to Rachael Ackley, executive director of the Shelby County Tourism and Visitors Bureau. The event will run from 6 to 10 p.m. and include 15 vendors, live entertainment, yard games, children’s activities and promotions tied to Indiana’s America 250 celebration.
Mount Pisgah Baptist Church will host “Faith Under the Big Top,” a Vacation Bible School program for children in nursery through fifth grade June 1-4. The event will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. each evening and feature a circus-themed focus on faith and fellowship.
HOOSIER NEWS: An Atlanta-based company is proposing a $2.2 billion data center campus on the east side of Indianapolis at the former Ford Visteon site, with plans for three data halls, 56 backup diesel generators and up to 78 megawatts of power use. Company officials with DC Blox said the project could generate significantly higher tax revenue than traditional warehouse development and create about 650 construction jobs. Residents raised concerns about noise, air quality and environmental impacts near neighborhoods and schools. (IBJ)
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ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: MAJOR HEALTH PARTNERS
This Day in Shelby County History
Local headlines reported on or around this date in Shelby County history. Selections are curated by The Addison Times from Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department materials.
2016: The Blue River Stream Team held a large cleanup day on the Little Blue River. Members of the Southwestern-Shelby FFA and Knauf employees cleaned over a half-mile of stream banks, and CGS Services donated a debris bin for the event. Food was donated by Mickey’s T-Mart and Myers Frozen Foods.
2006: Deborah Meal of St. Paul was one of 10 Longaberger basket consultants who attended a special training retreat at the Longaberger home office in Newark, Ohio. Meal was also planning a motor coach tour for anyone wishing to visit the Longaberger homestead.
1996: Emily Gahimer and Greg Seeman were winner and runner-up in the St. Joseph School spelling bee.
Students at St. Joseph School participated in a science living museum. Winners were Luke Runnebohm as Rudolf Diesel, Chris Hext as Jacques Cousteau, Matt Meyer as Samuel Colt, Emily Snuffer as Benjamin Franklin, Emily Gahimer as Johann Gutenberg, Adam Kramer as Albert Einstein, Tracy Burdine as Dr. Helen Taussig and Justin Schmitt as Leonardo da Vinci.
1986: Shelby County’s five-acre law was once again debated by the plan commission. The rule, which required builders to own a five-acre lot in an agriculture zone before building a home, had been debated since it was passed in 1969.
Shelbyville High School’s 1986 Show Group presented its 1986 Spectacular “Sing.” Some of the soloists were Gina Allen, Troy King, Debbie Reece, Gina Allen and Michelle Miller. Lori Hirschauer and Jack Ivie did a duet. Andy Erickson, Jack Ivie and Jim Pence performed “Mountain Men.” Hirschauer, Kevin Nolley, Mike Sheehan and Eric Thoman performed “Book Report.” The new members of Show Group were Shari Palmer, Libby Reece, Heather Fox, Miki Brewer, Julie Burns, Deann Ellis, Chris Anspaugh, Kevin Jones, Jamie Eubanks, Randy Isley and Derik Norris.
1976: Jeff Martin broke Shelbyville High School’s shot put record in the Columbus regional. The previous record had been set in 1970 by Bill Heck.
1966: Preliminary work began for a gymnasium at Shelbyville High School.
There were 1,298 farms in Shelby County, which was 288 fewer than in 1959, the latest farm report showed. Those farms were on 232,991 acres of land. (In 2022, there were 548 farms in Shelby County on 209,675 acres.)
1956: The Shelbyville News published a photo showing Wray Orem’s restored 1930 Pierce Arrow vehicle. The car had cost $9,000 new, the paper said (approximately $180,000 in today’s money). Orem had purchased the car used and restored it.
Former Shelbyville Coach H.T. McCullough of Crawfordsville was named president of the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s five-member board.
1946: Mayor James Pierce, attorney Emerson Brunner, John Wetnight and Claude Barnes met to discuss the formation of a board to find a satisfactory site for a municipal airport.
1936: WPA officials announced that the Wetzel Trail and the old Knightstown railroad would be marked by historical plaques.
1926: There were four generations of Seiferts in town, The Republican reported. Jacob Seifert, who lived on East Hendricks St., was 81. He was the father of 12 children, 28 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. His son Frank lived on West Taylor Street. Frank’s son Walter lived on Second Street. Walter Jr. was born in 1925.
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: Freeman Family Funeral Homes & Crematory
OBITUARIES
Wilbur Gerald Icenogle, 76, of Shelbyville, passed away on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at MHP Medical Center in Shelbyville. He was born on July 5, 1949, in Rushville, the son of Byron P. and Nettie (Flannery) Icenogle. On March 10, 1979, he married his wife of 47 years, Ruth Newbold, and she survives. In addition to Ruth, Wilbur is survived by his sons, Stacy Travis Icenogle and wife, Libbie, of Indianapolis, Christopher Wayne Icenogle and wife, Samantha, of New Castle, and Byron Robert Icenogle and wife, Rachel, of O’Fallon, Illinois; brother, Larry Dean Icenogle and wife, Jolene, of Shelbyville; sister, Debra Jean Linthicum, and husband, Jim, of Sandborn; grandsons, Devon Tyler Icenogle, Dyllan Michael Icenogle, Gavin William Ledford, Oliver Thomas Icenogle, Theodore Phillip Icenogle, Milo William Icenogle and Toryn Marshall Icenogle; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Thomas Allen Icenogle; sister, Wanda Long; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Charles Robert and Evelyn Marie Newbold; and brothers-in-law, Michael Wayne Newbold and William Robert Newbold.
In 1968, Wilbur graduated from Milroy High School. Wilbur was a member of Mount Pisgah Baptist Church. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1968 to 1976 and the Army Reserve Rushville from 1977 to 1979. Wilbur served in Vietnam. Wilbur was a press operator for KT Corp for 20 years and a truck driver for 20 years, retiring in 2007.
He was also a member of the American Legion. Wilbur enjoyed watching NASCAR and reading Louis L’Amour books.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m., Sunday, May 31, 2026 at Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville, and from 10 to 11 a.m., Monday, June 1, 2026 at Mount Pisgah Baptist Church, 3718 East Blue Ridge Road, Shelbyville, Indiana 46176. Funeral services will follow at 11 a.m. at the church, with Rev. Dr. Robb Barlow officiating. Interment will be at Mount Pisgah Baptist Cemetery, with military rites conducted by the local military committee. Memorial contributions may be made to Mount Pisgah Baptist Church Building Fund, or the Cancer Association of Shelby County, PO Box 844, Shelbyville, Indiana 46176.
Online condolences may be shared with Wilbur’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.
Helen Ridge DeVoe, 88, Shelbyville, passed away at her residence on Saturday, May 23, 2026. Funeral arrangements will follow when they are completed. Online condolences may be shared at www.murphyparks.com.