Monday, April 15, 2024
TAKING A HIKE
A group of Shelbyville Middle School students, staff and their families gathered yesterday for a hike on the Blue River Trail. The six-mile hike, which took advantage of the warm, sunny weather, started at the trailhead, traversed down the Knauf Greenway and back, and finished at Blue River Memorial Park. The informal group is headed by science teacher Scott Hughes, who was assisted yesterday by Laura Scott, Kristiaan Rawlings, Cathy Samaras and Katie Beyer. | submitted
Forum Hosts Primary Candidates, Part III
Editor’s note: The following is the third in a series outlining the views of candidates, or their representatives, who spoke at the recent Northwest Shelby County Concerned Citizens’ Coalition forum.
County Council At-large
Six Republicans and a Democrat candidate for Shelby County Council offered the following insights last week on their views regarding extending public utilities and broadband access, and how to handle associated costs.
Judy Lauziere said the town of Fairland is “long overdue” for the installation of a sewer system. As a Realtor, she noted the challenges of getting potential home buyers FHA-approved when septic systems don’t meet the requirements for a loan. However, she added, “I don’t feel like the government should push it if no one wants it.” Lauziere is in favor of broadband access.
Shawn Goolsby said, “If you have a good well, there is no reason for anyone to bother you.” She also said grants should be considered for extending broadband in the county. “Raising taxes should always be a last resort.”
Davis Crisler, who teaches at Ivy Tech Community College, said he has continual issues with grading from home. “I’m all about broadband,” he said, offering support for tax incentives to get broadband providers to the area. He lauded the work of the late Jeremy Miller and the Fairland Town Council regarding sewer infrastructure.
Charity Mohr, who complimented the current work of local officials on broadband, said she supports access and is interested in looking at all options. She noted that the state broadband program will distribute any funds to actual providers, not directly to government entities, and said that while the county may not be able to cover everyone, there has been a strong start to working on the issue.
Jeremy Ruble said he didn’t “see an issue” with extending utility services to the county. He spoke about the county’s two overlay districts, and noted that Shelby County runs a median 1.6 percent property tax rate, which is low compared to nearby counties.
Troy Merrick said he would like to see the Northwest Sewer District work with the City of Shelbyville to find “opportunities for growth.” He agreed that broadband in the county is an issue. Merrick also said he supports working with the surveyor’s office to maintain ditches for stormwater.
Chase Yanzer supported extending water and sewer access, and said he believes well and septic customers should be allowed to stay with their current systems. He also supported investigating ways to provide broadband. “People need access to reliable high speed internet to function in today’s society, and I believe local government has a responsibility to ensure everyone has it available to them,” he said.
NOTEBOOK:
NATIONAL NEWS: Enterprising actors are making money by pretending to be podcasters or guests on video for the purposes of advertisements, all for the sake of injecting at-a-glance believable social content for TikTok that feels otherwise native to the platform. These faux podcasts shill a product, and the hope is that the casual scroller is distracted enough that they think it’s just an actual podcast clip. One actor who sells his services to brands is paid $195 per one-minute ad, and clears between $9,000 and $16,000 per month. Brands are now actively seeking actors willing to play guests on scripted or staged podcasts, essentially the TikTok version of the 4 a.m. infomercial airing on cable. (Bloomberg/Numlock)
The Addison Times publishes essential news and historical content to build our Shelby County community, and is free thanks to the generosity of supporters. Those who donate a minimum of $5 a month (or $60 one-time) receive an exclusive quarterly Addison Times magazine as an appreciation gift.
Want the daily edition read to you? Struggling with your email provider filtering out your local news? The Addison Times Substack app will solve those challenges!
This Day in Shelby County History
2014: City Council approved a tax abatement for a new machine at Plastic Moldings Corporation, 1451 Miller Ave. The plant planned to hire one or two operators for the machine, in addition to several other positions.
2004: The Shelbyville Common Council’s ordinance committee discussed a transient merchant proposal that would allow tent sales within city limits for only three days or less at approved locations. Mayor Scott Furgeson said the proposed measure was to prevent transient merchants from having continuous tent sales all summer at vacant lots throughout the city. The committee also discussed repealing a 1995 ordinance requiring residents to sort recyclables from their trash. Councilman Jeff Sponsel said it was important to eliminate the recyclable ordinance requirement from the city’s code because the city-provided curb recycling service had been discontinued due to budgetary concerns. The program, which started in 1992, ended March 2004 because the previous city council had trimmed $118,000 from the city’s sanitation budget.
1994: With tensions between Japan and the U.S. high because of a continuing trade, deficit and the U.S. pressuring Japan to open its markets to U.S. products at a time when Japan’s coalition government was struggling to retain power, The Shelbyville News asked city leaders if their upcoming trip to Japan was ill-timed. Councilman R. Gene Sexton and Ernest W. Conrad Jr. said it was important to communicate during such times. Sexton said he wanted to reassure his friends in Japan that the U.S. was still “one of the good guys.”
1984: Samuel Ardery joined the Matchett & Thopy law firm. Ardery graduated from Shelbyville High School in 1976, where he played football and baseball. He was awarded the Dave Evans scholarship as outstanding senior upon graduation. While in high school, he was employed at WSVL radio.
1974: After 40 years of service, the electric passenger elevator at the Shelby County courthouse was set to be updated to fully automatic, meaning the doors to the carriage and at entrances on all four floors would operate automatically.
Winners in a poster contest at Shelbyville High School conducted in connection with the showing of Billy Graham’s “Time to Run” movie were Charmaine Stephans, Steve Ferguson and Tom Theobald.
1964: Grace Cole was named Shelby County’s Mother of the Year in a promotion sponsored by the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce. Cole was the wife of Earl Cole and mother of Julie, 18 months old.
1954: Mark Burial Vault Co., 45 Mary St., started construction on a new two-story building on Smithland Road at State Road 44. Elmer Mark, 319 W. Jackson St., said the new building would be made of cement block with a Bedford limestone front. The company had started in 1920.
1944: According to a letter received by Sheriff Fred Courtney from Walter Wintin, local police chief on leave of absence, Winton had met up with Jimmy Courtney, son of Sheriff and Mrs. Courtney, in England. Both men were with the U.S. Navy. Winton was a chief boatswain’s mate and Courtney a radioman, third class.
1934: D.W. Sidden opened Sidden Auto Parts, 12 East Broadway, offering a complete line of Ford and Chevrolet parts.
Gene Junken, state amateur heavyweight boxing champion from Shelbyville, defeated “Ox” Kaiser from New Castle in a unanimous decision.
1924: The governor of Kentucky purchased a table for his office from Shelbyville’s Davis-Birely Table Co. Traveling salesman H.R. Buxton made the sale.
Locals said the radio had become “a great boon to married men,” The Shelbyville Republican reported, noting that it was now “comparatively easy for the married man to get away from home at night without figuring out a water-tight alibi” because his “wife is now so interested in the radio and the programs which she is able to receive over the set, that she forgets to question closely when Mr. Husband returns to his home after a night out.” The paper, however, added that men were just as likely to stay home, thanks to the radio. “The air is so full of interesting programs,” it said.
1914: Mary Holmes, of Vine Street, Walkerville, was tried in police court on a charge of profanity. Holmes had allegedly come out of her door and thrown dirty dish water from a pan into the neighbor’s yard and yelled, “I’ll get you yet, G— d— you,” The Republican reported. The defense argued Holmes wasn’t even home at the time the neighbors alleged the incident occurred. The matter was taken under advisement.
OBITUARIES
None today