Saturday, November 8, 2025
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GOLDEN GLORY
Shelbyville High School senior Maddy Jones participates in a three-point competition during the team’s Golden Glory introduction event on Thursday. Jones went on to win, with Kiah Pandoli winning a trick shot contest. The Bears open the season Tuesday, Nov. 11 against Waldron.| photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
County BZA Weighs Changes to Accessory Structure Rules
The Shelby County Board of Zoning Appeals spent much of its Tuesday meeting debating whether long-standing size and placement limits for barns and outbuildings still make sense, or simply create red tape.
Plan Director Desiree Calderella told members she had reviewed every accessory-structure variance since she joined the county in 2019. “We’ve had about 90 of these,” she said. All were approved, with 10 receiving stipulations due to being within 100 feet of the road.
Calderella floated an early draft that would eliminate size limits entirely and allow accessory buildings in front yards as long as they sit at least 100 feet from a roadway.
Board members offered mixed reactions. Jim Douglas said he still wanted such cases reviewed publicly: “There’s some that are good, but there’s some I think are not very tasteful.” Megan Hart favored loosening restrictions but opposed an open-ended rule. “I like the idea of loosening the reins,” she said, “but I’m not sure I’d want it to completely have no size limit.” Hart added that every property is different and that a barn in front of a house often depends on how it fits the surrounding view.
Several members discussed adopting a 100-%-of-house-size cap for lots under two acres, a middle ground between the current half-size rule and no limit at all. Calderella said she would study past approvals to see what dimensions were typical.
The group also signaled support for banning shipping containers and portable storage units as permanent accessory structures. Calderella proposed allowing a garage or barn to be built before a home, provided a house receives a certificate of occupancy within two years.
Discussion then turned to enforcement. Members raised frustrations over prior zoning violations that have continued despite board rulings. Douglas pressed for stronger follow-through: “If there’s never any consequences for anything, then why would anybody adhere to anything?” Calderella explained that violations result in letters, fines, and, if unpaid, tax liens, but said she tries to give property owners one chance to comply before bringing cases back to the board.
No vote was taken, but Calderella said she would return with revised language incorporating the board’s feedback.
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NOTEBOOK:
Shelbyville High School announced its October “Bears Best” recipients, awarded for demonstrating exceptional responsibility. Honorees include Karyme Astudillo, Paige Bohman, Chloe Caldwell, Tyler Gwinnup, Kieran O’Connor, Lexi Pabst, Nathanial Savage, Elena Simmons, Reagan Spannuth, Alex Staker, Liam Thomason and Ricardo Zamora Gonzalez.
Fairland Baptist Church will hold a grand reopening celebration today at 102 Meridian St. The event begins with a 5 p.m. service, followed by supper. All are welcome to attend.
The Blue River Community Foundation (BRCF) has opened its winter scholarship application cycle for awards that will be distributed in summer 2026 for the 2026–27 academic year. High school seniors graduating by June 30, 2026, along with college, graduate and nontraditional students, are encouraged to apply by January 15, 2026. Applicants complete one application to be considered for more than 200 local scholarships, with details and eligibility listed on the Foundation’s website. Current high school seniors who completed an application during BRCF’s summer application cycle do not have to reapply. Since 1994, BRCF has invested more than $8.5 million in student scholarships, including $2.8 million through Lilly Endowment and $5.7 million from community scholarship funds. Specific criteria, requirements, and application instructions, as well as a list of scholarships, can be found in the BRCF Scholarship Resource Guide for students located under the Scholarships tab on the Foundation’s website. For more information, contact Julie Alvis at jalvis@blueriverfoundation.com or 317-392-7955, ext. 102.
Occasions Premium Christmas Trees will open its annual tree lot Sunday, Nov. 23, at 415 E. Hendricks St. in Shelbyville. The business will offer fresh-cut Fraser fir, Douglas fir, Scotch pine and white pine trees, along with wreaths, garland, porch pots, grave blankets and seasonal décor. Staff will be available to help wrap and load trees. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Families are invited to visit, find their tree and kick off the holiday season.
HOOSIER NEWS: The Indiana State Fairgrounds’ Hoosier Lottery Free Stage will undergo a multimillion-dollar renovation to become a year-round concert venue, the Indiana State Fair Commission announced. Partnering with Indianapolis-based MOKB Presents, the expanded stage will host shows for up to 7,500 attendees and feature upgrades including a larger 60’x40’ main stage, taller roof, dual LED screens, and improved load capacity. Officials expect completion before the 2026 Indiana State Fair. (IBJ)
NATIONAL NEWS: While total domestic box-office ticket sales are up only 2.6% this year from 2024, IMAX’s are up 16%, according to the company. Its share of domestic and global tickets are at record highs and its total worldwide box office is on track to exceed $1.2 billion this year for the first time. Studios now splash the IMAX name on ads—sometimes in bigger print than the title of the movie itself—to signal their release is worth getting off a couch. Executives call it the “premiumization” of the film business. (Wall Street Journal)
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SQUIB LOOK-BACK: 1978
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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.
2005: Shelbyville’s Gary Bowen was inducted into the Southern Indiana Babe Ruth Hall of Fame.
1995: Betsy Stephen won the mayoral race to become Shelbyville’s first woman mayor, winning by 66 votes over Mayor Bob Williams, out of more than 4,000 cast. Voter turnout was unusually low, with just over half of registered voters participating, marking one of the smallest turnouts since the late 1940s.
1985: A committee of city and county officials proposed creating a six-member board to oversee the Shelby County Animal Shelter and unify local animal control ordinances. The group, comprising Councilwoman Marilyn Hendrick, Councilman Larry Nelis, and Commissioner Marlin Everhart, recommended that the board manage shelter operations, meet monthly and coordinate funding responsibilities shared by the city and county.
1975: Two Shelbyville manufacturers began expansion projects while another completed a new facility and started production. Williams Industries on Michigan Road started a 12,000-square-foot addition to expand its Plastic Crafts operation, which employed 35 people and planned to add up to 25 more once finished. Standard Register’s Smithland Road plant reached 90 percent completion on its large expansion, expecting to increase its workforce to about 65 employees.
1965: Tom Dierckman, Kiwanis Football Medal winner and the only member of the Shelbyville football team named to the All–South Central Conference team, was congratulated by his coaches, Head Coach Tom Sells and Assistant Coach Jack Tindall. Dierckman, a 198-pound senior tackle, was one of the Golden Bears’ most consistent players and competed in several games despite an injury. Halfback Jim Martin and ends Ed Griffith and Barry Shambaugh received honorable mentions for their contributions to the team.
1955: A midday survey showed 1,619 Shelbyville residents, about 21 percent of eligible voters, had cast ballots, a slightly higher turnout than the previous city election’s noon total. Officials anticipated most voters would cast ballots later in the day before polls closed at 7 p.m.
1945: The Shelbyville Veterans Service Center compiled a list of 75 local jobs available to World War II veterans, with wages ranging from 60 cents to $1.11 per hour. Openings included engravers, welders, typists, cabinet makers, truck drivers and other industrial positions. The center, working with the Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Employment Service, also offered free weekly consultations to help returning veterans find work and adjust to civilian life.
Mary Jane Bass received word that her husband, First Lt. Glenn V. Bass of Shelbyville, served as a pilot with the 1st Troop Carrier Squadron, 443rd Troop Carrier Group, which earned two Presidential Unit Citations for its work in China. Lt. Bass’s unit transported 30,000 Chinese troops in nine days and was commended for completing the mission ahead of schedule. Each pilot, including Lt. Bass, was presented with a Japanese sword in appreciation for the effort.
1935: A formal opening was scheduled that evening for the new restaurant inside the Hotel Shelby, with meal service beginning the following day. The restaurant featured 24 maple tables and 96 matching chairs in a rustic design, creating an inviting dining space for guests. Manager Russell Green said the establishment would offer a wide variety of food at different price ranges, prepared by an experienced chef in a modern, fully equipped kitchen with new refrigeration units ready for service.
A total of 156 motorists had paid fines for double parking since the city’s traffic enforcement campaign began in May. In October alone, 24 people appeared in city court for double parking and similar violations, with several more cases scheduled for November. The crackdown was launched by local police at the direction of the board of works to address congestion in the downtown area, particularly targeting drivers who left vehicles unattended.
1925: John Hodge, a former Shelbyville resident, became superintendent of “colored schools” in Kansas City, Missouri. Hodge, once a student and newspaper apprentice at The Republican on West Franklin Street, earned a scholarship to Indiana University and worked his way through college.
1915: Councilman Ithamar “Buck” Parrish startled fellow city leaders when he introduced an unexpected ordinance to abolish Shelbyville’s police and fire departments and create a combined Department of Public Safety. Parrish claimed the change would save the city money, though neither the ordinance committee nor City Attorney Robert W. Harrison had seen the proposal beforehand. Mayor Henry Schoelch expressed surprise and denied any involvement, while others questioned who actually prepared the measure. The plan suggested a single force of eight men earning $800 a year, serving both as policemen and firemen, though the idea was widely doubted and drew public amusement.
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OBITUARIES
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