Thursday, April 4, 2024
BUTTONING UP
Construction crews work on the outside of an incoming apartment complex on North Harrison Street. | photo by JACK BOYCE
ELECTION LEGAL NOTICE
NOTEBOOK:
The Shelbyville Central Schools board last night adopted a project resolution, an early step in considering a maximum $35 million bond to update facilities. Superintendent Dr. Matt Vance said the “bottom line is all about having the vision and having the best facilities within our means for our school community that we possibly can.” While project possibilities are under review, current designated items include, among others, updates to locker rooms, lighting, flooring, ceilings, technology and other upgrades. Jason Tangelle, with Indianapolis-based Baker Tilly, said the project would impact the total tax rate by up to just over four cents in 2025. For a $158,700 home, the median home value in Shelbyville per the U.S. Census Bureau, property taxes would increase up to $31.52 per year. However, as board member David Finkel noted, the estimate is based on “very conservative assumptions,” and the impact could be much lower.
The Northwest Shelby County Concerned Citizens Coalition will hold a candidate forum next Tuesday, April 9, 7 p.m. at the Moral Township Fire Station. Candidates for Shelby County Commissioner and Shelby County Council will answer questions posed by members of the group in advance. After the formal Q&A, attendees will be invited to meet the candidates in person. A number of state candidates may be in attendance, organizers said. The event is open to the public.
NATIONAL NEWS: At least 31 million people will be in the path of the total solar eclipse on Monday, but it seems as if many will have to roll the dice on clouds and other terrestrial interference with the cosmic event. NASA will take no chances as far as gathering scientific information during the event, as two WB-57 planes will fly southwest to northeast during the eclipse, spending seven minutes in the shadow from an altitude where clouds are not a problem rather than the four minutes the rest of us will have to contend with. The planes will take off from Ellington Field near Johnson Space Center in Houston about two hours before the eclipse, fly down into Mexico, and race an eclipse moving 1,600 miles per hour while flying at a speed of 460 miles per hour. (BBC/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The Addison Times publishes essential news and historical content to build our Shelby County community, and is free thanks to the generosity of supporters.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: Mason Zhang, a fifth-grader at Loper Elementary, won the SCUFFY art contest and a bicycle donated by The Bike Shop.
2004: The annual Easter Egg Hunt at Sunset Park attracted hundreds of children.
1994: County Commissioners postponed paying several invoices regarding the new jail after they found presumed double charges and overcharges, including a $3,300 bill for laundry bags. Commissioners also refused to pay a carpet cleaning bill since contractors were under orders not to install the carpet until the pump station was in. The carpet was installed prematurely, and the basement flooded before the pump station was installed.
1984: Major Hospital was x-raying Girl Scout cookies daily from 1 to 3 p.m. for inspection following reports of tampering nationwide.
James Addison was injured after being hit by an ambulance. A 77-year-old ambulance driver, who was transporting a heart attack victim, said he did not see Addison, a curious onlooker, on the road. Addison was dragged 88 feet before other emergency medical personnel could get the vehicle stopped. “No charges have been filed in the case, although the ambulance did leave the scene of the accident as soon as Addison was freed,” The Shelbyville News reported. The heart attack victim was in good condition as of press time.
Indiana Bell installed its first digital electronic call-switching system, which served Shelbyville area customers. The system, installed at 105 W. Broadway, served about 8,000 customers and converted voice language, or analog, signals into computer digital signals. The new system had the capability of providing customers with custom calling features such as call forwarding and conference calls.
1974: A tornado ripped through northwestern Shelby County. A number of buildings were damaged and demolished. A large tree crashed into the John Johnson home in Clover Village. A barn was leveled and a two-car garage wrecked at the farm home of Lottie Beyers. Four people - two adults and two children - escaped injury at the Joe Mueller home near CR 400 W and old 421 when the tornado toppled a large chimney and sent it crashing through the roof. Various other homes suffered major damage as well.
In other weather news, an earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale was felt in Shelby County following the earthquake. Several reported hearing dishes rattle.
1964: The Shelbyville High School talent show included a “calendar girls” float featuring students from the vocal music department, the girls athletic department and the English department in the form of dancers, pantomimes and twirlers. Those on the float included Ann Sanders, Pam Beck, Susie Wagner, Janie Cox, Barbara Scott, Debbie Stine, Linda Rogers, Saundra Pyle, Judy Richey, Patty Stevenson, Melissa Miller and Susan Holtel.
1954: The Chicken & Steak Inn began offering curb service.
Local police were investigating the second case of a small caliber bullet being fired into a home. A bullet had previously been shot through a south wall of the kitchen at the Lucas home, 1104 S. Tompkins St., narrowly missing Mrs. Lucas. A 14-year-old boy found shooting at tin cans on McKinley St. about a block away was lectured about the incident. The second incident occurred at 209 E. Mechanic St., when a bullet passed through both the storm window and regular window of the bedroom and struck a wall.
1944: Cpl. Paul McClain, son of Mr. and Mrs. Tilden McClain, 317 East Franklin St., was killed in a plane crash in Europe. Cpl. McClain was Shelby County’s 19th war casualty. He was a Shelbyville High School graduate and married Nora (McDonald). He was survived by his parents and one brother, Harry McClain.
1934: Local officials submitted four projects for the next phase of the CWA program: completion of the Blue River levee west of Shelbyville, continued cleaning of the Blue River channel, improvements at the swimming pool grounds and the rewiring and painting of the courthouse and jail.
1924: Revival services at First Baptist Church attracted large crowds. “No Man’s Land, the front pews of the church, were occupied at the services, and drew comment from the pastor, the Rev. I.C. Overman, who stated that it had taken about as long to occupy that territory in the church as it for the allied forces in France to take over that bit of coveted land,” The Republican reported.
1914: Carl Steffey, who had broken his arm months before when he was knocked from the bridge over Flat Rock near St. Paul to the creek below by an I&C traction car, went to Rushville to have his arm re-broken and re-set.
OBITUARIES
UPDATE DATE & TIME OF SERVICE
Margaret L. (Preston) Alexander, 95, of Fairland, passed away Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Tempe, Arizona. She was born August 16, 1928, in Williams Bay Wisconsin, the daughter of Elihue and Minnie Myrtle (Surpas) Preston. On November 20, 1945, she married Paul Alexander, and he preceded her in death on September 23, 2010. Margaret is survived by her sons, Geoffrey Lynn Alexander of Fairland, Greggory Alexander and wife, Lora, of Mesa, Arizona, and Christopher Alexander of Tempe; grandchildren, Jason Paul Alexander, John Keith Alexander, Daniel Alexander and Jessi Alexander; great-grandchildren, Reese Alexander and Aiden Alexander; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was also preceded in death by her parents; son, Michael Edward Alexander; brothers, James Preston, Charles Preston and Harry Preston; and sisters, Cathryne Love and Virginia Medsker.
Margaret was a homemaker and formerly worked at LS Ayres in Indianapolis. She attended New Life United Methodist Church. Margaret enjoyed crocheting, embroidering and reading.
Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, April 12, 2024 at Boggstown Cemetery in Shelby County. Services have been entrusted to Freeman Family Funeral Homes, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Memorial contributions may be made to Purdue University, School of Veterinarian Medicine, K9 Cancer Research, 625 Harrison St., West Lafayette, IN 47907. Online condolences may be shared with Margaret’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.