Thursday, January 5, 2023
POLITICAL SEASON
Several Republicans formally filed to run for City of Shelbyville political offices yesterday, including Scott Furgeson, Mayor (top left); Scott Asher, re-election for Clerk-Treasurer (top center); Chuck Reed, Council At-Large (top right); Denny Harrold, Council At-Large (lower left); Betsy Means-Davis, re-election for Council 2nd Ward; Mike Johnson, re-election for Council 4th Ward; Linda Sanders, Council 4th Ward (lower center); and Thurman Adams, re-election for Council 5th Ward (lower right).
Local Democrats are also in the process of organizing candidates, to be announced in an upcoming edition.
Editor’s note: The candidates in the provided photos above are each with Shelby County Election Deputy Jeff Sponsel, who has set the record for appearing in the most pictures (6) in a single edition of The Addison Times.
Scott Asher, 51, yesterday sent a media release announcing his intention to seek re-election to his current Clerk-Treasurer seat for the City of Shelbyville. Asher served on the County Council from 2008 to 2019 and most recently as the Clerk-Treasurer from 2020 to present. Asher and his wife, Christina, are lifetime residents of Shelbyville. They have two adult children, Christopher, 26, and Lauren, 23. “I look forward to an opportunity again to represent and serve the constituents of my community,” Asher said in a statement. “It has truly been a pleasure working for the people of Shelbyville, and I would genuinely appreciate the opportunity to do so for another term. I have surrounded myself with a great team, and our goal of running an efficient, modern and transparent office remains our number one priority.”
ON A POWER TRIP
RushShelby employees yesterday change out a 3-phase power pole hit between 5:30 and 6 a.m. on Frontage Road near Fairland Road. | photo by JEB BASS
Local Salon Celebrates Silver Anniversary
by ANNA TUNGATE & KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
Roberta’s Gallery of Style may be marking its 25th anniversary, but the employees’ years of experience far exceeds the existence of the Shelbyville salon.
“If you add up all of our experience, there are 83 years for three stylists,” proprietor Roberta “Bobbi” Watson said.
That number only includes professional experience, but the owner started young.
“I have done hair since, probably, middle school,” Watson recalled. “I always wanted to do hair. I did friends’ hair in my garage. I did family perms in my kitchen. My first haircut here (at Roberta’s Gallery of style) was on Ryan (Watson),” she said of her then-boyfriend, now husband.
Watson’s parents, Robert, who was a public school teacher in Columbus, and Bonnie King, owned Cafe Coffee Break for over 40 years.
“I got my business savvy from them. It was always my goal to own my own business,” Watson said.
As a 17-year-old Shelbyville High School graduate in 1992, she moved to Bloomington to study at Hair Arts Academy, where she mostly styled for college students. She graduated after nearly a year of beauty school.
“I was out in the world at 18 (years old) doing hair,” she said.
Once back in Shelbyville, Watson first worked a year for commission at Ciarletta’s Hair Care at the Shelby County Athletic Club.
“They were good to me. They were great to learn from,” Watson said of Nick and Judy Ciarletta. “I recommend you always need to work for somebody before you go out on your own.”
She then rented booth space at A Cut Above next to The Strand Theatre.
“I lived at home and saved my money, and here I am,” she said.
Watson purchased the building on South Tompkins Street, previously used as a dental office, in 1997 when she was 23 years old. After six weeks of do-it-yourself renovations, Roberta’s Gallery of Style was born.
Watson’s first local client from the Athletic Club came with her and remains a regular. “I’ve never raised her price,” Watson said.
Melina Hurley, with 34 years of experience, and Stefanie Smith, 19 years of experience, also work in the shop.
“We’re a salon family in here,” Watson said. “We get along really well. We communicate well together and we have fun.”
Over the years, they’ve hosted bridal parties and birthdays for girls, performed countless first haircuts and prom hairstyles, donated to Locks of Love, organized Glamour Shots and old-fashioned pictures and sponsored local youth sports teams.
“When I think about the last 25 years, I’m thankful,” Watson said. “I love this profession. I love people. If you don’t like people, you should not be in this business.”
Roberta’s also survived the most recent challenge of the 2020 10-week pandemic shut-down for beauty salons. They installed signs on the walls and tape on the floor and even eliminated the children’s toys.
“It was weird,” Watson said.
But she quickly saw the silver lining: “found” time with her and Ryan’s two children, Landon, now a junior at Stanford University, and Delaney, a junior at Shelbyville High School. “I’m very proud of my kids,” she said.
From major family events, such as hosting a space for her own wedding party over 20 years ago, to daily interactions with loyal customers, the salon continues to connect the various aspects of Watson’s life.
“I’ve learned a lot from people by hearing their stories. Some of the older clients are like my grandparents,” she said.
NOTEBOOK:
Shelby County was one of only two in the central Indiana area to see an increase in residential building permits, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported. Otherwise, interest in new homes in central Indiana continued to slow dramatically last month, according to the latest statistics from the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis. Builders in the nine-county Indianapolis area filed just 357 single-family building permits in November, down 50%, from 714, in the same month of 2021. IBJ’s listing by county showed Boone County and Shelby County as the only two to experience an increase in permits.
The following couples applied for marriage licenses last week in Shelby County: Thomas E. Peltz, 23, and Riley K. Beam, 23; Jose Rosales, 40, and Saret V.G. Dimas, 35; Carrie Hignite, 32, and Jeremy D. Canter, 46; Tyler R. Pittman, 29, and Kayla M. Romero, 27; Emmett R. Sandoval, 26, and Ashley M. Lisby, 26; Kristopher B. Wiley, 41, and Ursula Harvell, 47; and James W. Reed, 72, and Marilyn E. Tablante, 65.
HOOSIER NEWS: Sixty children died from abuse and neglect in 2021, a report issued Friday by the Indiana Department of Child Services found. That is up from 50 in 2020. The agency investigated 271 child fatalities in which abuse or neglect was suspected to be a factor but 22% were found to be from caregiver maltreatment. Of those, 22 were due to abuse, and 38 were due to neglect. In 40 (67%) of the 60 fatalities, the victim was 3 years old or younger. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
NATIONAL NEWS: Modern televisions are far cheaper than any of their forebears, one of the few things that are vastly cheaper today than they were in the year 2000. One reason is that all televisions are smart televisions, which means that their sticker price is subsidized by companies like Roku that want to guarantee their operating system is the one that operates your television and sucks up all the data in the process. Roku made $2.7 billion in 2021, 83 percent of which was “platform revenue” including ads pushed onto home screens. Another reason things got cheaper is a fascinating logistical idiosyncrasy of screen production: Television panels are usually cut out of a 10-by-11-foot sheet of glass called the “mother glass” and manufacturers have become incredibly efficient at using all of that glass over the past several years. (The Atlantic/Numlock)
New Urgent Care Facility Opens
Fastpace Health opened its new walk-in urgent care clinic this week at 1778 East State Road 44, Shelbyville, in front of Rural King. The facility is still ramping up, but will eventually be open seven days a week, a media release said. The company operates over 200 clinics throughout the eastern and southern United States. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
This Week in Shelby County" works by George L. Stubbs Sr. are owned by the Shelby County Historical Society (Grover Center) and used with permission.
THIS DAY IN SHELBY COUNTY HISTORY
News around Shelbyville and the surrounding area as reported on or about this date in history. Selections are curated from the Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department.
20 YEARS AGO: 2003
With the change of ownership at The Sports Locker, Common Council member James Sleeth announced he had found something else to do with his free time. He was building a Ritter’s Frozen Custard. Sleeth had secured a franchise and the company had approved a prospective site for the business. He hoped to find out soon if the building would fit the way he envisioned it on a parcel next to Denny’s, near the new Walmart Supercenter site.
30 YEARS AGO: 1993
The Shelbyville Common Council proclaimed Betty Ramey Day to honor the former schoolteacher. Ramey had also served on the Shelbyville Parks Board, Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals. Mayor Bob Williams gave Ramey a key to the city. Former Mayor Dan Theobald had also honored Ramey with her own day a couple of years prior.
40 YEARS AGO: 1983
Shelbyville Central Schools teachers voted to accept a new contract. The contract included equalizing pay for girls sports coaches.
John Thomas was named Shelby County Council President by the flip of a coin over Bob Laird, who was named vice president. The council had voted 3-3 on the matter. The tie resulted because Councilman Howard Berger was on vacation in Hawaii.
50 YEARS AGO: 1973
Larry Stader, McKinley St., returned to work after he had been injured when a block wall under construction at International Packings of Indiana in Morristown was blown down by a strong wind.
Clinton Cole, 90, St. Paul, died. A retired salesman for The Prairie Farmer magazine, Cole had lived in St. Paul for 30 years.
60 YEARS AGO: 1963
An annual survey showed there were 451 businesses in Shelby County.
Shelby Rambler Fair, 1530 S. Harrison St., celebrated its second anniversary. Robert Swails was the service and parts manager. Harry DeVault was head mechanic. Joe Brunning was managing operator of the radiator shop. Robert Mays was manager of the body shop. Roy Baxter was general manager, Oris Baxter was president, Roy Baxter Jr. was vice president, Mrs. Lloyd Barnett was secretary and Mrs. Elsie Baxter and Mrs. Betty Baker handled accounting duties. The sales staff included Ollie Stegner and Larry Lemen.
70 YEARS AGO: 1953
Three members of a Shelby County family were found dead in a car on a country road near Vevay. Their deaths were attributed to carbon monoxide gas poisoning. The family members were Chester Tindle, 55, Flat Rock; Harold Tindle (Chester’s son), 24, St. Paul; and Jesse Tindle (Chester’s brother), 43, Waldron. They had been in Vevay visiting Chester’s bedridden father, Milton Tindle, 80. A Sheriff said the men had apparently decided to take a nap before returning home. The car’s ignition was turned on but the fuel tank was empty by the time police were alerted to the scene.
80 YEARS AGO: 1943
Shelbyville High School’s basketball team was ranked 10th in the state. The top three teams were the Marion Giants, Rochester and Fort Wayne Central. Then it was Muncie Burris, South Bend Central, Martinsville, Richmond, Columbus and Logansport.
Local health records showed there had been 484 new babies born in Shelby County in 1942, surpassing the death toll of 322.
90 YEARS AGO: 1933
Earl Hurt, 301 Walker St., won Hub Shoe Store’s “English word” contest in the newspaper. Frank Frisbie, 129 Howard St., finished second.
100 YEARS AGO: 1923
C. Ernest Kennedy and Clyde W. Kennedy purchased the Toggery Shop, located on the east side of South Harrison St., in the 200 block. The new firm would be called the Kennedy Brothers Clothing and Furnishings Shop.
INCIDENTS
A driver traveling south on Miller Ave. struck a stop sign while turning left onto W. McKay Road. The sign was knocked down. The driver said she turned too sharply.
Burglary was reported in the 700 block of Indiana Ave., Shelbyville.
Thefts were reported in the 900 block of Blue River Way, Shelbyville; and the 5700 block of N. Vinton Hills, Fairland.
JAIL BOOK-INS: Amanda M. Berkemeier, 34, possession of marijuana, controlled substance, narcotic drug, meth, paraphernalia; Paul Berkemeier, 33, possession of marijuana, controlled substance, narcotic drug, meth, paraphernalia; Brian R. Sosbe, 38, HTV-lifetime, leaving the scene, parole hold; Brian C. Willis, 57, domestic battery, strangulation.
OBITUARIES
Joseph "Joe" Anthony Beyer, Jr., a proud veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard, passed away in his home on Tuesday, January 3, 2023 with his wife and children by his side.
Joe was born July 29,1955 in Shelbyville, Indiana, the first of eight children to Joseph Anthony Beyer, Sr., and Donna Belle Beyer, Nee Dwiggins. He graduated from Waldron High School in 1973 and attended summer courses at Purdue University College of Agriculture.
Joe lived his early life in Waldron and Shelbyville. He married Barbara Ann Priest in December 1977. In 1988 his love for aviation and zest for adventure led him to a career at Boeing in Everett, Washington, where he became quite the outdoorsman, earning him the nickname Salmon Joe. In 2002, he found his way back to his family in Indiana, living out the rest of his days with his wife in Plainfield.
Joe enlisted in the Army National Guard on March 12, 1973, in Shelbyville, Indiana and worked for the Indiana National Guard Armory in helicopter repair and maintenance. He highly valued his service in the armed forces and attained the rank of SSG E6 Company C238 Aviation. Joe was deployed to Iraq in 2007 for Operation Iraqi Freedom where he served as the crew chief, battle captain, and on-board mechanic in the U.S. MEDEVAC unit. He was awarded many medals and honors throughout his military career, but the greatest reward to Joe was the family of brothers and sisters he gained from the time he served. He retired in May 2009 and is a proud member of American Legion, CCRT of Central Indiana, DUSTOFF Association, and VFW.
Joe is survived by his wife, three children, and their families. He is fortunate to have a large extended family as well who will remember him fondly as a big brother, Uncle Joe, and Papaw Joe.
Services honoring the life of Joseph Anthony Beyer, Jr., will be held at Glenn E. George and Son Funeral Home in Shelbyville and will include a viewing on January 6 starting at 4 p.m. followed by the homily at 7:30 p.m., and a funeral on January 7 at 11 a.m. Burial will be at St. Vincent dePaul in Shelbyville immediately following the funeral, where military rites will be conducted by the American Legion. Online condolences may be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.
Linda L. Brown, 81, of Shelbyville, passed away Wednesday, January 4, 2023, at Heritage House of Shelbyville. She was born May 9, 1941, in Indianapolis, the daughter of Joseph Bonner and Martha Oriena (Walton) Thompson. On June 16, 1962, she married her husband of 60 years, James R. “Jim” Brown, and he survives. In addition to Jim, Linda is survived by her daughter, Jennifer Hastings and husband, Floyd, of Shelbyville; sons, Byron “Jay” Brown and wife, Ann Elise, and Jason Eric Brown and wife, Kimberly, both of Shelbyville; brother, Dennis J. “Dee” Bonner of Shelbyville; grandchildren, Brook Ashley Hastings, Tyler Allen Combs, Trevor Jameson Combs and wife, Kyla, Chase Cooper Brown, Olivia Rachelle Brown, Brayton Michael Phelps, Hunter Nathaniel Phelps, Carson Mathew Phelps, Gage Noah Phelps, Jameson Parker Brown, Lochlan Joseph Brown and Adelyn Rose Brown; great-grandson, Hudson Jameson Combs; sister-in-law, Nancy Brown of Shelbyville; brother-in-law, Steven Brown and wife, Candace, of Fort Myers, Florida; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; and brother-in-law, Phillip Brown.
Linda graduated in 1959 from Shelbyville High School. She was a lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church, where she was a youth group leader, Bible school teacher and assisted with many church dinners. Linda was a Mary Kay sales director, for over 40 years. She was also a member of the PEO Sisterhood and Omega Nu Tau Sorority. Linda helped with the placement of International Exchange Students, her efforts in locating homes for these students, brought the world to Shelby County.
Linda loved her family and cherished creating lasting memories. She was also a lover of animals.
A gathering of Linda’s family and friends will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, January 11, 2023, at the First United Methodist Church, 34 W. Washington St. in Shelbyville. The Celebration of Linda’s life will follow at 1 pm, Wednesday, with the Revs. Colin and Heather Cress officiating. Services have been entrusted to Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Memorial contributions may be made to the First United Methodist Church. Online condolences may be shared with Linda’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.