Thursday, June 26, 2025
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: STEPHENSON RIFE ATTORNEYS
CONSTRUCTION UPDATES
Paving work nears completion on the east side of the incoming roundabout on N. Riley Highway, near the Knauf entrance. BELOW: A Wednesday view of demolition work in the first block of W. Broadway. | photos by JOHN WALKER
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: FULL CANOPY REAL ESTATE
NOTEBOOK:
The Shelby County Plan Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved all petitions, including a site plan for 9295 N. Frontage Road to allow HIS Constructors to leave existing trees as a landscape buffer rather than building a wooden fence, which would likely have necessitated the removal of numerous trees. Adjoining property owners had no objections, and a survey that netted 62 responses revealed no opposition to the proposal. A chain link fence already surrounds company property, and the company will be planting more than 100 trees to reforest other sides of the property line. Plan Commission members in attendance included President Kevin Carson, Jason Abel, Alicia Barr, Megan Hart, Andrew Newkirk, Jeff Powell and new member Tony Sipes.
Speaking of trees, a Plan Commission member noted that the approved site plan for the Speedway Solar project calls for 4,516 trees, which the company is installing.
The Shelbyville Central Schools board on Tuesday interviewed the following candidates for an open board seat: Dawn Adams, Dr. Emily Breedlove, Daniel Greene, Jessica Kelsay, Maria Rude and Dr. Julie Ruschhaupt. The board will meet this morning to make the appointment.
Waldron High School Alumni will host an Alumni Reception on Sunday, July 6, 2 - 4 p.m. at Waldron High School. No reservations needed. All past alumni, teachers and staff are invited. At 3 p.m., the Wall of Honor recipient will be named and presented by Principal Mark Shadiow.
INDOT will be chip sealing roadways in Shelby and Rush counties in July on the following dates and locations: U.S. 52 between Rushville and Morristown, July 8 - 14; State Road 244 between I-74 and SR 3, July 14 - 17; State Road 244 between SR 3 and U.S. 52, July 16 - 22; and State Road 44 between I-74 and SR 3, July 23 - 30. Through-traffic will be permitted, but there will be delays due to one-lane traffic closures. Flagging operations with a pilot vehicle will be present to help manage the traffic control. Portable message boards are being installed at the start and end of affected roadways to help raise awareness so traffic can avoid these areas.
As Independence Day approaches, the City of Shelbyville issued a reminder to residents regarding the city’s fireworks ordinance. Under City Ordinance § 91.125, consumer fireworks may only be used within city limits on specific dates and times, in accordance with Indiana Code: June 29 through July 3 and July 5 through July 9: Fireworks are permitted between 5 p.m. and two hours after sunset; July 4th (Independence Day): Fireworks are permitted between 10 a.m. and midnight. Use of consumer fireworks outside of these designated times is not allowed and may result in penalties. Additionally, for organized public or large-scale displays, § 91.126 requires compliance with NFPA safety standards (1123 & 1126). Organizers of such displays should contact the Shelbyville Fire Department in advance to ensure all safety protocols are met. Mayor Scott Furgeson encouraged residents to be good neighbors, protect pets and sensitive individuals, and enjoy the holiday responsibly. “This time of year is about celebrating our freedom, and that includes respecting each other and the safety of our community,” Mayor Furgeson said. “Let’s all do our part to make this Fourth of July safe and enjoyable for everyone.”
HOOSIER NEWS: Hoosiers have more nonstop options than ever before out of IND, and although airlines are decreasing the number of daily flights, they are increasing the number of seats on the planes that do fly. A record 10.5 million people traveled through the airport in 2024, and more routes are on the way. At least 15 new flights are launching out of Indianapolis in 2025, traveling to cities such as Austin, Chicago-Midway and New Orleans. The airport will soon offer nonstop service to 53 destinations – its most ever – headlined by three new international flights and more nonstop service to in-demand West Coast cities such as Portland, Oregon. The airport broke its single day outbound passenger record on May 26, when the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 coincided with Game 3 of the Indiana Pacers matchup against the New York Knicks at home. The approximately 23,400 people who flew the Monday after beat the 13-year record set the day after the 2012 Super Bowl. (IndyStar)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Rome is full of historical sites, with public green space covering 35 percent of the city’s area, well over the 20 percent seen in London. That facilitates urban wildlife, with the fragile ruins serving as sanctuaries and natural corridors in the Eternal City. Rome is home to no fewer than 1,600 species of plants, 5,200 insects, 100 birds, 40 mammals and 30 reptile and amphibian species. There are also some uniquely adapted species that can’t be found elsewhere. Sometime 2,000 years ago, several Mediterranean freshwater crabs got trapped in the abandoned sewer drains under the city and lived in a series of canals and drainpipes cut off from outside populations. They have since developed a form of gigantism, growing 13 percent to 20 percent larger than their relatives outside the city. (bioGraphic/Numlock)
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BRCF: Thank You for Bringing Our Community’s Story to Life
Every community has a story to tell! Thanks to you, our generous donors, Shelby County’s story is being told in vibrant color and creative expression.
Through the “Pride in Place” program, a creative placemaking initiative of the Blue River Community Foundation (BRCF), our community is coming alive with meaningful art and thoughtful design. Your contributions have made it possible to turn public spaces into places of beauty, pride and connection; places that reflect who we are and what we value.
Creative placemaking is more than just beautifying our surroundings. It’s about reimagining the spaces we share: our streets, alleys, and parks, as reflections of our identity. Your support is helping us foster a stronger sense of community, create spaces that tell our shared history and spark social and economic revitalization.
This year, BRCF established a Creative Committee to guide these efforts. Their focus is to ensure that every piece of public art, whether a mural, sculpture, or colorful traffic cabinet, tells a part of Shelby County’s story and celebrates the people, history, and spirit that make our community unique.
Upcoming projects include an exciting Japanese alley activation, new murals, and expanded utility cabinet art. The following projects in the Pride in Place program have already been completed:
Bill Garrett mural located at Cagney’s
Sandy Allen mural located on the southwest side of public square
Goin’ On a Bear Hunt: soon to be installed throughout Shelby County
Sundial located at the Blue River Memorial Trailhead
We are thrilled to share that, thanks to your generosity, we have successfully met the match opportunity offered through Lilly Endowment Inc.’s GIFT VIII initiative! Every dollar you gave was matched 1:1, doubling the impact of your support.
While the match has been met, the work continues. With the funding received, we have plans to decorate all four corners of our community with inspiring, meaningful projects.
For a list of donors that joined us in meeting the GFIT VIII match for public art, please visit: https://www.blueriverfoundation.com/arts-culture . At this link, you can also explore all of the public art and placemaking projects that have been completed by BRCF over the years.
SHS Courier Archive Highlights
Jan. 17, 1951, Part III
SHS alumni Eugene “Ike” Sadler and Jim Garrett, former basketball players, had left for the Great Lakes for Navy training.
Emerson Bass, JHS principal, had been named Kiwanian of the Year by the Shelbyville Kiwanis Club.
An SHS Home Ec student baking a devil’s food cake had accidentally put Hadacol in the cake mixture instead of vanilla. “Everyone liked it, or at least pretended to,” the paper said. “So remember, if your family gets low and needs a little perking up, add some Hadacol to whatever you are baking.”
JHS teacher Mabel Quigg had broken her arm over Christmas break. Mrs. Hinshaw was the substitute in Miss Quigg’s absence.
The junior varsity basketball team was hitting 51 percent from the free throw line, just slightly lower than the varsity team’s average and better than their opponents’ average of 49 percent.
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: MAJOR HEALTH PARTNERS
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 by The Addison Times from Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department materials.
2005: Mya Evans was Grand Champion Girl at the Shelby County Fair Baby Contest, with Araya Cherry winning Grand Champion Boy. Blake and Bryce Yarling were Grand Champion Twins.
1995: Britt Small and his band Festival were announced as headline performers for Waldron’s Fourth of July celebration. Small had lived in Shelby County as a child, and still had family in the area, including his great-aunt, Anna Schooley, 93, a resident of the Waldron Health Care Home. She would be a special guest at the event. Waldron had held a fireworks display to celebrate Independence Day since 1952.
1985:
1975: Shelbyville police arrested 13 people in a marijuana and hashish raid in the 800 block of S. Tompkins St. Police also found 25 small foil packages of heroin.
1965: The Shelbyville Fire Department’s big snorkel-equipped truck was taken to Missouri for repairs after the upper section of its 65-foot snorkel boom buckled while firemen were assisting in the relocation of a flag pole at the Chambers Division plant. Fireman Floyd Wiley, who had been in the basket at the end of the boom, was not injured.
1955: Shelbyville school board officials continued to debate the location of a proposed new high school or junior high. The city had granted permission for construction in Morrison Park, but some school board members thought more space might be needed for future expansion.
1945: The National Guard offered use of its broadcast system to Shelbyville police. Local coal dealer Clarence Spiegel spoke to city council about the night police officers’ inability to immediately pursue criminals unless they happened to be in the police station at the time a call was received. “He cited, in particular, the Gephart grocery robbery a few months ago, during which the yeggs were seen in the grocery by passersby,” The Republican said. “Delay in reaching the police to notify them resulted in the escape of the burglars.” Police would need a licensed radio operator overnight to utilize the equipment.
1935: More squirrels were brought to Shelbyville from the Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Orphans home in Knightstown and released. Nine were released on the courthouse lawn, two at Major Hospital and several more at Kennedy Park. The Home had already sent squirrels to Laura Morrison Park, but the creatures had been known to invade the surrounding neighborhood instead of staying in the park.
1925: City council purchased traffic lights, described by The Republican as “six silent traffic policemen,” to be placed on the west and east sides of Public Square, at Washington and Pike Streets and at the corner of Harrison and Broadway. While Greensburg and Rushville agreed to rent the lights to see if the new technology was worthwhile, Shelbyville went all in with the purchases without trial. Greensburg officials said they probably only needed lights on Saturdays. Rushville officials noted that the lights would cost $10 per week each for the electric current. Shelbyville officials said that was still less expensive than paying a police officer.
1915: A barn on East South Street, owned by a Washington Ave. resident, caught fire due to children setting off fireworks near hay in the barn. The fire was extinguished without substantial damage.
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: Freeman Family Funeral Homes & Crematory
OBITUARIES
None today.