Thursday, May 15, 2025
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AWARDS SEASON
(Top left, clockwise) Science teacher Scott Hughes has some fun during last night’s 6th and 7th grade awards ceremony at Shelbyville Middle School. Wyatt Lancaster, Sophia Idlewine and Kendall Thoman accept awards from Principal Wes Hall (Lancaster and Thoman) and Assistant Principal Rex Olds (Idlewine). | photos by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
County BZA Approves Petitions, Moves One to Next Month
The Shelby County Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday approved three requests and moved another petition until next month in order to obtain more details on the proposed project. The board took the following action:
Asked Dylan Pettijohn to come back next month to discuss his requests regarding a proposed self-storage facility, including outdoor storage, at 449 E. Brookville Road, Fountaintown. The planning staff had recommended approval of a use variance allowing self-storage, but recommended denial of standards variances regarding outdoor self-storage and the proposed lack of a paved driveway, as well as other zoning regulations. Pettijohn said a “balanced and competitive” self-storage market is eight square feet of storage per person. With over 45,000 residents in Shelby County, there should be over 361,000 square feet of storage, he said. However, Pettijohn said there are only 198,871 square feet of self-storage in Shelby County, and Fox’s Den and Storage Rentals of America account for three-fourths of the local inventory. The current plan is to launch with 35 new units, he said, with a long-term goal of expanding to 100 units, or roughly 10,000 square feet. Pettijohn intends to develop the northwest corner of the property for use as a self-storage facility providing prefabricated self-storage units and outdoor storage areas for recreational vehicles, campers, cars, and trucks. However, several area residents spoke in opposition. Board members asked Pettijohn to firm up his plans and present them at the next meeting.
Approved a variance request to allow Ivan Brentin to build an accessory structure at 670 PR 230 W, Shelbyville, prior to construction of a single-family residence. Brentin plans to use the structure to store items used during construction of the home.
Approved a variance request to allow for two new homes with front-loading garages projecting forward of the main living area of homes at 5654 and 5684 N. Vinton Hills Dr., Fairland. A couple of neighbors asked questions about drainage and issues unrelated to the variance request.
Approved a variance request for BRC Land Holdings to use existing trees as a landscape buffer along property lines at 9295 N. Frontage Road, Fairland. “The property includes heavily wooded areas which necessitates a flexible landscape plan in order to incorporate existing trees in the wooded areas into the landscape buffer,” the planning staff said.
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NOTEBOOK:
Due to the weather conditions yesterday, Rush Shelby will be closing River Road today (originally scheduled for yesterday), from approximately 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. for pole replacement. The closure will be just north of 4038 E. River Road.
HOOSIER NEWS: Schools across Indiana will start seeing A-F letter grades again in 2026, thanks to a law signed by Gov. Mike Braun after the practice was suspended for seven years. House Bill 1498 requires the state board of education to approve a new methodology for school performance by the end of this year and then assign schools A-F grades based on that new methodology. Schools would not get a letter grade for the 2024-25 year. (IndyStar)
NATIONAL NEWS: The International Association of Fire Fighters, which is the largest labor union for firefighters in the country, is calling for antitrust investigations against the companies that produce fire trucks. The union alleges that consolidation in the industry has doubled the cost of trucks, added years-long wait times to their production and both endangered firefighters and the public. Ladder trucks now cost about $2 million each, double the price of a decade ago, and backlogs have run as long as four years. Three companies — REV Group, Oshkosh and Rosenbauer — have rolled up two-thirds of the market for the trucks. (Reuters/Numlock)
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights
Oct. 26 & Nov. 23, 2010
Students were asked, “If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?” Ethan Runnebohm said he would choose the “secret doorway” in Mr. Lux’s class. “I feel like it is probably a cool place to bro out,” he said.
Student attendance at games was on a downward trend. Senior John Hartnett suggested letting students in for free. Senior John Krise called the student section “terrr-ible.”
The SHS Marching Band had recently performed at IU’s Assembly Hall. The set list included “The Immigrant Song”, “A Whole Lot of Love”, “Heartbreaker”, “Poker Face”, “American Idiot”, “I Want You Back”, “Beat It”, and “Thriller”. Formations included a heart, a spade and a club during “Poker Face”, and the letters L-O-V-E during “A Whole Lot of Love”.
Stephanie Munger and Lincoln Hall were asked to list pet peeves about teachers. Hall said, “Teachers who type loudly. For real, it’s not a typewriter!” Munger went with, “When they ramble on and on about things we aren’t even studying.”
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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: Arts Alliance Indiana Inc. named John C. DePrez Jr. as one of four people statewide considered to have influenced the arts in Indiana over the past year. DePrez had been vice chair for Shelby County Arts Fest, which he had helped fund, and he had set up a website and organized a publicity campaign. He also chaired the Arts Advisory Committee of Blue River Foundation.
1995: With plans for a horse track seemingly off the table, county officials met to discuss how best to develop areas along I-74. Although the county had halted extending sewer lines to Fairland Road, Shelbyville Mayor Bob Williams planned to still take sewers to the airport.
1985: Gary Gilbert, principal of Pearson Elementary, announced he was stepping down.
A home on West Broadway next to First Presbyterian Church was demolished. The uniquely designed two-story relic had been donated to the church and was torn down after efforts to find anyone interested in renovating the house failed.
1975: An estimated 300 Democrats gathered for the Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner, held at the Eagles Lodge. Sixth District and Shelby County Chairman John Anderson was master of ceremonies.
Sheriff Norman Murnan said the mystery of a missing casket from Temple Hill Mausoleum had been solved. Murnan had located the widow of the man buried there, and she said the casket had been moved about five years prior to Concord Cemetery.
1965: Mae Rouse, 1118 S. Miller St., filed suit against Helen Hitchcock in Superior Court seeking possession of a Chihuahua dog named Speedy Gonzalez and $100 damages for alleged wrongful detention of the animal.
Kathy Haas was crowned Prom Queen at SHS. She was crowned by Junior Class President John Hayes. Haas was escorted by John Collins.
1955: Members of the Shelby County chapter of the Internal Security Corps. aided local officers in traffic control on Public Square. The duty was training for the corps who may someday have had to handle traffic in an emergency in Shelby County.
1945: Mr. and Mrs. Robert Porter received a War Department telegram informing them that their son, Staff Sgt. Marion “Bud” Porter, a German prisoner of war for a year, had been liberated.
The Shelbyville Police Department issued orders that all dogs were to be kept off the streets unless on a leash. This followed two incidents in which children had been bitten.
1935: A new local traffic ordinance went into effect that banned double parking. Those violating the ordinance were fined $1. Double parking was allowed if the driver remained in the vehicle.
Schools would close Friday, May 31, for summer vacation, officials announced. They would reopen the second Monday in September.
1925: Three of the seven Shelbyville City Council members asked the council to consider leaving street lights on all night every night, regardless of the moon. At the time, street lights were not turned on when the moon was scheduled to be at half or full stage. The council asked the manager of Interstate Public Service to estimate the cost of the move.
1915: “The ladies of the Council of Clubs were highly enthused today over the announcement made by the local manager of the Interstate Public Service Company that two water pipe lines would be run to the limits of the City Park,” The Republican reported. The lines would still be short of reaching the park and would cost 25 cents per foot to get them there. “Water in the park would be a great thing, the ladies say. They need it for watering the trees and the grass. Then the picnickers would like to have some water to drink.”
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OBITUARIES
Daniel L. Compton, 80, of Shelbyville, passed away Saturday May 10, 2025, at his residence. Born on February 24, 1945, in New Castle, he was the son of Marvin Gene Compton and Rosemary (Gallagher) Compton. He married Beverly (Barton) Compton on March 8, 1968, and she survives. Other survivors include four children, Shannon Roy (Scott) of Shelbyville, and Sarah Raison (Jon) of Shelbyville, Jamie Ott (Doug) of Shelbyville, Buddy Compton (Katie Jones) of Atlanta, Georgia; five grandchildren, Coty Roy, Tyler Jones, Lilly Raison, Jason Ott and James Ott; five great grandchildren, Ava, Tylee, and Averie Jones, and Allison and Lucas Roy. He was preceded in death by his parents and son Joshua Compton.
Daniel had lived in this area his entire lifetime and graduated from Waldron High School in 1963. He was an electrician for KCL Corp for many years. He was an avid Indianapolis Colts fan and he enjoyed camping and mushroom hunting. He dearly loved his family and especially his grandchildren.
Funeral services will be 5 p.m., Friday, May 16, 2025, at Glenn E. George & Son Funeral Home, 437 Amos Road. Burial will be in Van Pelt Cemetery at a later date. Family will receive friends on Friday from 3 p.m. until the time of the service, at the funeral home. Memorial contributions can be made to Riley Children's Hospital or Shelby County Cancer Association, in care of the funeral home. Online condolences may be shared at glennegeorgeanson.com.