Thursday, September 19, 2024
MOONSHOTS
Tuesday’s “super moon” was prominent in the Shelby County sky. Above, JACK BOYCE’S take from the east side of the city. Below, JOHN WALKER’S shot from north of Shelbyville.
County Council Discusses Community Corrections’ Budget Shortfall
Shelby County Council members on Tuesday discussed options to cover a Community Corrections’ budget shortfall. The department needs $100,000 to stay solvent through 2024 and is projecting to need an additional $256,000 next year, Chief Probation Officer Alison Everhart told the council.
The problem lies in decreased numbers of supervised individuals since the pandemic and changes in Indiana Department of Correction (DOC) funding uses.
“We have done every avenue we can in an attempt to cut the budget and cut spending,” Everhart said, detailing efforts to revamp in-house programs.
The challenge is statewide, and the DOC is aware of the issue, Everhart said. Last month, Jay County Commissioners appropriated $10,000 to cover their Community Corrections Department’s shortfall, The Commercial Review recently reported. The Shelby County Council has been aware of the challenge for a couple of years, and asked Everhart to make the formal presentation so the public was aware of the reasoning for the funding requests.
Most of the department’s income comes from state DOC funds and fees from those in the programs, such as for supervision, drug-screen and equipment fees. But changes to state regulations and funding mechanisms have meant a significant decrease in income. The work-release program ceased at the local department several years ago and some fees have even been eliminated, including many of those from juveniles, Everhart said.
The jail population has also been lower the last few years.
“There has been some decline in criminal activity since the pandemic,” Everhart said. “Some people still just don’t get out of their houses or really do a whole lot. But then there’s still some really violent offenders.”
The department has left some staffing positions unfilled and eliminated a couple of jobs, but anticipates needing money for staff and benefits and equipment, such as GPS monitors and trackers and portable breath tests, to make it through December.
“We can’t cut staff anymore, because it becomes a safety issue,” Everhart said. “There are certain protocols we have to do to ensure community safety, such as with domestic violence cases.”
The Council took no action, but noted that any funding requests will need to be advertised first before a vote can be held. Council President Tony Titus said yesterday that the council still needs to determine whether the money will come from the general fund or the racino fund before the matter will be officially considered.
NOTEBOOK:
Shelbyville Central Schools, which has received the maximum $100,000 state Secured School Safety matching grant since the program’s inception in 2013, will have to do with less next year. “We were informed a few weeks ago that there are more applicants this year than before, more private schools and so forth, that applied,” Superintendent Matt Vance, Ph.D., said. SCS will instead receive $81,000. Dr. Vance said the cut will not affect the district’s commitment to using School Resource Officers, but the matter will be raised with legislators in preparation for next year’s general assembly budget session. In other action, the board approved the personnel report, which included hiring Dawn Brownfield as a new teacher at Hendricks Elementary, effective Sept. 30, and the transfer of Lakyn Jenkins to SMS secretary, succeeding Karen Ragin, who recently retired after 18 years with the corporation.
With the October 7 voter registration deadline nearing, the Indiana Voters portal provides a chance to check your voter registration or register for the first time. Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales announced yesterday that over 90% of eligible Hoosiers are registered to vote.
The Shelbyville High School SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) chapter was named 2023-24 New Chapter of the Year from the state SADD organization. SHS teacher Kim Ferguson is the chapter’s faculty advisor.
The annual craft fair benefitting the Waldron and Morristown Life Skills and Job Skills programs will be held Oct. 26, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Waldron Jr.-Sr. High School, 102 N. East St., Waldron. Thirty-three vendors will be on hand, and lunch options will also be available.
NATIONAL NEWS: Amazon and Walmart have been quietly exploring shifting toward a business model that would ship more goods directly to consumers from Chinese factories and require fewer U.S. workers in retail stores and logistics centers. The plans have been driven by the rocketing popularity of Chinese e-commerce platforms like Shein and Temu. These platforms ship inexpensive products directly to consumers’ doorsteps, allowing them to bypass American tariffs on Chinese goods, along with the hefty costs associated with brick-and-mortar stores, warehousing and distribution networks. But that trend toward changing business models may have been disrupted on Friday, when the Biden administration moved to close off de minimis eligibility for many Chinese imports. The changes will not go into effect immediately. The proposal will be subject to comment by industry before being finalized. But Friday’s action may head off a change that has been looming in global retail. Amazon has been preparing a new discount service that would ship products directly to consumer. (New York Times)
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights:
November 16, 1960, Part I
Don Wertz had been named Squib business manager. “An active member of the cheer block and Hi-Y, Don goes to the Rec or watches TV during his spare time. Another of his favorite hobbies is hunting.” Roger Whitcomb was assistant manager and Oren Olinger was manager of Concessions. Publicity and sales were handled by Paul Ash, Steve McGrew, Marilyn Nay and Dick Staats.
Three one-act plays would be presented by the Mask and Dagger Club at Pearson School. Crews for the play, as announced by Mr. Dan Kocher, club sponsor, were Tom Morgan and Bill Howard, stage managers; Ann Staats, Mike Lux and Lola McNeely, costume committee; Tony Halbertstadt, Carolyn Beeckman and Sue Warwick, publicity; Kay Hatton and Nan Pedrick, make-up; Hetty Schott, Bob Silbert and Leonard Worland, lighting; and Sue Warwick was in charge of posters.
Students in American Government classes had held a mock vote. Nixon defeated Kennedy in every grade level.
Judy Wasson, Squib editor, was elected DAR Good Citizen. Her out-of-school hobbies included reading, playing piano, sleeping and watching TV.
“Family Classics,” a new fall TV program on CBS (WISH) was presenting literary classics unabridged, such as Les Miserables, Jane Eyre and The Three Musketeers. Students were encouraged to watch, The Courier said.
Student Council presented each teacher with a red rose for Courtesy Week.
Tom Morgan had “gone down” in history, the Courier said. “When he was leaning back on his char in Mr. Barnes’ American Problems class, the chair slid out from under him.”
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.
2014: The Bonded Oil Co. (CountryMark) gas station, 215 E. Broadway, closed. Bruce Martin, vice president, called it “bittersweet,” but said the company was not making any money. Bruce Wright, at 23 years of age, had borrowed $500 to start the station just after the Depression. Wright died in 1965 at the age of 77 and turned the station over to Jerry Martin.
2004: An open house was held at the newly renovated Porter Center. Shelbyville News writer Judy Sprengelmeyer attended and recalled the building’s former use as the pool bathhouse. “Walking through the new offices of the Center, I couldn’t help but remember that strong odor of chlorine that once permeated the place and the way the excited conversation of swimmers and the clang of those wire baskets once racketed within those walls,” she wrote. “Once properly garbed, you’d first catch your breath when you stepped into the frigid water of the shallow foot-sanitizing pools once shaded by the fretwork of the two exits at the rear corners of the building. The fretwork is still there; the pools are now paved walkways.”
1994: Knauf Fiberglass donated $165,000 to the Boys Club and Girls Inc. capital campaign. It also donated the insulation necessary for the new facilities. A newspaper photo from the announcement event pictured Knauf employees Jeff Buckler, Landon Shaw, Bob Knecht, David Hickmott, Jerry Shonk, Bill Cregar, Gary Leffler, Danny Greene, Joe Webster, David Markley, Raymond Dodd, Denzil Walton, Cheryl Gay, Jeff Bailey, Joy DeWitt, Connie Torrance, Vickie Bowman, Eddie Fletcher, Danny Stevens, Freddie Kendall and J.R. Holbrook. Rose McNeely and Bob Claxton were the campaign co-chairs.
1984: A large number of carp were found dead floating in the water at the Kennedy Park ford. Sgt. Karl Kelley was investigating. He said carp were usually the last to die. “So either there are only carp in the river, or whatever killed them was pretty strong,” he said.
1974: Hedden’s Tree Service took top honors in the Webster Texaco slow-pitch tourney in Shelbyville. Team members were Jim Hedden (captain), Kenny Heddin, Sonny Spillman, Dale Sweet, Mike Platt, Mike Sipes, Jerry Willis, Mike Tower, Bill Stewart, Mike Wise, Dale Wells, Bob Wagner and Ron Pearson. Jim Pruett was the coach.
Tacos Junction restaurant opened at 1012 Miller Ave. with a separate arcade.
1964: Porter Pool had lost just under $6,000 for the season, Frances Pruitt, clerk-treasurer, said. Although attendance was down slightly, the shortfall was attributed to not raising the admission price for several years while costs continued to increase.
A 6.4-mile section of a new belt highway circling Indianapolis, I-465, would open in October.
1954: Mayor Philip Banawitz was appointed chairman of the Boys’ Club fund campaign. “No house-to-house canvassing will be done,” Duane Murphy said. “All persons will be contacted at their places of employment.” A total of $3,000 of the $7,500 goal had been raised.
1944: An Air Medal with an Oak Leaf Cluster was presented to the mother of Sgt. Marion Porter, a prisoner of war in Germany. Sgt. Porter had been listed as missing in action in April. He was later named as a POW.
1934: “Willie Vocalite,” a “Westinghouse mechanical man” (robot), performed a number of stunts at the local office as directed by telephone. “Members of the audience will be given the opportunity direct Willie as he sings, smokes cigarettes, turns on lights, blows an automobile horn, fires a pistol and many other acts,” The Republican said. Willie’s insides consisted of photo-electric cells, grid-glow tubes and remote control relays. Directions were spoken into a telephone, which in turn flashed a beam of light. The action of the light beam on a photo-electric cell caused Willie to do as told.
1924: W.S. Toothman sold his general store in Waldron to Ed Schreiner. Toothman had operated the establishment for 11 years. The I & C Traction Company was in the same building as the store. J.W. Lantz had owned the building before Toothman.
1914: Mary Noel, of South West St., swatted her nephew, “Bud” Smithers, over the head twice with an umbrella in the Shelby County Courthouse. Noel had accused Smithers of stealing her gold watch. An argument ensued, and officers were called. The officers took the pair to the prosecutor’s office in the courthouse. Prosecutor Cheney decided there was no evidence against Smithers and released him, at which point Noel “swatted Bud on the cranium with her umbrella,” The Republican said. Officer Marsh grabbed Noel and escorted her down the stairs. At the bottom, Smithers attempted to pass by on his way out, and Noel succeeded in striking him again.
Mrs. N.A. Maple, of West South St., was seriously injured at the corner of Broadway and Harrison Streets when a strong wind caught a big umbrella on a passing gravel wagon and blew it with force to the sidewalk, where it struck Mrs. Maple. She fainted and was unconscious for a few minutes. She was “deathly sick” after being transported to Dr. Will Tindall’s office, the paper said.
OBITUARIES
Garry R. Jeffries, 61, of Shelbyville, passed away Sunday, September 15, 2024, at his home. He was born August 11, 1963, in Shelbyville, the son of Carl R. “Dick” and Doris Jean (Redd) Jeffries. On June 28, 1999, he married Twyla Turner, and she survives. In addition to Twyla, Garry is survived by his son, Seth Jeffries of Shelbyville; brothers, Barry A. Jeffries of Greensburg and Terry E. Jeffries of Shelbyville; mother-in-law, Sheila Arthur and husband, Buddy, of Shelbyville; and father-in-law, Arley Farley and wife, Jill, of Wartrace, Tenn. Garry was preceded in death by his parents; and daughter, Lela Jeffries.
In 1981, Garry graduated from Shelbyville High School. He was a Expedite truck driver for over 10 years. Garry enjoyed hunting, fishing and going hiking.
Services have been entrusted to Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Online condolences may be shared with Garry’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.