Tuesday, March 19, 2024
ANNUALS OR PERENNIALS?
The recent addition of color to the ground, as shown above on Shelbyville’s west side, heralds the beginning of spring today. | photo by JACK BOYCE
Commissioners Approve One Solar Drainage Request, Table Two Others
Shelby County Commissioners yesterday approved a road cut for drainage tile at County Road 625 E, but tabled two other requested locations, at 750 E and 700 N, until company officials and neighboring property owners can further discuss the matter. The project is in regard to perimeter drains for the incoming Speedway Solar project in northeast Shelby County.
“We’re cutting off the water that flows across the solar farm, where the solar panels are going to be, that way no water is actually flowing onto the Speedway project," Rick Lawrence, with contractor Drainage Construction Unlimited, said.
The issue was discussed last week, when neighboring property owner Rex Kuhn asked for more details on the plan. Commissioner Kevin Nigh said sorting out drain ownership and access before work begins is critical.
“Down the road from now when repairs are needed, we don’t want to have to go through a bunch of hoops like working with the railroad (for neighbors to access drain),” Nigh said.
Commissioner Jason Abel agreed, noting that “a written, legally defensible agreement” was in order. “We need something substantial, not spoken promises,” he said.
Several suggestions were made by the petitioner, Kuhn and county officials, and newly appointed County Surveyor Jeff Powell suggested all parties meet in his office to discuss the two unresolved locations.
In other business, commissioners also approved rezoning two acres to Residential Estate, north of and adjoining 10903 S 400 W, Edinburgh.
NOTEBOOK:
The City of Shelbyville will hold a public viewing site for the April 8 solar eclipse on Tom Hession Drive for approximately 150 cars. The road will be closed to traffic at 9 a.m. Vehicles should enter from Country Road 300, as there will be no entry off Country Road 400. Upon exiting, attendees will have the option to turn left or right onto CR 400. “Throughout the one-mile stretch of road, attendees will find port-o-lets, trash bins, and one food truck, serving delicious Mexican cuisine. Additionally, a first aid trailer will be stationed at the only dead end of the road going west,” a city press release said. City employees and law enforcement will be stationed onsite to facilitate traffic management.
Shelby County Republicans will hold their annual Lincoln Day dinner on April 18 at Horseshoe Casino, Trackside Clubhouse. The program will feature a gubernatorial candidate forum with Brad Chambers, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Eric Doden and Curtis Hill confirmed to be in attendance and Sen. Mike Braun a possible attendee, depending on his schedule. Individual tickets are $50. To reserve tickets, sponsorships, or advertisements, email Shelby County Republican Party Chair Chris King, cking@shelbycounty.gop.
The Shelbyville Downtown Redevelopment project was named the recipient of a National Recognition Award in the 2024 Engineering Excellence Awards competition, hosted by the American Council of Engineering Companies. “To revitalize a downtown, you need more than just bricks and mortar; you need a shared vision and a committed community,” Tom DeBaun, former mayor and driving force behind the Shelbyville Downtown Revitalization Project, said in a city-issued statement. “The Shelbyville Downtown Revitalization Project was driven by the passion and collaboration of all involved, proving that together, we can transform our urban spaces into vibrant hubs of activity and pride.” (The below photo, taken via drone and provided by the city, shows the finished project.)
Shelby County officials have added a four-mile-wide light blue colored layer to the Shelby County Think GIS map that represents the “umbra” or total darkness area of coverage for the April 8 eclipse event. If you expand the map out you can see this coverage area across the entire state and over a short distance into both Illinois and Ohio.
NATIONAL NEWS: Starbucks is now the second-largest fast food chain in the world, surpassing Subway to be behind just McDonald’s. Starbucks added 3,000 new locations in 2023, bringing its footprint to 38,587, which puts them over the 36,516 Subway locations but just behind the 41,882 locations of McDonald’s. Starbucks made $28 billion in U.S. sales in 2022, while Subway made just $10.3 billion. McD’s is in an entirely different class, making $120 billion in systemwide sales globally. (The Takeout/Numlock)
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This Day in Shelby County History
2014: Indiana Grand Racing and Casino reported it had pumped $561 million into the local and regional economy over the previous five years. This was part of $801 million in taxes, fees and incentive payments to Shelbyville, Shelby County and the state from the casino’s beginning through June 1, 2013 and over $200 million to local and regional suppliers. The casino employed about 1,000 people.
2004: City officials met to discuss incentives to lure Indiana Wesleyan University to locate a branch campus in Shelbyville. Construction of the educational facility was underway in the Intelliplex. The arrangement stated the university would be responsible for construction costs, then the city’s redevelopment authority would purchase the building and sell it back to the university over a four-year term.
1994: The public library’s bookmobile added a stop: at the Blackburn’s home on S. State Road 9, where 28 Haitian children lived with their adopted parents. Kathy Yancey and Jack Towns were responsible for stocking the bookmobile.
1984: Construction bids on the city’s proposed one-million-gallon water tower-fire station were opened, with some bids coming in below the $1 million federal grant being used to build the tower.
1974: Police arrested four teens in a van parked on the Shelbyville High School lot for possession of marijuana and maintaining a common nuisance.
Richard Conger bought Bradley Hall Furniture Co. Conger had been with the company 25 years. Other company officers included Tony Conger and Stephen Kennedy.
1964: Dick “The Bruiser” vs. Angelo Poffo and Wilbur Snyder vs. Nicoli Volkoff headlined a wrestling program at the National Guard Armory.
A ground-breaking service was held for the new West Street Methodist Church auxiliary building, which would include classrooms and an enclosed ramp-way connecting to the existing church building. Members of the church building committee were Rohr Smith, Harold Alexander, Roscoe Rogers, Paul Ross, Harold Zeller, William Newton, David Smith and Ray Taylor.
1954: Ralph and Moricena Huesman opened a beauty shop and diaper service at 428 E. Washington St., a brick building that previously was occupied by Mark Burial Vault Co. The Huesmans moved onto the second floor and opened the shops on the first floor.
1944: Mr. and Mrs. Francis Bornhorst Sr., 230 W. Taylor St., received word that their son, Second Lt. Francis Bornhorst Jr., 27, had been reported missing in action over France. Lt. Bornhorst was co-pilot on a B-17 bomber that had been on numerous missions. He had been a city mail carrier prior to entering the service. He was the sixth Shelby County man reported missing in action, although one of those six was later found to be a prisoner of war in Germany.
Four more Shelby County men joined the Air Force: F.H. Clark, Thomas Wheeler, Robert Lewis Miller and Raymond Scheffler.
1934: A Rush County man was charged with driving while drunk after he drove his Willys-Knight sedan down the sidewalk around Public Square and downtown. A deputy sheriff attempted to stop him in front of Whisman’s Billiards, but was “honked out of the way,” The Republican said. The man was eventually stopped in front of the Alhambra Theatre, arrested and jailed. Police said they had difficulty keeping the man “in a vertical position while bringing him into the jail.”
1924: Edward Newton, E.G. Reece and Walter Coulson announced plans to build a new cannery in Flat Rock that would can corn and pumpkins.
A reception was held for the Shelbyville High School basketball team and Coach Tom Campbell. The year-end ordeal would feature a game between the team and local men who had never played basketball before. The game was billed as “The Fats vs. The Leans.” The Republican said the “time-keepers will probably be busy in keeping track of the time-out periods. On the other hand, the scorekeepers are not expecting a busy evening.”
1914: Fred Hack, who had been working on Thad Major’s farm in Moral Township, was arrested for assaulting a Greenfield lawyer. Hancock County officials and Hack came to an agreement: he could avoid jail by getting on the train and staying on until it reached Washington state. The Republican said Hack previously worked on Pearl Tyner’s farm north of Morristown and was known as a great worker, but had “got to drinking.”
OBITUARIES
Janet Carol Cox, 84, of Shelbyville, passed away, Saturday, March 16, 2024, at MHP Medical Center in Shelbyville. She was born January 11, 1940, in Fountaintown, the daughter of John Russell and Evelyn Flora Marie (Laufer) Cox. Janet is survived by her siblings, Roland Cox and wife, Ina, of Fairland, Dennis Cox ad wife, Brenda, of Shelbyville, Richard Cox and wife, Karen, of Fountaintown, and Judy Mohr and husband, David, of Fairland; sisters-in-law, Loretta Cox of Shelbyville, and Charlotte Cox of Fountaintown; and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, Janet was preceded in death by her brothers, Lynn Cox and Larry Cox.
Janet graduated from Morristown High School, in 1958. She was a member of the Fairview Methodist Church. Janet retired as a postal clerk in Indianapolis, with 26 1/2 years of service. She was a member of the Daughter’s of the American Revolution (DAR), The Horizon Center, Shelby County Genealogy, and the Society of Hoosier Pioneers. Graveside services will be at 2 pm on Friday, March 22, 2024, at Miller Cemetery in Shelby County, with Rev. Bill Horner officiating. Friends and family may gather one half hour prior to the service at the cemetery. Services have been entrusted to Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St. in Shelbyville. Memorial contributions may be made to the Shelby County Lions Club-blind assistance or the Fairview Methodist Church. Online condolences may be shared with Janet’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.
Mary Ellen (Hall) Ferguson passed away peacefully in her sleep in Yakima, Washington, on August 31, 2023, one day after her 80th birthday. Mary was born in Johnson County, (Camp Atterbury) Indiana, on August 30, 1943, to Donald and Wilma (Lux) Hall. She was raised in Shelbyville, Indiana, along with her six siblings and many cousins.
After her high school graduation, Mary attended St. Elizabeth School of Nursing in Lafayette, Indiana, where she met her future husband, Ronald Ferguson, who was attending Purdue University. Ron and Mary were married on July 18, 1964, and started their life together in Boston, Massachusetts, where Ron continued his active duty in the U.S. Navy. They settled in Richmond, Indiana, to continue raising their four children. This is where Mary began her political consulting career. She worked on campaigns ranging from local sheriffs and city councilmen to U.S. Representative Phil Sharp and U.S. Senator Birch Bayh. Her service also included several years as the Democratic Chairperson of Wayne County, Indiana. She could talk FDR under the table with her political IQ and staunch liberal stance on many social issues!
The Ferguson family moved several more times around the country, eventually landing in Medford, Oregon, where Mary worked for Harry and David for 20 years. Upon her retirement in 2010, Mary and Ron relocated to Yakima, Washington.
As much as Mary loved politics, her biggest joy was her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed watching their numerous musical performances and athletic events and never missed a graduation ceremony, no matter the distance. She thrived on creating unique family Halloween costumes, which won contests nearly every year. Her last several summers were spent attending her grandchildren's weddings and celebrating the birth of her two beautiful great-granddaughters.
She is preceded in death by her parents, sister, Elaine (Hall) Arnold, brother-in-law, John Arnold, brother, Peter Hall, and her husband, Ron. She is survived by her children, Cary (Elisa) Ferguson, Casey (Nikki Brecto) Ferguson, Valerie (Paul) Williams, Holly (JP) Swanson, grandchildren, Anna (Andrew) Kujath, John (Natalie Todd) Ferguson, Elisabeth Ferguson, Spencer (Michelle) Ferguson, Riley (Tyler) Johnson, Cameron (Jessica) Ferguson, Ethan Williams, Audrey Swanson, Oliver Swanson, great-granddaughters, Penelope Ferguson and Murphy Johnson. She is also survived by her siblings, Pauline (Steven) Lancaster, Greg (Karen Bowman) Hall, Ginny (John) Bogemann, John (Phil Darrah) Hall, sister-in-law, Katrina Hall, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and good friends.
Memorial Services will be held at a later date in Shelbyville, Indiana. Memorial donations may be made in Mary's name to Planned Parenthood, an organization she passionately supported. Mary will be remembered by many for her extraordinary hosting talents. Whether it was as simple as homemade donuts or as elaborate as a ten-course dinner, her style and presentation could humble Martha Stewart. So, raise a glass and give a glorious toast, let's all eat, drink and be Mary!
Brookside Funeral Home is caring for the family. Memories and condolences may be shared at www.brooksidefuneral.com.