Tuesday, September 17, 2024
A CORONATION
Shelbyville High School seniors Sayra Morales-Martinez and Jonah Anspaugh, both four-year Marching Band members, were crowned Queen and King at Homecoming last Friday night. BELOW: Last year’s Queen and King, Isabella Matney and Daniel Vazquez, joined by John Werbe IV, son of John and Haley Werbe, and Geralyn Roman, daughter of Arlete Roman, prepare to crown the new King and Queen. | photos by NINA ARRIETA
SHELBY COUNTY SUNSET
photo by JACK BOYCE
NOTEBOOK:
The Shelbyville Common Council last night approved on first reading an amendment allowing the developers of Bear Run addition off Progress Parkway to reduce separation between homes from 14 feet to 12 feet on approximately 40 percent of the planned 175 homes. The change would allow about five additional elevations, or exterior designs, company officials said. The matter now moves to the Plan Commission and will then return to the council for consideration.
City Council also approved the 2025 budget on first reading. Mayor Scott Furgeson said he had been pleased with the process. “Our total tax levy funds are going to be down $186,382,” he said.
City Council then approved a tax abatement for a new production line at Ryobi for electric vehicle parts. “The broad base of Ryobi’s business continues to expand,” attorney Steve Schrumpf told the council. “They have Hyundai as a customer, Honda, Toyota, Ford, General Motors, Volvo…. As electric cars become an ongoing thing, their business is continuing to grow and evolve.”
“‘Tis the season,” Shelby County Emergency Management Director Denis Ratekin told County Commissioners yesterday. The “season” in mind was the driest part of summer, with Shelby County failing to receive any significant rainfall over the past month, leading Commissioners to issue a county-wide burn ban. “‘Significant’ in my book is more than a half-inch since Aug. 16, 2024, so I'm requesting a local disaster emergency declaration burn ban put in place,” Ratekin said. About 15 other counties also have bans in place, he said. Commissioner Jason Abel encouraged compliance. “In the interest of public safety, and in the interest of our volunteer (fire) departments, and in the interest of farmers who have their year’s worth of work in the field, let’s all do our part to help out until we get some rain.” Although the ban will be re-evaluated at next week’s commissioner’s meeting, a city press release said that due to the lack of rainfall, “the ban will likely stay in place for an extended period of time.”
First Christian Church, 118 W. Washington, Shelbyville, is hosting its fall rummage sale, Friday, Sept. 20, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 21, 7:30 a.m. to noon. Saturday is $2 per bag day.
The Grover Center is holding “A Blast From the Past: British Invasion” fundraiser event on Saturday, Sept. 28, 6 - 10 p.m., at the Carl McNeely Civic Center, 945 S. Tompkins Street. Live music will include iconic hits from The Beatles, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones and More. There will also be British-inspired cuisine from Mel’s Catering and a silent auction. Tickets are $40 each and can be purchased at the center or at www.grovercenter.org.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Earthquake researchers have tracked down the cause of odd signals last September. The unknown registers on the seismograph were traced to a landslide in Greenland in Dickson Fjord, when a massive amount of ice and rock fell into the fjord, in turn causing a 200-meter-high tsunami. In a seiche phenomenon, it became stuck as a wave going back and forth captive in the fjord, 10,000 times over nine days, and creating abnormal registers on seismographs. (The Conversation/Numlock)
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights:
December 21, 1977
Jeff Moheban and his cheerblock members were making quite a scene at Garrett Gymnasium basketball games. A local doctor, unnamed in the article, said, “You guys are excellent, but your singing has much to be desired.” A popular quote was the cheerleaders screaming, “Are the Bears gonna win it?” and the response from the cheerblock was supposed to be “Ya man!” But in recent years the cheerblock had come up with other answers, which The Courier couldn’t publish.
In a letter to the editor, Norman Davis complained that students who saw runners on the road often threw articles, such as apple cores and Coke cans, at them.
Bill Horner had been the special speaker at the S-Club initiation. S-Club officers were David Cox, Jeff Moheban and Kevin Baker.
An anonymous letter to Santa asked for “the perfect man.” Specifics were given. “Ingredients for the perfect man are a must, and they go as follows: Barry McKenney’s gorgeous brown hair (it always has to fall in place); Bruce VanCleve’s beautiful aqua-blue eyes; David Cox, Marty Brown and Chris Wilgus’s smiles; Tim Bowles’ arms complete with pants that always have pockets; Kelly McKenney’s and Kevin Baker’s sense of humor; Rod McComas’ rosy cheeks; broad shoulders like Danny Inlow so we can backstroke down the pool together; Shorty’s height of 5 feet; Keith Limpus’ wonderful personality; Ross Sobel’s vocabulary complete with the word Jesus Christ; and last but certainly not least, he must have a Monte Carlo like Jeff Moheban’s, but it has to have a tape player to hear ‘Miss Vickie’ with.”
Sen. Richard Lugar had visited the home of Lee McNeely, who had invited several student leaders, including Nan Joeston and Nancy Thompson from Triton, Mike Yonts from Southwestern, Waldron’s Amy Swinford and Beth Johnson and Shelbyville’s Nancy Cole and Jim Van Natta.
Mr. Hoops had organized a Physics Club. Doug Perkinson had been elected president; Paul Rammelsburg, vice president; and Janice Bird, secretary-treasurer.
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: Painting on a new downtown mural would begin November 1, Mainstreet Shelbyville Executive Director Brandy Coomes announced. The mural would be painted on the former location of Jim’s Barber Shop, just north of Public Square at Harrison and Franklin streets. The building would become the office of Mainstreet Shelbyville. Residents would have the opportunity to participate in a paint-by-numbers process. The mural was funded through a Blue River Community Foundation grant.
2004: Mary Jo Phares, a retired Shelbyville Police and DARE officer and reserve sheriff’s deputy, received the United States Attorney Award, which paid tribute to extraordinary individuals, by the Indiana State Fraternal Order at a luncheon in Indianapolis. Her son, Shelbyville Common Council member David Phares; Sheriff’s Dets. Rick Hudnall and David Tilford; Police Chief John West and Deputy Chief Bill Elliott; and Mayor Scott Furgeson were all in attendance for the awards presentation.
Dick and Sharon Kiefer celebrated 35 years in the furniture business. They had purchased their furniture store from Frank and Marie Fleming, who had owned and operated Fleming Furniture Home at 33 West Broadway from 1945 to 1969. The Flemings had lived upstairs. While the Kiefers didn’t move in, they kept the “furniture home” nomenclature. The building was constructed in 1872 by Elbridge Gerry Mayhew (named for Elbridge Gerry, one-time governor of Massachussetts and vice president of the U.S., who is the basis of the word “gerrymander” - a term coined during his term as governor after his political party redistricted the state in a ridiculously imaginative manner). Mayhew died in 1877, but members of his family continued to live in the home until 1918. Kiefer’s was one of the oldest retail businesses in Shelbyville, along with Bishopp Appliances, Conger’s Bradley Hall Furniture Co. and Sandman Bros. When the Kiefer’s opened, there were seven other furniture stores in town.
1994: A deluge of phone calls to Northwestern school board members prevented the board from restricting visitors at the three Triton Central schools. Board member Thomas Howley had suggested tightening security to stop the public from roaming the school halls. He proposed having visitors sign in and carry a name tag while they were in the school buildings. But Northwestern Superintendent Ted Thompson recommended to continue the open-door policy in place.
1984: Eric Clark, 19, 838 Meridian St., was commended for responding to a crash of two National Guard helicopters. The crash, which followed a mock disaster drill near the Columbus Airport, involved the helicopters colliding mid-air after take-off. Jim Montgomery, Shelby County reserve deputy, said Clark, an emergency medical technician, ran to the craft “even before the dust had settled” and removed the two men for treatment. Sheriff Rick Isgrigg issued a request for commendation for Clark, who was also an Air National Guard Reserve Member, to the National Guard.
1974: Shelco Beverage was the Shelbyville A-League regular season and tourney champions. Team members were Les Spencer, Dave Hensley, Gary Hensley, Mike Hobbs, Dave Ross, Ron Richards, Terry Nicholson, Greg McCall, Steve Platt, Mike Light, Rod Dickmann, Bruce Campbell and Ron Bowman. Jack Judge was coach. Shelco had beaten Skip Karmire Ford, 3-2, in the championship game.
1964: Mr. Softee announced a prize give-away. A bicycle was first prize and a transistor radio was second. “Get your Safety Club Card and details from your Mr. Softee driver,” a newspaper ad said. “Fill out the card and return it to the driver. No puzzles. No slogans. No obligation. Just enter!”
1954: Maurice Tague, 559 Morris Ave., won second place in a nation-wide 25-word essay contest sponsored by General Mills-Youngstown Kitchen. He received a Youngstown automatic dishwasher from the Scott D. Pope Store here. James Cecil, manager of the local Pope store, made the presentation.
The Rec elected officers. Gloria Lowe was named president; Jack Frost, vice-president; and Anita Rowsey, secretary-treasurer. Representatives were Pat Minor, Bill Reimann Jr., Pat Stine, Lee McNeely, Barbara Spillman, Jack Tindall, Pat Rainey, Jim McKeand, Nancy Sharp and Jim Fuller. Ten new rules were approved: No gambling, no smoking, no petting, no bottles taken outside, feet on floor at all times, only those working permitted behind fountain, no refund on juke box, members financially responsible for damage to the building, property or fixtures, and confine autographs to spaces provided for that purpose. In other Rec news, Tom Kruczek defeated Bill Hitchcock to win the 15-and-over pool tournament.
1944: Shelby County farmers said they expected the corn crop to be above average, north of 40 bushels per acre, H.W.D. Brinson, county agricultural agent, said.
1934: Mr. and Mrs. Al Green and Dr. and Mrs. J.J. Stewart had been attending a chicken dinner at St. Joe when Al’s stool collapsed. “Pandemonium and one thing and another reigned while folks gathered around and considered how Al was to be raised to his feet,” The Republican said. C.F. Fix, funeral director, presented his card and offered assistance. “Folks were just considering sending out for a hoisting crane when Al solved the problem himself by getting nimbly to his feet. ‘I’m not angry,’ said Al, dusting himself off gingerly. ‘Only terrible hurt.’” The paper added that Al “fancied himself as a target for the eyes of the fair sex” and had previously told Dr. Stewart “chances were he would receive better attention than the Dr. at the table.”
Local tailor Will Little, a prominent churchgoer, had told friends that King Solomon had also been a tailor. He referred them to I Kings 11:27, where it tells of Solomon “repairing the breeches” in the city of David.
1924: Several members of the Shelby Elks Lodge gathered to listen to a radio concert broadcast from a Missouri state prison. The Elks members called the jail and requested a song, which the prisoner promptly played.
1914: Willis Powell paid $9.30 in Squire Webb’s court for swearing at Charles Ray, his Fairland neighbor. “Powell lost his temper and called Ray a number of names that would not look good in print,” The Republican said.
J.W. Wood opened a grocery at 333 West Hendricks St.
Shelbyville High School class flag wars raged. The freshmen and juniors managed to hang their flag from the courthouse. Overnight, the seniors and sophomores replaced the flag with their own. There were also reports of classes painting their numerals throughout town. “The efforts of the school authorities to stop the pupils in their amusement, as long as no actual damage is done, are not very strenuous,” the paper said.
OBITUARIES
Annie B. Engle, 62, of Shelbyville, passed away Wednesday September 11, 2024 at her residence. She was born January 1, 1962, in Altha, Fla., to Lawrence Blair and Janice (Weathers) Blair.
Annie had a love for cooking. She was the manager at Bob Evans for many years and also owned and operated Annie’s Café for many years. She enjoyed tending to her garden and all of her many house plants. She also enjoyed the times she spent at the beach and loved seeing the dolphins in the wild. Most of all, she cherished all the time spent and memories made with her family, especially her grandkids.
Annie is survived by her daughter, Erika (husband, Brandon) Pierce of Shelbyville; her grandchildren, Bryant Pierce and Brayden Pierce; her brother, George H. Blair, of New York; her cousins, Karen Storm, JoAnn McCormick and Hilda M. Bowens, all of Altha, Fla., and the father of her child, Gary Engle. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Clarence V. Blair.
Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date. Funeral Directors Greg Parks, Sheila Parks and Stuart Parks are honored to serve Annie’s family. Online condolences may be shared at www.murphyparks.com.
Norman J. Meal, 93, of Waldron, passed away Saturday, September 14, 2024, at OUR Hospice Inpatient Facility. Born April 19, 1931, in Rush County, he was the son of Everet Meal and Dessie (Theobald) Meal. He married Judy (Harrell) Meal on December 9, 1978, and she preceded him on January 24, 2019. Survivors include a son Kyle Meal (Katrina) of Waldron; six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by his parents; his spouse; a son, Aaron Meal; brother, Melvin Meal; two sisters, Kathleen Kuhn and Edith Kuhn.
Mr. Meal was a lifetime resident of this area and graduated from Waldron High School. He was a lifelong self-employed farmer, and a member of Waldron Methodist Church. He was a US Army veteran. Norman enjoyed golfing, boating, and water skiing, his dogs, and loved spending time with his grandchildren.
Funeral services will be 5 p.m. on Thursday, September 19, 2024 at Glenn E. George & Son Funeral Home, 437 Amos Road. Burial will be in Vienna Cemetery. Friends may call from 2 p.m. until the time of the service. Memorial contributions can be made to the Vienna Cemetery, Waldron High School Athletic Program, or the Waldron Methodist Church, in care of the funeral home.