Wednesday, June 4, 2025
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: STEPHENSON RIFE ATTORNEYS
FIRST HUDDLE
New Shelbyville High School girls varsity basketball coach Kylie Weichman meets the team yesterday morning shortly after the school board confirmed her appointment. Weichman coached the Columbus East girls JV team from 2011-2023 and has been involved in AAU and Exposure basketball leagues. Weichman thanked the board for approving her hire at the 7:30 a.m. meeting. “This is a really important, vital time for us to start to build those relationships and that trust and to start cultivating our new culture,” she said. | photo by KRISTIAAN RAWLINGS
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
Traffic has moved to the west side of the Harrison Street bridge while work is now completed on the east side lanes. | photo by JOHN WALKER
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: FULL CANOPY REAL ESTATE
NOTEBOOK:
The following building permits were pulled in Shelbyville in May: $140,000 remodel of First Merchants Bank, 2350 Marketplace Blvd.; construction of detached pole barn at 332 W. Penn St.; structural repair of roof at 310 E. Broadway; installation of in-ground pool, 2404 Overlook Dr.; addition to existing cross country building, 725 Q Lee Blvd.; construction of new garage at 328 W. Pennsylvania St.; and construction of 20 new homes.
The Shelbyville Central Schools Board yesterday approved a resolution to transfer funds from the Rainy Day Fund to the Operations Fund, as a precautionary measure. Superintendent Dr. Matt Vance said the district was not planning to need the funds, but wanted to have a back-up plan. Board member David Finkel agreed that the probability of needing the funds was low. Finkel also thanked Shelby County Auditor Amy Glackman for ensuring the district received its funds early. “Even though she’s required to give us an early draw, that is a huge process,” he said. “They did that and made a huge impact on our finances and on our cash flow.”
The Shelbyville Board of Public Works and Safety yesterday approved issuing a public notice regarding anyone who has an interest in 332 W. Taylor St., which has been deemed an unsafe building. There are individuals living on the front porch, and the home does not have electricity or water access. The legal owner is believed to be deceased, and her son is believed to be in jail. A company has purchased the home on a tax sale and will take ownership in October, but the City wishes to address the trespass matter before then.
City Engineer Tyler Comstock said his office would look into a citizen request for a crosswalk from McKay Manor to Twin Lakes Blvd. Comstock said such a mid-block crosswalk is generally discouraged for safety reasons. “We would like to direct that traffic down towards the intersection and get them to cross there, that way people are aware of the crossing. But we’ll look into it more,” he said.
The June free Senior Movie is “Last Rodeo”, Wednesday, June 11, at Studio 10 Cinema. Doors open at 8:30 a.m., announcements at 8:45 a.m. and the movie begins at 9 a.m. The event is sponsored by Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory.
HOOSIER NEWS: Indiana gets far more spending from the Federal Government than we pay in taxes each year, but a provision in President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” would expand State and Local Tax Deductions (SALT), allowing taxpayers to deduct their state and local taxes from their federal tax bill, a partial remedy to evening the field between designated “donor” states like Utah and Illinois and “taker” states like Indiana and New Mexico. For example, Indiana residents pay $5,371 per resident in state taxes and $9,615 per resident in federal taxes. In comparison, Illinois residents pay $7,321 per resident in state taxes and $14,122 per resident in federal taxes. As of 2022, Hoosier residents get back $3,333 more from the Federal government than they pay in taxes each year, while Illinois residents get $1,313 less per year than they pay in taxes. The proposed bill also makes large cuts to public health care programs, which would also help even the divide. The average Hoosier pays $651 per year to support the state’s Medicaid program, while Illinois residents pay $920 per resident. Illinois also has a substantially smaller share of their population receiving Medicaid than Indiana. The President’s bill, however, still needs to clear the Senate. “We will be watching Senate moderates and moves in the bond market, as these will likely drive last-minute adjustments. The true deadlines remain the August recess,” Larry Adam, chief investment officer of investment bank Raymond James, wrote in a note to investors. (Dr. Michael Hicks/The Hill)
NATIONAL NEWS: When appraising their own talents and skills, vast majorities of Americans rate themselves as “far above or somewhat above average” on topics like trustworthiness (77 percent considering themselves above average), reading ability (63 percent above average), critical thinking (57 percent above average) and, of course, self-awareness (59 percent above average and with just 4 percent below average). There are some topics which get people claiming they’re less confident in their talents, including dancing ability (16 percent above average, and 54 percent say they’re below average), mechanical ability (26 percent above average, 34 percent below average) and running (16 percent above average, 57 percent below average). (YouGov/Numlock)
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SHS Courier Archive Highlights
Sept. 14, 1979
Forty percent of students had been referred to Vice Principal Jamie Orem’s office for disciplinary action the prior year. Those 622 students visited Orem’s office 2,299 times. From these, there were 150 suspensions. The most common offense was truancy.
New teachers in the building were Kathy West, special education; Ruth Widau, math; Sonja Nussbaum, math; Thoma Hamrick, French; Kathy Morrow, Spanish; Mike Lee, English, Janis Campbell, PE; Rebecca Privett, business; Diana Hines, art; Mark Millis, English; Kim Stillabower, business; Randy Robertson, PE; Tom Blanck, social studies; Gene Shadley, special education; and David King, band.
SHS had adopted a new detention policy, giving students one week to serve their time. After a week, the student was suspended from class. “These changes were brought about due to the fact that few students were making up their detentions.”
An editorial complained about the condition of local roads. “Harrison and Broadway streets could be used to break in army tanks.” The anonymous writer added, “A trip around the circle could prove fatal, especially by Cortese Studios, where the famous ‘roller coaster’ exists.”
A special convocation had featured the Army’s Golden Knights skydiving team performing outside at the football stadium.
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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: Shelbyville won the baseball sectional with a three-hour, 10-inning win against Bloomington North, thanks to Brian Kolls’ game-winning double, driving in Jim Peck. The Golden Bears’ coach was Scott Hughes.
1995: A three-story building at 201 W. Washington St., Waldron, collapsed. The vacant building had a leaky roof. The leaks caused the third floor to collapse and push the walls out.
1985: Bob McClellan approached city officials about purchasing a parcel of land near his house on S. Miller St. City officials were unaware they owned the land, and McClellan hadn’t realized part of the yard he had been mowing for years was owned by the city until he had a survey completed. The city agreed to sell the land to him for $100.
1975: Baptist Academy officials announced plans to open in the fall, located in the old Shelby Township School on S. State Road 9. Lead administrator Rev. Cuneio said discipline would be “parallel to the old-style system that I experienced when I went to school.”
The Shelby County Food Stamp Office, 414 S. Tompkins St., converted its 20,000 pages of statewide records to two Microfiche cards.
Opening of Porter Pool was delayed until at least August due to delays in work by a contactor to complete badly-needed renovations.
1965: The Army sent a helicopter to KCL Corp. to pick up the first 500 of 3,000 large plastic bags made on a rush order. The order had been prepared in under 24 hours. The bags would be used for GI pillows.
1955: Certified mail service was offered at the local post office for the first time. Certified mail, at a cost of 15 cents plus regular postage, would guarantee the sender of no-indemnity letters the advantages of registered mail at a reduced cost, Postmaster Louie Neu said.
Porter Pool opened. The water temperature was 66 degrees.
1945: Local manufacturers National Farm Machinery Co-op and the Custom Manufacturing Corp. were ordered to halt production of tank parts which they had been making for two years. The Army was making the cut-backs due to the war winding down. Business leaders said they expected the resumption of farm machinery production to make up for the loss.
1935: Shelbyville native Willard Kehrt was named the recipient of Indiana University’s Gimbel Medal. The medal was given annually to an outstanding athlete. Kehrt was co-captain of the IU basketball team and a standout baseball player.
County Commissioners approved plans for a two-story wing to the county courthouse containing six rooms. Federal funds were expected to cover the majority of the costs.
1925: Police had responded to numerous reports of vandalism by sling-shots, with local boys blamed for damaging the water tower of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the south part of the city and the Charles Major school building on E. Franklin St.
1915: Local Boy Scouts, accompanied by a dog and a pony, began hiking to Brown County. The pony pulled a bright blue cart trimmed in yellow, the colors of the Scouts, that contained provisions for the trip. The boys hiked seven miles down the Columbus pike before stopping to have breakfast at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Mahley, near Fenns. The had dinner near the home of John H. DePrez, a mile from Lewis Creek. Despite a delay after the wagon broke down, the boys reached St. Louis crossing in time to camp for the night.
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: Freeman Family Funeral Homes & Crematory
OBITUARIES
Terry Lee Johnson, 70, of Waldron, passed away Friday, May 30, 2025, at his residence. Born on September 3, 1954, in Batesville, he was the son of Warren Johnson and Arlene E. (Moore) Johnson. He married Linda G. (Brunner) Johnson on January 9, 2000, and she survives. Other survivors include four children, Leslie Cruea of Waldron, Nicholas (Sarah) Johnson of Waldron, Kyle Harrell of Indianapolis, and Bradley (Jamie) Harrell of Danville; two siblings, Denny Johnson of Waldron, and Cindy (Steve) Best of Waldron; and 10 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Tom Johnson and daughter Tammy Johnson.
Terry was a lifetime resident of this area and graduated from Waldron High School. He had worked at Allison Transmission GM for 30 years, retiring in 2010, and was a US Air Force veteran serving in the Vietnam War and earning the rank of E-4. Terry enjoyed gardening, sailing, taking road trips, he was a jack of all trades, always helping anyone who needed it.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 3187 E. 850 S, Waldron, Ind., 46182. In lieu of flowers please make memorial contributions to the Alzheimer's Association or American Cancer Association, in care of the funeral home. Online condolences may be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.
Ronnie E. Chaney, 74, of Shelbyville passed away Sunday, June 1, 2025, at his residence. Born on October 12, 1950, in London, Kentucky, he was the son of George Leonard Chaney and Dorothy (Hood) Chaney. He married Anna (Walker) Chaney on May 17, 1997, and she survives. Other survivors include three children, Jeannie Sayre of Shelbyville, Brian Goble (Luz) of Shelbyville, and Tony Goble (Caitlyn) of Milroy; brother James Wyatt Chaney of Shelbyville, sister Caroyn Sue Pike of Shelbyville; two grandchildren, Kyland Sayre and Corrinna Coleman (Brad), and five great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Niles Chaney, Sherman Chaney, Benson Chaney, George Chaney and sister Donna Chaney.
Ronnie had lived in this area since 1959, after previously moving from Kentucky. He was a truck driver for several local trucking companies for many years and also worked for Swifty Oil Company for several years. Ronnie enjoyed gardening, raising chickens, tinkering in his garage, camping, playing cards, working on tractors with his son Tony and spending time with his family.
Funeral services will be 2 p.m., Saturday, June 7, 2025, at Glenn E. George & Son Funeral Home, 437 Amos Road. Burial will be in Miller Cemetery. Family will receive friends on Saturday afternoon from noon until the time of the service, at the funeral home. Memorial contributions can be made to MainStreet Hospice, 10 Highland Avenue, Franklin, Ind., 46131. Online condolences can be shared at glennegeorgeandson.com.