Wednesday, November 5, 2025
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: STEPHENSON RIFE ATTORNEYS
MILITARY MENTORSHIP
Major Adam Barlow visits with a student during yesterday’s “Lunch with a Veteran (Veterans Day Appreciation Project)” program at Shelbyville High School. Barlow, a Shelbyville High School graduate, was one of 25 veterans who met with students in classes taught by Mark Hensley, Tabitha Cole and Robyn Walsh. Students used a prepared set of questions to interview the veterans, and Mel’s Catering provided a free lunch. The teachers thanked Shelby County Veterans Service Officer Michael Perkins for helping arrange contacts. As a follow-up, students will be making a “baseball card” with a local veteran’s information on the back and the veteran’s picture on the front. | photos by KIAH PANDOLI
FULL MOON
Last night’s full moon is visible at the city limits, near West State Road 44 and South Miller Avenue. | photo by JACK BOYCE
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: FULL CANOPY REAL ESTATE
NOTEBOOK:
The Shelbyville Board of Works and Public Safety on Tuesday approved a grant agreement with Sunshine House Inc. to purchase a property for an overnight homeless shelter. City Attorney Jenny Meltzer said the city will use $162,745 from unrestricted opioid settlement funds to buy the home at 21 W. Taylor St., located near the jail and courthouse. The agreement includes a reversion clause allowing the property to return to the city if the nonprofit is unable to operate the shelter. Board members Tom Reaves and Rodney Meyerholtz both praised the plan, calling it a responsible and meaningful use of the settlement funds. Mayor Scott Furgeson was not in attendance. He was on an economic development trip with a local delegation to Japan.
The Board of Works also approved an implied dedication of roadway easement for a portion of Michigan Road in front of Horseshoe Indianapolis extending to County Road 200 W. City Attorney Jennifer Meltzer said the section, realigned during the casino’s construction in 2008–2009, had never been formally documented, and the action clarifies city ownership of the roadway.
The Board of Works approved a request allowing the contractor for the 2024 local Community Crossings Matching Grant to subcontract the crack sealing portion of the project. Street Commissioner Shane Peters said the move ensures the city can complete the work and use remaining grant funds before the end of the year.
Shelbyville has been recognized by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management as a Bronze-Level Clean Community, joining a select group of cities leading local environmental action. The designation highlights initiatives such as the Taylor Street Community Garden, Clean Shelby County’s composting program and the city’s expanded Bike Share, reflecting Shelbyville’s growing commitment to cleaner air, reduced waste and greener neighborhoods.
Building permits filed with the city of Shelbyville last month included constructing an attached garage on a home owned by Shelbyville Bible Holiness Church at 2819 East Michigan Road, replacing the front porch at 1009 S. Tompkins St., an in-ground pool at 1972 Black Oak Dr., remodeling 55 E. Washington St., constructing a Lumberman’s warehouse at 861 Elston Dr., a new porch at 511 Wellington Blvd., remodeling 14 S. Miller St., remodeling an interior for indoor storage at 1406 Miller Ave., a new home at 1405 S. Noble St. and three additional new homes.
The following couples obtained marriage licenses last week at the Shelby County Clerk’s office: Simon Purdue Jr., 56, and Leanne Burris, 51; Nevada Belles, 25, and Rylan Matthewson, 27; Jody Furgal, 46, and Donald Goodwin, 52; Dilbar Singh, 31, and Amarpreet Rathor, 29; Cecilia Saucedo, 21, and Erick Rodriguez, 32; Karen Hewitt, 60, and Dennis Forte, 63; Joshua Ruble, 32, and Shelbey Eadens, 26; Riley Sexton, 25, and Clayton Farrell, 29; Melissa Lagos, 25, and Andrew Tizol, 23; Jesse Brown, 37, and Lucinda Sparks, 46; Neil Kyle, 39, and Jessica Rochon, 37; Joshua Huhn, 18, and Brynn White, 18; Warren Storie, 29, and Haley Ralston, 34; Thomas Robbins, 50, and Kelly Newland, 24; Nathan Pelton, 30, and Katheryn Parker, 26; Bridget Herbert, 37, and Cole Bell, 33; Ashley Lee, 34, and Benjamin Overby, 35; Bradley Ragsdale, 61, and Donna Ragsdale, 61.
Shelbyville police responded to a minor property damage crash at The Colour Palette, 514 N. Harrison St., after a semi backed into the building while making a delivery. No injuries were reported, and the driver said his vehicle wasn’t damaged. The semi crushed a downspout and caused minor façade damage, according to the report.
The Shelbyville High School Spell Bowl team captured first place in their class Monday and finished third overall among 11 competing schools. Team members included Sophia Asher, Hannah Baker, Kayla Baron, Kaylee Cazares Cacho, Kimberly Cazares Cacho, Brianna Chavez, Mylez Clark, Emma Claxton, Kimberly Garcia-Dimas, Lilly Garrison, Giselle Lua-Hernandez, Melany Mejia Julian, Kieran O’Connor, Shay Schiloski, Emily Tellez, Kelsey (Kat) Turner, Elizabeth Washburn and Fraya Wasson.
Morristown Methodist Church will host its annual Turkey-Noodle Dinner on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at 221 S. Washington St. in Morristown. Meals are $12 and include turkey, homemade noodles, green beans, mashed potatoes, dressing, homemade rolls, dessert and drinks. Dine-in and carryout options will be available.
A 40-foot culvert pipe will be replaced across North 700 West at the north edge of the intersection with West 800 North beginning Monday, Nov. 17, through Sunday, Nov. 23. The intersection will be closed to all traffic during that time. The last address accessible from the north will be 8022 N. 700 W.; from the east, 6944 W. 800 N.; and from the south, 7958 N. 700 W.
HOOSIER NEWS: First American Nuclear, also known as Fanco, announced plans Tuesday to relocate its headquarters from Washington to Indianapolis and invest more than $4 billion to create a nuclear plant and “energy park” in Indiana, expected to bring 5,000 high-paying jobs and make the state a leader in clean energy. The company’s EAGL-1 small modular reactor, cooled by a lead-bismuth alloy, will anchor what Fanco calls the nation’s first closed-fuel-cycle energy park, designed to eliminate up to 97% of long-lasting nuclear waste. The project is slated to begin generating electricity by 2028, transitioning from natural gas to nuclear power by 2032. (IBJ)
NATIONAL NEWS: Even after a show peters out on Broadway, it can have a long, productive life in secondary licensing, being trimmed or adjusted into junior versions of the show that can then be sold to schools looking to put on plays for a flat rate of around $700. “The Addams Family,” for instance, closed on Broadway in 2011 after just a year and a half, but has had a huge afterlife on the high school stage. By 2019, it became the most popular high school musical in the country. “Once Upon a One More Time,” a Britney Spears jukebox musical, has been doing great on the junior circuit in no small part because the girl-to-boy ratio in the play can be pretty high. That ratio is always a concern, given the generally understood demographic of interest in musicals at that level. (NPR/Numlock)
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SQUIB LOOK-BACK: 1977
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: MAJOR HEALTH PARTNERS
This Day in Shelby County History
Local headlines reported on or around this date in Shelby County history. Selections are curated by The Addison Times from Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department materials.
2005: Gloria and Dan Thomas of Shelbyville were featured on HGTV’s holiday special “All Out, Christmas” for their extensive Christmas collection, especially their Santas. A film crew had visited their home in July to record the display, one of only twelve homes nationwide selected for the program. Gloria, who began collecting ornaments after her first Christmas with Dan, said the tradition grew each year until she found it hard to pack the decorations away when the season ended.
1995: Shelbyville Clerk-Treasurer Frank M. Zerr was running unopposed in the city election, marking his sixth bid for a clerk’s office, counting both county and city elections. Zerr said the lack of opposition allowed him to focus on city business and ongoing projects such as the reconstruction and elevator installation at City Hall. Local Republicans, including party chair Dick Fero, praised Zerr’s bipartisan appeal.
1985: Shelbyville artist Gail Wildman won first place in the Knauf Fiberglass Christmas Card Art Contest with her watercolor painting of the Red Mill near Boggstown, titled “Time Concealed.” The artwork was chosen to be featured on Knauf’s annual Christmas card, and Wildman received $500 for the honor. The original painting was also presented to a Knauf customer selected through a drawing.
1975: Roberta M. Gray and her 10-year-old passenger Carolyn Logsdon, both of 310 N. Vine St., suffered minor injuries when their station wagon collided with a sports car driven by William F. Schneider, which caused Gray’s vehicle to strike the Vine Street United Methodist Church building.
1965: City police were searching for a stray black-and-white beagle that had bitten a child after someone broke a padlock and released 20 dogs from the local pound. The beagle, which limped, had been held for rabies observation for two weeks, according to city dog catcher William McKinzie. Authorities warned that if the dog was not found, the child might have to undergo a series of anti-rabies shots.
1955: A Shelbyville News photo showed Mrs. Frieda Chappell instructing her class in phonics at Major School while Parent-Teacher Association and business-industry representatives observed during E-I-B Day visits. Students included Brenda Lasey, Janet Yarber, Jimmy James, Nicki Shepple, Robert Tillison and Kenneth Garlicht. Observers included Mrs. Robert Shook, Mrs. Duane Murphy, Bob Thomas of Franklin Life Insurance, Jim Brake of Indiana Bell, and Stanley Wilhelm of Pittsburgh Plate Glass.
1945: Sixteen-year-old William “Billy” Wilson, a former Shelbyville resident, was fatally shot near Eagle Creek in Indianapolis by a group of boys who said they were trying to “scare” him. The shot was fired by 14-year-old Eugene Foster, who told authorities he and three others wanted to show Wilson what it felt like to be fired at from a foxhole. The group had been target shooting with a German rifle when the incident occurred, and the youths did not realize Wilson had been struck until his brother called for help.
1935: City Council postponed plans to build a new sewage disposal plant, deciding against taking on additional debt despite the availability of a $125,000 PWA loan and grant. Council members expressed opposition to proceeding with the project at the time, though a tentative request for funding had been made earlier that year. During the same meeting, the council adopted a resolution formally accepting several Major Hospital bequests, including gifts from Edwin M. Porter, Belle M. Gordon, Sarah Elizabeth Billman, Emma Messick and Martin Miller.
1925: J. Harvey Snider of Fountaintown purchased an interest in the Milroy canning factory, joining owners Charles Carroon, Will A. Yarling, Harry McLane and Otto Hillman. The plant, reconstructed the previous summer, had produced about 65,000 cases of corn during the recent season. Plans were made to expand operations by contracting additional acreage of sugar corn with local farmers for the following year.
1915: Joseph Addison, known locally as “the Shelby County Hermit,” according to The Republican, collapsed and died while eating a meal in a Washington Street saloon. Addison, a former U.S. Army scout who served under General Custer during the Indian Wars, had lived for years in a log hut along Blue River in Marion Township, where he hunted, fished and trapped. The Shelby Republican described him as “the best fisherman in the county, being able to catch a fish where there were none.” Recently granted a government pension for his military service, Addison had undergone surgery in Indianapolis and was planning a second operation.
Work on The Strand Theatre was progressing quickly as owner William Meloy met with eight chair manufacturers to select 850 high-quality opera house seats for the new venue. The walls of the former stable building had been removed and replaced with heavy steel supports, revealing a spacious interior expected to hold about 1,000 people, The Republican reported. The roof was soon to be installed, with heating and ventilation connections already underway as construction neared completion.
ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: Freeman Family Funeral Homes & Crematory
OBITUARIES
None today.
Thank you for making me a year younger. I graduated in ‘77, not ‘78. 😊
How does the Board of Work Approval for public easement effect the strike happening at Horseshoe Casino?