News and sports in the Whitewater Valley

By Adrienne Greene

Dear Pastor,

At age sixty-six, I’m healthy, I love my life and I have been blessed beyond measure. But I’m tired of waiting to go to heaven. I’d like to go now. Is this wrong?

A:

It makes more sense than you realize, and no, it’s not wrong. The Apostle Paul also wished for his heavenly home; mentioning his longing many times in both of his letters to the Corinthian church. I think if we read Christ’s moments in Gethsemane again, we’ll see that our Savior longed for home, too. Wanting to go to heaven is a normal thought for a mature Christian. We’ve finally understood that whatever Earth has offered…while it’s been grand… cannot fully satisfy. Once we receive Christ and are transformed by Him, we realize that what we want isn’t here, it’s there. I confess that I live in that emotional place quite a lot. Certainly there are many of us thinking along these lines as we linger too long on news shows that rob our hope, feed our fears and cause despair all day and all night. We long for relief. We long for home.

The Lord has tenderly taught me that when I’m feeling most like leaving the planet, it’s because I’m focused on myself. It’s when I’m thinking, “I’m bored with this and ready for something more.” Or, “I’m so tired of the same old frustrations, problems and struggles.” Or, “When I’m with you, God, I feel complete. I want to go be with you all the time.”

Yet, each one of those statements has “I” in them. We desire our race to be finished because our personal agendas have run their courses and we’re ready to move on now. The next step in graduating to a new level in God isn’t going to heaven. It’s realizing that God is asking for our partnership in bringing heaven here. He’s saying, “Will you deny yourself and devote your life to me?” And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:24, NASB.)

If we do this, we soon realize that living in response to Father God in every way possible is fully satisfying. It’s what I call the Matthew 6:33 moment: Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God. We don’t look inward during decision-making or scheduling our day, for example, if we’re living a Matthew 6:33 lifestyle. Instead, our priorities consider the world around us; the environment; other people; our ministry; bearing the fruits of the Spirit, etc. Is my personal agenda helping to expand Christ’s kingdom on earth or build my own empire? Is my schedule filled with self-important details or Holy Spirit directives?

Most Christians are taught to “do unto others,” so we fill our lives up with all kinds of tasks like missions, outreach, church work, and volunteerism because it appears to be all about others. However, that doesn’t mean it’s all about God. In a general sense, unless our daily lives…moment by moment, decision by decision…are answering the question “How may I serve you, Lord,” we are not entering into the highest level of a Christian walk quite yet.

I know you thank God for your health and wealth and blessings. I am not at all saying you’re a selfish, shallow person. And I truly hear you that going home right now feels like the perfect plan (while the world around us spirals in chaos.) But God needs us to partner with him, especially now. There is much more of God to know and to experience before we’re in heaven. This terrestrial plane needs devoted followers of Christ to create homes, atmospheres, work-place environments, churches, public forums and courtrooms that have one goal: Jesus Christ and him glorified. If we make our lives about that, the earth will respond with change and the holes in our souls will be filled to overflowing with the desire to live and prosper all the more.

We’re not done until God says so, anyway. We may as well go whole-hog on loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30.) Is he worthy of that much effort? Yes.

Do you have a question or comment for Pastor Adrienne? Send your inquiries to: info@adriennewgreene.com or write to P.O. Box 214, Harrison, OH 45030. For more information, please visit www.adriennewgreene.com or tune into the “Ask Pastor Adrienne” YouTube channel.

By John Estridge

The Shoup historical marker will stay and remain unchanged at the Conwell Cemetery in Laurel.

With statues falling across the country faster than April rain, there was talk from Indianapolis of rewording or even removing the Shoup Historical Marker.

According to an article on WIBC.com, in June, Indianapolis Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett, a Rushville native, ordered the removal of a monument to the Confederate prisoners of war from Garfield Park. This led some to question the Shoup Historical Marker in Laurel. Major Gen. Francis Shoup, while born in Laurel, was a Confederate general during the Civil War.

“Last month, IHB (Indiana Historical Bureau) received two media inquiries regarding this marker in light of the removal of the Confederate monument in Garfield Park,” Dr. Michelle M. Marino, deputy director of the Indiana Historical Bureau, Division of the Indiana State Library, said.

When local officials were made aware of this situation, more than one questioned the state’s authority to reword or remove the marker. That is because the price of the marker was paid with private donations, and it is now sitting on private property off the state right of way along Indiana 121. It was erected in the cemetery in 2006 to much fanfare. Later, a vehicle damaged the marker and it was repaired and replaced slightly farther from the highway.

Marino disagreed with the assertion the state no longer had control of the historical marker.

“The Indiana Historical Bureau (IHB) is a division of the Indiana State Library, and has overseen the state’s marker program since the 1940s,” Marino said by email in answer to emailed questions. “All Indiana State Historical Markers including state format markers installed after 1945 and markers installed by the Indiana Civil War Centennial Commission, are the property of the State under Indiana Code.”

According to Marino, the Shoup marker was put under review a decade ago as part of a routine review program. It is “in order to provide additional information and source material about statements on the marker that are misleading and lacked much needed context,” Marino said in the email.

However, in the WIBC.com article, it stated: “A previous review in 2011 concluded the wording was accurate, but did not address the question of context.”

According to the WIBC.com article, an Indiana Historical Bureau staff report calls the fact the marker talks about Gen. Shoup advocated the use of black soldiers in the Confederate Army misleading.

“The report notes Shoup’s suggestion wasn’t rooted in any notion of equal rights, but his theory that slaves were already conditioned to be obedient, or could be made so through harsh discipline and their own ‘simple-mindedness.’

“And the report argues the word ‘recruitment’ itself is misleading, since slaves had no power to enlist but would be forced into a different form of servitude,” the article continued.

The report was also upset the marker did not state the shoupades were constructed by slaves.

According to Historynet.com, blacks on both sides were used to build fortifications.

However, the state has decided not to rewrite the Shoup marker or remove it.

“IHP recently updated our marker review in order to provide further contextual information, clarify textual inaccuracies, and address glaring omissions,” Marino said in her email. “We contacted the local applicant for this marker to notify them about the recent inquiries and to engage in conversation about marker issues, but discussions regarding changing the Francis Shoup marker are not occurring and modifications to the marker are not anticipated at this time.”

Shoup’s history

Brigadier General Francis Shoup was born in Laurel in 1834. An 1855 West Point graduate, Shoup served in the federal army from 1855-1860. Shoup left the army to become a lawyer in Indianapolis. However, after the outbreak of the Civil War, Shoup went to Florida and joined the Confederate Army.

Shoup served in Florida as a federal officer during the Third Seminole War.

Shoup served as chief of artillery for Lt. Gen. William Hardee during the Battle of Shiloh in 1862. After that, he headed a division in Arkansas, before he was brought to Vicksburg, Mississippi. After a long and bloody siege, Vicksburg eventually fell to Gen. U.S. Grant in 1863.

After Vicksburg, Shoup went to Atlanta where he defended against Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s march to the sea. It was during the march to the sea, that Shoup invented fortifications named for him, Shoupades.

While Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston was facing Sherman at Kennesaw Mountain, Shoup went farther behind the Confederate line and built a series of 36 fortifications along the Chattahoochee River called the Johnston River Line. These were starfort bastions, which each one holding 80 rifle-armed troops. They were arranged to funnel the troops toward redans with each holding two 12-inch smooth bore Napoleon guns or five-inch ordinance rifles. With the attacking troops funneled into this killing zone, the field would be swept of the attackers.

After Gen. Sherman first saw the line, he wrote “they were the best line of field entrenchments I have ever seen.” This necessitated Sherman to back off and find a way to flank the shoupades.

Shoup was just one of a number of Confederate generals who advocated using slaves and freed blacks in the Confederate Army. Confederate President Jefferson Davis remained staunchly against that proposal until March 13, 1865, when the Confederate Congress passed a law allowing blacks to be used in the Confederate Army.

After the war, Shoup was a professor at the University of Mississippi and then the University of the South. He was a published author, and he was an Episcopal rector, which means an Episcopal priest for a parish.

He died in 1896 and is buried at Sewanee University Cemetery in Tennessee.

June 23

Brandon W. Allen, 24, Buena Vista Road, Enochsburg, was arrested by FCSO Deputy A. Bowers for Leaving the scene of a property damage accident.

June 24

Jason W. Conn, 37, Pipecreek Mill, Peru, Ind., was arrested by FCSO S. Stirn for outstanding warrant.

Bud Metcalf, 23, Snail Creek Road, Brookville, was arrested by Brookville Police Department Jeffery Staat for Theft.

Ron Metcalf, 26, Snail Creek Road, Brookville, by BPD was arrested by Staat, for Theft – value of property at least $750 but less than $50,000.

Travis W. Musselwhite, 39, St. Peters Road, Brookville, was arrested by FCSO Bill Hodge for Failure to register as a sex offender.

June 25

Angela L. Schell, 31, Idlewood Drive, Covington, Ky., was arrested by Indiana Conservation Officer Christopher Lon for Outstanding arrest warrant, Mischief, Criminal trespass.

June 26

Thomas C. Bills, 49, Vine Street, Connersville, was arrested by FCSO B. Jenkins for Operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangerment and Operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Tessa R. Owens, 24, North Grand Avenue, Connersville, was arrested by BPD Staat for Possession of a controlled substance, Possession of paraphernalia, Possession of marijuana/hash.

June 27

Brendon A. Millsaps, 28, Big Cedar Road, Brookville, arrested by FCSO) B. Jenkins for outstanding warrant.

By John Estridge

For disclaimer purposes let me get this out front: I struggled in high school chemistry to get a C+.

When I took the introductory chemistry course in college, I got an A.

The difference was where I was sitting. In high school, I sat by my friends who remained as clueless as myself during that semester. But, in college, I sat by a very pretty coed. While the coed would not give me the time of day, and let me tell you that was one of several unanswered questions I asked her during that semester, she did allow me to copy off her. And every now and then she would let a smile slip at some wisecrack I made about our strange professor.

Both incidents happened in very ancient history because I am old.

Due to the lack of academic strictures during that time, I was not forced to take biology at any point. I am still thankful for that.

While my knowledge of science is probably among the 5 percent of those in the world tabulated as being extremely science challenged, I want to weigh in on wearing masks as I believe my lack of knowledge about the situation puts me firmly among the majority.

As I do when I know nothing of what I am talking about, I Googled the size of a virus. That took me to book.bionumbers.org. And I don’t understand anything in the information printed on that site except the articles: a, an, the, etc.

An in-law, who I enjoy talking to, said viruses are very small so let’s go with that. He was talking about masks. He also said the voids in a typical cloth mask are very huge when compared to the size of viruses. For my benefit, I am sure, because of the look on my face, which may be perpetual, he held his finger and his thumb very close together as people do when showing how small something is. And I gather viruses are even smaller than that. And when he talked about the voids in masks, he held is finger and thumb farther apart, and I got the feeling, again, the voids are really smaller than that.

However, I think I understood what he was talking about, but maybe my face did not correspond my understanding as he tried again to put it into something I could relate to.

He said it is like putting up a barbed-wire fence to keep mosquitoes out of an area. I nodded and smiled at that simile.

A few decades ago I spent an afternoon on a walking tour of Brookville, and it became one of my favorite memories. One of Brookville’s doctors at the time, Dr. Elmer Peters, headed up the walking tour of Brookville. It was historical in nature. Somebody videotaped it. I audio taped it and then wrote an article about it. Dr. Peters was very knowledgeable and was able to relate stories and anecdotes in a very interesting manner.

One of his stories during that day, which really stuck with myself, concerned two doctors in Brookville who labored during the Spanish flu epidemic/pandemic that hit during the late 1910s. Dr. Peters said there was no medicine to help people who were inflicted with that virus. Unlike the COVID-19, which is seemingly harder on those, like myself, who sport gray hair or in my case, gray wisps around a bald pate, unfortunately, the Spanish flu did not spare any age group.

Doctors at that time, more often than not, made house calls. The two doctors found, even though there was no medicine to help families inflicted with the terrible disease, residents expected the doctors to have medicine and leave it with them. So, they made a cough syrup-like substance that was mostly water, but some of the liquid was colored green and some red. They made it taste mediciney. And they started leaving bottles of the innocuous stuff with the families they visited.

And it seemed to help. Dr. Peters briefly explained the placebo effect and said hope is one of the great weapons against things that occur like the Spanish flu.

And that brings me back to masks and the size of viruses.

Personally, I don’t like to wear masks although it might help ease my looks a bit to others having to look at me. However, with my current job, I must wear a mask when I deal with the public, and I am OK with that. If my coworkers feel better with me wearing a mask when I am around them, again, that is OK. Also, there are places, like Menards, where masks are mandatory. I will follow the rules in those instances, too.

But if people think a cloth mask will protect others from the mask-wearing person or vice versa, well, I go back to the barbed wire and mosquitoes analogy as well as Dr. Peters’ story from another, seemingly scarier pandemic.

Also, remember to use hand sanitizer and wash those hands.

By John Estridge

Back in the day, when there was a need, a community rallied together and did what was necessary to fix the problem.

That was the explanation Steve Cox gave to Metamora residents Saturday, June 27, when talking about why the Metamora Masonic Lodge 156 took over operation of the Metamora Cemetery in December 1952 and continue in that vein in 2020 but does not want to do it any longer.

Cox, Franklin Circuit Court Judge, is also the Grand Master of the lodge. He found the situation with the cemetery when he became the lodge’s Grand Master this year. He said three trustees for the cemetery, who are also lodge members, vote on items such as mowing contracts. Cox said, according to lodge rules, the entire lodge should be voting on items like that. Also, the lodge treasurer acts as the cemetery’s treasurer, and that should also not occur.

It was alternately called cemetery commission and cemetery association during the meeting.

After Cox ended his summation of the situation, the residents then held a second meeting and started the process of reestablishing a cemetery association. They elected a seven-member board along with officers and set up the next meeting.

History

Cox started the meeting, held at noon in the Masonic Lodge’s first floor of the building the lodge owns in Metamora, by stating the history behind the cemetery. It is located north of town off Duck Creek Road.

He said the community originally buried its residents in the Methodist Episcopal Cemetery. It filled up. So, in 1881, Metamora residents decided to form a cemetery association and sold shares to it. The deed for the old cemetery and land adjacent to the cemetery was deeded all to the newly formed cemetery association.

However, and here’s the rub, the charter was good for only 50 years. Why those originals decided to put a time limit on it is apparently not known at this time.

In 1931, the cemetery association ended. However, its demise went unnoticed at that time. And people just continued to operate as a cemetery association until 1952. At that time, the final shareholder died. His entire estate was left to Margaret Mary Community Hospital in Batesville. This consisted of farms, machinery and livestock among other assets. And, it also included the Metamora Cemetery.

Margaret Mary Hospital did not have a use for a cemetery. The hospital deeded the cemetery property back to what the hospital officials thought was the cemetery association. But, it no longer existed and had not existed for 21 years at that time.

Ironically, as 1952 turned to 1953, the people — who thought of themselves as cemetery association members — were all Masonic lodge members. They learned, at that time, while the cemetery had a deed and there was money to operate it, there was not a commission in place to do that. Having that “if there’s a problem, we want to fix the problem” attitude, the members, at that time, decided to have the lodge run the cemetery while the cemetery association tried to become an entity again.

Thus, the lodge, by general agreement, said it would take over the assets and administration of the cemetery until the association could get everything in order. There is a deed to the cemetery that uses much of that verbiage.

“The purpose of doing that was for the lodge to hold the land until such time that the cemetery commission could get properly organized,” Cox said.

Until Saturday, the reorganization never occurred in the 67 years since that deed was recorded.

Reorganization

During the meeting, one of the questions asked of Cox was if the Metamora Cemetery still had room for more burials. Cox said there is a section alternately called the new section and upper section. It was purchased from the Church of Christ. The lane to get to the new section is just west of the Kyle Baudendistel diesel garage, Cox said.

Following the first meeting with Cox, the Metamora residents and/or those with family members buried at the cemetery, stayed at the Masonic Lodge and held a reorganizational meeting.

Seven people were elected as trustees. They are: Dustin Back, Joe Halcomb, Ray Halpin, Sherrie Halpin, Herb Halcomb, Deanna Wilson and April Minnemann.

Back was elected as the president, and Sherrie Halpin was elected as the clerk/treasurer. Back’s wife is a vice president at a Connersville-area bank and said she will assist the commission with getting its finances in order. The trustees will meet again in two weeks. At that time, Cox said he will assist the association’s trustees with writing and adopting the organizing documents.

Prior to the meeting, lodge members have mowed the cemetery this year. Cemetery Association members now plan to mow the cemetery.

By John Estridge

As with many facets of life in 2020, everything seems to be changing, and in this context, the Brookville Town Council has changed the way it holds its meetings.

In an answer to social distancing due to the pandemic, BTC uses Zoom and Facebook Live to hold its meetings with council members and support personnel often at remote locations. BTC President Mike Biltz, town administrator Tim Ripperger and clerk/treasurer Gina Gillman are at the town’s administrative building off Franklin Avenue while the other town council members are checking in from their homes or places of business.

Prior to the pandemic, council met where Biltz sits during the current meetings, the meeting room off the lobby. The building is the former administrative offices of the Franklin County Community School Corporation, and the “meeting room” was the office of retired FCCSC Supt. Dr. William Glentzer for many years.

When the BTC used the room, it was usually big enough for meetings as council meetings normally did not attract large crowds. However, when there were hot-button issues, the meeting room was insufficient with many people standing out in the hallway or elsewhere trying to listen and take part.

For the last two meetings, council has discussed coming back together for the meetings and allowing the public to again attend the meetings in person. Instead of going back to the cramped quarters of the town’s administrative building, council members have discussed the possibility of holding the meetings in the Schilling Center, which is also owned by the town. Also, the Franklin County Public Library has offered, free of charge, the big meeting room at the Brookville Library for governmental entity meetings.

Working off blueprints, Ripperger estimated the Schilling Center will seat 30 in the audience area, using the requisite six-foot distance for social distancing.

However, some on council said the BTC may be moving too quickly in going back to in-person meetings. Biltz said he and council member Sam Schuck, prior to the meeting, discussed: with the situation of apparently growing hotspots around the country, regarding the virus, it might be better to continue the meetings in their present form.

“There have been some surges,” Biltz said. “We can propose that we do it (make a move for meeting purposes) unless something comes up where we have to do otherwise.”

Schuck asked if anyone from the public had made any suggestions.

Gillman replied no one had come into or contacted the office, in any way, to state a preference.

Biltz suggested council members talk to Jason Lovins who is part of the local COVID-19 task force and seek advice from him.

Council member Pelsor agreed with Biltz’s suggestion while fellow council member Eric Johnson said he was good with anything the other members wanted to do with subsequent meetings’ venue.

In other business, BTC members:

*Unanimously agreed to continue its previous annual donation of $1,000 to Safe Passage. Prior to the vote, Biltz read a moving letter from Safe Passage talking about how people in abusive relationships and home situations suffered during the shutdown period as tensions within many households became unbearable and the options for innocent family members were reduced by the shutdown.

Biltz briefly discussed how, as the Brookville Elementary principal, he dealt with Safe Passage on occasion due to some students’ home situations, and he was always impressed with the organization’s members caring and professional manners.

*The Census Bureau wanted to meet in the Schilling Center for training purposes on several days. Gillman said only two of the dates were open, July 15-16, and she had notified the Census Bureau’s representative of that.

*Unanimously approved a building permit for Rob Sieg at 135 Connersville Avenue. He wants to build a 20×12 foot lean to on his property. He is going to need a variance, Ripperger said. That is because the rear setback is five feet and he will have only 3.5 feet. Thus, Sieg will have to go before the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals for a variance application approval before he builds the structure. Council approved the permit with the stipulation of Sieg obtaining the variance prior to construction.

*Unanimously approved the resignation of Chris Ernstes, the town’s appointee to the county’s Area Plan Commission. The town is now seeking his replacement. Interested parties should contact the Brookville Town Office.

*Reappointed Bill Thompson to the town’s Redevelopment Commission. Thompson is a charter member.

 *Heard from Gillman about the need for a laptop. She has been using Ripperger’s office computer for meeting purposes. She said she does not need anything fancy. Members told her to research what she needs.

*Renewed the contract with Tammy Ward for cleaning the Schilling Center.

*Heard from Robert Moore of Liberty National Insurance Company. His company offers a voluntary life and health policy where all the town would have to do is deduct money from the employees’ pretax pay for the policy. He would need to talk to the individual employees concerning the product.

According to globelifelibertynational.com, Liberty National is a division of Globe Life.

Council did not take action on the situation.

Council’s next meeting is 7 p.m., Tuesday, July 14. The place for the meeting has not been determined.

Compiled by John Estridge

Possession of a syringe

Samantha Conn pleaded guilty as a Level 6 Felony, and was sentenced to 18 months in the Franklin County Security Center (FCSC) with nine months suspended to probation. She was fined $250 and $185 costs. She was ordered to pay a $200 Countermeasure Fee. She was placed on probation for nine months and was ordered to pay the Probation Users’ Fee (PUF) of $100 and a $30 monthly fee. She was ordered to pay a $100 Administrative Fee. As an additional condition of probation, she was ordered to schedule an appointment for evaluation at a treatment facility within seven days of release from incarceration and comply with all recommendations. She also pleaded guilty to Possession of a controlled substance, as a class A misdemeanor, and was sentenced to 12 months in the FCSC with three months suspended to probation to be served concurrent to the sentence imposed in Count I.

David B. Collins pleaded guilty as a Level 6 Felony and was sentenced to 24 months in the FCSC with 15 months suspended to probation. He was given jail-time credit from Jan. 24, 2020 until the date of sentencing on June 17, 2020. He was fined $1 and $185 costs. He was placed on probation for 15 months and was ordered to pay the PUF of $100 plus a $30 monthly fee. He was ordered to pay a $100 Administrative Fee and a $200 Countermeasure Fee. As an additional condition of probation, he was ordered to schedule an appointment for evaluation at a treatment facility within seven days of release from incarceration and comply with all recommendations.

Jesse A. Conn pleaded guilty as a Level 6 Felony and was sentenced to 18 months in the FCSC with eight months suspended to probation. He was fined $250 and $185 costs. He was placed on probation for eight months and was ordered to pay a $100 PUF and a $30 monthly fee. He was ordered to pay a $100 Administrative Fee and a $200 Countermeasure Fee. As an additional condition of probation, he was ordered to schedule an appointment for evaluation at a treatment facility within seven days of release from incarceration and comply with all recommendations. Upon successful completion of probation, if the Defendant passes all drug screens, pays off all fines and fees, and successfully completes all other conditions of probation, the State is not opposed to the judgment of conviction being entered as a misdemeanor.

Theft

Alaina M. Laird pleaded guilty as a Level 6 Felony and was sentenced to 12 months in the FCSC with all time suspended to probation. She was fined $1 and $185 costs. She was placed on probation for 12 months and was ordered to pay the PUF of $100 plus a $30 monthly fee. She was ordered to pay a $100 Administrative Fee. She was ordered to stay off the premises of Brookville Family Dollar Store. Upon successful completion of probation, if the Defendant pays all fines and fees, passes all drug screens and completes all other terms of probation, the State is not opposed to the judgment of conviction being entered as misdemeanor.

Chelsea S. Barker pleaded guilty as a class A misdemeanor and was sentenced to four months and 20 days in the FCSC. She was fined $1 and was charged $185 costs. She was ordered to stay away from the Metamora Family Dollar.

Compulsory school attendance

Tonya K. Isaac pleaded guilty as a class B misdemeanor and was sentenced to 180 days in the FCSC with all time suspended to probation. She was fined $250 and $185 costs. She was placed on probation for 180 days and was ordered to pay the PUF of $50 plus a $20 monthly fee. She was ordered to pay a $50 Administrative Fee. As an additional condition of probation, the Defendant shall ensure the child’s attendance at Connersville Middle School.

Operating a vehicle while intoxicated

Stephen S. Shumaker pleaded guilty as a class C misdemeanor and was sentenced to 50 days in the FCSC. He was fined $1 and $185.50 costs. He was ordered to pay a $200 Countermeasure Fee. His Operator’s License was suspended for one year retroactive to the finding of Probable Cause on May 24, 2017.

Reckless driving

Colton D. Wilson pleaded guilty as a class C misdemeanor and was sentenced to 60 days in the FCSC with all time suspended. He was fined $1 and $185.50 costs.

Battery

Gary R. Martin Jr., pleaded guilty as a Level 6 Felony and was sentenced to 18 months in the FCSC with 17 months and 14 days suspended to probation.  He also pleaded guilty to Public intoxication, as a class B misdemeanor, and was sentenced to six months in the FCSC with five months suspended to probation to be served concurrent to the sentence imposed in Count I. All fines, court costs and probation fees to be waived due to defendant’s indigency. He received jail time credit for time served from Oct. 10, 2018 to Oct. 29, 2018.

Harassment

Skylar E. Parsley pleaded guilty as a class B misdemeanor and was sentenced to 180 days in the FCSC with all time suspended to probation. He was fined $250 and $185 costs. He was placed on probation for 180 days and was ordered to pay the PUF of $50 plus a $20 monthly fee. He was ordered to pay a $50 Administrative Fee. As an additional condition of probation defendant shall have no contact with the victim.

Possession of marijuana

Marvin W. Reatherford pleaded guilty as a class B misdemeanor and was sentenced to 180 days in the FCSC with all time suspended to probation. He was fined $250 and $185 costs. He was placed on probation for 180 days and was ordered to pay the PUF of $50 plus a $20 monthly fee. He was ordered to pay a $50 Administrative Fee. He also pleaded guilty to Speed contest, as a class B misdemeanor, and was sentenced to 180 days in the FCSC with all time suspended to probation to be served concurrent to the sentence imposed in Count I.

Amber J. Byrd pleaded guilty as a class B misdemeanor and was sentenced to 180 days in the FCSC with 166 days suspended to probation. She was given credit for seven days served. She was fined $1 and $185 costs. She was placed on probation for 166 days and was ordered to pay the PUF of $50 plus a $20 monthly fee. She was ordered to pay a $50 Administrative Fee and a $200 Countermeasure Fee. As an additional condition of probation, the defendant shall enroll and successfully complete Rural Works.

Ricardo A. Alvarez pleaded guilty as a class B misdemeanor and was sentenced to 180 days in the FCSC with all time suspended to probation. He was fined $1 and $185 costs. He was placed on probation for 180 days and was ordered to pay a $50 PUF and a $20 monthly fee. He was ordered to pay a $50 Administrative Fee and a $200 Countermeasure Fee. As a condition of probation, the Defendant was ordered to receive a drug and alcohol evaluation approved by probation and comply with all recommendations. He also pleaded guilty to Possession of paraphernalia, as a class C misdemeanor, and was sentenced to 60 days in the FCSC with all time suspended to probation to be served concurrent to the sentence imposed in Count I.

Nikayla A. Staudt pleaded guilty as a class B misdemeanor and was sentenced to 180 days in the FCSC with all time suspended to probation. She was fined $1 and $185 costs. She was placed on probation for 180 days and was ordered to pay a $50 PUF and a $20 monthly fee. She was ordered to pay a $50 Administrative Fee and a $200 Countermeasure Fee.

Operating a vehicle without ever receiving a license

DeMichael R. Washington pleaded guilty as a class C misdemeanor and was sentenced to 60 days in the FCSC with all time suspended. He was fined $1 and $185 costs.

Disorderly conduct

John O. McNabb pleaded guilty as a class B misdemeanor and was sentenced to 180 days in the FCSC with 150 days suspended to probation. He was fined $250 and $185 costs. He was placed on probation for 150 days and was ordered to pay the PUF of $50 plus a $20 monthly fee. He was ordered to pay a $50 Administrative Fee. As condition of probation, the Defendant shall complete a drug and alcohol evaluation and comply with any recommendations. The Defendant shall have no contact with the victim.

From globenewswire.com

Blair, Nebraska, June 25, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Great Plains Communications (GPC), a growing Midwestern telecommunications provider with an expanding, privately-owned 11,500+-mile fiber network touching 11 states, has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Enhanced Telecommunications Corporation (ETC), an innovative Southeastern Indiana-based provider.

“ETC is a well-run company with an impressive history and customer base, a talented and experienced workforce and tremendous growth potential,” said Todd Foje, CEO of Great Plains Communications. “Both companies align well with a very similar culture and history and share a common mission of delivering an exceptional customer experience. For all of these reasons, we are excited to work together as we merge into one united team. With the backing and support from our partners at Grain Management, we will be positioned well for future strategic expansion and success.”

ETC has been serving communities in Southeastern Indiana with residential and business services for over 85 years. The family-owned company has a long history of serving rural areas of the state, operating with five storefronts and over 90 employees living and working in the communities they serve. They pride themselves on being an aggressively innovative provider, delivering a suite of products and services that include high-speed internet, voice and video to more than 14,000 customers.

Chad Miles, CEO of ETC, had this to say: “On behalf of ETC, we are thrilled to join the Great Plains Communications team.  We share the same commitment to customer service, our communities and our employees.  I believe our combined effort along with the guidance of Grain Management will allow us to deliver a higher level of quality and innovation, further enhancing the customer experience.”

The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2020, following customary regulatory approvals. Financial terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.

About Great Plains Communications

Great Plains Communications is the largest privately-owned telecommunications provider in Nebraska with over a century of experience providing enterprise, carrier and residential customers with forward-thinking, fiber-based technology services including internet, managed Wi-Fi, ethernet, video, hosted and traditional voice solutions across the state. The company also prides itself on its progressive approach to accommodating the unique needs of all regional and national telecommunications carriers, LECs, ISPs, wireless carriers and other service providers utilizing superior engineering and custom-build strategies. At the core of its service offering is an extensive 11,500-plus-mile fiber network, including long-haul and metro networks that span the state of Nebraska extending into Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota and Wyoming. The network offers community access rings, last-mile and middle-mile solutions, all fully supported by a 24x7x365 Network Operations Center. For more information visit gpcom.com.

By John Estridge

Sometimes it is confusing what the various governmental entities do. Apparently, even U.S. senators get confused.

County resident Richard Bishop addressed the Franklin County Council members Tuesday night, June 23, even though they can do nothing about his problem. Bishop was there because he said he was dutifully following the instructions from Sen. Todd Young’s office.

Bishop lives off a long road west of Indiana 101 at the top of Bonwell Hill. On the east side of Ind. 101, the road runs in front of the BMV, Tri-Health building and the Division of Children Services. It then intersects with Oxford Pike and runs another mile or so before it dead ends.

Since the construction of Ind. 101 split the road in the 1960s-70s, Bishop has been maintaining his road. For a while, his was the only house on the road. Now, there are three more houses on the road. Also, at one time, he owned a private campground. However, he said he could not compete with state and county campgrounds, so he closed his private campground.

He has been maintaining his road until a culvert failed. Bishop told council members due to no-till farming methods, cornstalks were washed off adjoining farm fields and stopped up the culvert in question, causing it to fail. When he tried to get contractors to bid on repairing the culvert, they saw where the U.S. government, through the Army Corps of Engineers, owns some of the land. With that knowledge, all the contractors refused to bid on the work. Thus, Bishop asked the Army Corps and Indiana Department of Natural Resources to look over the situation and tell him who owns the road and who is responsible for its upkeep.

Through a lengthy process, representatives from the federal and state agencies met at the property and told Bishop he does not own the road and cannot work on it. It is either owned by Franklin County or Brookville.

Since it is well north of the town limits, Bishop is guessing it belongs to the county.

Thus, Bishop said Sen. Young’s office sent him a letter, in part, telling him to attend a county council meeting to tell them of his situation.

And he did.

Council President Jeff Koch told Bishop council does not do anything with the county’s roads. Instead, it signs checks to pay bills or claims incurred by the county commissioners in fixing the county’s roads.

County Commission Vice President Tom Linkel was present at the council meeting, and he told Bishop to attend the next commissioners’ meeting at 10 a.m., Tuesday, June 30, and talk to the commissioners about the situation. And Linkel told Bishop, in the interim, he would go to the site and inspect the road and the entire situation.

In other business, council:

*Unanimously approved a transfer for $250 from Computer Maintenance to Equipment in the county clerk’s office and from Election Inspector $2,000 to Election Inspector also in the county clerk’s office.

*Heard from some of the county’s Health Board members who had a request to increase the county nurse’s salary from $43,051 per year to $47,804 per year. They said she is doing more than the county nurse’s duties. She is also in a supervisory capacity.

Koch said the matter will be addressed during the 2021 budget workshops, which will be held in August.

*Approved a $306.25 claim for Barada Law Office for preparing for and remotely attending the May 26 council meeting.

*Approved increasing the part-time guard and hourly rate from $10 to $12 an hour for part-time employees at the Franklin County Park. This is retroactive to January.

*Created a part-time clerical line for Franklin County Sheriff Peter Cates. A member of his clerical staff is on medical leave, and he needs to pay a part-time employee in her absence.

By John Estridge

COVID-19 has negatively affected many different aspects of life in 2020.

Franklin County Sheriff Peter Cates told Franklin County Council members about how it has negatively affected his budget, and why he now needs an additional appropriation into his budget.

Council tabled Cates’ additional appropriation request at the May meeting so he came to the June council meeting, Tuesday night, June 23, and he explained his need for the extra money.

Cates was requesting $25,500. Cates was supposed to receive three new vehicles in 2019 and another three vehicles this year. However, his 2019 vehicles came in late, and they were all white vehicles. Cates had ordered black so he did not take delivery of the vehicles. The dealership he worked through did not make good on his order so he had to seek another dealer.

Then came the coronavirus and the ensuing nationwide shutdown, which included Ford factories. Cates did receive one vehicle, which another sheriff’s department received and did not want. That leaves him five new vehicles short, meaning his current vehicles are old and breaking down.

Among his repairs this year have been a transmission replacement and a motor replacement as well as other expensive fixes. He started 2020 with $26,500 in parts and $16,000 in labor. Now, he is down to $1,926 in parts and $3,957 in labor. There are still six months to go in the budget year. While he should get his new vehicles soon, he will have to have mandatory equipment placed on the new cars, which could more than deplete what he has remaining, he said. Also, some of the older vehicles could break down.

Cates asked for $20,500 in additional money for parts and $5,000 for labor. He said any money he has left over in those accounts at the end of the budget year, he will turn back over to the county.

FCC President Jeff Koch said he understood Cates’ situation; however, once Franklin County receives its shipment of new vehicles, the sheriff’s department will have a good fleet, probably the best fleet the county has ever had. Cates agreed.

“Hopefully, in six months, we will have five new vehicles,” Cates said.

Council member Scott McDonough said the county received $750,000 in COVID-19 money. However, county auditor Karla Bauman cautioned the money from the COVID-19 is reimbursement only and not everything will be allowed under its stringent rules.

Koch agreed, saying the county should not count on that money. Some council members and other county officials met the day after the council meeting with state officials and the county’s Emergency Management Agency to learn the ins and outs of using that money. Cates also cautioned, while the COVID-19 played into the problem, it was not the only cause.

According to Koch, since the vehicles were delayed, meaning they will not have many miles on them, council could cut some funding in the 2021 budget for new vehicles.

However, council member Glen Bischoff said council could not leave Cates empty handed while he is waiting for the new vehicles. Council member Joe Gillespie said he agreed with Bischoff.

After several more minutes of conversation, council decided to take $10,000 out of County Council Contingency Fund and put in Cates’ funds, which were in need of more money. Cates said if he needs more than $10,000, he knows where they meet, and he will return.

Also, if Cates needs more money in one of the two funds and less money in the other, he can handle it with a transfer.

Council unanimously passed the additional appropriation. Bauman said, for bookkeeping purposes, taking it from the Contingency Fund will mean a reduction so council will have to do that at the next meeting.