South Gibson Star-Times

TWO SECTIONS 24 PAGES NO INSERTS BEGINS ON PAGE A-7 $1 TUESDAY, FEbrUArY 18, 2020 VOLUME 65 NUMbEr 38 FOrT brANCH, INDIANA 47648-0070 (USPS #205-620) EXCELLENCE EXCELLENCE A ge of See COUPLE on page 2 By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Norma Altmeyer, of Owensville, re- members the day she knew she'd fall- en for her friend and Euchre partner, John Heldt. She was getting ready to go play cards at the Gibson County Council on Aging. "I thought, 'I wonder if John will be in to play.' I knew right then," she said. For Heldt, who is from Princeton, it was conversations over ice cream at Dairy Queen. "We started talking and every- thing fell together," he said. The couple married where their re- lationship began, at the senior center Friday, on Valentine's Day, in a cere- mony attended by family and friends. "I will cherish you and love you today, tomorrow and forever," the couple promised each other in their vows. On his turn, Heldt winked at his new bride. It's not a first marriage for either of them. "My husband had been gone 10 years. I was reconciled to making a life on my own. But things changed after I met John," she said. Heldt's wife had died just after Christmas in 2017, after a 31-year marriage that ended with the heart- break of chemo, radiation, lung can- cer and the decision to enter hospice. He never thought he would want to marry again, and it took a lot of cour- age, but he knew his new wife was a special person and the two of them "just clicked." The couple were married by Alt- meyer's nephew and the bride given away by her children. "No one should live alone. Not if they feel they can find someone to love and that they can live with," said PLAYING THEIR CARDS RIGHT Euchre couple marries at Senior Center on Valentine's Day Road work will close Ind. 64 By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com According to County Engi- neer Matt Holden, a two-month complete closure of Ind. 64 west of Princeton is set for July and August. While initially the state had planned 1.5 years of partial clo- sures, the new schedule will in- volve complete closure, but for a shorter period of time. "That highway is pretty bumpy in spots," said longtime Councilman Bill McConnell. The detour will likely send motorists down Lyles Station Road; council members were concerned about safety on the road during the detour, but add- ed the good news is that by hav- ing a detour onto that road, af- ter the closure, the county can file to get patching done on the road at the state's expense. The only downside is that can take as long as two years to get ap- proved, during which no updates can be made. See MRI on page 2 GGH gets state of the art MRI By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com MRI worker Angie Snodgrass tells touring visitors at Gibson General to picture their first ev- er cell phone, and then picture the one they have now. "That's what a jump the tech- nology is," she said, explain- ing the features of the state-of- the-art Air Coil technology Gib- son General introduced at last week's ribbon cutting. The "channels" of the MRI are 40 compared to the previ- ous eight, and for patients, that will mean decreased scan time and more comfort for those with claustrophobia. The $120,000 investment is the only one of its kind in the Midwest, said Mona Grinslade. "Patients are going to love it," she said. "This is the kind EMS workers protest bill allowing insurance companies to set prices By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Gibson County EMS Direc- tor Jim Allen joined more than 100 EMS workers from around the state in a Senate Hearing Committee last week to let leg- islators know the effects of pro- posed House Bill 1372 on first re- sponders. According to Allen, if the bill were to pass as written, it would allow insurance companies to set the price for ambulance servic- es, a move that he said could in- crease response times overall. Currently, insurance compa- nies already set the cost they will pay for service and have the rest billed to the consumer. Un- der the new bill, the insurance companies would choose what they wanted to pay and the pa- tient could not be billed the rest. "The adverse affect of the bill would be it would severely low- er EMS Services revenue by as much as 50 percent. This would cause some smaller companies to not be able to survive and have to shut down. This would cause a chain reaction of longer response times, because other services would have to respond from adjoining or farther areas, some services could be forced to lower their care level, such as go- ing from a paramedic level ser- vice to a basic life support ser- vice. All of which would be detri- mental to the patient in not being able receive the care they need in the time they need it," Allen said. The senate committee heard approximately 20 testimonies from the group, discussing dif- ferent points against parts of the bill. The committee agreed to make amendments to the bill and re- view it in its entirety before com- ing to any conclusions, Allen said. See PUP on page 2 Stray pup gets a warm bed for Valentine's Day By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com A fter his brother was hit by a car, Charlie was the last of a litter of five puppies abandoned on Rock Road in Ow- ensville at Christmas to fend for themselves; but Satur- day, after weeks of neighbors helping earn his trust, he finally allowed him- self to be captured and brought back to Gibson County Animal Services. Kayla Leek, one of the neigh- bors feeding him, has three dogs Norma Alt- meyer, now Hel- dt, turns to the crowd with new husband John Heldt on Friday at Gibson Coun- ty Council on Aging. Left: A bridesmaid pre- cedes Altmeyer down the aisle. Below: A crowd of friends and family await the bride. Local ........ A1-12 Obituaries .......A3 Home Life A10-11 Sports ........B1-3 School ........ B4-6 History ...........B7 Church ...... B8-9 Opinion .. B10-11 Classifi eds .... B12 WHAT'S INSIDE: PIKE PUBLISHING Phone: ............812-753-3553 Fax: .................812-753-4251 Email .. editor@sgstartimes.com E-Mail .........news@sgstartimes.com Facebook ....facebook.com/sgstartimes Twitter .........twitter.com/sgstartimes NEWS TIPS: CONNECT WITH US:

• Cover