The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1067030
A-4 Local Wednesday, Januar y 2, 2019 The Press-Dispatch 4-H Fair, you will find they are all sporting big smiles. May- be a big, tired smile, but a big smile. The 2018 Pike County 4-H Fair came to an end af- ter a great week of weather and great attendance. "Mar- velous, is the word I'm us- ing," said Becky Steinhart, to describe the 2018 fair. She should know – she's been in- volved with 4-H for almost 45 years. • Pike County Commis- sioners approved a $7,500 a month contract for mainte- nance and protection of their computer systems coun- ty-wide. The contract with MATRIX Integration of Jas- per calls for them to provide "managed, proactive sup- port" for eight servers, seven network switches, seven se- curity appliances, five wire- less APs, support on Office 365, four backup appliances, help desk for 126 users, 134 devices and users for AV/ UTM and vCIO. In the previ- ous two years, Pike County's computer system was hacked by a ransomware attack on La- bor Day weekend, and a few months later, their backups were failing despite sending notices they were working. • A two-month-old girl died at her home, apparently in her sleep. Journel F. Lough, the daughter of Ciji Lough and Jack Parks, was pronounced dead at Memorial Hospital. In- diana State Police Detective Tobias Odom said an autopsy had been performed and that they were awaiting the final results, which he said would take a minimum of six weeks. "We don't suspect anything," Odom said. • West Nile Virus was found in mosquitoes collected from Pike County. Pike Coun- ty Health Nurse Amy Gladish said there were no known cas- es of West Nile Virus in hu- mans in Indiana so far. Howev- er, she said mosquitoes from several counties throughout Indiana have tested positive for West Nile Virus, which, she added, is not uncommon. • Pike County native Stan- ley Nelson was recently hon- ored as the Vet of the Day by the U.S. Department of Veter- an A ffairs. Nelson was nom- inated by Pike County Vet- eran Services Officer Tom Dooley. "It is an honor," Dool- ey said. "We use the term 'he- ro' loosely. He is truly a hero. He has a Silver Star, five Pur- ple Hearts and is working on a sixth. How many people can say that across the coun- try? ' Nelson also has a French Croix De Guerre for gallantry in action. • Pike Central High School alum Bo Daves took the mound for the Jasper Reds against the Louisville Stars – a team comprised entirely of former major league base- ball players – in the Blue- grass World Series at Louis- ville's Slugger Field. Daves left the game after having al- lowed four runs – all earned – on five hits, walking two and striking out two over 3-2/3 in- nings in a 5 -0 loss. • The Pike County School Corporation began the 2018 - 19 school year with an official student enrollment of 1,790, according to figures released by PCSC Superintendent of Schools Suzanne Blake. The Pike County School Corpo- ration had begun the 2017-18 school year with an official student enrollment of 1,715 students. • A fter opening the 2017- 18 school year with 57 stu- dents, Otwell Miller Acade- my saw its enrollment grow to 88 when classes started at the beginning of the 2018 -19 school year. • Members of the Pike County School Corpora- tion's Board of School Trust- ees were hooked on the idea of a competitive bass fish- ing club at Pike Central High School. Following a brief Pow- erPoint presentation by Pike Central High School fresh- man Beau Dillon, the school board unanimously approved Dillon's request to start up a club through B.A.S.S. (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society) High School Nation. Dillon's parents, Carrie Jean and Nor- man Dillon, volunteered to serve as the club's advisors. • The Petersburg City Council moved forward on a water system improvement project estimated to cost $ 9.4 million. Petersburg Mayor R.C. Klipsch red a letter he received from the Indiana Of- fice of Rural Development no- tifying Petersburg that funds had been obligated to pro- vide up to a $10 million loan to the city for its proposed water improvement project. The project would remove Petersburg's water plant, in- stall a new 12-inch main down Main Street, as well as make improvements to current wa- ter storage facilities, and add a water tank near I-69. • Pike County High School girls' golf senior Natalie Bohnert broke the school re- cord for an 18 -hole score by shooting a 4-over-par 76 dur- ing the Washington Invita- tional at the Country Oaks Golf Club. Bohnert's 76 broke the previous school record of 81 set by then senior Natalie Burkhart during last year's sectional tournament at the Country Club of Old Vin- cennes. Bohnert's previous best 18 -hole score was 84, which she carded during last year's sectional tournament. • The Winslow Town Coun- cil voted to join Petersburg on a joint application for a broad- band study grant. The broad- band study grant is through the Indiana Office of Com- munity and Rural A ffairs (OCR A). Pike County Eco- nomic Development Coun- cil executive director Ash- ley Willis said OCR A creat- ed the broadband readiness planning grant to help areas that are "underserved or un- served" by broadband in low- to-moderate income areas. The grant had a maximum amount of $50,000, with a 10 percent match. Willis and Winslow and Petersburg filed jointly because OCR A pre- ferred regional projects. • A seven-year-old Otwell girl is already winning bird- ing awards. Elli Brieden- baugh was recently named the Fledgling of the Year award winner by the Indiana Audubon Society's Young Birders Conference in Car- mel. Briedenbaugh is the daughter of Matt and Nikki Briedenbaugh, and is an av- id birder. "Fledgling of the Year is an award reserved for children who show an enthu- siasm for birding and dedi- cation to the conservation of wild birds," stated a release from the Audubon Society. SEPTEMBER • A local family's Labor Day cookout nearly turned tragic as a three-year-old girl fell in a pool. Libby Shel- ton and her family were vis- iting with her brother, Mike Bell, for a Labor Day cook- out near Alford. While the kids and adults were filling their plates, Shelton's daugh- ter, Presleigh, slipped outside without being noticed. A short time later, Shelton looked out the door and saw Presleigh floating in the pool. When she ran out and pulled the three- year-old from the pool, Pre- sleigh was lifeless and her lips were blue. Shelton and her brother, who both had CPR training, put Presleigh on her side and then gave her a breath and she started cough- ing up water. "I gave her an- other breath and she started coughing up more water and started breathing," said Bell. Presleigh was taken to the hospital and kept overnight for observation. • Between three and eight inches of rain fell on Pike County, causing flooding and road damage, and being blamed for at least one acci- dent. Pike County Highway Assistant Superintendent Josh Byrd reported that they were called out for a tree over a road. He said most of the culverts held up in the storm. However, it did wash out two large "tank car" culverts on County Road 150 N. located in Logan Township. • A blocked punt by senior Randy Powell was recovered by senior Eli Coleman in the end zone as the Pike Central High School football team ral- lied for a 7-6 victory over host Tell City. • An Ireland man was ar- rested after he led police on a chase of more than six miles on a moped before crashing, and being tackled and taken into custody. Bradley Joseph Neuhoff, 30, was arrested by Pike County Deputies Buck Seger and Jason McKinney on counts of operating a vehi- cle while intoxicated, resist- ing law enforcement and re- sisting law enforcement with a vehicle. • Senior Natalie Bohnert earned all-conference hon- ors for the third straight year while leading the Pike Central High School girls' golf team to a third-place finish in the Pocket Athletic Conference Championship at the Oakland City Golf Course on Monday, Sept. 10. Bohnert shot a nine- hole score of 42 – 5 over par – to tie for third place with Gib- son Southern's Claire Jones. • Only minor injuries were received when a 10 -wheeler dump truck overturned on Highway 64. Two cars it was meeting managed to miss the truck as it was crashing, but a load of small rock damaged their cars. Pike County Dep- uty Paul Collier said Kristo- pher Cheatham, 20, of Ecker- ty, was driving the truck west on Highway 64 when he heard something pop. Cheatham said the truck swerved off the right side of the road. He tried to correct it and went into the other lane. He then swerved back to the right, his load shifted, the truck overturned and came to rest on its side in the westbound lane. • Pike Central High School senior Becca Crow, the 18 -year-old daughter of Tim and Christy Crow, of Otwell, was crowned as the 2018 Fall Sports Homecoming Queen while junior Adair Kabrick, the 16 -year-old daughter of Ty and Brandi Kabrick, of Vel- pen, was crowned as the 2018 Pike Central High School Fall Sports Homecoming Princess during ceremonies held pri- or to the Pike Central-Forest Park football game. • Pike Central High School senior Natalie Bohnert shot a 4-over-par 74 to place first in the girls' golf sectional tour- nament at the Country Club of Old Vincennes. Bohnert – who broke her own 18 -hole school record score of 76 – became the first Lady Char- ger to earn low-medalist hon- ors at the sectional tourna- ment in the program's history. "She was absolutely torching the course for a while," said Pike Central head coach Jar- rod Gideon of Bohnert, who made par on six of her first eight holes and birdied the other two before a bogey on the ninth hole left her with a 1-under-par 34 at the turn – six strokes ahead of three-time sectional champi- on Grace Waggoner, of Vin- cennes Rivet. "It was some of the most impressive iron play I've seen at the high school level, boy or girl." • Derek Lunsford placed second in the 2018 IFBB 212 Olympia competition in Las Vegas, Nev. Lunsford, the 25 -year-old son of Javo- na Miller, of Petersburg, and Scott Lunsford, of Washing- ton, graduated from Pike Cen- tral High School in 2011. • The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Rural Development announced that it had approved a $ 9,230,000 loan to the City of Petersburg for improvements to its wa- ter utility system. Assistant to the Secretary of Rural De- velopment Anne Hazlett an- nounced the loan while at- tending the Water Pro Con- ference hosted by the Nation- al Rural Water Association in Fort Worth, Texas. • Roland and Helen Frey, of England, motored into Pe- tersburg after driving from Mount Vernon, Ill., in the rain in a 1928 4.5 liter Bent- ley convertible, and stopped to visit with Wyatt and Betty Rauch. The couple had start- ed their trip in Los Angeles in June, went back to Europe for five weeks, then returned to the United States in July to resume their cross-country tour. During their stop in Pe- tersburg, Roger Whann pre- sented the Freys with a cer- tificate of honorary member- ship to the Pike County Time- less Classic Car Club. • Madyson Hegedus was crowned as the 2018 Miss Buffalo Trace Queen; Jer- zey Reibold was crowned as the 2018 Teen Miss Buffalo Trace Queen; Brooklyn Que- ry was crowned as the 2018 Junior Miss Buffalo Trace Queen; and Elle Wiscaver was crowned as the 2018 Lit- tle Miss Buffalo Trace Queen. • One week after becom- ing the first girl golfer from Pike Central High School to win a sectional crown, senior Natalie Bohnert achieved yet another first by qualifying for the state tournament. During the regional tournament at the Country Oaks Golf Club, Bohnert shot a 9 -over-par 81 to finish in a five-way tie for fifth place as an individual. Bohnert's score earned her a berth in the state finals as one of the top five individuals from a non-advancing team. Bohnert would place 78th in the state finals, which were held at the Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel, with a 36 -hole total of 190. OCTOBER • Pike Central High School senior Draven Huff earned First-Team All-Conference honors for the second straight year after placing eighth out of 62 total runners during the Pocket Athletic Confer- ence High School Boys' Cross Country Championship Meet at the Hoosier Heights Coun- try Club in Tell City. Sopho- more Ijaa Chambers received honorable mention all-con- ference honors for the sec- ond straight year by placing 11th. Also earning honorable mention all-conference hon- ors was junior Nate Woolery, who placed 18th. In the girls' division, sophomore Libby Stone and freshman Quinlan Teague earned all-conference honorable mention accolades by finishing 11th and 18th, re- spectively. • A Gibson County man was lodged in the Pike Coun- ty Jail after he was arrest- ed on charges that he stole, shot, killed and burned his former girlfriend's pet dogs. Jordan M. Hunt, 28, of Hazle- ton, was charged with intim- idation, a Level 5 felony; do- mestic violence (animal cruel- ty), a Level 6 felony; and kill- ing a domestic animal, a Level 6 felony. Indiana State Master Trooper Paul Bastin said two dogs belonging to Hunt's for- mer girlfriend, Chelsie Koutz, of Evansville, were stolen. • A penalty kick by junior Ethan Scott with 7:54 left in the second half snapped a scoreless tie as the Pike Cen- tral High School boys' soccer team ended its regular season with a 1-0 victory over visit- ing Forest Park. Scott's pen- alty kick was the result of a handball by a Ranger defend- er inside the 18 -yard box after a shot by senior Austin Hold- er ricocheted off Forest Park freshman goalie Dylan Wey- er to Scott. • A Bedford contractor was arrested in Pike Coun- ty on a Level 5 felony charge of theft after he took $ 80,000 from a local couple to build a house and never started con- struction. David Lee Kenne- dy, 52, is accused of taking a $70,000 down payment from Ryan and Chelsea Knepp to construct a 2,865 -square- foot home on the Cart Road near Petersburg. According to the probable cause affidavit compiled by Dave Capehart, who investigated the matter, the Knepps wrote a $70,000 check to the BloomBank on Feb. 26, 2018, which then is- sued a cashier's check to Ken- nedy. They had also written a $10,000 check to Kennedy on Feb. 5. • A Petersburg man was hospitalized with life-threat- ening injuries and his passen- ger suffered a broken arm in a four-wheeler crash. Ter- ry Jones, 56, of Doane Lane, suffered head, rib and lung injuries in the crash, while Candace Parks, 39, suffered head and arm injuries. Con- servation Office Kendrick Fuhrman said the crash hap- pened when Jones was driv- ing a 2012 Honda TR X Utility four-wheeler west on CR 475 N., and hit a dog that ran in front of him, causing the four- wheeler to overturn. • The Pike Central High School marching band – bet- ter known as the Charger Bri- gade – advanced to the Indi- ana State School Music As- sociation's Scholastic Class Finals after receiving a gold rating during the Scholas- tic Class Prelims at Jasper. The finals for the Scholastic Class – which takes into con- sideration band size, as well as school enrollment – were held at Lawrence Central High School. • The Technology and Entrepreneur Center in Pike County was set to go out for bids in the next few weeks. The Center received a $757,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Plans for the building would be reviewed by the USEDA. Once ap- proved, they will be released for public bidding. Pike Coun- ty Economic Development Corporation executive direc- tor Ashley Willis said during the winter months, they will probably be doing site prep- arations with ground-break- ing and walls going up in Spring 2019. The Center will provide low-cost space for en- trepreneurs who are trying to get a business and/or product off the ground. It will have nu- merous technologies avail- able to start-ups that are im- possible or difficult for them to afford, like a 3-D printer, CNC machines, a lathe, ta- ble saw, miter saw and oth- er items typically needed to work on prototypes and small manufacturing. Adam Scales (812) 354-8488 adam.scales@infarmbureau.com MOOSE LODGE Dining Specials 5pm-8pm 115 Pike Ave., Petersburg OR ORDER FROM MENU FRIDAY 01-04-19 SATURDAY 01-05-19 PIZZA AVAILABLE Open to Members and Qualified Guests Coffee or Tea with special. Wed., Fri. and Sat. • 5pm - 8pm Buffet with Salad Bar, Only $10.95. Chicken Supreme with Two Sides, Only $7. Baked Spaghetti with Salad and Garlic Bread, Only $6.50 More Than 20 Years of Service Karen Thacker, AFSP Owner THACKER TAX SERVICE 512 S. 8th Avenue Haubstadt, IN 47639 812-615-0071 (office) 812-789-3852 (cell) kthacker01@gmail.com AUGUST 15 — Jenny Ridao (second from left) walks with her son, Jo- ey (left), and her daughter, Jessa (right), in front of Petersburg Elementary School on the first day of classes on Wednesday, Aug. 8. Joey Ridao will be in the eighth grade at Pike Central Middle School this school year, while Jes- sa Ridao will be in the fourth grade at Petersburg Elementary School. Ed Ca- hill photo SEPT. 5 — Kena Cannon, a junior member of the Pike Central High School marching band's color guard, salutes during the playing of the Na- tional Anthem before the Heritage Hills-Pike Cen- tral football game on Friday, Aug. 31, at Weathers Field. The Charger Brigade will participate in its first competition this Saturday at Evansville Cen- tral. Ed Cahill photo Continued from page 3 RECAP Continued on page 5