The Press-Dispatch
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JULY BARGAIN PERIOD SEE DETAILS ON PAGE A-3 Local �������� A1-10 Sports ���������B1-2 Opinion �������B3-4 Classifieds ��B5-7 History ����������� B8 Church ��������C1-8 Home Life����C4-6 Obituaries������� C7 WHAT'S INSIDE: CONNECT WITH US: NetEdition ���pressdispatch�net/edition Facebook�����facebook�com/pressdispatch E-Mail ���������news@pressdispatch�net Phone:������������������ 812-354-8500 Fax: ���������������������� 812-354-2014 E-Mail � editor@pressdispatch�net NEWS TIPS: PIKE PUBLISHING Wednesday, July 3, 2019 Volume 149 Number 28 Phone 812-354-8500 Petersburg, IN 47567-0068 (USPS 604-34012) $ 1 Three sections 28 pages Five inserts See EVENTS on page 2 See ARRESTS on page 4 See TECH on page 4 New shelterhouse at Prides Creek under construction Corey Beneintton, of Wagler Brothers Construction, smooths concrete at Prides Creek's new shelterhouse that is under construction. It will feature bathrooms and is 56x28 feet. It is replacing the original shelterhouse nearest the beach. Parking will be nearly tripled at the site. Prides Creek Manager Brandon Schultheis said they hope to have it completed by early August, depending on weather. By Andy Heuring Jefferson Townships Fourth of July cele- bration kicks off Wednesday night for spe- cial needs kids. The festival will start for ev- eryone with the 10 a.m. parade on Thursday, July 4. It is the first of several events high- lighting July in Pike County. Prides Creek is having a July 5 celebration. Clog the Pa- toka is set for Saturday, July 13 in Winslow. The Pike County 4-H Fair will run from Ju- ly 21-28 and a weekend-long fundraiser for River Harbin is set for July 19 to 21. OTWELL FOURTH OF JULY The Jefferson Township Ruritan's Fourth of July Celebration is scheduled for Wednes- day, July 3 through Saturday, July 6. This year's festival will have many of the staple events, such as their parade and fireworks on July 4, truck and tractor pulls, carnival rides and BBQ dinners. But they also will have a special event celebrating the 50th anniversary of Otwell High School winning the basketball sectional. The 1969 Otwell Millers will be the grand marshals of the parade at 10 a.m. The team consisted of Jim DeMotte, Tim Garland, Ellis Gray, Steve Meadors, Tim Teague, Mike Vaughn, Steve Barrett, Neal Pauw, Rick Weisman, Bob Whaley, Erwin Traylor and David Elkins; Coaches Howard Andy Anderson and Richard Helton; stu- dent managers Nicky Meadors and Walter Hazelton; cheerleaders Brenda (Summit) Rish, Pep (Dickson) Young, Rita ( Whaley) Weisman and mini-cheerleader Angie (An- derson) Merkley. There will be a visit with the team, and question and answer session at 2:30 p.m. in the Community Center gym. A community-wide church service at 11 a.m. Sunday, June 30, presented by the Southeastern Pike County Ministerial As- sociation, will start the annual event. The Little Miss Firecracker contest is set for 7 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $ 3, with children six and under free. The carnival grounds will open on Wednesday at 6 p.m., with a ride night for those with special needs. Up to two guests of each special needs person can partici- pate for $5 each. There will be a garden tractor pull at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 4 The parade starts at 10 a.m., followed by the midway opening with rides and the fa - mous Ruritan BBQ chicken and rib dinners available. A State of Indiana resolution will be pre- sented to the 1969 sectional champion Ot- well Miller basketball team at 11:15 a.m. A local truck and tractor pull starts at 2 p.m. and there will be a children's tractor pull in the community center gym. Bingo starts at 2 p.m. The rides will close at 1:30 p.m. and re- open at 4 p.m. The bands of Joe Nobody and One Night Stand will perform beginning at 7 p.m. Fireworks will be at dark. Friday, July 5 Grounds will open at 4 p.m. and bingo starts at 5 p.m. The third annual Firecrack- er Volleyball tourney starts at 7 p.m. with two divisions: four vs. four co-ed and six vs. six co-ed. Pre-register at 812-789 -3705. The Battle of the Bluegrass Pulling se- ries featuring light limited super stock trac- tor class, pro street diesel trucks, hot farm tractors and modified 4x4 trucks begins at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 6 A full day of events are set for Satur- day, starting at 8 a.m. with the Stars and Stripes Cook-off contest. Registration is $10 per person. Pre-register for it at 812-789 - 3705. Sampling begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. Chicken will be judged at 3:30 p.m., ribs at 4:30 p.m. and cook's choice at 5:30 p.m. A car, truck and tractor show opens at 10 a.m., with the rides and vending booths opening at 11 a.m. Registration for the Cornhole Tourna- ment of Champions Farewell Tour is at 5 p.m. Throwing starts at 6 p.m. Also the cook-off winners, and car, truck and tractor show winners will be announced at 6 p.m. The Firecracker demolition derby starts at 6:30 p.m., with the classes of mini-cars, bone stock class and old school metric class. Raffle winners will be drawn at 9 p.m. PRIDES CREEK JULY 5 CELEBRATION Prides Creek Park will have live music and food vendors on site Friday night to cel- ebrate. The band American Pie will perform at the amphitheater from 6 to 9 p.m. Food and craft vendors will be in the park from 4 to 9 p.m. It is only $2 per car for non-Prides Creek campers. CLOG THE PATOKA SET FOR SATURDAY, JULY 13 Clog the Patoka is now in its third year. The event came together quickly two years ago and grew at a viral rate. The first event in 2017 was just a group invitation to join Chris Clement and the Kayak Mafia on a riv- er float. An amazing 361 people showed up Plenty of July entertainment in the area Tech Center construction grant approved By Andy Heuring Tragedy was avoided in two un- usual incidents Thursday after- noon in Pike County on I-69. At 3:15 p.m. Thursday, Pike County's central dispatch got a re- port of a wrong way driver on I-69. "Our initial report was of a wrong way driver in a pick-up south- bound in the northbound lanes from our exit," said Pike County Sheriff Kent Johnson. Harcourt Alton, 44, of 1105 SE First St., Evansville, was arrest- ed on preliminary charges of re- sisting law enforcement, operat- ing a vehicle while intoxicated, en- dangering a person, operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol con- tent of 0.15 percent or more, reck- less driving and driving while sus- pended. Sheriff Johnson said he re- sponded with deputies Adam Thompson, Jared Simmons, Ja- son McKinney, Kody Jones and Petersburg Officer Kyle Mills. Deputy Thompson was a couple of miles ahead of the other depu- ties near the 40 mm on I-69. He said he had not located Alton yet. Thompson located Alton just as he was heading into Gibson County. Deputy Jared Simmons said as he entered Gibson County, he saw the Alton coming at him. "I had to swerve into the right lane to avoid being struck head- on by the truck," said Simmons in his report. Cpl. Mills swerved in- to the median, and Deputy McK- inney had to swerve into the right lane to avoid the truck. They all turned around and headed north chasing Alton. Sheriff Johnson stopped traf- fic in southbound lanes at the 40 mm. Alton was now headed north in the southbound lane, crossing from Gibson County into Pike County, traveling at speeds of be- tween 80 and 90 mph. When Alton approached where Sheriff Johnson had stopped traf- fic, with a semi-truck stopped be- hind his patrol car, Alton slowed and tried to go into the median. Deputy Simmons said he crossed through the median attempting to cut off the truck before it was able to get out of the median. He said Alton sped up, hit his patrol car on the driver's side front fender and then Alton hit the stopped semi- truck. Simmons said he was then able to get in front of Alton and get him stopped. Alton was ordered out of the truck at gunpoint. Sheriff Johnson Unusual incidents on I-69 lead to two arrests By Andy Heuring Pike County got official notification last week the Technology Center will receive more than $2 million in the form of an 80 -20 grant from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce's Economic Development Administration. It is a project Pike County has been working on since before 2012. The 8,600 -square foot building, to be lo- cated at the southwest corner of the I-69 interchange, just south of Petersburg, will house co-working space, maker space, pri- vate offices, as well as a training center for workforce development. "I'm ecstatic," said Joe Dedman, of the Pike County Economic Development Corp. The technology center was one of sever- al projects in Petersburg's first Stellar ap- plication in 2011. "It was originally going to be in Petersburg," said Dedman. How- ever, after the Petersburg Stellar applica- tion failed, the EDC decided to relocate it at the I-69 interchange. Ashley Willis, executive director of the Pike County's EDC, said it was "wonderful news. . . Very exciting times," as she noti- fied EDC board members of the $2.060 mil- lion grant. "I am pleased to inform you that the De- partment of Commerce's Economic De- velopment Administration (EDA) has ap- proved your application for a $2,060,000 EDA investment to construct the Entre- preneurship & Technology Center of Pike Storms down trees throughout county Petersburg employees work to remove a large tree that fell across north Fifth St. Sunday night during storm. Oma McGrath, who lives across the street from where it fell, said it made a huge boom Sunday night. City Services Manager Ross Elmore said they worked all morning getting it cleaned off of Fifth St. Pike County Highway Superintendent Josh Byrd said the county had two trees down in Ot- well, probably eight to 10 trees in Velpen and White Oak area, another three or four in Cato, one near Oatsville and two on CR 650E near Highway 64.