The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1312729
SHOP LOCAL LOCAL LOCAL LOCAL LOCAL LOCAL Triple Feature Starts on A-4 Sma� Busine� Saturday Starts on B-4 NEWS TIPS Phone: ���������������������812-354-8500 Email ����� editor@pressdispatch�net INSIDE Local ����������������� A1-8 Shopping������������ A4-6 Sports �����������������B1-3 Obituaries ���������������B6 Church �������������� C1-3 Classifieds �����������C6-7 East Gibson ��������� C8 Home Life ������������D1-8 School ���������������� D4-5 History �������������������D5 Opinion ������������� D6-7 USPS 604-34012 Wednesday, november 25, 2020 PIKE PUBLISHING voLUme 150, nUmber 48 $1.00 32 PaGes FoUr seCTIons FIve InserTs PeTersbUrG, In 47567-0068 By Andy Heuring The Pike County School Board voted to get bids on making an estimated $ 800,000 of re- pairs and improvements to the high school swimming pool and to cancel first semester final exams during their November business meeting. The estimated cost to make repairs to the pool area was $ 808,000, plus between $25,000 and $ 30,000 to replace tile on the walls sur- rounding the pool. The repairs included steel support beams, the air handling system and the concrete around the pool. Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Blake recommended adding the op- tion to replace all the tile on the walls around the pool. She said part of the tile would have to be replaced. She asked they include a bid op- tion to replace all the tile, because she doubt- ed if they could find tile that matched the orig- inal tile from the mid-1970s. This price did not include the more than $100,000 cost to replace the pool liner. She said minor repairs were made to allow the swim team to use the pool for practice. However, they decided to not host any swim meets this season. If the school board decides to accept the bids once they come in, the work to the pool would take place next spring an summer. FIRST SEMESTER FINAL EXAMS CANCELLED Board members also voted to cancel finals exams for the first semester. "Our primary concern is looking at the cur- Board to let pool repair bids; final exams cancelled See FINALS on page 2 See COVID on page 2 Ed Fox See TRIAL on page 2 See KET TLE on page 3 Some of the bells have de- cades of ring- ing in them, but the Sal- vation Ar- my dusts them off year af- ter year. Kettle campaign marks the end of a year of increased need By Janice Barniak Pike-Gibson Salvation Army Director Chris Marques answers a knock at the Salvation Army door. "We're giving away food Friday," he tells the person before returning to the office. "It's another new face. Every day, we're seeing new people. Peo- ple are coming and knocking all the time." In all of 2019, the Pike-Gib- son Salvation Army served 300 new clients in the year, but with the pandemic, they've already served 400 new families, and expect to see more new faces over the holidays. Marques answers questions about their toy drive just as of- ten, explaining that while the toy sign-ups have passed, with 90 kids signed up for presents, they do have holiday food bas- kets they'll give—he directs them to other non-profits that can still give toys. With increased need and fewer fund- raising opportunities over the spring and summer, Marques said the red ket- tle Christmas campaign will set the tone for what the non-profit can do in 2021. "We really got hit in September. I don't know if I've ever seen that many food boxes," he said. That was a peak of 102 food boxes to 284 people in September, but since the pandemic started in March, it's been By Andy Heuring A Winslow man has died after being mauled by several dogs in his residence near Ayrshire. Mike Mallory, 56, was found by his broth- er Thursday evening, suffering from numer- ous dog bites, including to his neck. Mallory died enroute to the hospital. Pike County Sheriff Kent Johnson said de- tails aren't known because no one witnessed the attack. He said Mal- lory's brother, Mar- vin, had been nearby, dry-walling a residence on the same property. When Marvin returned to their trailer, he found Mike sitting at the kitch- en table, bleeding with multiple wounds. Sher- iff Johnson said Mike was still conscious, but he didn't know how re- sponsive he was when Marvin found him. Marvin called 911 at 7:47 p.m. Thursday. Johnson said police were investigating about a 45 -minute time window when the attack oc- curred. "We know prior to that, he was alive and well," said Johnson. Sheriff Johnson said two of the dogs were Mike's, others were owned by Marvin and at least one other was owned by a close friend. He said there were six dogs in the trailer; however, one got loose and was hit by a car Thursday night. Several of them were pit bulls and the others were at least part pit bull. "We don't know what provoked the at- tack. We know 100 percent it was the dogs," said Johnson. The Pike County EMS arrived and were transporting Mallory to Bloomington. He died enroute to the hospital. Michael Mallory Mallory dies after being mauled by dogs By Andy Heuring A March trial date has been set for Edward Fox, who has been charged with murdering his estranged wife, Sharon. Fox is charged with murder; burglary, where serious bodily injury occurs and bur- glary was to a dwelling, a level 1 felony; and burglary of a dwelling, a level 4 felony. He is scheduled for a five-day trial, beginning at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 15 in Pike Circuit Court. A charge of residential entry, breaking and entering to a dwelling, a level 6 felony, has been dismissed. Pike County Prose- cutor Darrin McDonald said that was one of the first charges filed by Pike County. "We filed break- ing and entering as soon as we were sure he went into the house," said Mc- Donald of the level 6 fel- ony. "We didn't have all the phone data and didn't know the details. As that developed with the lock pick, the broken lock and life insurance policies, the other charges developed." He said the level 1 felony charge of burglary with serious bodily injury and lev- el 4 burglary of a dwelling charges added lat- er covered the same events as the entering charge that was filed earlier, so they dropped the lesser charge. Fox is accused of killing his estranged wife, Sharon, in July. Sharon Fox, 66, was found in her residence at 3081 N. CR 575 E., Peters- burg, at about 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 19 by Pike County Deputy Sheriff Jared Simmons. Simmons was sent to the residence to do a welfare check after Edward had called the Sheriff's Department saying Sharon hadn't been heard from for a few days. According to a probable cause affidavit, Fox, on Monday, called police to ask them about it. He agreed to talk with police and while being interviewed by Indiana State Po- lice Detective Tobias Odom and Petersburg Police Cpl. Kyle Mills, Fox became combat- ive when they tried to take custody of his cell- phone. He was arrested on resisting and ob- struction of justice charges. Police would continue to interview him a total of four times. A 19 -page probable cause affidavit states, "The full series of four inter- views in the week after discovery of Sharon's body was necessitated by Edward Fox con- cealing material facts, omitting material facts or fabricating details. Each successive inter- view sought to clean up false statements Ed- Fox murder trial set for March 15 A quick-moving grass and leaf fire, driv- en by strong winds, threatened a house and burned about 3.5 acres on Thursday after- noon, about five miles west of Petersburg on CR 550 N. Petersburg Fire Chief Ross Elmore said a man living at the house owned by Adam Gar- rett said he thinks the fire was started by a discarded cigarette. Elmore said the man told him someone came to his door asking for a person he didn't know. While they were talking, that man discarded a cigarette and left. Later, the resident said he noticed the smell of smoke and when he looked outside, he saw the yard was on fire. Elmore said the man called 911 and used a garden hose to try and extinguish the fire. "It is probably a good thing he did or it might have gotten into his house. It had already melt- ed his siding." Elmore estimated it burned about 3.5 acres, spreading through a wooded area to proper- ty owned by Garry Sullivan. Strong winds and dry conditions caused the fire to spread quick- ly. Elmore said a lot of the area was wooded and hilly, making accessing it difficult. He said they could not use their fire vehicles. "We had to do most of it by hand. It was a lot of work." Petersburg was assisted by Patoka Township with a tanker and brush truck. Fire- men were on the scene more than four hours putting it out. Grass fire damages rural Petersburg home on Thursday A grass fire spread to a wooded area Thursday afternoon. It burned several trees, as well as burning through underbrush. The fire, which was believed to have started from a discarded cigarette, damaged the siding on Adam Garrett's house. By Andy Heuring Many of Pike County's Christmas traditions have been cancelled this year. The one Christmas event we know that is still on is Christmas in the Park. It will open on Friday after Thanksgiving and runs each night from 6 to 9 p.m. There is a $5 per car do- nation requested. The displays will be on ev- ery night through Christmas. Volunteers are needed to take the donations on several dates. To volunteer, call Don Priest at 812-582-2765. CANCELLATIONS Petersburg Christmas parade, Santa House and Break- fast with Santa. Winslow Christmas parade and Mouse House. Otwell Breakfast with Santa. COVID cases top 500; no deaths since Oct. 21 By Andy Heuring Pike County topped 500 cases of COVID in the last week, with 503 total cases as of Tues- day. That is up 39 cases since last Tuesday, ac- cording to the Indiana Department of Health's website. Pike County Health Nurse Amy Gladish said, on Monday, the county currently has 62 active case. Pike County has not record- ed a COVID death since October 21. Howev- er, statewide, the deaths hit an all-time high of 58 new deaths on November 17. Since then, Holiday cancellations