The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1338229
The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, Feburar y 10, 2021 A-7 OBITS EAST GIBSON Vaccines already reducing COVID numbers By Janice Barniak As of January, cases per day of COVID-19 have dropped from a November high of 35.77 cases to 26 cases per day av- erage in January in Gibson County, and Public Health Nurse Diane Hornby said that's at least in part due to the vaccine. The county still ended January with 811 new cas- es of COVID-19 and five new deaths, and the health depart- ment is still struggling to con- tact all positive cases, which was helped this week after CARES money supplied ex- tra phone lines above the two the department had. "A big thing with that is we are starting to vaccinate our elderly. We've been working really hard to get all our elder- ly vaccinated," she said, add- ing people ages 65 and over are now getting vaccinated, al- lowing the department to vac- cinate between 300 -400 per week, and that number will hopefully increase when sup- ply increases. "We can only give as many as we are sent," she said. In January, the department was sent 1,000 doses and was able to give 960 ; the other 40 were people cancelling. "We can't open a vial unless it's to give all 10 (immuniza- tions)," she said. "Be patient, I know it's hard to get the shot, to get signed up." The clinic books between six and nine people every 10 minutes, though from start to finish, it takes about 30 min- utes for the patient, between filling in paperwork and rest- ing the mandatory 15 minutes post-shot. When more shots are avail- able, they've arranged with the fairgrounds to move to the larger building to do more. She said that's why it's so important people schedule through OurShot.in.gov; the health department doesn't have the manpower to sched- ule shots in addition to giv- ing them. The Gibson Coun- ty Center for Seniors is help- ing schedule people who want help getting online and sched- uling their shots. The health department clos- es the office Wednesday be- cause the whole five-person staff goes to work the vaccine site. At the end of the day, they have a list of people who can get the shot at short notice, and Hornby goes out to give the last doses left in the vial, meaning it's 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. before the day ends. "We've not wasted one dose," she said. She said the department ex- pected to give 500 doses last week. "Next week, we start giving second rounds, so we have to watch we don't give so many first doses that we can't give the second," she said. She added the health de- partment also investigates complaints of restaurants not following the mandated mask- ing, which also increases their work load. "You guys are in the trench- es," said Commissioner War- ren Fleetwood. "We appreci- ate all you're doing. The lives you're saving." Hornby said she wants peo- ple to know the vaccine is safe. "I can't stress how much I believe in the vaccine. I would take it every week just to prove to people it's safe. I've given vaccines for 35 years of my nursing career...for us as a community to move forward, people need to get the vac- cine." The GCHD has also added rapid testing, which Hornby said has been key for the local workforce because close con- tacts of a person with COVID can walk in and have results the same day, and immediate- ly return to work with precau- tions if negative. County park to have pond this year By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Middle school teacher Wil- liam Niederhaus, as the new County Parks Board presi- dent, told Gibson County Com- missioners that the board ex- pects Hopkins Family Park in Francisco to have a pond in- stalled by Sept. 21, thanks to a $250,000 grant from Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources. They expect to close bids on the project Feb. 16 and award the job March 2. Already, the county has bought 1,500 tons of rock at a cost of $22,000 to put in a trail at the only county-owned park. Jail project narrowed to 3 firms By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Gibson County's jail proj- ect has been narrowed to be- tween two and three firms who will submit propos- als, with selection expect- ed March 1, Jail Consultant Byron Sanders told Gibson County Commissioners Feb. 2. The jail is the subject of a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union, a law- suit accusing the jail of break- ing mandates for jail safe in- carceration. The federal case against the county has had a series of deadlines for the county to meet to make progress, Sanders said the most recent was filed Jan. 25, after a reset on the project when the new commissioners took office. "She (the attorney sub- mitting the progress) felt we were in good shape as long as there were no further delays. We can't take our foot off the pedal," Sanders said. The Gibson County Coun- cil stopped design firm Amer- ican Structurepoint from con- tinuing on the jail project af- ter estimates came in around $40 million to do what the county requested, a price tag almost twice what the jail tax the county passed would pro- vide. Meanwhile, Sanders told commissioners and council members he could bring the project in around the bud- geted price. He said six ar- chitecture and engineering firms that are qualified to do the project had begun the screening process last week that would narrow them fur- ther, to two to three firms. "Most of these firms have a lot of jail experience," he said. A March 1 selection of the firm would be on schedule, he said, then allowing a year and a half for construction, the project would end on time. He said they might break out the site preparation work from the bid package to start as soon as possible. He complimented the sher- iff on the way he was using the space currently, saying that if a person took every- thing in the jail now out, it would be difficult to fit the same amount in again. Commissioner Warren Fleetwood said his concern is keeping change orders non-existent or at a mini- mum; he'd like a company that would put their own money on the line in the estimates, so that if costs were over, they would need to pay for it. Commissioner Mary Key said she felt that weeding the companies from six to few- er should have included the jail committee, a committee that Key, the sheriff, and oth- er members related to law en- forcement serve on. "Ok. Fine. Whatever. I think you're all doing things by the back door," she said. "I'm sorry you feel left out... no one's trying to keep you out," said Fleetwood. "I would expect the sheriff to be handed that baton very soon," said Sanders. A pond will be completed at Hopkins Family Park in Francisco by September, ac- cording to the county parks board. APC board members change By Janice Barniak Gibson County Commis- sioners nominated Cecil "Bob" Allen and Marty Mar- ginet for the Area Planning Commission this week. Allen is a former county councilman who Commis- sioner Warren Fleetwood called "very active in poli- tics...homegrown." Local cattle farmer Mar- ty Marginet is a member of Jaycees and will bring an- other perspective on land usage rights. Commissioner Mary Key voted against Marginet's appointment, putting forth former APC member April Graper, and was outvoted two-to-one. "I hate to lose her knowl- edge on all this," Key said. The APC is set to meet at 6 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, Feb. 9 to discuss the pro- posed zoning repeal. EMS looks to replace failing ambulance By Janice Barniak If you drive by Turpen's 64 Garage in Princeton, and you see an ambulance out for repair, EMS Director David Pond said it's less the excep- tion than the rule for the V10, gas-powered Gibson County EMS that is starting to fail with 136,000 miles on it. One of four owned by the county, the ambulance was a remounted box on a retrofit- ted chassis, and has electrical issues and often, no air con- ditioning. Commissioners, on Feb. 2, approved beginning the search for a replacement, af- ter Pond said he's not sure the issues are fixable, and Princ- eton, across all three area EMS services, has the most calls, and needs that unit to help cover Princeton, Patoka and White River areas. "I'm really concerned," he said. "It's a lot of stress on patients and the people who work in it." The county will look at a diesel replacement since the other three units are diesel, and the extra mileage on a diesel engine means the am- bulance could transport a pa- tient all the way to Indianap- olis without stopping for gas if necessary. All three commissioners were in favor of finding a re- placement; Commissioner Mary Key suggested check- ing to see if there were grants available on the replacement. "Start looking into it, peo- ple depend on that," said Commissioner Kenneth Montgomery. "This is my biggest con- cern right now," Pond said. JAMES WATKINS James "Jimmie" Watkins, 96, of Wheeling, passed away February 4, 2021, in Princeton at Deaconess Gib- son General. He was born in Gibson County to Laverne and Irene ( Jones) Watkins on August 12, 1924. He graduated from Mt. Olympus in 1942. He was a veteran of W WII and served in the South Pacific on an L ST. He worked in the oil fields and as a farmer, retir- ing in 2016. He was a trust- ee and an active member of Wheeling United Method- ist Church. He loved spend- ing time with his family, es- pecially his great-grandchil- dren. He is survived by Mary Lou (Hunt) Watkins, his wife of 74 years; his daugh- ter and sons-in-law, Jane and Rod Vickers, and Mike McConnell; his sister, Jean Pauley; his grandchil- dren, Sara and Bryce Ab- bey, Jenny and Zach Kolb, and Logan Vickers; and his great-grandchildren, Lane and Jase Kolb, and Hudson and Harrison Abbey. He was preceded in death by his parents; his sis- ter, Mary Jo Watkins; his daughter, Jan McConnell; grandson, Sam McConnell; and several brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. A private funeral service will be held for the family due to COVID-19 restric- tions, but friends are en- couraged to join via Face- book live around 10 a.m. Wednesday, February 10, 2021, by going to https:// www.facebook.com/Colvin- FuneralHomes. Interment will follow services at At- kinson Chapel Cemetery in Oatsville, with the Retired Military Veterans handling full military honors at the graveside. A walk-through visitation was from 3-7 p.m. Tuesday at Colvin Funeral Home in Princeton. In lieu of flowers, the fam- ily has asked for donations to be made to Wheeling United Methodist Church, 6046 E. County Road 390 N, Francisco, IN 47649. Online condolences can be made by visiting Colvin- FuneralHome.com, where you can also light a candle in loving memory of Jim- mie. Colvin Funeral Home is honored to serve the Wat- kins family. JULIA MAE BLAIZE Julia Mae (Robertson) Blaize, 97, of Evansville, passed away on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021. She was born April 12, 1923, to the late Ray and Della (Schmidt) Robertson in Bow- man, near Petersburg, one of ten children. She attended Bowman Grade School and graduated from Pe- tersburg High School with hon- ors. She was active in sports, es- pecially basketball, and active in Girl Reserves. She met her husband, John Blaize, in 1940, when he came to her parents' house to take the federal cen- sus. They married in 1943 and enjoyed 62 years of marriage before his death. She went on to Lockyear Business College in Evansville. Her first job was at Ideal Pure Milk Company, working as a comptometer op- erator. She worked at Fine and Fine Law Office, Selection Service Office in Pike County, Crescent City Coal Company, BR ADLEY J. WILLIS, M.D., M.P.H. Dr. Bradley "BJ" Willis, 42, passed away at 12:41 p.m. on January 25, 2021, at his home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, af- ter fighting COVID-19 with complications for the past 4- 5 months. He was born July 19, 1978, to Scott and Peg (Perkins) Willis, and his older broth- er, Clifton. Home was in the "country" of Petersburg/Pike County, where he was raised. Upon graduating from Pike Central in 1996, he entered college and received his first degree in psychology, then be- came a counselor, social work- er and behavioral analyst. Soon after, he entered medi- cal school, where he graduat- ed as a family practice physi- cian, with also a master's in Public Health Medicine and, soon thereafter, Hyperbaric Medicine with wound care. He completed his residency at Cedar Rapids Medical Ed- ucation Foundation through the University of Iowa. Fol- lowing graduation, he accept- ed a faculty position to educate further medical students and resident doctors. BJ was a kind, gentle soul providing holistic medicine to assure that he did his best to meet his patient's needs. He was able to "take the hand" of any person to let them know that he cared when treating all ages. This also was how he taught his students, plus demonstrated the love he had for his co-workers, who he called his family. Survivors include his broth- er, Clifton Willis; nephew, Ca- den Willis; niece, Elizabeth Willis; and his mother, Peg (Perkins) Willis. He was also blessed and surrounded by his aunts, uncles, cousins and many friends that he called his family. He was preceded in death by his father, Scott Willis; grand- parents, Charlie Perkins, Mar- tha Perkins Byrd, Oscar Byrd, and Hugh and Lucile Willis; and aunts, Sherri Willis and Connie Davis Sturgeon. Services will be private. The family requests no flo- ral arrangements be sent. OD Harris and Sons Funer- al Home is entrusted with his excellent care. Online condo- lences may be made at odhar- risfuneralhome.com. We can't take our foot off the pedal" -Byron Sanders, Jail consultant OCU ranked 9th for Best Online Bachelors in Operations Management Oakland City Universi- ty has been ranked 9th for Best Online Bachelors in Operations Management by Study.com's 2021 rank- ings. Study.com has over 40 million visitors per month. They use this site to re- search different schools, degrees, and careers. To be selected in the top schools Study.com will assess the data from a great many uni- versities as well as the U.S. Department of Education. A few things these surveys keep in mind is affordabili- ty, convenience, distinctive characteristics from what the online program has to offer. The features that stood out to Study.com and the traits that landed Oak- land City University so high in the ranking was the ac- cessibility to the online stu- dents, small class sizes, the flexibility of the program, and the options in opera- tions management degree program. SWIRCA and also, her most fa- vorite doctor in the world, Dr. Richard Sloan, her nephrolo- gist at Deaconess and Davita. As we say our goodbyes through prayer, we can em- bed memories of Malinda in our hearts. Rest in glorious peace, dear Malinda. There will be no services per Malinda's wishes. Burial will be at St. Joseph Cemetery at a later date. Ziemer Funeral Home will be handling arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to American Heart Association, 3816 Paysphere Circle, Chica- go, IL 60674, National Breast Cancer Foundation, PO Box 678572, Dallas, T X 75267-8572 or your favorite charity. Sunset Drive-In Theatre and eventually retired from A&C Supply Corp. after 20 years. She attended First Chris- tian Church. Family was very important to her. She re- mained friends and big sis- ter to her brothers and sis- ters, and their spouses. She is survived by her chil- dren, David (Rosie) Blaize, Carol (Steve) Travers, Ed- die ( Jama) Blaize and Sue Chase; eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchil- dren; brother, Joe Robert- son; sister, Myrl (Dale) Hayes; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; sis- ters, Ruth Petrin, Jane John- son Robertson, Margaret Morrow and Sue Dreves; brothers, Jerry Robertson, Charles Robertson and Al- len Robertson; and son, Ron- nie Baize. Zimmerman Funeral Home was in charge of ser- vices and burial was in Sun- set Memorial Park Ceme- tery. Memorial contributions may be made to Wounded Warriors Project, PO Box 158516, Topeka, KS 66675 - 8516 or the Vanderburgh Hu- mane Society, 400 Millner Industrial Rd, Evansville, IN 47710. Condolences may be made at www.ziemerfuneralhome. com. Continued from page 6