The South Gibson Star-Times serves the towns of Haubstadt, Owensville and Fort Branch.
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1424810
NEWS TIPS Phone: ������������� 812-753-3553 Email ����editor@sgstartimes�com INSIDE Local ����������A1-12 Obituaries ������ A3 Opinion �������A8-9 History �����������A11 Sports ���������B1-12 School ��������B3-5 Home Life �����B4-5 Church ��������B6-7 Classifieds ������B11 Legals ���� B3 & B11 Two Sections • No Inserts Fort Branch, IN 47648-0070 (USPS #205-620) See FR AUD on page 2 See HALLOWEEN on page 2 See HUMBAUGH on page 2 $1.00 24 PAGES TuESDay, NovEmbEr 2, 2021 VOLUME 67, NUMBER 20 South Gibson LOCAL A6 SPORTS B1 TITANS CRUSH LIONS IN SECTIONAL Series Begins Today Owensville hosts inaugural outdoor Halloween By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Owensville started a new tradition Saturday night with the Owensville Fall Family Bash, featuring a chili cook-off, jack-o-lantern con- test, costume contest, face painting, a cake walk, games and hayrides. The event was hosted on the town square by the Owensville Community Planners, who stepped up in the wake of Owensville Merchants Association dis- banding. The Owensville Community Planners is a group open to anyone, regardless of whether he or she has a business. The event awarded cash prizes. Winners in the infant through five-year-old category were, for cutest, jellybean Annabelle Koester; for ugliest or scariest, Giorgio Kohl; for funniest, Emily Seaton's baby, Luke Seaton, dressed as a Subway sandwich; and for pret- tiest, ballerina Hadley Hoehn. Most original went to ringmaster Leah Buchanan. In the school age category, scariest went to werewolf Parks Font; funniest to Russell Kes- sens, who dressed as a laundry basket; pretti- Humbaugh announces retirement By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com A fter 17 years as superintendent, Dr. Stacey Humbaugh has announced she will retire this coming summer. Her career was marked by ad- vancements in education linked to technology, in- cluding learn- ing going online, communication with parents im- proving through text and phone systems, automa- tion individual- izing education, and all that culmi- nating in schools having to take ed- ucation fully online in the wake of a pan- demic. The effect of K-12 education can- not be overstated, she added. "Where else do you spend 13 years of your life? It's one of the most meaningful time periods for people." She said she knows when students leave South Gibson they're prepared for life, thanks to a district that is blessed in its students and with active, involved parents. Griffin and Denver Curl help their parents pass out candy at the trunk-or-treat Saturday in Owensville. Leighton Burkett, Allie Deal, Autumn Scott and Emma Forcum competed in the costume contest in Owensville Saturday night during the new community festival. Fort Branch women sentenced as 'money mules' in Nigerian fraud ring Scams used database of teachers, first responders to divert coronavirus relief funds By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com A Fort Branch mother-daughter duo, Rose Ann A zzarello, 60, and Andrea Re- nee Pytlinski, 38, were sentenced to im- prisonment, supervision and restitution in a wire fraud case that defrauded first responders, government personnel and school employees. Pytlinski was sentenced to 18 months jail time and three years of supervised re- lease post-imprisonment, and is required to pay $27,522 in restitution. Her moth- er's lighter sentence was four years of supervised release and restitution in the amount of $27,522. The women were arrested and charged with wire fraud July 9, 2020, after a U.S. Secret Service investigation revealed them to be money mules in a scam to de- fraud the government of money meant for coronavirus relief by filing for unemploy- ment with the stolen identities of Wash- ington state first responders, government personnel and school employees. "With any crisis, comes criminals look- ing for the opportunity to cash in for their own benefit. The coronavirus health cri- sis has not been immune from their fraud- ulent schemes" said U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler. "These fraudsters steal mon- ey that does not belong to them for their greedy purposes, which strains the pro- grams that are meant to help those most in need." The money the women defrauded was money earmarked by the CARES act to provide coronavirus relief for the unem- ployed. According to the probable cause affi- davit signed by Special Agent Michael Moore, who has 20 years of experience working fraud cases, the roots of the case stretch back at least as far as 2016, when single mother Pytlinski told police she be- gan dating William Lewis, a UK citizen working as a construction supervisor in Hong Kong—or at least that's what she Haubstadt trick-or-treat sets records Friday By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Haubstadt's Main Street Trick-or-Treat, moved inside to the Old Gym because of the threat of rain this year, saw almost 700 children come through to trick-or-treat local businesses and non-profits during the two-hour window. Those numbers make this year's event, spon- sored by the Town of Haubstadt and Haubstadt Public Library, the largest compared to previ- ous years. The Haubstadt Sommerfest com- mittee awarded costume contest winners, and Dewig Meats gave hot dogs to the families that came through. The next big town events include the Haub- stadt Holiday Expo from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 4, and pet pictures with Santa to benefit Gibson County Animal Services from noon to 3 p.m., both in the Haubstadt Old Gym. Maverick Suarez reaches for mom Marissa from father Ricky's shoulders. See more photos on A-10. Dr. Stacey Humbaugh Shopping