South Gibson Star-Times

NEWS TIPS Phone: ������������� 812-753-3553 Email ����editor@sgstartimes�com INSIDE Local ����������A1-12 Obituaries ������ A3 Shopping ����A4-5 Sports ���������� B1-6 Classifieds ������� B8 Home Life ����� C1-3 Opinion ������� C2-3 Church ��������C4-5 School �������� C6-7 History ������������ C8 Four Sections • One Insert Fort Branch, IN 47648-0070 (USPS #205-620) $1.00  32 PAGES   TuESDay, NovEmbEr 23, 2021  VOLUME 67, NUMBER 23 South Gibson D SECTION See MONIKER on page 3 A2 A4 STATE BOUND! What's in a name? YMCA moniker stirs controversy By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com While Princeton is definitely getting a YMCA, as the project is funded at just over $14 million, residents are questioning a name they say was decided outside taxpay- er input, on a project with more than $13 mil- lion of public money invested. Cecil "Bob" Allen told commissioners he wondered how the YMCA agreed to naming the facility, which will be in a former Prince- ton elementary school, the "Toyota Indiana YMCA." Toyota Motor Manufacturing did use that name when announcing a $1 million contri- bution to the project, and the name is also listed as that at YMCAswin.org/princeton/, but Allen said with taxpayers contributing $13.2 million through TIF dollars, he and others believe Gibson County YMCA would be more appropriate. "As I said, Patoka Township and Union Township put up a lot of money for that proj- ect to be pushed aside," said Allen. "Toyota has been very good to our county. I'm just saying it's time for the Gibson County tax- payers to get recognized for what they're do- ing...TIF money is our money, we're the ones paying that money in." According to Gibson Commissioners' at- torney Jason Spindler, the YMCA meeting where a decision like that was made was like- ly not a public meeting. "You raise a good point. I'm not sure who authorized that decision...it was not me," said Commissioner Warren Fleetwood, who said the project moved forward as the Gibson County YMCA. "We have a phenomenal re- lationship with Toyota Manufacturing of In- diana...bottom line, we feel they're a great partner." Redevelopment Board Member Larry Mi- chel said he was blindsided by the name and had received calls about it. (The redevelop- ment board is the board that approved the $13.2 million). "I thought we might have heard from the YMCA. Now that they got the money, we're like stepchildren," Allen said. Commissioner Mary Key volunteered to reach out to the YMCA and ask about the Christmas spirit returns at annual vendor fair By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Last year, a week and a half before the Ven- dor Friends Christmas Bazaar, the governor said no more than 50 people could gather in a building, which cancelled the event. On Satur- day, locals made up for lost time at the seventh annual event, buzzing through the Knights of Columbus Hall and giving to several causes. The entry to the event was a canned good or monetary donation for the Lord's Pantry in Fort Branch and the East Gibson Food Pantry, both of which are in need right now, said or- ganizer Jenny Mason. As for the vendor fees, those go to CASA, to provide Christmas pres- ents for children who are going through le- gal battles. "It's grown over the years. People love to finish their Christmas shopping here," Ma- son said. Gibson sees unusual spate of break-ins By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com A rash of break-ins across Gibson County has area law enforcement stressing the im- portance of locking up houses, cars, sheds and any valuables during what appears to be crimes of opportunity ramping up during the holiday season, edging inside town lim- its for Haubstadt. According to Haubstadt Mar- shal Jeremy Volk, the crimes seemed to start with home break-ins just out of town, the last of which was Nov. 4 in Herschel Woods. Added to that is an increase in vehicles being broken into and even stolen. Nov. 20, an un- locked car was sto- len, driven until it ran out of gas, then abandoned at the Log Inn in Warren- ton. Recently, in another theft, a set of car keys was stolen from an unlocked car, but thieves didn't take the car itself. Two vehi- cles were stolen in Princeton Saturday. "Haubstadt has always been a tight knit community. When things do happen every once in awhile, people are up in arms," said Volk, who added it's been very uncommon to have these issues in town limits. Police, he said, would like to know if the home en- try and car thefts are the same people and whether there's a group working together or just multiple individuals committing the crimes. He does expect the DNA and fingerprints that Indiana State Police are working to re- cover from the Haubstadt car theft will as- sist police. They're also closely investigating new vid- eo footage that has clear faces of three per- petrators and talking amongst the people in- volved. He believes when police finish their investigation of the Ring camera footage and release the video that someone will recog- nize those involved. He did say all the stolen cars were un- Danette Blackburn sells at the Vendor Friends Fair Saturday, benefiting local food pantries and children caught up in the court system. More photos on page 2. HOW TO HELP POLICE • Lock all cars, houses, sheds and barns • Even if noth- ing of value is sto- len report any bur- glary to police • Even if you have not been bur- glarized check se- curity footage pe- riodically to see if someone has approached your home or car and tried the lock See BREAK-INS on page 3 The Gibson Southern Titans take the trophy for the Semi-State win and are State bound this next weekend. The team gathered with the trophy held high and cheered after their victory over Tri-West on Saturday, November 20 at the Tri-West field in Lizton, Ind. See story and more beginning on B-1. Photo by Scott Walden

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