The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1445871
NEWS TIPS Phone: ���������������������812-354-8500 Email ����� editor@pressdispatch�net INSIDE Local ��������������� A1-C2 Obituaries ����������� A5-6 East Gibson������������A4 Sports �����������������B1-3 Opinion �������������B4-5 History �������������������B6 Home Life ������������C1-6 Student Spotlight ��� C2 Church �������������� D3-5 School �����������������D1-2 Classifieds ���������� D3-6 USPS 604-34012 $1.00 24 PAGES Four SECTIoNS Two INSErTS PETErSBurG, IN 47567-0068 SPORTS B1 Cannon, Goeppner runners-up at PAC Championship wEdNESdAy, JANuAry 26, 2022 PIKE PUBLISHING VoLuME 152, NuMBEr 4 See WINSLOW on page 2 See PROJECTS on page 2 See PRIMARY on page 3 Winslow debates multiple funding projects By Sherri Sebella The Town of Winslow council members met Monday night to dis- cuss a variety of issues the town is currently facing and heavily debat- ed the best way to handle each sit- uation. With all council members pres- ent, Council President Josh Popp spoke to members about purchasing a new utility truck to take the place of the two current work trucks that are in very poor and unsafe work- ing condition. "It would not be beneficial to the town to get a brand new truck, but instead, get a slightly used truck," Popp said. "There is a USDA grant the town may be able to get for $50,000, that we would pay 25 per- cent. Option two is to pay from a fund source. Option three is Indi- ana bonds, at two percent interest or lower." Council member Debbie Lamb stated that funds were available and she did not want to get a bond or wait as long as it would take to get grant money. "We need a truck now," Lamb said. "I would like to see what is available and then decide." Popp showed the council pictures of some trucks he had been looking at, and asked their views. "Do we want to continue making repairs on what we have, or get something that will last for 10 to 15 years? " Popp said. Council member Dick Brewster was opposed to buying two trucks. "We need a work truck to run around town with, and another truck to do work with," Brewster said. Brew- ster asked the members what type of truck they needed the most, and Popp told members he would like to get one truck that serves multiple purposes. When Brewster asked what was wrong with the current work trucks, Public Works Superintendent To- rez Baham stated that he does not feel safe driving either truck, but he does so because the town needs things done. Baham then pointed out multiple safety and working is- sues with the current trucks he is required to drive. Brewster then moved to start at $25,000 for one work truck. Brew- ster asked Popp to let the other council members know what he finds before he buys anything, and Lamb said she did not have a prob- lem adding another $5,000 to the cost of a truck, if more is needed. Popp stated that Baham will help him find a truck and make sure the town gets what it needs. The motion was approved unan- imously. Popp said he would also check into seeing how fast he could write a grant request to turn the $25,000 into $50,000. A discussion then shifted to the purchase of new playground equip- ment for the south end of town. Lamb showed pictures of play- INDOT plans eight projects in Petersburg area SWCD entertainment Entertainment for the 75th Annual Pike County Soil and Water Conservation District meeting was Scott Ham, who spoke about the seriousness of keeping our water clean and his experience working in other countries to bring clean drinking water to plac- es where there is none. "People are people all over the world," Ham said. "What can you do in Pike County in 2022 to help?" See related story and photos on page 2. Gray sentenced to 50 years for child molesting By Andy Heuring If you think traffic due to con- struction projects in Petersburg has been bad the last eight months, wait until this summer. There will be eight more projects in the works by the middle of the summer. Last Wednesday, representa- tives from the Indiana Department of Transportation and involved en- gineering firms were present at an open house in Kiefer Hall of the Main St. Presbyterian Church to answer questions about the vari- ous projects. Most of the meeting focused on a new 8 -inch water line that will be built down the middle of Main St. and the Main St. Street- scape project. A new 8 -inch water line will be put in place down the City Hall side of Main St. Traffic on Main St. will not be closed, but it will be restricted while the work is being done. It will run from Fourth St. to Ninth St. Engineers said water customers along Main St. on the City Hall side will have new line cuts put in the sidewalk. New service to customers on the courthouse side of the street will be bored under Main St. Construction on the waterline project is expected to start in March and be finished by August. Con- struction will start at Fourth St. and go north toward Ninth St. The Streetscape project will be on the same stretch of Main St. It will replace the current curbs, side- walks and light poles. The new light poles will be like the ones in front of Home Building Savings Bank and Downtown Terrace. It also will start at Fourth St. and work its way north. Engineers said it is expected to be finished in August. Engineers said it will be done one block at a time and they will coordi- nate with business owners to give them as much access as possible and limit closing their front access to as short of time as possible. The other projects included can be seen on a map which illustrates paving projects and road improve- ments. 1) Milling and paving of Pike Ave., from Highway 57 to Hornady Park. 2) Paving Highway 57, from Pike Ave. to just beyond Park Ln. 3) Paving Highway 57, from High- way 61 north to near the water tower and city limits of Petersburg. 4) Rehabbing Highway 61, from Main St. north to River Rd. It is un- derway and about 50 percent com- plete, with completion expected by late summer or early fall. 5) Fix a drainage problem on Highway 61 near the Fish Hut. Time running out to file for May primary By Sherri Sebella The deadline to officially file as a candidate in the May primary is quickly approaching for those inter- ested in a county or state office. On a local level, the positions on the ballot this year include court- house offices of Sheriff, Auditor, Re- corder and Assessor. It also includes the executive position of Commis- sioner Dist. 2, now held by Mark Flint, who has filed to run again un- der the Republican party. No new candidates have filed for a county or state office since the first week of January. As of today, Mike Goodpaster is on the ballot for the Republican par- ty for Pike County Assessor. Judith Kinman Wood Gumbel is seeking to retain her seat as Pike County Auditor for the Republican party. Mark Flint is running for the Pike County Commissioner seat (District 2) for the Republican party to retain his seat. Pike County Council members on the ballot for District 1 include Jar- ed L. Furman and Randy Harris for the Republican party. In District 2, Jon W. Craig is on the ballot for the Republican party. District 3 has Max D. Elliott for the Republican party listed, and for District 4, Travis C. Troutman is listed for the Republi- can party. For the Pike County Recorder seat, Misty Coleman is on the bal- lot for the Republican party. Pike County Sheriff's Department will be replacing current Sheriff Kent Johnson, who has stated that he will not seek re-election due to By Andy Heuring An Otwell man, who was called a child predator by the prosecutor, re- ceived a 50 -year sentencing after he pleaded guilty to child molesting, a level 1 felony. Timothy Gray, 55, of 2370 N. Spring St., Otwell, was given the maximum sentence last Thursday during a two-hour hearing. Gray had pleaded guilty to the charge but did not have an agreement on the sentence. A level 1 felony carries a sentence range of 20 to 50 years. Gray was arrested in May of 2021 after a neighbor walked over to the house where Gray was stay- ing. The neighbor said he didn't see any lights on upstairs, but could see a light on in the basement. When he walked up to the basement door, the neighbor said he could see in the window and saw Gray having sex with one young girl and anoth- er young girl sitting next to them. Both girls were naked. Pike County Prosecutor Darrin McDonald played a brief excerpt from a taped interview between Pe- tersburg Policeman Scott Arnold and Gray shortly after Gray was ar- rested. In the interview, Gray told Arnold he didn't really want to do it, but the 11-year-old girl wanted to see what it felt like so he did. Prosecutor McDonald asked State Police Detective Wes Kuyken- dall, who reviewed the interview, if Gray immediately admitted the act. Kuykendall said initially he didn't, but about 30 minutes into the inter- view, Gray admitted it. McDonald asked Det. Kuykend- all to explain the term "grooming." "Grooming is a process by which the would-be suspect tries to make the victim comfortable by buying them gifts and doing things for them," said Kuykendall. McDonald asked if he saw evi- dence of grooming in this case. Kuykendall said yes. McDonald also played a short segment of an interview with the 11-year-old victim. In one part of the recording, she said Gray was the best thing that had happened to her since a grandparent had died. "He was always there for me." Also the interview, she said Gray See SENTENCE on page 3 Above is a map of eight projects, including a water line, paving sidewalks and traffic signals, scheduled for this summer in Peters- burg. A list of the projects is in the story below.