The South Gibson Star-Times serves the towns of Haubstadt, Owensville and Fort Branch.
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1468517
South Gibson Star-Times Front Tuesday, May 24, 2022 A-3 Do you have an upcoming community event? Send the details to editor@sgstartimes.com THIS WEEK Food trucks take over fairgrounds Food truck Tuesday is set for 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. May 31 at Gibson County Fairgrounds. Scott Mason will play from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. with classic rock, pop, and country mu- sic. JB's Barnyard, Cheese Queen, Bruce Li, and Judy Schmitt's cinnamon rolls will sell, among other vendors. Wildlife programs set Two wildlife programs are tentatively set at the Pato- ka River National Wildlife Refuge. A bluebird program is 9 a.m. Saturday, June 4, and a program on mammals at the refuge will be at 5:30 p.m. Monday, June 20, both at the Snakey Point Complex. Check the refuge Face- book page, at Friends of the Patoka River NWR, for the most up-to-date information. Insect repellant is highly recommended. Pool opens Princeton's splash park has opened, and this week- end, Memorial Day weekend, the pool will open. The Barton Township Trustee's office moved The Barton Township Trustee's office has been moved to a new address. 8473 E. 900 S., Buckskin, IN 47647. The new Trustee is Thomas (Eddie) Wilkison. The new phone number for the trustee's office is 812-795 -2156. The office is open by appointment only. JUNE EVENTS Polka Dots opens Polka Dots Cafe in Haubstadt, just off US -41, will host a ribbon cutting with the Chamber of Commerce at 10 :30 a.m. June 1 at 1062 E. Ind. 68. This is a cafe with an indoor playground. VFW 50th Anniversary Celebration VFW Post 2714, of Fort Branch, will be hosting their 50th Anniversary Celebration June 11, from 3 to 11 p.m. Activities will include: silent and live auctions, bird bin- go, music by Rodney Watts and great food. Reception for Jean Stone is June 2 Mrs. Tom ( Jean) Stone, a former Fort Branch resi- dent, will be honored at a reception on Thursday, June 2, from 1 to 3 p.m., at the Fort Branch Methodist Church. In the near future Jean will be moving from Illinois to South Carolina to be near family. While Looking forward to seeing you, Jean requests no gifts, but cards are welcome. Enter the church at the north door. Merit board meets The 2022 meetings of the Gibson County Sheriff's Merit Board will be at 12:30 p.m., the second Tuesday of every month, in the Gibson County Community Cor- rections Conference Room, located at 112 E. Emerson Street, Princeton. Trustees meet The Board of Trustees for the Oakland City-Colum- bia Township Public Library will meet at 4 p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month as the dates for their regular monthly board meetings. The meetings are held in the Library Meeting Room. VFW post meeting day change Beginning in May, VFW Post 2714 Meetings will be the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Mount Carmel Roots'N'Que is June 18 Wabash Roots'N'Que Chairman Dennis Stroughmatt has announced that, through a partnership with First National Bank, Mel Tillis Jr. will headline the RNQ22 festival scheduled for Saturday, June 18, at Merchants Park, in Mt. Carmel, Ill. In addition to on stage performances, there will be a full schedule of events indoors, hosted by the Wabash County Museum, just a few feet south of Merchants Park. Several Food Trucks and Craft Vendors will be on the street throughout the day. Also on tap, RNQ's Backyard BBQ Competition, "Smoke On The Wabash," providing the aromas for those attending, along with a chance for cash prizes and trophies for the competitors. Applications for Vendors and BBQ Teams are available at rootsnque.com. Bulletin READER GUIDE Subscriptions: Change of address: subscribers changing addresses will please give old address as well as new one along with phone number. We cannot guarantee prompt change unless this is done. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to South Gibson Star- Times., P.O. Box 70 Fort Branch, IN, 47648 or e-mail to subscribe@ sgstartimes.com. Subscription rates: One year: $34 for Gibson County and all 476/477 zip codes; $43 elsewhere. Paid in advance. Subscriptions taken after noon on Friday will not receive a paper until the second edition after their subscription date. About us: Published every Tuesday by the Pike County Publishing Co. Phone: 812-753-3553 Office hours: Monday and Tuesday: By Appointment, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 203 S. McCreary St., P.O. Box 70, Fort Branch, IN 47648-0070 Andrew G. Heuring and John B. Heuring, Publishers Janice Barniak, Editor John B. Heuring, Adv. Mgr. Eric Gogel, Production Mgr. Cindy Petty, Adv. Sales Pam Lemond, Adv. Sales Brakston Farrar, Adv. Designer Entered in the Post Office in Fort Branch, Indiana for transmission through the mails as Periodical Mail, postage paid at Fort Branch, Indiana – published weekly. (USPS 205-620) Contact us: Phone: .....................................................................812-753-3553 Fax: ......................................................................... 812-753-4251 Janice Barniak, Editor ������������������������������ editor@sgstartimes.com Advertising ���������������������������������������������� ads@sgstartimes.com General News ��������������������������������������� news@sgstartimes.com Sports ���������������������������������������������������sports@sgstartimes.com Circulation ������������������������������������� subscribe@sgstartimes.com Spectrum to beef up broadband internet By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Charter Communications, which owns Spectrum Inter- net, told Gibson County Com- missioners last week that they'll be making $4 million in upgrades to make broadband accessible to Gibson County's rural areas. Elizabeth James, JD, who is in the government affairs de- partment told commissioners the Rural Digital Opportuni- ty Fund will upgrade at least 2,200 homes and businesses, although that's likely a low es- timate because of places the internet will reach, thanks to those areas being between two zones where it makes more sense to fill in and offer service in those areas. Spectrum has until 2025 to finish in Indiana, but expects to finish in Gibson County in two years. They'll start July by Toyota. They won't wait until proj- ect completion to flip a switch on internet either; once the company runs the service to that area it will be available for people, which means those at the start of the project will get internet somewhat quickly. The project is completely between Spectrum and the federal government, so they will not have to involve the county as far as funding or tracking. Homes with free or reduced lunch students and low-in- come seniors will have a way to pay $17.99 per month. "We can build it all day, but people have to be able to take it up," said James. Commissioner Warren Fleetwood commended the plan, likening being a student without the internet to trying to build a home without a ham- mer, or a nail gun to be more modern. "This is going to benefit ag- riculture, education...to me this is just amazing. You're tearing down walls for a lot of citizens," Fleetwood said. For more information go to spectrumruralexpansion. com. Shaded areas show where Spectrum will install high speed internet in South Gibson, while below is a map of where they'll work on broadband in North Gibson. ARRESTS AND COURT ACTIVITY Man on bond for domestic battery charges An Owensville man, Michael Ke- neipp, had bond set at $750 this week after he entered a not guilty plea on felony charges of domestic battery of his wife while having a prior convic- tion, as well as misdemeanor domes- tic battery. The charges are related to an April 19 incident in which Owensville Mar- shal Rodger Leister and Deputy Bri- an Naas were dispatched to a domes- tic disturbance call. Wife Kendra Keneipp told police she poked her husband's chest during a verbal argument then he shoved her down, grabbed a speaker and hit her head with it. According to the probable cause, the wife's head had a visible bump. She had a cut on her lip, red marks on her neck and bruises on her arms, which police noted with their body camera. The husband was not there at the time and could not be reached by phone. A warrant was issued for his arrest May 4. He appeared in court May 17 plead- ing not guilty, and after bond was set, a no-contact order was issued. The husband was convicted of stran- gulation to his wife previously on Nov. 20, 2020. In that case, the husband was found to have strangled her until she had trouble breathing. At the time, Kene- ipp had posted bond for a different vi- olation, and came to the door wear- ing an ankle monitor. Because of his glossy eyes and slurred speech, the Gibson County Sheriff's Office breath- alyzed him, and he tested .126; a condi- tion of his bond was that he not drink, so he had been immediately arrested after that charge. The case has a status conference set for June 6. Babysitter charged with neglect of dependent burns Police arrested babysitter Brandy Witzel on charges of neglect of a de- pendent resulting in serious bodily inju- ry last week after parents noticed their one year old child had severe burns on her feet, and burns and blistering on her genitals and bottom. Mother Ashley Gatewood picked up the child from Witzel May 14. Witzel told the parent the child had sprayed herself with Kaboom cleaner. Gatewood and father James Wilson took the child to the hospital where po- lice were called. Doctors told police and parents the burns were consistent with immersion burns, which according to the report creates a line on the skin. According to the probable cause, during an interview later that night Wit- zel told police the child sprayed her- self with cleaner, and that the child's skin peeled off as she tried to rinse off the cleaner. Police asked Witzel if she had put the child in hot water and she said she had not. Witzel was currently out on a $750 cash bond posted April 15, 2021, after she was charged with felony theft from employer Up in Vapors. That investiga- tion began in December 2020 when ac- countant Kathy Evans and owner Shon Perry identified deposit slips and de- posits did not match, and discovered $2,157.88 was missing from the business bank ac- count. Witzel and the owner were the only employ- ees with the safe combination. As police investigat- ed they matched bank footage with shorted deposits, as well as security cameras unplugged and merchandise missing at the store. She is scheduled in court for a hear- ing on that charge May 27. Woman charged with shooting vehicle with son in car Teara Williams, 32, was charged with operating a vehicle intoxicated, endan- gering a minor and criminal reckless- ness with a deadly weapon after Indiana State Police and Haubstadt Chief Jere- my Volk responded to shots fired at the Loves gas station, in Haubstadt. Callers reported a woman matching the description of Teara Williams fired on a tan passenger car as it drove away from the scene, and then did not comply with the Haubstadt police orders to stop. Police eventually did detain the driv- er and passenger at gun point. The pas- senger was Williams' 15 -year-old son. The woman said she was shooting at her brother, whom had battered her and fled in the tan vehicle. Once the scene was safe the vehicle that had been shot was able to connect with officers. While police said they could smell alcohol on Williams she re- fused a breathalyzer, field sobriety tests or chemical tests. Winslow man charged with OWI Jason Martin, 27, of Winslow, was charged with operating while intoxi- cated May 5 after police were called to the Princeton home of his girlfriend's parents. He appeared in court last week on May 17. According to the probable cause, Martin, who was on probation, and his girlfriend had gone to the Brooks and Dunn concert. The girlfriend told police on the way home in the car he threatened to kill both of them. She got out at a Circle K gas station, after which she called police and Mar- tin left her there. The girlfriend's father picked her up and after they came home the boy- friend arrived, and they called the po- lice. According to police, the hood of Martin's Chevy Tahoe was warm, but he told police a friend drove him to the parents' home. He would not name the friend. Martin had signs of alcohol in his system and tested .122 at Deaconess Gibson. His probation was to be revoked May 6; the court also approved revok- ing his license, however, he petitioned for special driving privileges in court this week and was granted the ability to drive to and from work, counseling and his attorney's office. A pretrial hearing is set for June 29. Woman charged with public intoxication Veronica Lemond, 21, was charged with public intoxication, May 7, after police said they saw her and her unli- censed, minor boyfriend switch spots in the car after she bought liquor, at T&R Liquors in Oakland City. Lemond said she and the boyfriend agreed she was too drunk to drive, and that it was better for him to drive unli- censed than for her to drive drunk, al- though he had failed the driving exam. There were CBD vapes in the floor- board, seat and console of the car, none determined to be unlawful. Brandy Witzel More ARRESTS on page 12