The Press-Dispatch

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Poplar Street, Petersburg Benefit to help local woman with cancer By Rhea Turner Correspondent news@pressdispatch.net Local resident Leathe Van Meter, a 53-year-old wife, mother, and grandmother, became a fighter, after being diagnosed with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Stage 3. A benefit spaghetti dinner, half pot drawing, silent auc- tion is scheduled from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, October 22 at the Petersburg VFW. There will also be numerous local musicians performing. Van Meter has worked for the Indiana Department of Transportation for more than16 years, and has been a resident of Pike County for more than 25 years. Maybe she's a friend of yours, a neigh- bor, or a fellow employee. About 85 percent of all lung cancers are NSCLC, which means it starts in the larger cells that line the lungs. So what happens now, ac- cording to Van Meter's son, Brad Donohoo, is daily trips to Evansville and some to Owensboro, K Y for chemo- therapy and radiation treat- ments, not to mention doc- tor's appointments. Van Meter's husband, John Van Meter is retired, chauf- feurs her to all her appoint- ments and patiently waits while she has her treat- ments, to take her home. During all of this, she can- not work, and the expense of fuel and food for these trips really add up. She has insur- ance but everyone has all dealt with insurance issues at one time or another. What Van Meters needs is a help- ing hand. Donohoo's hopes were to give his mom and step- dad money to help with all the costs, but what he had wouldn't go very far. It was then the idea for a Spaghetti dinner benefit came to mind for Donohoo. There will be a spaghetti dinner with garlic bread and a bake sale. A silent auction, and half-pot drawing will al- so take place. Those who at- tend will even be able to en- joy live music from Matt Sul- livan, Randall Allen, Brad Donohoo, and others. So, if you've ever had a friend or loved one go through this fight for life, you know how much love and support are needed. Please come on Saturday, October 22 to The Petersburg VFW, from 2-6 p.m. Donations are welcomed and much appre- ciated. County council postpones decision to increase Local Income Tax By Sherri Sebella News Editor sherri@pressdispatch.net During a public hearing on Tues- day, October 11, the Pike County Council decided to postpone a de- cision to increase the Local Income Tax rate after council member Greg Willis said he would feel more com- fortable waiting to see where the county was, financially, at budget decision time. "I would like to wait to see where the budget comes in before we make the ultimate deci- sion," Willis said. The county could see Local Op- tion Income Tax (LOIT) rates in- crease in an effort to lower proper- ty tax rates according to the coun- cil members' plans. Once the public hearing was ad- journed, council members proceed- ed to regular business. Due to rising electric bills, the commissioners requested an addi- tional appropriation in the amount of $ 8,000 from the general fund to the Courthouse Electric fund. The council approved the request unan- imously. The Sheriff's Department re- quested addition appropriations from the General Fund of $ 30,000 for meals for prisoners, due to ris- ing costs in food since COVID, ac- cording to Pike County Sheriff Kent Johnson. Johnson also asked for $13,500 for equipment repair of a dishwasher due to the motor no longer running. According to John- son, the cost to replace the motor is $ 8,000 if it is still in stock. If not, the quote to replace the dishwasher was $13,500. The council approved the request unanimously. Pike County Emergency Med- ical Services requested addition- al appropriations of $ 60,650 from the EMS Public Safety Fund to var- ious funds that included $ 3,500 to Paramedic, $46,000 to Basic EMT, $5,000 to Medical Supplies, $5,000 to Vehicle Maintenance, $750 to Official Bonds and Insurance, and $400 for Utilities. Chris Young, EMS Director, stat- ed that the department made 1832 runs as of the day the council met and for the entire year last year, they only ran 1824, so all costs are increasing. The council approved the request unanimously. Pike County Highway request- ed additional appropriations in the amount of $4,300 for Machinery and Equipment for the purchase of a box plate for the back of the tractor. The council approved the request unan- imously. The Commissioners requested a transfer of $ 3,675 to County Owned Land Expenses for the removal of a tree on courthouse property. The council approved the request unan- imously. The next Pike County Council meeting will be 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, November 8. The public is encour- aged to attend these meetings. A Spaghetti Din- ner with Garlic Bread, bake sale, silent auc- tion, and half pot draw- ing will take place on Saturday, October 22 at the Petersburg VFW, from 2-6 p.m. for a benefit to help lo- cal resident Leathe Van Meter, who is fighting Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Stage 3. Live music from Matt Sul- livan, Randall Allen, Brad Donohoo, and others, will also be in attendance to enjoy State of Local projects Rich Padgett, Princi- pal of Otwell Miller Acad- emy (OMA), informs the group on the many ways OMA has grown during a recent State of Local Proj- ects meeting in Pike Coun- ty. One growth area OMS has seen is how they start- ed with six teachers and now have twenty-three staff members. Mayor RC Klipsch pres- ents participants informa- tion for the State of Local Projects meeting on Pe- tersburg's projects. Ohio man cited for possession By James Capozella Press-Dispatch News news@pressdispatch.net A traffic stop in Otwell on October 2 by Indiana State Trooper Casey Boeckman re- sulted in a summons for pos- session of marijuana and pos- session of paraphernalia for Dustin A. Fought, 25, 631 N Main St., Lima, Ohio. Jacob J. Alvarado, the driv- er of the vehicle, was found to be suspended and was issued a citation, and both were re- leased following a search of the vehicle. Troop Boeckman could smell the odor of marijuana and then saw a baggie of mar- ijuana in the glove box when Alvarado searched for his ve- hicle registration. Also found was a small wrapper with marijuana and a smoking de- vice. Another container held a pipe, all of which was said to belong to Fought accord- ing to the report.

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