South Gibson Star-Times

Front Tuesday, November 15, 2022 South Gibson Star-Times A-2 HPD vehicle use discussed at town council meeting By Janice Barniak SG Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Concerned citizens came to the Nov. 7 Haubstadt Town Council meeting to ask ques- tions about Haubstadt's Police Dept. Becky Rexing asked wheth- er police were allowed to take the police vehicle out of town limits when they drive it home. Council members said they'd have to check into the policy; Marshal Glen Munnier put a policy in place. Town Attorney Jason Spin- dler told the assembly that generally speaking, the em- ployer provides a vehicle to drive to and from over the course of the work day. Joyce Dewig came to the council meeting to say she was upset when the depart- ment lost former Officer Ri- ley Farmer, describing him as "top notch." Spindler discouraged the town council before they dis- cussed the topic. "It's a personnel matter, and we're not going to discuss personnel matters in a public meeting." Board member Chad Wallis told Dewig the board believed they would have a new hire in December; they want to have someone as soon as possible. The board also: •Approved tires for the town's side-by-side at a cost of $709 from Hoefling Tire in Fort Branch •Approved $5700 in side- walk work •Heard from Water Super- intendent Bryon Will that for the first time he can remem- ber, they flushed hydrants and no hydrant needs replaced. All hydrants are effective •Set an executive session for Nov. 21 for interviews for a police officer Chamber of Commerce celebrates centennial By Janice Barniak Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Gibson County Chamber of Commerce celebrated 100 years with a centennial celebration Thurs- day, giving out three top awards at an Oscars-themed gala. RPM Tool, Polka Dots Play Cafe and Tulip Tree Health Care were nomi- nated for Business of the Year, with Tulip Tree Health Care taking home the honor. Tulip Tree is a federally qualified health center with locations in Fort Branch and Princeton with services to help low-income community members get affordable healthcare. Special Olympics of Gibson County won Non-profit of the Year, nominated alongside Sheep Dog Impact and Maple Tree Cemetery. Ike Belcher told Chamber members the organization appreciated the nomi- nation. "Sometimes we wish our athletes would get acknowledged a little bit because they are part of the county," he said. "I could sit here and talk for hours about them and how they can change your life." Princeton Veterinary Hospital won Business of the Year Thursday, nomi- nated alongside Springs Valley Bank and Trust, as well as Youth First. Marybeth Feutz thanked the Cham- ber members for voting for them. The business, she said, was established in 1955. "We owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Pinkston who started this business in 1955, to Dr. Ralph Well who took it over from him, to John's dad, Dr. Jim Feutz and Susan Feutz, who laid all the groundwork for us to be where we are today," said Marybeth. "Thank you for your trust." Barton was visually surprised and moved by the recognition. "I want to say thank you. It was totally unexpected. I appreciate it so much. I always said my dad served, and three uncles at the same time were all serving, but I never served. I hoped that my part here at the school somehow inspires people to understand how important our veterans are, and would maybe inspire someone else to serve sometime. I always say that of all the programs we do at the school — we have Christmas, and spring concerts and eighth grade promotion — that Veteran's Day is so important because we're honoring people outside ourselves who sacrificed so much for our country and have given up so much family time, and in many instances, gave their lives. It's an honor for me every year," he said. BARTON Continued from page 1 Ind. 64 reopening delayed The road reconstruction project on Ind. 64 in Fran- cisco has been delayed. This delay has moved the re-open- ing date of the road to traffic to late November, depending on the weather. Crews are hope- ful to re-open Ind. 64 to traffic before the Thanksgiving holi- day. This reconstruction proj- ect has been delayed due to both weather conditions and supply chain issues. Motorists are encouraged to continue using the offi- cial detour. That detour is US 41 to State Road 168 to I-69. Local traffic will continue to have access up to the point of closure. RSV cases up in Gibson County By Janice Barniak Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Health Dept. Director Diane Hornby told Gibson County Commissioners they're receiv- ing a lot of RSV calls concern- ing children at the health department. RSV is respiratory syncytial virus, a virus the CDC says is mostly mild in adults but can be more serious in children. Hornby added that they had 103 immunization clients and identified 150 positive COVID cases over the last month. In good news, the Indi- ana State Dept. of Health sent guidelines on what the department needs to do, and Hornby said the department was already covering those bases. Moreover, they're still doing COVID vaccines Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; they've done flu shots for county employees, and will probably add flu vaccines to what they do for the public in the future. Right now, they do not offer flu shots as they have no way to bill Medicare for those vaccines right now. County looks to woo parade By Janice Barniak Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Gibson County Commis- sioners approved $2,000 to cover building rental and other expenses associated with bringing the Labor Day parade and festival back to Gibson County next year, in 2023. According to commission- ers, the Labor Day Commit- tee will vote Nov. 14 on where the festival will be and vice president of the fair board Charlie Woodruff wants to bring Labor Day event back to Gibson County with an attrac- tive package. "It's a good way to bring our labor force in here and show some respect and recogni- tion," Commissioner Warren Fleetwood said. "Right now we're all on the edge of our seats...We want to bring it back to Gibson County." Gibson County's Special Olympics won non-profit of the year Thursday night at the Chamber of Commerce's centennial celebration. Garie and Ike Belcher with son and Wesley McKannan accepted the award. Entertainer and co-Master of Ceremonies Kris Schmidt sang "Minnie the Moocher" to open the second half of a joke-filled awards gala Thursday night for the Chamber of Commerce, which celebrated its 100th year anniversary with an Oscars-style party. Nonprofit theater representatives Beth Hawkins, left, and Lori Lloyd celebrated the Chamber of Commerce's 100th anniversary at the Chamber's star-themed movie gala. John and Marybeth Feutz and the staff of Princeton Veterinary Hos- pital accepted Business of the Year Thursday night at the Chamber of Commerce Centennial Celebration.

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