South Gibson Star-Times

See REVIEW on page 6 See DINING on page 4 $1.00 12 PAGES TuESDay, JaNuaRy 3, 2023 VOLUME 68, NUMBER 18 SPORTS B1 SPORTS B1 ARCHERS START YEAR ON TARGET Avon tough, but Lady Titans turn up the heat 2022 in review A look back at the second half of the year By Janice Barniak Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com JULY • Mylie Rexing begins a meal kit business at Kenny Dewig Meats to fulfill the SAE re- quirements for an ag-related business project. • Owensville Carnegie Library closed on June 27 and reopened July 5 after a member of the staff received a threat to her safety. The library brought in Gibson County Sher- iff's Officer Dan Lienemann to develop safety measures for the organization, something the board of trustees called "a tremendous help" in their letter to the community announcing the re-opening Saturday. • The non-profit transportation arm of The Center for Seniors in Gibson County strug- gled with rising costs as gas prices doubled, but seniors' ability to donate for rides to get groceries and medical care stayed the same. • Veterans Food Bank of America faced empty shelves as donations for shelf-stable proteins and vegetables ran low. • Three Owensville Carnegie Public Li- brary board members resigned after a meet- ing July 7 in which the library board voted to accept a liability waiver instead of requiring those who use the Steelman Park library lawn to buy insurance. Members resigning includ- ed Mike Tremps, President; Daniel Parrish, Secretary; and Crystal Smith, Treasurer. • Purdue University sophomore Caleigh Cates, 19, daughter of Chris and Jaleigh Cates, won Miss Gibson County July 8 during the queen and sweetheart pageants at Princeton Community High School, kicking off festivi- ties for the Gibson County Fair. • Haubstadt Town Council passed a 15 per- cent water rate increase said to cost the av- erage customer approximately $7 per month, and approved a sewer rate study in preparation for a sewer expansion. The rate increase was tabled last month after, during the public hear- ing, the board was told the increase would cost the town's biggest water user, Dewig Meats, approximately an additional $4,000 per year as Owensville family starts food truck By Janice Barniak Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com The Spade family is out to Feed the 5,000 and quite possibly more than that as they start a faith-based food truck out of their Owensville home. The business began when Gibson South- ern graduate Justin Spade and his wife Rin- na, who is originally from the Philippines, began attending a Petersburg church and started helping with the church's weekly addiction recovery group by cooking them a weekly meal. "Everyone was like 'You should do a food truck.' That just kind of tickled our ears for awhile but then the pastor was saying 'you should get a food truck.'" Rinna's mother, Irene Carmona, came to the U.S. from the Philippines a year ago, meaning she and Rin- na could cook together. Eight months ago they decided it was time. Justin sold his car to raise the money for the food truck, and pulled back from the online game he owns and manages, which has provided their income the last four years. "We found a truck that had only been list- ed for 16 minutes. It was the right price," Jus- tin said. Justin's dad, Tim Spade, takes care of the mechanical aspects of the vehicle, and sister Hannah Spade helps serve the lumpia, poncit noodles and more. They had a soft opening recently in Ow- ensville, but New Year's Eve was their grand opening, Justin said. They named the truck Feed the 5,000 after the Biblical story of Jesus using five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 people. If buying a food truck sounds like a leap of faith, that's a recurring theme for the couple. Nine years ago, at age 19, Justin took a chance to meet in person Rinna, a woman he'd been talking to online. "We were talking for nine months and then I go there, and I go to hug her. She got so shy to meet me, she ran when she saw me." They moved past that quickly, and have been married seven years. "I took that leap of faith and moved to this country," Rinna said. For those who don't know whether they will like Filipino food, Rinna suggests cus- tomers take their own small leap of faith by trying the very popular lumpia, which is a pork stuffed roll similar to an egg roll, or the poncit, a traditional noodle dish. above: Mar- ried couple Jus- tin and Rinna Spade with moth- er Irene Carmona lean out the win- dow of Feed the 5000 food truck on Owensville square during their grand open- ing Jan.31. Left: Poncit, a traditional Filipi- no noodle dish, is being served from the Feed the 5000 food truck. Sheriff Bottoms retires after 38 years of duty By Janice Barniak Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Eight-year Sheriff Tim Bottoms re- tired last week with a party thrown by friends and coworkers to celebrate his 38 years in the Gibson County Sheriff's Office. Indiana State Senator Jim Tomes announced Bottoms was selected to receive the Distinguished Hoo- sier Award. "I'm grateful for all you've done, your leadership and your friendship," Tomes said. Bottoms also received awards from the FOP, the county's Merit Board, and the GCSO. Bottoms started his career with the Gibson County Sheriff's Office as a volunteer reserve deputy in February 1984. He was hired as a dispatcher in 1986 and then was appointed as a Deputy Sheriff in February 1987. He worked his way through the ranks from Patrolman, was promoted to De- tective Sergeant in 1992, Captain in 1994 and was first elected to the office of Sheriff in November 2014, serving as Sheriff and Director of Gibson County Community Corrections from Jan. 1, 2015 until Dec. 31, 2022. Sheriff Bottoms has served under sheriffs George Ballard, Bruce Mc- Clellan and R. Allen Harmon. "I can't believe it's been 38 years... Congratulations on your retirement. Some of us don't have the sense to leave," Ballard, who still serves in the department, joked. Capt. Deborah Borchelt returned Bottoms' duty weapon engraved with his original badge number. "You've watched me go up through the ranks and gave me opportunities I would have never had at the Sher- iff's Office," Borchelt said. She talk- See SHERIFF on page 3 Broadway Events and Catering plans upscale dining experiences By Janice Barniak Star-Times Editor editor@sgstartimes.com Couple Rudy Zarate and Brianna Cultice have bought a former antique shop space to convert it into Broadway Events and Cater- ing, a catering and special event venue where they'll create Zarate's upscale dining vision at 115 W. Broadway in Princeton. The purchase began in 2018, when the California residents visited family in the area, saw a church at Broadway and Prince streets for sale and dreamed of opening a restaurant in the location. On the long drive back to the sunny state they talked about moving and menus, Cultice said. The church didn't work out, but the idea didn't die Cultice has done social work, event plan- ning and photography. She and Zarate, who are high school sweethearts, catered events in California. They kept talking about moving to Indiana and being closer to Brianna's father, Mark Cultice, and stepmother Jill Wright. "The sense of community is incredible," she said. "It feels so easy to live here com- pared to California." The friends she told about Princeton said the place sounded like a small town in a Hall- mark movie. In July the couple moved to Princeton, along with Cultice's brother and sisters. "We are so happy here," she said. "I feel Clockwise from upper-left: Rudy Zarate and Brianna Cultice closed on the former antique store on the square in down- town Princeton this morning with Realtor Sue Ellen Beloat, left. They plan a venue to run upscale dining events and a catering business. Chef Rudy Zarate has worked creating Japanese, fusion, american Fine Dining and Mexican cuisine. NEWS TIPS Phone: ������������� 812-753-3553 Email ����editor@sgstartimes�com INSIDE Local ��������� A1-6 Obituaries ���� A3 Opinion �������� A5 Sports ������� B1-3 Church ��������� B4 History ��������� B5 Classifieds ��� B6 Two Sections • No Inserts Fort Branch 47648-0070 (USPS #205-620)

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