The Press-Dispatch
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$1.00 24 PAGES FOUR SECTIONS PETERSBURG, IN 47567-0068 Wednesday, Februa ry 22, 2023 PIKE PUBLISHING VOLuMe 153, nuMber 8 NEWS TIPS Phone: ����������������������������������� 812-354-8500 Email ����������������������sherri@pressdispatch�net INSIDE Local �������������������������A1-6 Sports ������������������������ B1-4 Church ����������������������� B5-6 Classifieds �����������������������C1 legals ������������������������� C2-3 Opinion����������������������������C4 Home Life ������������������������C5 History ��������������������������C6 Age of Excellence �������� D2-5 School ���������������������������� D6 USPS 604-34012 SPORTS B1 See SCHOOL on page 3 LOCAL D2 See CAPTURE on page 2 See PLUNGE page 4 LOCAL BUSINESSES HIGHLIGHTED Chargers roll over Brown Co. in record setting 89-35 win Training students to become leaders PES and WES Peer Mediators a successful program By Mendy Ross Correspondent news@pressdispatch.net "being a peer mediator means you are looked at as a leader of our school," said andrea McCutchan, who has led the Petersburg ele- mentary school Peer Mediators for eight years. both Pes and Winslow elementary school ( Wes) media- tors and sponsors came together and spoke at the February school board Meeting and were congrat- ulated on the great job they were doing for their schools. Wes Kindergarten teacher Jenni- fer Ficklin wanted to bring the Peer Mediator program to Wes for a few years after hearing about the suc- cess of the program at Pes. she and fellow art teacher emily Hudson brought the idea to Principal aaron Meyer during the summer of 2022. "He was very supportive and on- board with us getting the program going here at Wes," Ficklin said. "When I started teaching at Wes last year we instantly clicked," Hud- son said of Ficklin. "When Jenn needed a partner for this program, I was more than happy to help out. she's such an inspiring and tal- ented teacher." Ficklin contacted McCutchan at Petersburg and she assisted them with everything they needed. Hudson added "Our first year has gone well, and we are ex- cited to see how it amplifies the cul- ture at Wes in a positive way." Hudson also provides interven- tions to students a couple of times a week. she is part of the scheduling Committee and a member of the Fun Committee. Ficklin is also a member of the Fun Committee and the sunshine Committee. new Wes counselor elizabeth alexander is also a sponsor for the program. as their counselor, she has many roles on different com- mittees, such as the Fun Commit- tee and rTI (response To Interven- tion) team. both Pes and Wes students interested in becoming Peer Me- diators must fill out an application and write an essay. The teachers get the list of applicants and give recommendations by filling out a Petersburg and Winslow Elementary Peer Mediator group met at Petersburg for their training day for 2022-23, in September, 2022. The students participated in several getting to know each other and team-building activities. "Training day is a very fun day as well," Andrea McCutchan said, who has led the Petersburg Elementary School Peer Mediators for eight years. Winslow continues to struggle with water leaks By Sherri Griffin editor sherri@pressdispatch.net alisha Wardlow, of the Winslow Water department mentioned during her department update at a recent Winslow town council meet- ing that Winslow currently had nine known water leaks. On Tuesday, February 14, in the morning, the town crew began digging up a pipe that was leaking alongside Main street in Winslow. Once the pipe was exposed, it was discovered that it was a very old pipe. Many pipes in Winslow date back to 1926 and 1964. according to Winslow Town Council President Joni stafford, the following is what happened. "The old ductile iron pipes get corrosion built up on them," stafford said. "Historically when we come across a big chuck on a pipe and touch it with a shovel it blows. Well this time that wasn't the case. We saw the corrosion and avoided it hoping it would hold if we didn't disturb it. The pressure of taking all the dirt off weakened it. all of a sudden we heard a pop and whoosh water geyser." another challenge that Winslow faces is the fact that their water tower is a 287,000 gallon tank for a town that only uses 27,000 to 30,000 gallons per day so the water sits stagnate and the chlorine dissi- pates, causing low residuals. "We need to work up a plan to re- place all old pipes in town and to get a mixer for the water tower," staf- ford said. "after the plan is in place, then we will need to find funding, all while working on finding fund- ing for our $6 million waste water project. although the task at hand is daunting, I'm confident that God will lead us through this and that everything will fall in place." Pictured left to right are Jacob Bolin, Winslow Street Depart- ment, Alisha Wardlow, Winslow Water Department and Winslow Street Superintendent Torez Baham, all working together to fix a broken pipe on Main Street in Winslow. Historically when we come across a big chuck on a pipe and touch it with a shovel it blows," Joni Stafford, Winslow Town Council Pres- ident, said. "Well this time that wasn't the case. We saw the corro- sion and avoided it hoping it would hold if we didn't disturb it. The pressure of taking all the dirt off weakened it. All of a sudden we heard a pop and whoosh water geyser." Gosciniak charged with Possession and Maintaining a Common Nuisance after capture by U.S. Marshals By Sherri Griffin editor sherri@pressdispatch.net On Wednesday, February 15, Petersburg Police Chief Kyle Mills was contacted by a department of Child services (dCs) employee in reference to some information they wanted to speak to him about. Mills went to the dCs office and spoke with the employee who told Mills that they had received a report from a family member that there were illegal substances lo- cated inside the residence of 1408 Main street, in Petersburg. The dCs employee stated that someone had went to the residence on behalf of a family member to check on pets and gather some be- longings for Jordan Gosciniak and allison Miller's child. The witness told the dCs em- ployee that they went to the resi- dence on Wednesday, February 15, in the morning. Jordan Gosciniak and Miller are currently in the Pike County Jail from an incident on Thursday, February 9, where Petersburg Po- lice department served a search warrant on the 1408 Main street address and located methamphet- amine in the attic bedroom on a nightstand. While speaking with the dCs employee, they told Mills that a family member had called dCs to report what the person at the res- idence had seen while they were inside the residence on the morn- ing of Wednesday, February 15. The family member told the dCs employee that the person who went to the residence had seen sev- eral small clear baggies containing a white or clear powdery sub- stance in the basement of the residence along with some lithium batteries and a 2-liter bottle. a fter speaking with the dCs em- ployee, Mills obtained the witness's phone number and called them by cell phone to speak with them. While speaking with the witness, they told Mills that they went to the residence earlier in the morning to gather some items and pets that needed taken care of. While in the residence, the witness said that when they went into the basement, they observed a table near the stairs that had several clear small plastic baggies that had a white powdery substance in them. The witness stated that there were also lithium batteries and a 2-Liter bottle on the table that they thought could be a meth lab. The witness told Mills that she called a family mem- ber to report what they had found, who then called the dCs employee. "based off of my training and experience, I know the above items are used in the process of man- ufacturing methamphetamine," Mills said. On Thursday, Febru- ary 9, l sought and was granted a Many resignations/ new hires discussed during PCSC Meeting By Mendy Ross Correspondent news@pressdispatch.net The school board meeting be- gan with a call to order on Mon- day, February 13, at 7 p.m., with several community members in attendance. a roll call was taken by superintendent dr. suzanne blake. a fter the invocation and Pledge of allegiance, the Peer Mediators and their sponsors from Pes and Wes came together and spoke on what their program was accomplishing and what the students liked about being a mediator. Peer Mediator sponsor from Pe- tersburg is school counselor andrea McCutchan, and from Winslow Kin- dergarten teacher Jennifer Fick- lin, art teacher emily Hudson and school counselor elizabeth alex- ander. The students were congrat- ulated by the school board on their hard work and encouraged to keep up the good work. next on the agenda was presen- tation and approval of Minutes of board of Finance Meeting and reg- ular session Meeting held January 10, and Work session held February 6. The Work session on Monday, February 6 with all board members in attendance as well as blake and assistant superintendent dana def- fendoll and others from the school Jordan Gosciniak Be Bold, Get Cold During 2023 Polar Plunge Annual Petersburg Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Indiana will take place this Saturday at Prides Creek Park Jumping into freezing water in the middle of winter may seem ri- diculous, but for the past 24 years, thousands of people have braved the elements to support special Olym- pics Indiana during the annual Po- lar Plunge. The 2023 Polar Plunge season kicked off Jan. 28 and will continue through March 4, with 18 different events happening around Indiana. The annual Petersburg Plunge will take place this saturday, Feb- ruary 25, at Prides Creek Park. registration will be held from 10 - 11:30 a.m. with the Plunge set to begin at noon. This bucket-list event challenge individuals and teams to be bold and get cold, taking an icy dip to demonstrate their commitment to the cause. as special Olympics Indiana's Randy Parker, Super Plunger for Special Olympics, raised $16,401 in 2022 and was getting more donations as he prepared to plunge. Head to Pride's Creek this Saturday to pledge your sup- port of Special Olympics.