The Press-Dispatch
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Local ...........A1-8 Sports .........B1-3 Classifi eds .... B4-6 Church ........C1-3 School............ C4 History ........... C6 Home Life....D1-5 Obituaries....... D6 Opinion .......C7-8 WHAT'S INSIDE: CONNECT WITH US: NetEdition ...pressdispatch.net/edition Facebook.....facebook.com/pressdispatch E-Mail .........news@pressdispatch.net Phone:.................. 812-354-8500 Fax: ...................... 812-354-2014 E-Mail . editor@pressdispatch.net NEWS TIPS: PIKE PUBLISHING $ 1 Five sections Three inserts 40 pages Wednesday, August 16, 2017 Volume 148 Number 33 Phone (812) 354-8500 Petersburg, IN 47567-0068 (USPS 604-34012) See LUNCHES on page 2 See WINSLOW on page 5 PREVIEW FALL Sports SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE By Andy Heuring A man accused of trying to break into a Petersburg residence was arrested after he fled on a rid- ing mower. Aron Albrecht, 27, of Marion, was arrested by Petersburg Po- lice Cpl. Jared Simmons Satur- day night. Cpl. Simmons and Deputy Sher- iff Jason McKinney responded to 306 N. Ninth St., after central dis- patch received a report of some- one trying to get into a woman's house. Simmons said when they ar- rived, they talked with the wom- an, who said she heard a knock at her door, but when she went to the door, no one was there. Then she heard a window cracking in the back of her residence. She said when she looked out her south window, she saw a man running from the back of her house where she heard the win- dow break. She said the man got onto a mower and drove off to- wards Ninth St. She described the man as being tall, skinny and balding, and wear- ing a grey T-shirt and jeans. She told police the mower was black with an orange stripe on it. Police started searching the ar- ea and Deputy McKinney locat- ed the mower at Abigail St. and White River Road. He said it was still running and two men were nearby. When he asked the men who the mower belonged to, Al- brecht said it was his. Simmons said Albrecht matched the description given to them, including wearing a grey shirt and jeans. Sheriff's Sgt. Dallas Killian questioned Albrecht and, accord- ing to Simmons's report, Albrecht said he had been riding the mow- er all over town. A fter denying he had been by the 306 N. Ninth St. residence, he then said he had been by it, but didn't stop. Albrecht was taken to the Pike County Jail to be questioned; how- ever, he said he didn't want to an- swer anymore questions until he had a lawyer. Sgt. Killian ex- plained Albrecht wasn't under ar- rest. He took a photo of Albrecht and then took that picture and four pictures of other men as well to the woman. According to Cpl. Simmons, the woman identified Albrecht and said she was 100 percent sure it was him. Police returned and arrested Albrecht on preliminary charges of attempted residential entry, a level 6 felony, and criminal mis- chief, a class B misdemeanor. Man accused of break-in tries to escape on riding mower Fire destroys former church Fire destroyed the former Reels Chapel Church building on Thursday night. The church building was located behind Martin's Curve, off of Highway 61, in Knox County. It was orig- inally Reels Chapel, later it became the Church Alive and currently housed Three Nails Min- istry, which is a rescue ministry, and had a residence in the basement that was unoccupied. Harrison Township Fire Chief Chad Hansen said they were dispatched at 10:20 p.m. Thurs- day. "I could see it when I got about halfway there," said Hansen. "When we arrived, the roof had already fallen in." He said the fire was "suspicious in nature." Harrison Township was assisted by Petersburg and Patoka Township fire departments in Pike County and Vincennes Township in Knox County. Hansen said there were no utilities connected to the building and no insurance on it. A storage building next to the church was destroyed by fire earlier this year. It was also of a suspicious nature. Contributed photo Students with negative lunch balances will still receive regular meals By Ed Cahill A meal charging policy ap- proved by the Pike County School Corporation's Board of School Trustees during its monthly meet- ing on Tuesday, Aug. 8, will per- mit students with negative balanc- es in their lunchroom accounts to continue to receive a regular meal rather than an alternative one con- sisting of a cheese sandwich, fruit and milk. A proposed meal charging policy that was presented for a first reading during the school board's June meeting would have required that students be served the alternative meal after they had reached the charge limit of $15 for an elementary school stu- dent and $10 for a middle and/or high school student. However, the second reading of the proposed meal charging policy was tabled twice in July af- ter board members questioned whether the U.S. Department of Agriculture – which oversees the National School Lunch Program that provides cash subsidies and USDA foods for each meal served – required that students with de- linquent cafeteria accounts re- ceive an alternative meal. During a special-called meet- ing held on Monday, July 24, board member Chris McKinney noted that a guide published by the US - DA's Food and Nutrition Service – entitled "Overcoming the Unpaid Meal Challenge: Proven Strate- gies from Our Nation's Schools" – states that unpaid meal charge policies may allow students with unpaid meal charges to continue to charge all available reimburs- able meals to their account. "We have to have this policy in place," McKinney said. "But it doesn't say that the state or the USDA is mandating any type of alternative meal." During the school board's regu- School's current school meal policy to remain unchanged By Andy Heuring Winslow's Town Council dealt with a long list of topics, ranging from zoning to making sure festi- val sponsor had proper insurance to heated exchanges about the ac- counting of the Winslow Fire De- partment, during their 90 minute meeting Monday night. Council president Terry Stro- bel said he wanted to be sure all of the sponsors of events, which include the festivals and flea mar- kets, have the proper insurance for their events and that they are able to show proof of that insur- ance to Town Hall. Strobel said he also learned someone had come to the tree debris pile behind the community center, but was told to leave even though he had a permit. Henry Nelson, who manages the community center, said he was the person who told them to leave. Nelson said he didn't rec- ognize it was Kelly Martin and he had vegetable matter that had an odor. Nelson said that could have been put on the compost pile but not where the tree limbs were lo- cated. Diane Martin asked if Nelson was the person who was supposed to be policing the debris pile. Nelson said he hadn't in the past, but at a recent meeting he was asked why he didn't say some- thing to someone dumping there. "There is a simple solution to this," said Street Supervisor Dave Gayhart. He suggested the town move the tree debris pile and the com- post pile to a more remote location near the former demolition derby track behind the baseball fields. Lynette Mathias, who is on the Park and Recreation Board echoed that suggestion. She said when you go to other parks and fa- cilities in the area, you don't see debris and compost piles nearby. "It is an eyesore over there," said Mathias. Town Councilmen agreed to relocate the piles and put up no dumping signs near the commu- nity center. Councilmen also agreed to set up a fund to honor Ernest (Er- nie) Hume and help fund major repairs to the Winslow Commu- nity Center. "Ernest was very much inter- ested in this building being used and kept up for the community so it is usable. So I'm starting a fund with the town's permission for major repairs and updates to the building," said Marilee Hume. Town Councilmen said it has been a number of years since the roof had been replaced or any oth- er major maintenance. Hume donated a check from selling personal property and a yard sale. Clerk-Treasurer Beth Bennett told Hume to come to town hall and she would work with her to get an account set up. GERMAN AMERICAN BUILDING TABLED "I would like to discuss this," said Councilman Brewster. "The way I look at it is we have three options: sell it, lease it or move into it and use it," said Brew- ster. He said if the town decides to move into the building, they will lose about $4,300 in property tax income for the building and they will have about $ 32,000 a year in utilities. He said he talked to a realtor who thought there would be par- ties interested in purchasing it. Councilman Greg Simmons Fire dept. discussion heated at Winslow council meeting First school day for Pike students Petersburg Elementary School kindergartener Drake Knepp already has his good thinking hat on after reporting for the first day of school on Wednesday, Aug. 9. Pike County children throughout the county returned to classes last Wednesday, and Otwell Miller Academy stu- dents began classes on Monday. See additional photos on pages A-4 and A-8. Ed Cahill photo