The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/879797
The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, September 27, 2017 C-5 EAST GIBSON NEWS Submit school news: Email: egnews@ pressdispatch.net Deadline: Noon on Friday Wood Memorial PARENTS STEM NIGHT Toyota is providing an opportunity for female students, in high school, to learn about opportunities available to them in a STEM field. A "Parents STEM Night" will be held on October 3, 2017, at the TMMI Visitors Center. The evening is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and run until 8:30 p.m. This is a great opportunity to understand the careers in STEM available in the fu- ture. For more information on the evening you may contact Mr. Barry Roberts at bar- ry.roberts@toyota.com. UPCOMING COLLEGE FAIR COMMITMENTS Ms. Cassie Scraper confirms that 11 col- leges have committed to attend the college fair scheduled for October 5, 2017. The list includes representatives from Ball State University, Ivy Tech Community College, the University of Southern Indiana, Vin- cennes University, Franklin College, Indi- ana Wesleyan University, Marian Univer- sity, Oakland City University, Wabash Val- ley College, the University of Evansville, and Hanover College. The agenda for the evening is as follows: College Fair from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., College Search Presenta- tion at 6 p.m., and Financial Aid Presenta- tion at 6:30 p.m. COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS OPPORTUNITIES For the 2017 – 2018 school year, Wood Memorial will be providing opportunities for our students in grades 8 – 10 to expe- rience a college campus. This is a part of our focus to enhance opportunities around college and career readiness. The dates for the visits are as follows: 9th Graders – Sep- tember 26, 2017 ( Vincennes University), 8th Graders – October 3, 2017 (University of Southern Indiana). Ms. Elizabeth Hill has done a great job of coordinating and scheduling the events. OPEN OFFICE SESSIONS Once again this year, I will be utilizing a collaborative opportunity for all members – students, staff, parents, guardians, and community members – of the Wood Me- morial School Community. With this said, I believe to be most effective with the de- velopment and growth of our students it is imperative that every stakeholder of Wood Memorial have an opportunity to collabo- rate and provide input in any area/aspect of interest involving our school(s) they may have. Thus, I will conduct monthly "Open Office" sessions, focused on providing time for such collaboration to occur. I encourage you to come meet anytime to review items of interest you may have. You may schedule a meeting by calling 812- 749 -4757 and requesting a time. In keeping with the theme of collabo- ration and communication, I want to in- vite Wood Memorial stakeholders to fol- low the happenings at the junior high and high school by joining us on twitter at WM- Trojans1. IMPORTANT DATES AND MORE SCHOOL INFORMATION • A Community TailGate is planned for Friday, September 29, 2017. Food, Games, Music, and Fun! Fun! Fun! . Come out to the football complex prior to the Trojan game with Rock Creek Academy. • Information on how to join your re- spective class Remind and Schoology ac- counts has been posted to the Wood Me- morial High School website. The accounts have been established as a communication CALENDAR Wednesday, Sept. 27 Annual Bullying Training and Educa- tion 8:30 a.m. IHSA A Fall Meeting 9:30 a.m. Student Council Meeting 12:30 p.m. Boys Soccer at Pike Central 4:30 p.m. Girls Soccer vs. Pike Central 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28 Josten's Class Ring Ordering 7:30 a.m. Junior Class to JobSparx Career Fair 8 a.m. Annual Bullying Training and Educa- tion 8:30 a.m. HS Spell Bowl Team Practice 11:35 a.m. Boys Soccer vs. Washington Catho- lic 5 p.m. Volleyball at Heritage Hills 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 Fall Homecoming Practice 7:50 a.m. PLC – Gold Schedule 8 a.m. Fall Homecoming Voting 8:30 a.m. Community Tailgate 5 p.m. Fall Homecoming 6 p.m. Football vs. North Daviess 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 JHS Volleyball at Princeton 9 a.m. Volleyball at North Daviess 5 p.m. ADDITIONAL DATES OF NOTE Jostens – Freshman Class Ring Od- er, Sept. 28 Accuplacer – Part 1, Oct. 2 – Nov. 22 8th Grade College Visit USI, Oct. 3 JHS Spell Bowl Team Practice, Oct. 3 Blue Chip Spell Bowl, North Knox Oct. 3 HS Spell Bowl Team Practice, Oct. 5 College Night, H.S. Cafeteria, Oct. 5, 6 p.m. Red Cross Blood Drive, Oct. 10 JHS Spell Bowl Team Practice, Oct. 10 Student Picture Re-Takes, Oct. 10 HS Spell Bowl Team Practice, Oct. 12 7th Grade Science Sensation at Princ- eton, Oct. 12 JHS Spell Bowl Team Practice, Oct. 17 WMHS Athletic Council Meeting, JHS Conference Room, Varsity Coach- es, Oct. 17, 6 p.m. HS Spell Bowl Team Practice, Oct. 19 2017 – 2018 National Honor Society Induction, Oct. 23, 6 p.m. JHS Spell Bowl Team Practice, Oct. 24 Jostens Senior Graduation Order, Oct. 30 Senior Area Spell Bowl, Oct. 30 JHS Spell Bowl Team Practice, Oct. 31 and collaboration tool by the student ser- vices organization. By joining you will be able to receive pertinent information such as, scholarship opportunities, college ad- mission dates, and much more. Please con- tact Ms. Hill or Ms. Carlton for assistance. • Look for your opportunity to obtain a "Trojan" check card from German Amer- ican Bank. Details can be reviewed at the high school website. OCGC 24th annual He-She Tourney The two-day Oakland City Golf Course 24th annual He-She Golf Tourney drew golfers from all around the tri-state, shooting for eight hole prizes with 49 teams in four flights. Galen Egdorf and Carrie Egdorf shot a 68 -64, total of 132, to win the scramble/alternating 36 -hole tour- ney. This year, the event featured a hole-in-one on #2 by Larry Stratton. Hole prizes included: longest putt for men, Dean Labhart (24'); closest to the pin for women, Debbie Linberg (11'10"); longest putt women, Barb VanBlaricum (5'3"); closest to the pin men, Scott Blair (6'8"); longest putt for women, Carol Garrett (14'); closest to the pin men, Tom Buedel (6'9"); closest to the pin women, Becky Fitzsimmons (15'8"); longest putt for men, Mike Teeters (25'). Todd Riley and Becky Boerner were second in the championship flight (66 -70 -136) and Kenny Hedg- es and Cathy Graper were third (71- 67-137). Ron Satore and Kathy Hilge- man were fourth (67-72-139). First flight: Alex Manion and Thekia Georges (73-69 -141); Andy and Myra Schroeder (73-70 -143); Brad and Val Miller (73-72-145); J.R. and Dana Royette (75 -71-176). Second flight: Terry and Linda Zahn (78 -72-150); Mike Dean and Debbie Linberg (77-74-151); Lar- ry and Jackie Stratton (79 -73-152); Chuck and Rena Lilly (77-75 -152). Third flight: Fred and Krista Hadley (80 -75 -155); Gary Helsley and Sharon Bree (80 -81-162); Tay- lor Hunt and Linda Wheeler (83-80 - 161); Mark and Donna Dearing (82- 82-164). East Gibson farmers oppose I-69 zoning at Commissioners meeting By Janice Barniak A standing-room-only crowd greeted Gibson County Com- missioners at their Tuesday night meeting last week, as opponents of I-69 zoning came out in force to express their views and ask commissioners to either not zone or delay zoning on the corridor. Zoning opponents have met along North Gibson, in the area Commissioner Stephen Bottoms' represents, so he's been the com- missioner attending their meet- ings. He said commissioners reached out first to farmers to gauge their opinions on zoning. The commissioners passed around a frequently asked ques- tions sheet that was prepared in favor of zoning to answer ques- tions about the possible change. It said zoning would not in- crease property taxes, and would not stop farming, even if land is not zoned as agricultural. According to the FAQ, the cor- ridor is considered for zoning be- cause "I-69 is new and underde- veloped, there's an urgency to dictate that provisions be put into place there first before generally 'undesireable' uses can move in." The document cited a situa- tion on Hwy. 64 in Dubois Coun- ty where an adult entertainment complex opened near the Hol- iday World exit as an example of an "unwanted element" that could move in. The zoning plan would estab- lish a board, would not ban ani- mals, would assist in managing stormwater runoff, and would not require homes to connect to the public sewer system, accord- ing to the handout. Daniel Lefler, an opponent of zoning, asked why the commis- sioners were, in his opinion, so hurried in their actions. He said he did not believe all the informa- tion in the handout, and thought other county ordinances would prevent undesirable businesses. He said many opponents to zon- ing had voted for Bottoms. Bottoms said his intention was to get public feedback and that feedback offered so far had changed the original draft of the zoning map. Glen Georges, a resident who lives between Mackey and Somerville, said he doesn't re- ceive a paper, works for a living and the owner of his property lives out of town—he felt for the average resident, not enough had been done to let them know. "You've done a poor job of no- tifying people about the (exple- tive) zoning," he said. That was echoed by a Somerville resident, who said not knowing had made her believe the commissioners were hiding something; an Oak- land City resident said much the same thing, calling it "something sneaky going on." Commissioner Alan Doug- las addressed those attendees, saying that the commissioners hadn't had any public meeting on zoning; they couldn't meet out- side a public meeting called as a commissioners' meeting, and they were gathering feedback. "We are not doing anything behind anyone's back," he said. "My objective, and I'm a farmer, is to protect farmers and land- owners." Bottoms said the local Indiana Farm Bureau representative was in favor of the zoning, and con- sulting him had been seen as one way of connecting with farmers' interests on the issue. Donald Burch, a Philadelphia transplant, said that the country and farmland of Gibson County was "God's country" and "heav- en on Earth." "What you've got here is way more valuable than money. To trade it for gas stations, fast food places...there's no shortage on concrete and steel. If I could go back 30 years and stop I-69, I would," he said. Farmers were concerned Gib- son County would start to look like Vanderburgh County, and that while they were harvesting in October and November, the zoning would go through. Matt Page, of East Gibson, asked why zoning wasn't al- ready done county-wide, and if commissioners are considering it now, why it is not being consid- ered county-wide. Bottoms said he felt there was an immediate need on the cor- ridor. Not everyone was at the meet- ing to oppose zoning. Veda Fer- ry, an Oakland City resident, is a proponent. Zoning can be bene- ficial, she said. "I'm proud of being a redneck," she said. "Zoning can be used for your protection...it leaves farm- ing land farming land." She said it would prevent, for example, a strip club from mov- ing in, and that it kept, for exam- ple, industrial buildings all to- gether in Oakland City. Zoning was not on the commis- sioners' agenda, but had been heard during public comments. No voting took place in refer- ence to zoning. DRIVE TO SUCCEED Toyota hits 5 million vehicle milestone By Janice Barniak Sandra Chapparo jumped up and down as it was announced Governor Eric Holcomb had bought the five millionth vehicle made in Princeton at Toyota. She and Andres Chapparo, longtime employ- ees, had watched the first vehicle, a pristine red Tundra with a vanity plate that gleams behind her in the lobby of the Toyota Visitor's Center, roll off the line Dec. 10, 1998, and Wednesday, a few feet away, separated by 20 years, 4,999,999 other vehicles, and almost two decades of mem- ories, she looks at a black Sequoia Platinum SUV that represents the work of her and the 5,300 other team members that have had a hand in bringing the company to this point. There's more to come. By 2019, Toyota will invest $ 600 million to create 400 more jobs to produce 40,000 additional Highlanders by 2019. Plant president Millie Marshall joined Toy- ota in January, and she and Holcomb just re- turned last week from a visit to Toyota's city in Japan. The company broke ground in 1996, and af- ter the plant proved itself with the Tundra, it started manufacturing the full-size SUV Se- quoia in September of 2000, then the Sienna minivan in 2003, then in late 2013, the pro- duction of the gas and hybrid version of the award-winning Highlander began. Toyota also set a new standard for giving back with countless local donations, a tradi- tion they continued Wednesday, giving five non-profits $15,000 each, including East Gib- son School Corp. for a science classroom, Ev- ansville Public Library, for a robotics program, Play for Kate, for youth safety initiatives, Uni- versity of Southern Indiana and Work One Southwest for GED testing fee waivers. "I extend my sincere thanks to all of you here today for your ongoing support of our plant, our team members and our community," Mar- shall said. "My vision for TMMI is to contin- ue to bring new business to Indiana, increase on-the-job training for all team members, and to be a strong community partner where our team members work and live." Holcomb called Toyota a "model citizen" in reference to their giving. "What you do everyday here at this plant is truly inspiring," he said. He added he drives all over the state in his current Sequoia, which has 10 years and 200,000 miles on it. "There's no substitute for getting out and about, it's harder to lead from behind your desk...I want to thank all the effort and all the hands that had a part in these vehicles," he said, before thanking the company for im- proving people's lives even outside the gate of the plant. "I know Toyota is going places," he said, ref- erencing the company motto. Governor Eric Holcomb dangles the keys to his new, black Sequoia Platinum SUV Wednesday at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Indiana Visitor's Center. It was the landmark 5 millionth vehicle produced in Princeton. Janice Barniak photo