On August 7, 2023, at 5:37 p.m. Deputy Quinten Might was dispatched to Tulip Tree Drive near Princeton to perform a welfare check on an individual who was suspected to be under the influence of an unknown intoxicant. Upon arriving the reporting party identified 30 year old Marquis Smith of Fordsville, Kentucky as the individual who needed the welfare check. At that point Deputy Might spoke with Mr. Smith and during a pat down for weapons Methamphetamines were found on his person. At that point Deputy Might placed Mr. Smith into custody and transported him to the Gibson County Jail where he was charged with Possession of Methamphetamines and Possession of Paraphernalia. He remains in custody on a $1500 bond.
Assisting Deputy Might in his investigation was Deputy Michael Owens.
All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Fog Sealing Postponed By Weather
Heavy rains have postponed planned fog sealing of the recently chipped and sealed streets in Mt. Carmel. The fog sealing was to have been done Tuesday and Wednesday, but public works director Mike Gidcumb told the city council today that the work is now tentatively scheduled for Thursday and Friday of this week. But with more heavy rains in the forecast mid-week, Gidcumb said the fog sealing may have to be delayed until next week to provide optimal results. All streets that have been chipped and sealed this summer in Mt. Carmel will be fog sealed.
#348 Approves Multiple Personnel Decisions Ahead Of New School Year
School starts next week and the Wabash District #348 school board prepared for the new year by approving a variety of personnel matters at a special meeting Monday afternoon at the district office.
County Selling Former WAVE Location
The former WAVE buildings on West 3rd Street are being offered for sale. County Commissioners Saturday voted to sell the 6 acres of land which had previously been leased to the 377 Board and used as a sheltered workshop. But the three buildings are now only used for storage and the property is a strain on the 377 Board’s budget.
The property includes three acres on which the three buildings sit and three acres of woods behind the buildings. Commissioners declared the 6 acres as surplus property and will be accepting sealed bids, which county board chairman Tim Hocking said he hoped would be opened by the next county board meeting in two weeks. He said the property has already generated some interest from potential buyers.
It’s no secret the county’s courthouse has been bursting at the seams for years, but Hocking dismissed the idea of the county using the WAVE property to expand or possibly build a new jail.
Last year, commissioners shot down an attempt by the health board to buy the property and move the health department operations there and instead chose to remodel the existing facility at 7th and Chestnut Streets.
The rare Saturday afternoon county board meeting was held because a quorum would not have been available if the meeting had been held on its’ regularly scheduled day, which was today.
ILLINOIS STATE POLICE ANNOUNCE ARREST IN JASPER COUNTY MURDER
NEWTON – Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Zone 8 announce the arrest of 30-year-old Paul S. Schoonover from Newton, IL, for five counts of First Degree Murder (Class M Felony) and two counts Aggravated Battery (Class 3 Felony).
On June 8, 2023 at approximately 6 a.m., ISP DCI Zone 8 was requested by Newton Police Department to conduct a homicide investigation in Newton, IL. A male victim, later identified as 59-year-old Terry L. Eastep of Newton, IL, was located with life-threatening injuries inside a residence in the 100 block of Marion Street in Newton. On June 11, 2023, Eastep died as a result of his injuries.
On August 7, 2023, after a thorough investigation, the Jasper County State's Attorney's Office charged Schoonover with First Degree Murder and Aggravated Battery. Schoonover is currently in custody at the Jasper County Jail awaiting bond hearing.
ISP DCI Zone 8 was assisted by the Newton Police Department, Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, and ISP Crime Scene Services. No further information is available at this time.
Lane restrictions planned for U.S. 50
KNOX COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation announces lane restrictions for U.S. 50 near Washington.
Beginning on or around Monday, August 14, crews will begin restricting the east and west bound driving lanes of U.S. 50 near the Knox and Daviess County line. These restrictions will allow for bridge maintenance to be performed. This project will include scour protection along with painting pier piling. Work is expected to last through mid-October, depending on the weather.
GIVING MULTIPLIED WITH SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR CHILDREN OVERSEAS
Mount Carmel, IL., Aug. 7, 2023—As the school year approaches, shoebox packers are making use of back-to-school prices to purchase gifts and essential items for children in need around the world. Residents in Mount Carmel are collecting school supplies, along with personal care items and fun toys, to pack in shoeboxes. Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, will deliver these gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 100 countries.
For many children, access to these simple items is essential to an education. This was the case for Justin Thomas, a shoebox recipient in Southeast Asia whose parents could not afford the supplies needed for school. Thomas remembers the specific day he received a gift-filled shoebox from Operation Christmas Child and found it filled with toys and most exciting to him—school supplies!
Growing up with hand-me-down clothes and used items, Thomas used to write with a pencil so short that he held it using a pen cap. Having an entire packet of new pencils and a pencil sharpener all his own was a treasure to him. This simple gift made a life-changing impact for Thomas because it opened the doors for him to receive an education.
For more information, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. National Collection Week is Nov. 13-20. Participants can donate $10 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.
Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan's Purse, seeks to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 209 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories. This year, Operation Christmas Child will celebrate its 30th year of ministry!
Passenger dies in off-road vehicle accident
Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating an ORV accident that happened Saturday in Vanderburgh County and claimed the life of the passenger.
Just after 7 p.m., responders were dispatched to the area of the 12500 block of Saint Wendel Road just south of the Diamond Island Road intersection.
Upon arrival, officers learned that a side-by-side ORV being driven by Natalie Skeels, 35, of Evansville, lost control on a curve, striking a tree. Concerned citizens removed Skeels and her passenger, Bryn Dant, 35, of Poseyville, from the ORV and provided lifesaving measures.
Dant, who was not wearing or using safety gear at the time of the accident, was transported to Deaconess Midtown Hospital where she died of her injuries.
This incident is still under investigation.
Other responding agencies included the Scott Township Fire Department and Emergency Medical Service and Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Department.
Indiana Conservation Officers remind the public that ORV operators and passengers should always wear a helmet, protective riding gear, and use all ORV safety restraints.
Dark Comedy By Obie Award-winning playwright John Clancy Debuts Next Month In Philadelphia
Melanie Stewart announces the world premiere of Just Like Hollywood, her latest movement theater work presented by Blind Faith Productions in partnership with Cannonball Festival, a curated hub of the Philadelphia FringeArts Festival. Written by John Clancy and directed by Melanie Stewart the show features Kylie Westerbeck and Dane Eissler. Performances at the Maas Studio in the Maas Building (1325 Randolph Street, Philadelphia) are on Sunday, September 10 and Sunday, September 17, at 2:00PM and 5:00PM each day. Tickets at $25 and $50 are available at https://fringearts.com/box-office. Pay what you can admission on a sliding scale ($5-$20) is also accepted.
The result of a decade-long collaboration with Obie award-winning playwright John Clancy, Just Like Hollywood explores the degradation of a young woman in contemporary America. On a bare stage, using only props supplied by a demanding and impatient master of ceremonies (Eisler), the woman (Westerbeck) must discover the key to unlock the cage in which he keeps her. Forced to perform and dance to please her captor she forces the audience to question at what point will she rebel. A rigorous and playful study of status and the eternal male/female dance and duel, this dark comedy examines the trap ensnaring so many women today, an invisible but all-encompassing prison she is raised in and taught to accept, if not embrace.
“Just Like Hollywood was written in the wake of and in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade,” explained Stewart. “I see this play as a way to encourage audience to protest the fallout of this decision which has led to the most destructive and cruel treatment of women in our recent history.”
Melanie Stewart (Director) was the Artistic Director of Melanie Stewart Dance Theatre from 1984-2014, producing over 50 original works of dance and movement driven theater for the concert stage, in dance/film/video, and in education, both nationally and abroad. As a critically acclaimed choreographer and director, she has received numerous fellowships and grants from such funders as the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, The National Endowment for the Arts, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and both the NJ and PA Council for the Arts. She is the winner of the 2008 Leigh Gerdine Award for Excellence in the Performing Arts.
John Clancy (Writer) is a contemporary American playwright, novelist and director. He was a co-founder and first Artistic Director of the New York International Fringe Festival and its producing organization The Present Company. His written work centers mainly on the American experience, and is characterized by dark humor and farce. His best-known play is Fatboy: An American Grotesque, a modern re-working of Alfred Jarry’s Ubu Roi. His monologue The Event premiered in Edinburgh in 2009 and has gone on to tour Germany, the Netherlands, Australia and the United States and has been translated into Greek and German. Clancy’s directing has earned six Fringe First Awards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and two Best of Fringe Awards ata the Adelaide Fringe Festival. He was awarded a 2005 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Direction, a 2002 Glasgow Herald Angel Award for Excellence in Direction, a 1997 New York Magazine Award, and a 2008 Dialogue ONE Award for Outstanding Contribution to Theater.
Actor/musician/photographer Kylie Westerbeck (Performer) has appeared locally in Nocturne, The Lydie Breeze Triology, Curse of the Starving Class and Company, all at EgoPo Classic Theatre, Witness for the Prosecution at Bristol Riverside Theatre, and Our Town at People’s Light & Theatre Company. A graduate of Rowan University, her original theatre works include Complexity (DC Fringe) and Peg! (Philly Fringe). She has released original two albums: Bello (2018) and Summertime (2019).
Dane Eissler (Performer) is a theater director, designer, performer, and educator, as well as a visual artist. In Philly, he has worked with Azuka Theatre, B.R.A.T. Productions, and EgoPo Classic Theater, where he served as Artistic Producer. In Chicago, Eissler was the founding artistic director of the multidisciplinary pop-up theater collective, A Dead Whale Productions, and also worked with Rough House Theater, Whiskey Rebellion Theatre, Women of the Now, MTV- and SAG-nominated comedian Megan Stalter’s Freakfest, and The Annoyance Theatre.
Blind Faith Productions is a production company that produces the projects of Melanie
Stewart focusing on the weird, nuance and vulnerable side of American culture. The
projects of the company integrate movement, text, and image to explore the ability of the
body to carry meaning in original narratives that are often ironic and intensely human. Just Like Hollywood is the first production of Blind Faith Productions.
Hiding From Cops Not Enough To Prevent Arrest
On 7/30/23, Mt. Carmel Police arrested Derek L. Cross, age 44, of Mt. Carmel on two outstanding Wabash County Warrants. The officer had originally observed Cross walking in the 100 block of Poplar Street but eventually found him hiding in a tree line nearby. Cross was taken into custody and transported to the Wabash County Jail. Cross was issued the warrants, one for a new charge of Domestic Battery x 2, and the other for FTA on an unrelated Domestic Battery case. Cross is being held on a total of $1300 cash bond.