A Historic Year

Presidential Election

Former President Bill Clinton spent the better part of an hour in Seymour on April 2 touting the merits of his wife, Hillary Clinton, and her ideas about America's future. An enthusiastic crowd of about 1,300 people greeted Clinton, who is the first president to visit Jackson County in decades.

"Hillary wants your support and knows it can be used to change this country and make the world a better place," Clinton said of his wife, a New York senator who was locked in a tight battle with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"They've been telling you your vote won't matter," Clinton said. "I think you kind of like the idea that your vote matters for the first time in 40 years."

Hoosiers got the chance to make their choice known in the May 6 primary.

Indiana's 9th Congressional District also saw former 9th District Rep. Lee Hamilton endorse Obama.

Obama fielded a stream of questions from people April 11 during a town hall-style meeting at Columbus East High School. The Olympians' gymnasium was filled with an estimated 3,000 residents of Columbus and the surrounding area who peppered Obama with questions about his vision of the future of this country.

After Obama won the Democratic seat for the presidential nomination, it was full speed ahead for the White House against Republican candidate John McCain, a senator from Arizona.

McCain's selection for vice presidential running mate took many by surprise when he chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Palin became the first female Republican vice presidential candidate in history.

Polls in October showed a tight race between McCain and Obama. Democrats had not won in Indiana since 1964, so Palin and McCain made their way through it and other so-called battleground states to maintain power.

Palin made campaign stops in Noblesville and Fort Wayne before stopping in Jeffersonville on Oct. 29. Palin addressed a crowd of 16,000 during the Road to Victory Rally in a warehouse off Indiana 62.

On Nov. 4 Obama made history as the first African-American to be elected president. Obama also carried Indiana with 49.9 percent of the votes, the first Democrat to win the Hoosier state since Lyndon Johnson.

Other Races

In the November general election, Jackson County voted to send Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican, back to office, as well as 9th District Rep. Baron Hill, a Democrat.

Economy

The weakening national economy had an effect on everything and everyone in 2008.

Gas prices were well over $3 per gallon at the start of the year and have now dropped back to the national average of $1.50 per gallon. Oil prices hit a record high in March at $102.45 a barrel, with the effect spreading to factories, groceries, gas stations and every citizen's pocketbook.

Builders were building less, the government reported. Manufacturers were cutting back, another report said. General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. said they would cut second-quarter production.

The galloping energy prices were doubly painful as the nation teetered on the edge of recession. High energy costs pushed companies to charge shoppers higher prices, then those consumers and businesses cut back in turn, dumping more cold water on the economy.

Congress passed an emergency plan in February that rushed rebates of $600 to $1,200 to most taxpayers and $300 checks to disabled veterans, the elderly and other low-income people. The plan, which added $168 billion to the deficit over two years, was intended to provide cash for people to spend and tax relief for businesses to make new investments - boosts for an economy battered by a housing downturn and credit crunch.

Congress approved an unprecedented $700 billion government bailout of the battered financial industry on Oct. 3 and sent it to President Bush, who quickly signed it.

The nation's unemployment rate bolted to a 14-year high of 6.5 percent in October as another 240,000 jobs were cut, far worse than economists expected and stark proof the economy was deteriorating at an alarmingly rapid pace.

Oil closed at $60.77 on Nov. 6, the lowest closing price since March 2007, and has fallen about 59 percent since reaching a record $147.27 in mid-July.

The National Bureau of Economic Research announced in December that the U.S. economy had been in a recession since December 2007.

This month, President Bush ordered an emergency bailout of the U.S. auto industry, offering $17.4 billion in rescue loans and demanding tough concessions from the deeply troubled carmakers and their workers.

As the longest recession in a quarter-century intensified, analysts believed the small decline in economic activity in the third quarter had worsened significantly in the fourth quarter. The Commerce Department said this past month that the gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic health, declined at an annual rate of 0.5 percent in the July-September quarter. Corporate profits fell 1.2 percent. Some economists believe the economy's decline in the October-December period could be as large as 6 percent. If so, that would be the worst quarterly drop since 1982.

Indiana Sales Tax

On April 1, Indiana saw a 1 percent increase in sales tax. The tax increased from 6 percent to 7 percent under the state's property tax relief and reform plan that Gov. Mitch Daniels signed into law in March.

Indiana took over about $3 billion in costs that were previously on local property tax rolls. It's financing those costs with revenue raised by the increase in the sales tax, existing gaming revenue and redirecting existing state sales tax money currently used to subsidize local spending. The Indiana Legislative Services expects the increase to generate an additional $937 million in fiscal year 2009 and $960 million in 2010. The increase is part of an effort to reform the state's property tax system and relieve the tax burden on property owners.

County

On the county level, the county council's annual struggle to balance the budget continued in 2008.

The council, however, was able to come within $241,000 of the 2009 budget of $10.13 million, a number that is manageable, says Eric Reedy, the council's financial consultant.

On Nov. 12, judges and attorneys from throughout southern Indiana gathered in Jackson Circuit Court to celebrate the life of Judge Jonathan J. Robertson II. The Brownstown man served as a judge on the Indiana Court of Appeals from 1971 to 1997 and wrote more than 3,000 opinions. Robertson, who also was a Jackson Circuit Court judge from 1965 to 1969, died Oct. 13 at the age of 76.

On Nov. 4, 59.47 percent or 17,964 of the county's 30,208 registered voters turned out to cast ballots for president, the governor and local seats. That was much lower than anticipated, considering 3,278, or 10.8 percent of the county's 30,208 registered voters, voted before Election Day.

In comparison, 58.70 percent or 17,632 of 30,044 registered voters went to the polls in the previous presidential election in 2004.
Two new faces, Republican Jerry Hounshel and Democrat John Schafstall, will join the three-man commissioners' board. Both men, however, are no stranger to politics, as Hounshel is a former sheriff and Schafstall already served one stint as commissioner back in the 1990s. The only new face on the county council will be Democrat J.L. Brewer, as incumbent Republicans Charlie Murphy and Matt Reedy won re-election. Auditor Debbie Eggeman and Treasurer Kathy Hohenstreiter, along with Surveyor Jerry Tracey, also won re-election. The county will have a new coroner in Roger Wheeler.

Problems computing property tax bills again in 2008 led to delays in those bills being sent to county residents. In fact, the first installment wasn't due until Nov. 10 and the second installment is not due until Feb. 10. Those delays led to school corporations having to borrow money for operating costs.

Also, initial discussions involving a possible expansion of the jail began in late 2008 as overcrowding continues at the present jail, which opened in 2000. Inmate populations averaged above 200 for most of the year.

Also in August, Jackson County commissioners voted 3-0 to give the Bell Ford Covered Bridge to the city of Lawrence for use in the Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park. The west span of the bridge, built in 1869, collapsed into the East Fork of the White River, and the east span also collapsed in 2006. Efforts to restore the bridge to its original site hadn't made much progress.

On June 30, the Jackson Township Assessor's Office closed after the Indiana General Assembly enacted legislation consolidating it with the county assessor's office.

Seymour Government

Under the leadership of new mayor Craig Luedeman, the first Republican to hold the city's top position since 1976, Seymour saw many changes in 2008.

From major infrastructure improvements to the implementation of Tax Increment Financing and the addition of civilians to the police review board, Luedeman has kept busy in his first year of office, but he hasn't done it alone.

One of his first actions as mayor was to appoint department heads to help him make decisions and run the city. On Jan. 1, 2008, police Chief Bill Abbott, Dick Wilde, director of the Department of Public Works, and city attorney Rodney Farrow were sworn into their new positions. Luedeman also appointed longtime Seymour veterinarian Larry Sunbury and city Councilman Jim Rebber to the Board of Works.

In February, Luedeman delivered his first State of the City speech, outlining his plans for the future. He touched upon several issues including the city's finances, an economic trade trip to Japan, the poor condition of city roads and sewers, the importance of Freeman Municipal Airport, plans to extend Burkart Boulevard and how the city could cut costs and save money by applying for grants.

Although the extension of Burkart Boulevard has been a major priority for Luedeman, the city learned in March that the project, which will connect Burkart Boulevard to Indiana 11 just north of Seymour-Redding Elementary School, had been pushed back to 2010 because of state construction requirements.

In April, the city received a $547,000 grant from the city of Lawrenceburg through its gambling revenue sharing program. Luedeman said the money would give the city "a huge infrastructure boost" and help make property in the Eastside Industrial Park more marketable. Also in April, Luedeman spent a week in Japan as part of a southern Indiana economic development trip.

May was another important month for the city, as the newly implemented independent police review board conducted its first session. The board was expanded to include two civilian members and the procedure for handling complaints against police officers was changed after citizen Joe Joray questioned the policy. Also in May, Luedeman proposed the city create two TIF districts, one in the Eastside Industrial Park and the other in the Freeman Field Industrial Park, as a way of capturing property tax revenue from those areas to reinvest into road and sewer repairs.

Later on in June, the city reached an agreement with Seymour Community Schools on the issue of TIF districts, where generated funds above and beyond what the city requires for infrastructure improvement projects are returned to the school corporation as well as other taxing units. The city approved the TIF districts at the end of June. Later on in the month, the city received a $386,652 grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs to renovate and restore building fronts in the downtown.

July was a slow month for city government, but work did begin on a project Luedeman had been working on since he took office. Workers from CSX and Louisville and Indianapolis Railroad replaced two railroad crossings on Tipton Street.

In August, the city discussed the use of all terrain vehicles on city streets. Citizen Bill Toborg requested city council members pass an ordinance allowing him to drive his four-wheeler on city streets. That ordinance was rejected in September.

Beginning in October, the city started to review the idea of automated trash pickup after Wilde presented the program to the Board of Works as an option of saving the city money.

In November, Luedeman, as well as citizens, were happy to see CSX repair two more railroad crossings, one on North O'Brien Street and the other on North Broadway Street. City officials were also forced to increase the city's tax rate in November from 80.38 cents to $1.07 per $100 of taxable property to make up for nearly $700,000 the city will lose in 2009 because of additional homestead credits approved by the state earlier this year. Also in November, major infrastructure work began to install a new sewer line and lift station near the Eastside Industrial Park.

To end the year, city officials met in December to discuss the appearance of the downtown and how to improve it. Board of Works members also agreed to end a lease the city had entered into a year ago with a not-for-profit group working to create a city museum in the former Seymour police station building. Board members decided they wanted the city to have more oversight of the project and would likely renegotiate the contract.

Brownstown Council

In October, Brownstown Council members went to work on two projects that will be funded in part with federal tax dollars. The first would see $398,000 in renovation and expansion of the town's park, and the second improves streets and roads leading to the new Indiana Steel & Tube Plant in the town's industrial park.

In early July, the first formal meeting of a task force aimed at becoming a positive force for Brownstown was held.

"Our goal is to enhance the quality of life in our community," said Linda McCormick, who is one of the organizers of the task force dubbed Brownstown Development.

The group has been meeting on a regular basis to come up with a formal organization and potential projects. It also is eyeing the possibility of putting together a long-range plan.

Military

In January, 3,400 soldiers of the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat headed to Iraq. It was Indiana's largest call-up since World War II. The 76th includes members from the former Charlie Company that had been stationed at the Indiana National Guard Armory in Seymour, now the 38th Main Support Battalion of the Guard. An estimated 25,000 people gathered at the RCA Dome for a celebratory send-off for the soldiers.

In December, the last of the 3,400 Indiana National Guard troops returned home following a nine-month deployment to Iraq. Guard spokesman Sgt. Jeff Lowry said the soldiers had been working in Iraq and Kuwait to assist the other troops in their return.

Soldiers of the 2-152 Reconnaissance and Surveillance Cavalry Squadron of the Indiana National Guard's 219th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade moved in to Seymour's Freeman Field in August. The soldiers made practice parachute jumps in anticipation of deployment in 2011.

Also in October, David Rehbein of Ames, Iowa, the newly elected national commander of the American Legion, paid a visit to the Seymour post.

Police

Although there were no murders reported in Jackson County in 2008, the year still had its share of crime and even tragedy.
At least five motorists, including three teens, lost their lives on Jackson County roads and streets during the year. In December, Charles F. Hill, 49, of Fishers died in a crash on U.S. 50 in eastern Jackson County, while in September, Amanda Burrell, 22, of Seymour lost her life in a motorcycle wreck on Ninth Street in the area of Shields Avenue.

The most recent crash involving a teenager occurred in August when Brownstown Central High School senior Nathan Alan Williams, 18, of Brownstown died in a wreck northwest of the county seat.

Seymour High School junior Amanda Stahl, 16, lost her life in a wreck while returning home from the Jackson County Fair in July just a day after being named to the 4-H Court, and 16-year-old Norman resident Mason Branaman died at an Indianapolis hospital after he was involved in a one-vehicle wreck just northeast of Freetown in March. The Brownstown Central sophomore was returning home after attending a benefit concert at Freetown for senior John Gray. Gray had been burned by hot grease during an accident at work on Feb. 14.

In August, a Brownstown man was arrested after an arson fire that damaged a home at 307 S. Park St. in Seymour. Jarrod J. Reynolds faces an attempted murder charge because seven people were in the home at the time the fire began. In November, the same home was set on fire again, although Reynolds remained in jail on the original charge at the time.

There also were plenty of robberies reported throughout the year, including a spate in December.

In March, a 38-year-old Seymour woman, Tina Day, accused of selling a 12-year-old girl to men for sex in the summer of 2007, received a 17-year prison term in Jackson Circuit Court. Two men, Jose Mendez-Romero, 35, and Sergio Urtrea-Viveros, 40, were each convicted of a Class A felony count of child molestation in connection with the case and are serving prison terms as well.
Also in March, 68-year-old Bonnie Visty lost her life in a fire at her home in Vallonia.

In January, Garret L. Gray apologized to the family of Aaron "Shorty" Hall, 35, of Crothersville shortly before being sentenced to 30 years in prison for beating Hall to death in April 2007. On Jan. 15, Coleman M. King, 18, of Crothersville received the same sentence from Jackson Circuit Judge Bill Vance after pleading guilty to beating Hall.

Business

In November, Rumpke of Indiana began using the first cell of an expansion in the works at its Medora Landfill. The expansion, when complete, will extend the life of the landfill by 20 years.

New curbside recycling programs were launched during the year in Brownstown and Medora.

Because of the poor economy, several businesses had to cut jobs and some even shut down. Schenker Logistics, a company providing logistics for a worldwide supplier of computer printers and printing plans, closed its Seymour operations, idling 81 employees.

A decision was made in July to shut down the Kobelco Metal Powder plant, resulting in 100 employees losing their jobs. The business was sold to a Swedish company. The Seymour plant will close in the middle of 2009.

Russell Stover Distribution Center closed its doors in Brownstown on May 9. Jackie Hill of Jackson County Industrial Development Corp. said its industrial guide lists Russell Stover with 30 employees.

Indiana Steel and Tube announced May 28 plans to locate its new manufacturing operation in the former Russell Stover building in Brownstown and open a sister operation in the former Dura Automotive building, also in Brownstown.

Cereplast brought jobs to Seymour with the building of a hybrid resin facility in Seymour's East Side Industrial Park. The production of bio-based resins - small pellets of plastic - started this year with "several dozen" employed in 2008. Cereplast expects to employ up to 200 by the time the plant is at full capacity in 2010. At full capacity, it should produce 500 million pounds of pellets annually.
Cummins Inc. announced in December that they would cut at least 500 white- collar jobs worldwide by the end of 2008.

Severe Weather

Unusually warmer temperatures brought lots of rain to Jackson County in January, resulting in flash flooding. One motorist had to be rescued from his vehicle after he was caught in floodwaters west of Cortland. The flooding also caused damage to county roads.
A storm that hit most of Indiana the evening of Jan. 29 brought with it straight-line winds that uprooted trees and knocked down a garage in the Cortland area. Several homes were damaged from fallen trees, but no injuries were reported.

Exactly one week after straight-line winds hit Hamilton Township, a storm packing winds of 80 to 90 mph hit the area again, on Feb. 5. No injuries were reported in the Cortland and Acme areas, where damage was reported to more than a dozen homes, barns and outbuildings. The winds destroyed the home of Tom and Janet Disque as well as a barn owned by Barbara Robertson. Don and Wilma Claycamp also saw damage to their farm. Four of their six barns were destroyed and two cows died after being trapped under fallen debris.

The biggest weather-related event of 2008 locally was the flooding that occurred in June. Heavy rains from areas north of Jackson County on June 7 pushed the East Fork of the White River to 20.92 feet at Rockford by 10:45 a.m. June 8. That was just short of the record of 21 feet on March 26, 1913.

Residents living near the river in the Medora and Cortland areas, as well as several subdivisions in Seymour, were evacuated early on the morning of June 8. Many residents spent weeks pumping water out of their basements and crawlspaces, throwing out personal items that couldn't be salvaged, and rebuilding what had been destroyed.

Several homes in the Medora area couldn't be saved. Throughout the rest of 2008, FEMA assisted victims financially and with the use of mobile homes. Other organizations, such as the American Red Cross and the Lions Club in Medora, helped to provide meals, clothing and other assistance to victims throughout Jackson County.

The flooding in the basement of Columbus Regional Hospital forced the hospital to shut its doors and sent patients to other hospitals, including Schneck Medical Center in Seymour. The hospital opened its emergency room in August and the rest of the hospital reopened in October.

Thousands of Jackson County residents were without power after remnants of Hurricane Ike swept across the region on Sept. 14.

Winds up to 60 miles per hour caused tree limbs and trees to litter Seymour streets, lawns and parks that Sunday afternoon as the worst of the storm battered the area. No injuries were reported in the Seymour area, police said. A Crothersville man was killed after a tree struck him at a family reunion at a Versailles park. Across the state, six people were killed by the storm, including three in southern Indiana, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. Power remained out for many residents in southern Indiana for up to a week as power companies worked around the clock to fix broken power lines.

John Mellencamp

Seymour native John Mellencamp made history this year as he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10.
Also bringing attention to Mellencamp was the proposal to change the name of Community Drive to John Mellencamp Way. The proposal was met with a mixed response when Mayor Craig Luedeman floated the idea on behalf of some of the members of the SHS Class of 1970 during a city council meeting in February.

Mellencamp was featured in a documentary, "Homeward Bound: John Mellencamp," that aired on the BIO network Dec. 11. As part of the show, viewers also got a front-row seat to Mellencamp's special Sept. 23 concert at the historic Crump Theatre in Columbus, where he first performed 30 years ago.

New Girls Inc. Building

Three years and many donations later, the capital campaign raised $3.4 million to construct the new Girls Inc. building on North O'Brien Street. Girls of Jackson County now have a bigger and better place to learn how to live up to the motto of being "strong, smart and bold."

Visitor Center

After years of work, the train depot was transformed into the new Jackson County Visitor Center. The building, dedicated on April 1, was designed and has been used for meetings and public gatherings. It also has a gift shop in the front lobby to sell Jackson County products and other items of memorabilia. According to historical documents, the depot was built around 1890 by the Southern Indiana Railway Company.

Whitcomb Honored

Former Gov. Edgar D. Whitcomb was recognized in the renaming of a portion of U.S. 50 from Hayden to Seymour in a ceremony April 30 on the lawn of the old County Courthouse in Rome.

"It was a grand celebration on a beautiful day," he said after the ceremony.

Whitcomb was born in Hayden and, after service in World War II, practiced law in North Vernon and Seymour. In 1966, Whitcomb was elected Indiana secretary of state and, in 1968, was elected governor.

Stam Wins Miss Indiana

Katie Stam, 22, a Seymour High School graduate and a senior at the University of Indianapolis, was crowned Miss Indiana on June 21 at the annual pageant at Zionsville High School. The daughter of Keith and Tracy Stam of Seymour, Katie will travel to Las Vegas in January to compete in the annual televised Miss America Pageant.

Business Expo

The Greater Seymour Chamber of Commerce held for the first time the Tri-County Business Expo on Sept. 10 at Seymour High School. This was the second year for Jackson County to join with Jennings and Bartholomew county businesses to network and gain exposure.

Crothersville Sesquicentennial

Crothersville residents celebrated 150 years of the town's existence with a four-day celebration Sept. 11-14. The weekend featured a parade, musical entertainment, a play of Crothersville's history and sesquicentennial royalty. Some of the festivities were canceled due to strong winds from Hurricane Ike blowing through the area.