We're "ON" It! - The Owen News

In preparation for the primary election, The Owen News will host a "Meet the Candidates" event on Monday, April 20 at the Historic Tivoli Theatre, located at 24. N. Washington St., Spencer.

The event is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., with the program beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Candidates appearing on the primary ballot for either the Republican or Democratic parties for state and county-level offices are invited to participate. Each candidate will be given up to two minutes to introduce themselves, if they choose. Candidates who are unable to attend may submit a written introduction in advance, which will be read on their behalf during the program.

Following introductions, candidates in contested primary races will have the opportunity to answer questions posed by the moderator, Nicole DeCriscio, Executive Editor of The Owen News.

Other candidates are welcome to stay for individual questions from constituents and mingling following the end of the program.

In addition to the live forum, all primary candidates will be invited to respond to a candidate questionnaire that will appear in a special election section published with the April issue of The Owen News. The section is designed to provide readers with additional information about candidates and voting information ahead of the primary election.

"We see this as a natural extension of our reporting," DeCriscio said. "Our mission is to provide reliable, fact-based information that helps our community make informed decisions. Hosting a public forum and publishing a comprehensive candidate questionnaire ensures voters have direct access to the people asking to represent them."

She added that convening candidates and community members in the same space reflects the newspaper's role beyond publishing.

"Local newspapers have always served as a forum for civic life," DeCriscio said. "By bringing candidates and residents together at the Tivoli, we're helping create transparency and accountability while giving the community the information it needs in one place."

Coverage of the "Meet the Candidates" event will be published online at theowennews.org and featured in the May issue of The Owen News.

Candidates interested in participating or submitting an introduction in advance should contact The Owen News for additional details.

Is it the thrill of the hunt, or the taste of the magnificent morel that drives Owen Countians wild? Whether foraging in the woods or frying up a batch of flavorful fungi is your favorite part of the annual spring tradition, The Owen News is pleased to announce the return of our annual Morel Mushroom Contest!

In addition to "Sweet Owen" bragging rights, the mushroom hunter who finds the largest morel (length + width) will receive $50, while second place will be awarded $25, and third place $10.

The contest is open to Owen County residents only and will officially close at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 29. Entries are free this year and are not limited, so keep hunting as the season progresses. The winners of the second annual contest, which is sponsored by A Fungus Amoung Us, LLC, will be announced in our June 2026 issue.

The contest is limited to yellow or gray morel (sponge) mushroom varieties. All entries must have been found in Owen County.

All entries must be measured at the Owen County Community Foundation, 60 E. Market St., Spencer, during their normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

As a reminder, morel mushrooms typically start to emerge when the soil temperature reaches around 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. They prefer air temperatures in the 60s and 70s during the day and no lower than 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night.

For the best longevity and to prevent mushrooms from going bad, mushrooms should be stored in a brown paper bag or lined with paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Storing them in plastic traps moisture, leading to a slimy texture and creates the potential for mold growth.

The best way to harvest morel mushrooms is to cut them at the base with scissors or a knife, or pinch them off at the base with your fingers. Cutting or pinching ensures that the mushroom is removed without damaging the mycelium, which is the underground network that helps the mushrooms grow.

Using a mesh bag is also recommended because it allows the spores to fall back to the ground as you continue your hunt, potentially helping to maintain or increase the morel population.

Morels are found in various habitats, often near dead or dying trees such as elms, poplars and ash trees, as well as in old apple orchards. Morel mushrooms are considered to be mycorrhizal, meaning they form a mutualistic relationship with the roots of trees. This relationship benefits both the fungus and the tree, with the fungus receiving carbohydrates from the plant and the plant gaining access to more water and nutrients from the soil due to the increased surface area provided by the mycelium of the fungus. This dual nature of morels—being both mycorrhizal and saprotrophic—explains why they can be found in a variety of environments, including around dead or dying trees.

Good luck and happy hunting!

Amidst the rolling hills of Owen County—a landscape that guest speaker Don Lamb joked can make a "Boone County flatlander" like himself a little queasy—local farmers and conservationists gathered Feb. 26 at the Owen County Fairgrounds for the Owen County Soil & Water Conservation District's Annual Meeting Dinner & Expo.

Lamb, the Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), was introduced by SWCD Executive Director Tammy Bingham and delivered a keynote address that was part personal heritage and part strategic vision.

A second-generation grain farmer from Lebanon, Lamb used the platform to "recruit" the audience into what he calls "Team Ag Indiana."

"We all need to be on the side of agriculture. We're a small group," Lamb told the crowd. "What can you do that can help out agriculture? Because we need everybody."

Lamb opened his remarks by reflecting on his roots, sharing photos of his father, a military veteran and first-generation farmer who started his operation by securing land via newspaper clippings mailed to him while he was stationed in Italy. He also displayed photos of himself as a child with his first toy tractors—items he still keeps today.

"If you grew up in agriculture, you know there's just something special; it gets in your blood from a young age," Lamb said, noting that at 59, he represents the average age of a Hoosier farmer—a statistic he hopes to change by encouraging more young people to enter the industry.

Despite being only the 38th largest state by land mass, Lamb highlighted that Indiana punches well above its weight class in global production. The state currently ranks first in popcorn and duck production, is among the top five in pork, corn, soybeans, eggs and poultry, and currently ranks as the seventh largest agricultural exporter in the nation.

Lamb specifically praised Owen County's unique contribution to these statistics, noting the county's strength in forest land and the hardwood industry.

"Owen County has a lot of patient farmers," Lamb remarked, referring to the long-term stewardship required for timber, which contributes to a $10.5 billion industry statewide.

Lamb also addressed recent shifts in federal and state health policies, specifically the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement. While initially nervous about how new federal and state leadership might view traditional agriculture, Lamb noted that the focus on "real food" has been a positive conversation starter.

Under Governor Mike Braun, Lamb is currently working on an executive order to identify barriers to local food production.

"I look at it as economic development," Lamb said. "Anytime you turn dollars over in a local community like this, those dollars turn over several times."

However, he cautioned against creating a divide between "small" and "big" agriculture.

"As soon as we start dividing... saying that's good for the small guy, not the big guy, or vice versa—it's all agriculture," he said. "We ought to be cheering every part of that food chain."

The meeting also touched on the pressing issue of "lost" farmland. Lamb reported that Indiana lost 350,000 acres of farmland between 2010 and 2022 to residential and industrial development. While efficiency has allowed farmers to produce more food on less land, he emphasized that the state is now conducting studies every five years to monitor the trend.

Lamb concluded by urging Owen County leaders to integrate agriculture into their regional economic development plans.

"Economic development shouldn't be a four-letter word to us in agriculture," he said, encouraging the community to find ways to add value to local products, such as turning raw hardwoods into finished barrels (not just staves) right here in Owen County.

The annual meeting also served as an opportunity for the SWCD to report on its conservation efforts. District officials discussed ongoing partnerships between local, state and federal agencies to protect water quality and soil health, emphasizing that conservation is essential to the county's overall quality of life.

Corbin Abrell, SWCD Board of Supervisors & Elections Chair, conducted the night's election of two new officers, with Owen County Councilman Anton Karl Neff later swearing in new board members Aaron Dunn and Jean Ann Schmittgens to begin their three-year terms of service. Dunn and Schmittgens join Abrell and fellow board of supervisors' members Steve Fox and Doris Scully.

The evening also featured a plate dinner prepared by the Spencer VFW Post #1405 Auxiliary, along with 22 vendor booths and an array of silent auction items.

Candidates continued to file this week for the May 5th primary election in Owen County.

Here's a rundown of those who have filed to run for office as of 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4:

Circuit Court II Judge, 78th Judicial Circuit

Kelsey B. Hanlon – R

Prosecuting Attorney, 78th Judicial Circuit

Ashley M. Fleetwood – R
Benjamin C. Kim – R

Assessor

Dustin (Dusty) White – R

Circuit Court Clerk

Diane Stutsman – R

Commissioner, District 1
(Harrison, Montgomery, Taylor or Wayne Township residency)

Norman C. Warner – R

Coroner

Shelby Hershberger – R
Timothy R. Wright – R

County Council, District 1
(Harrison, Montgomery, Taylor, part of Washington, or Wayne Townships residency)

Loretta Foster – R
Walter Newman – R
Lori L. Warner – R
Sandra K. Calvert – D

County Council, District 2
(Part of Washington Township residency)

Anton Karl Neff – D

County Council, District 3
(Jackson, Jennings, Lafayette, part of Marion, or Morgan Townships residency)

Don Bingham – R
Lynda Sands – R
Mark Anthony Searcy – R
Mark Snapp – D

County Council, District 4
(Clay, Franklin, Jefferson, or part of Marion Townships residency)

Andy Wood – R
William D. Fulk – R

Recorder

Nicole VanDerMoere – R
Joseph Newman – D

Sheriff

Sam Hobbs – R
Ryan T. White – R

Surveyor

Amy L. Meier – R

Treasurer

Shelly Townsend – R

Township Trustee – Clay

Debbie Keith – R
Marjorie Ann Clouse – R

Township Trustee – Franklin

Leroy Gentry – R

Township Trustee – Jefferson

Daryl Kasper – R

Township Trustee – Jennings

Susan M. Huftel – R

Township Trustee – Lafayette

Doris Scully – R

Township Trustee – Marion

James Elliott III – D

Township Trustee – Montgomery

Amanda L. Huntington – R
M. Sue Carpenter – R

Township Trustee – Morgan

Dave Davies – R
Collin Rotella – D

Township Trustee – Washington

Patty Edwards – R
Phillip O'Neil – D

Township Trustee – Wayne

Linda Ann Studer – R

Township Trustee Board – Clay

Jacob Balash – D

Township Trustee Board – Franklin

Denise Line – R
Bruce McCallister – D

Township Trustee Board – Harrison

Catherine Richardson – R
Clarence Walls – R

Township Trustee Board – Jefferson

Athena Goulet – D

Township Trustee Board – Lafayette

Kenneth Sebastian – R

Township Trustee Board – Montgomery

Douglas K. Carpenter – R
Janet Long – R
Ermond V. Poore – R

Township Trustee Board – Morgan

Rita Shunk – R
Sharon Close – R
Ronald A. Jackson – R
Stephanie Barlow – D

Township Trustee Board – Washington

Suzanne Simmerman – R
Susan A. Ciresi – D
Ruth A. Jones – D

Precinct Committeeman – Clay

Jacob Balash – D

Precinct Committeeman – Franklin

Bruce McCallister – D

Precinct Committeeman – Montgomery

Sandra K. Calvert – D

Precinct Committeeman – Morgan

David Henk – D

Precinct Committeeman – Washington 1

Anton Karl Neff – D
Jane Rubeck – D

Precinct Committeeman – Washington 2

Jo Ann Neal – D

Democratic Convention Delegate

Jo Ann Neal – D
Jacob Balash – D
David Henk – D
Stephanie Barlow – D
Collin Rotella – D
Aliyah Keuthan – D
Jane Rubeck – D
Jonathan Balash – D

Republican Convention Delegate

Verl Keith – R
Andrew Horning – R
Denise Line – R
Lori L. Warner – R
Norman Warner III – R

United States Representative, Eighth District

Mark Messmer – R
Mary Allen – D
Mario Foradori – D
Christopher Rector – D

State Senator, District 39

Tanner Bouchie – R
Jeff Ellington – R
Kristi Risk – R
Joseph Baughman – D

State Representative, District 46

Thomas L. (Tom) Arthur – R
Bob Heaton – R
James H. Pittsford (Jimmy), III – D

The deadline for filing a candidacy is Friday, Feb. 6 at noon. Primary Election Day is Tuesday, May 5. General Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Vote Centers will be located at:

Faith Baptist Church (11612 State Road 243, Cloverdale)
Millgrove United Methodist Church (11151 Millgrove Rd., Quincy)
Lighthouse Fellowship Church (5392 S.R. 67, Gosport)
Clay Township Fire Department (5663 S.R. 43, Spencer)
Freedom Community Center (5552 Freedom-Arney Rd., Freedom)
Jefferson Baptist Church (4019 Main St., Coal City)
Garrard Chapel Church (7410 W. S.R. 46, Bowling Green)
Spencer First Church of the Nazarene (126 E. Market St., Spencer)

For all election-related questions, contact Linda Roy, Owen County Deputy Clerk of Elections, at 812-829-5028 or email linda.roy@owencounty.in.gov.

For up-to-date candidacy filings, visit https://www.in.gov/sos/elections/ and click on 2026 Primary Candidate List.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted an open house last month to meet with citizens concerning the progress of the remedial investigation into the Franklin Street Groundwater Contamination in Spencer.

The site was added to the national priorities list in May of 2018, but work on the site, which starts with the remedial investigation, did not start until the fall of 2023.

The contaminant tetrachloroethene (PCE) was first detected by the BBP Water Corp. in 2011 and has been completely removed from the treated water since 2017. Even at the initial detection the contaminant's levels were 1.2 parts per billion (ppb), which is under the maximum contaminant level set by the EPA at 5 ppb.

PCE is also sometimes referred to as PERC.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), PCE "is a manufactured chemical that is widely used for dry cleaning of fabrics and for metal-degreasing," and "it appears as a clear colorless volatile liquid."

PCE is both a known and probable carcinogen, and it can harm the nervous system.

PCE is also a volatile organic compound, meaning that it easily can go from water to vapor. It is also more dense than water, meaning it sinks.

PCE can contaminate drinking water, indoor air quality through soil vapor intrusion, and groundwater.

"We're the ones that found the problem in the first place because we do annual water testing," BBP CEO Todd Gardner previously told The Owen News.

"Even though the finished water was under the guidelines set for the chemical [PCE] the BBP Water Corporation Board of Directors decided to be proactive and in 2014 designs for treating and removal of all PERC from the finished water was being engineered," BBP's 2022 annual water quality report explains.

In addition to a new well being added, BBP added air strippers and reverse osmosis filtering units.

PCE has not been found in BBP's finished water since the air strippers were turned on at the water treatment plant in May of 2017, completely removing it from the finished water.

Dion Novak, Remedial Project Manager for the Franklin Street Groundwater site, shared information about the site's progress.

"Over the past couple of years, the bulk of the field work sampling has been done," he said. "Because of the (federal government) shutdown, I'm still waiting on a lot of the results because our labs shut down, obviously as well."

The shutdown also impacted plans to have a fall open house.

"We were supposed to be here in October, and we couldn't because of the shutdown," he said.

There is still some additional work to be done in 2026, as they continue to monitor 25 to 30 wells in town to test the groundwater. They take samples quarterly and must have eight samples.

"We may do some additional source characterization, which is sampling where sources of contamination might be. We've already done some of that, like at the Pride Center and around McDonald's," Novak said. This testing has been done because they are known locations of former dry cleaning businesses, which the chemical is commonly used in.

He also said they plan to do another meeting, presenting what they know so far in March.

"We may do some additional source characterization to help us put the puzzle together," he said.

He added that there will be a report of the indoor air sampling as well, though the EPA cannot share who had their property sampled and what the individual results were for each property.

They have tested approximately 100 properties.

They will release a summary of the information without the personal information, in addition to the soil and groundwater information, which is releasable.

"I will be putting that out just to kind of give people a picture of what we're finding here in town, and then my contractor will start working on the overall investigation report, which is a huge report that summarizes everything that's been done," he said. "A big component of that is what we call a risk assessment. We take the sampling information and then we run it through and determine if there's excess cancer risk based off of exposure to the contamination that we're finding in soil or groundwater or whatever."

Novak reiterated that nobody is directly drinking the groundwater (untreated) in town, which limits a lot of the exposure.

"This risk assessment will be done on all of that sampling data that we've collected including the indoor air sampling that we've done, and then we'll determine if there's what we call unacceptable excess future cancer risk," he said. "We're overly conservative. We assume you're eating dirt from a contaminated area every day for 25 years. What is your excess chance of getting cancer over and above your normal chance, which unfortunately is pretty high these days."

He stressed the extra caution taken as to the need for remediation taken by the EPA.

"That is the reason we have to collect all that information so we can make a statistically, conservative based decision. We want to be overly protective. We want to overly design something to provide more protection just to be on the safe side. That's how we run the Superfund program," he said.

Novak anticipates that the final investigation report will be complete in 2027 because of the need for additional groundwater sampling.

"The good thing is we're not finding as much contamination in this town as I originally thought we would, based on the type of site that we have here, which is old dry cleaners. I think the good thing is that the dry cleaners are old enough that if there was contamination coming from them, it's long gone," he said. "So 40 or 50 years ago, I mean, there would probably be more contamination there than there is now."

Novak also addressed how the Franklin Street Groundwater site compares to other similar sites.

"For an old dry cleaner site like this, and there's a lot of these across the state. There's a lot of these across the country," he said. "You will typically have what we call a plume, an area that's contaminated within this whole area. That's normally what we find. We're not finding that. We're finding blobs of contamination here and there, but we don't have that big area."

He added that the State had originally assumed the entire town was the Superfund site, based on the information that was available at the time, before the remedial investigation began.

"I can tell you that it's not the whole town," he said.

Novak continued.

"You're in a river valley, so there's a lot of sand under the town and groundwater flows through the sand pretty quickly. So the fact that there's not as much contamination as I thought means that Mother Nature has kind of done her thing. It's not surprising that we're finding what we're finding based on the age," he said.

It has been roughly 40 to 45 years since there was a dry cleaner in Spencer. Novak also noted that older systems required taking the clothing, wet with the solution, and placing it in a dryer, leading to the chemicals dripping onto the floor and seeping into floor drains and cracks in the flooring itself. Now, newer technology has the entire process done in one system.

After the report is released, an interim decision will be made on how to remediate the contamination and there will be a public meeting with a proposed solution. That meeting will allow for public comments, questions and input. Those comments are then used to determine a final course of action, and Novak said the EPA has to show how it considered the public comments when making a final remediation decision.

Options for remediation vary based on what is contaminated. With soil vapor intrusion, the health risk is when that vapor is inside buildings. Systems similar to those used to remove radon to move the vapor intrusion outside to be disbursed into the atmosphere can be installed.

For contaminated groundwater, the water can be treated using air strippers or bioremediation techniques such as using bacteria and other chemicals to eliminate the PCE from the water.

For contaminated soil, it can be removed and taken somewhere else. It can also be treated in place or a cover or cap can be placed over the contaminated soil to prevent it from recontaminating the ground water.

"There's a number of different ways that we can treat the contamination in the soil or in the water," Novak said.

The report will include a feasibility study to look at alternatives and what is most effective.

Once a final decision has been made, the site has to wait in line for EPA to provide funding for the remediation efforts.

That is, unless responsible parties can and will provide funding for remediation.

"Our objective is to get the companies responsible for the pollution to pay for the cleanup," Novak said.

However, when it is not possible because the party will not take responsibility or the business is no longer open, the funding does come from the EPA budget, eventually.

Novak said he may break the remediation into two parts, one for soil vapor intrusion and one for the soil and groundwater contamination. The advantage to this is that the site can get in line for part of the funding earlier.

More information about the Franklin Street Groundwater Superfund Site can be found on the EPA's website, www.epa.gov.

A couple was caught by the camera Feb. 1st capturing a memory in front of the frozen falls at McCormick's Creek State Park (MCSP) east of Spencer. The month began with the scenic park encased in an icy cathedral following a month of volatile winter weather.

In January 2026, "Sweet" Owen faced a series of intense weather events, including a major winter storm from January 24–26 that dropped between six and 13 inches of heavy snow across portions of Indiana. Temperatures during the month plummeted well below freezing, reaching a bone-chilling low of -9°F on January 28, leaving the park's famous falls encased in thick, shimmering ice.

Despite the month of January bringing heavy snow and bone-chilling cold, the park's beauty remained a significant draw. Winter transformed the Indiana landscape into a serene sanctuary, where the typical rush of the falls was replaced by the delicate tinkling of "ice bells" and the sculptural beauty of snow-laden hemlocks.

The lack of foliage offered hikers a unique, unobstructed view of the park's rugged geology, proving that the limestone canyons of Owen County are just as breathtaking draped in snow as they are in summer green.

The sheer volume of recent visitors was also evident in the snow-packed trails; a vast tapestry of overlapping shoe prints and boot treads created a silent ledger of the thousands who braved the record-breaking cold to witness the falls in its frozen state.

While the bitter cold of January kept many indoors, the hushed beauty of the limestone canyons and the sculptural ice formations proved an irresistible draw for those seeking the serene "hushed" majesty of Indiana's first state park in winter.