Wednesday, August 19, 2026

ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: STEPHENSON RIFE ATTORNEYS

The structure at 63 E. Washington St. has undergone numerous changes over the years, as evidenced in these undated photos. | submitted

The downtown building at 63 E. Washington St. that suffered a partial roof collapse earlier this month is in the process of being sold, with the prospective new owner telling the Shelbyville Board of Public Works and Safety yesterday that his first priority will be stabilizing the structure.

Current owner John Oliver told the board he has entered into an agreement to sell the building to Chris King, who is renovating the adjacent structure. Oliver said he had initially contacted engineers for an assessment following the collapse but has paused that process as the sale moves forward.

King said the goal is to close on the property as quickly as possible and begin stabilizing it. He said the front of the building has been altered considerably over the years, including the conversion of two entrances into one, creating structural challenges. Walls also have been removed as additions and other changes were made to the building over time.

King said crews will likely have to rebuild the front of the building and evaluate both portions of the structure.

“Essentially, we’re going to try to save the walls,” King said, describing the property as a challenging project. He said the immediate goal is to stabilize the building and eliminate public safety concerns while saving as much of the structure as possible.

Building Commissioner Rod Miller stopped short of calling the building safe in its current condition but said he is not concerned about it falling onto the street or sidewalk. Oliver also told the board that windows and other areas of the building have been secured since the collapse.

The building had previously been approved for a Mainstreet Shelbyville façade improvement grant, prompting Executive Director Brandy Coomes to again clarify that no grant money was paid to the owner.

Coomes noted that the façade program, established in 2008, operates entirely as a reimbursement program. Grant recipients have one year after signing an agreement to complete their projects or request an extension. If neither occurs, the money set aside for the project is returned to the program’s funding pool.

“There was no money lost through Mainstreet on this project,” Coomes said.

The board also approved a Mainstreet Shelbyville request to close portions of the downtown area Sept. 19 from 1 to 11 p.m. for Brewfest, scheduled from 5:30 to 10 p.m. The closure will include the Public Square, portions of Washington Street and areas of Jackson and Franklin streets.

In other business, the board ordered the owner of 209 Van Avenue to appear after Code Enforcement Officer Troy Merrick reported trash had accumulated at the property despite a notice to address the issue. The board also accepted right of way associated with the apartment development near Progress Parkway and Highpointe Boulevard, correcting right of way that officials said had never been formally dedicated when the area was originally developed.

The Shelbyville Common Council approved the city’s wheel tax and vehicle excise surtax, advanced a rezoning request for a new Gold Star Dance Academy location and heard updates on city operations following recent flooding during its Monday meeting.

• Wheel tax approved: The council voted 7-0 on second reading to establish a city wheel tax and vehicle excise surtax. The action follows the council’s unanimous first-reading approval earlier this month. Shelbyville residents would initially pay the same rates they currently pay through Shelby County, but collecting the revenue directly is expected to provide the city with additional road funding and preserve its eligibility for new state lane-mile funding. During Monday’s public hearing, residents raised questions about how the change could affect Shelby County and smaller communities. Mayor Scott Furgeson noted the change would redirect some revenue currently collected by the county to the city and provide Shelbyville with additional matching funds for Community Crossings grants.

• Gold Star Dance Academy: The council unanimously approved first reading of a request to rezone the former First Assembly of God and The Ville Church property at 1115 St. Joseph St. to BG, Business General, to allow the building to be converted into a dance studio. Planning Director Adam Rude said the property has been vacant for about a year. Laura Kohrman, who has operated a dance studio in Shelbyville for the past eight years, told the council the property has already been purchased and said the move would provide a larger, permanent location for the studio. The request is scheduled to go before the Plan Commission for a public hearing and recommendation before returning to the council in September.

• Ordinance committee: Councilwoman Linda Sanders said the ordinance committee will meet Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 4 p.m., as it continues work on proposed truck and massage therapist ordinances.

• Flood cleanup: Councilman Mike Johnson said Street Department crews have been busy with chipper trucks operating daily following recent storms. Residents with accumulated debris are encouraged to contact the department. Johnson said the work has required some overtime, although considerably less than a major snow event.

• Wastewater operations: Johnson said the city’s wastewater treatment plant opened its bypass at times during the flooding to prevent flooding and backups in the sewer system. The city has also received reports of private sewer connection breaks and sinkholes around some manholes.

• Fire department flood response: Furgeson said the city paid additional overtime to provide extra Fire Department manpower and keep a stormwater team available during last week’s flooding. Firefighters went door to door at some homes in flood-prone areas, including areas outside the city limits, to advise residents to be prepared to evacuate if conditions worsened. “The river didn’t come up as high as we thought it was going to, thank goodness,” Furgeson said. “Around the state, we can see how devastating it could have been. We’re lucky that our levee holds every time the water comes up.”

• Japanese delegation: Sanders said 11 Japanese students and three adults were scheduled to arrive Tuesday night for a visit to Shelbyville. The group is scheduled to visit City Hall for lunch Wednesday and remain in the community through the weekend.

• Next meeting: The council’s next meeting will be Wednesday, Sept. 9, rather than Monday because of the Labor Day holiday.

Shelbyville Central Schools officials highlighted continued improvement in IREAD results, approved creation of an Educator Hall of Fame with longtime Spanish teacher Jerry Rice as its first inductee and reviewed the proposed 2027 budget and ongoing renovation projects during Monday’s school board meeting.

• IREAD improvement: Assistant Superintendent Kathleen Miltz noted SCS has posted three consecutive years of improvement in third-grade IREAD performance, with all three elementary schools reaching the 80% range for the first time since 2019. Coulston Elementary recorded one of the largest gains, improving from 75.4% proficiency in 2025 to 85.3% this year. Miltz said the district has also made significant progress in informational reading, with 87% of the third-grade cohort at, above or near proficiency in that area. “Our goal is 90,” Miltz said. “We’re going to get there. I promise, very soon.”

• Second-grade results: SCS second graders have performed above the state average in each of the past three years. Changes allowing students to take IREAD in the second grade have reduced the number who still need to pass as third graders. The combined second-grade pass rate increased from 66% in 2024-25 to 71% in 2025-26, leaving about 29%, or approximately 70 current third graders, who still need to pass. Miltz said the district will continue focusing on areas including phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and literature comprehension.

• Three years of gains: Superintendent Dr. Matt Vance said the broader significance of the IREAD data is the district’s sustained progress. “I think the important takeaway is we’ve seen three years of continuous improvement, and that’s what we want,” Vance said. “I’m very proud of our staff.” He later added, “The moral of the story is: three years in a row, we’re getting better, and to me that’s something to celebrate.”

• Educator Hall of Fame: The board unanimously approved creation of an SCS Educator Hall of Fame to recognize former teachers and administrators who made a lasting impact on the corporation. Dr. Vance said nominees generally must have served SCS for at least 10 years and been away from the corporation for at least three years. Jerry Rice, the longtime SHS Spanish teacher whose former students recently proposed honoring him, will become the Hall of Fame’s first inductee. His plaque will initially be displayed at the high school, with a committee later determining a permanent location for the Hall of Fame. Rice is expected to be recognized Sept. 3 in conjunction with the existing SHS Hall of Fame induction.

• Girls tennis recognition: The board recognized SHS junior Ava Muckerheide for her 2026 girls tennis season, which included an individual regional championship, advancement to the IHSAA state singles finals and all-state recognition. Girls tennis coach Bri Sample noted that Muckerheide won 21 matches during the season and advanced individually through the sectional and regional tournaments after the team was eliminated. Dr. Vance praised Muckerheide for representing the school and community and said the district looks forward to what she accomplishes during her senior season.

• 2027 budget: The board authorized SCS to advertise its proposed 2027 budget, three-year capital projects plan and five-year bus replacement plan. Dr. Vance emphasized that the advertised figures and tax rate are intentionally set high because state rules allow them to be lowered later but not increased. The district is advertising an overall rate of 1.948, compared with 1.888 advertised last year, but Vance said he expects the final rate to be considerably lower and potentially return to around 2025 levels. A public budget hearing is scheduled for Sept. 21, with adoption scheduled for Oct. 19.

• Enrollment and finances: Dr. Vance said it remains too early to determine the district’s enrollment for the new school year, although he expects enrollment to be down. The state enrollment count is Oct. 1, and Vance said the district’s virtual program continues to help retain some students. He said SCS is continuing to look for savings throughout its operations as it prepares for changes in state funding and property tax revenue.

• Renovation projects: Renovations at Shelbyville Middle School remain under budget and on schedule, with three phases completed and the fourth underway. The entire middle school project is expected to be completed approximately a year from now. At SHS, varsity locker rooms are expected to be turned over to the district this week, with student locker rooms expected to follow next week. Athletic offices are nearly complete, while exterior door and sidewalk work near Garrett Gymnasium remains. Vance said the high school portion of the project is also expected to finish under budget.

ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: FULL CANOPY REAL ESTATE

• The Shelbyville Public Utilities Board yesterday approved a three-year agreement for SwiftComply software to help track grease-trap compliance at restaurants and other food establishments. Water Resource Recovery Facilities Superintendent Michele “Shelly” Higdon said the three-year proposal carries the same pricing as the previously discussed five-year option: $9,700 for the first year, including implementation, and $5,000 annually after that. A one-year agreement would cost $11,200. Higdon said grease from improperly maintained traps is a major cause of sewer backups near restaurants, and board members said they were more comfortable trying the system for three years rather than making a five-year commitment.

• UPDATE: The Shelby County Republican Party will hold a caucus on August 31 at 5:30 p.m. in the Morristown Fire Station Community Room to fill the vacancy of the Morristown Council member position. Anyone interested in filling this position must meet candidacy criteria and file a CEB-5 with Party Chair Chris King at least 72 hours prior to the caucus. Please reach out to Chris King with any questions at cking@shelbycounty.gop. (This post reflects an updated time provided by the party.)

• Love INC of Shelby County is preparing to move later this month into The Community Link, Healthy Shelby County’s new nonprofit center, as the organization continues to see growing demand for assistance, organization officials reported in the latest newsletter. Since its May update, Love INC has received 222 additional requests for help, helped meet 176 needs and responded to 99 needs directly affecting children. Through the end of July, the organization reported 702 requests since opening, 746 needs met and 439 needs affecting children, with 27 residents beginning steps toward longer-term stability. Love INC now works with more than 150 churches, nonprofits, agencies and other community resources and has established account managers with several local organizations to better coordinate assistance and reduce duplication of services. Two additional churches recently joined Love INC, bringing its total to 23 partner churches representing about 3,000 people in local congregations. The organization also recently joined the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce. Love INC said it is increasingly using artificial intelligence to analyze intake information and match residents with available resources, reducing a process that can require three to five hours of volunteer work to about four minutes while allowing volunteers to spend more time working directly with residents.

• HOOSIER NEWS: Indiana’s secretary of state race will feature at least two candidate forums ahead of the November election. Republican Max Engling, Democrat Beau Bayh, Libertarian Lauri Shillings and Lincoln Party candidate Greg Ballard will participate in the Indy Chamber’s HobNob forum Aug. 26 and an Indiana Debate Commission debate Oct. 7 at WFYI studios in Indianapolis. The Oct. 7 debate will air and stream live, and the public can submit questions for consideration through the Indiana Debate Commission’s website.

ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: MAJOR HEALTH PARTNERS

Local headlines reported on or around this date in Shelby County history. Selections are curated by The Addison Times from Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department materials. | compiled by MYRON RAWLINGS

2016: The Grover Museum officially opened the new Dr. Clifton Latshaw Gallery, named for the local veterinarian, historian, lecturer and photographer who documented many landmarks. He passed away in 2003. Items in the exhibit included numerous pictures, cameras and other equipment from the museum’s collection, plus additional memorabilia from the Strand Theatre, which was celebrating its 100th anniversary.

2006: Cooke and Belle opened the mobile Bears of Blue River Festival stage for the “California surf” sounds of Jan and Dean. It was the 27th annual festival. Fifty units were registered for the 1 p.m. Sunday parade that wrapped up the festival. Past BBRF directors Darrell Adcock and Leroy Whitcher were honored on a special float.

1996: Five members of the Zonta Club of Shelbyville attended the 53rd Zonta International Biennial Convention. Nancy Bishopp, president; Sharon Ross, past president; Pat Mahan, past president; Jennifer Back, alternate delegate; and Geri Ciciura, secretary; attended the convention in St. Louis, Missouri.

1986: The Bears of Blue River Festival directors met on the Public Square to publicize the opening of the upcoming festival. Directors were Jim Lisher, Don Sexton, Dave McCammon, Lee Sherly, Evan Tingle, Molly Robbins, Dan Theobald, James Garrett Jr., Joe Collins, Larry Glasco and Rosemary Matchett.

1976: The Parks board decided to dispose of the canoes and accessories remaining from the previous Sunset Park canoe program at a public auction. The board also approved allowing the Shelbyville High School tennis team to practice at Morrison Park while the SHS courts were under construction.

The old Nukraft Building, a local landmark for over 60 years, was demolished as part of a joint project of the owner, Shelby Industries, and the lessee, TRW-Cinch. The building at 710 S. Noble St. was originally the home of Wardrobe Furniture, which occupied it until the mid-1930s, when it became a beer distribution warehouse. Soon after, it became the Nukraft Building, named after the owners who manufactured seat cushions made of a combination of hog’s hair and latex. The building had been vacant for some time, with most of its windows broken by vandals.

1966: A large crane was used to lift part of a $100,000 electronic reader machine that weighed one ton through a window of the Methodist Building into the fifth-floor offices of Computer Services Inc. The first block of W. Washington St. was blocked off for about three hours for workers to complete the process.

Boyce D. Hatton, 35, a Shelby County native, was named the new principal at Triton Central High School. Hatton succeeded William Breck, who resigned to become assistant school superintendent at Plainfield. Hatton was a 1950 graduate of Boggstown High School and served in the armed forces in the early 1950s.

1956: Jerry Litwack, Bob King, Ronnie Mitchell, Jack Tindall and Mrs. William Spiegel were division winners in the city’s tennis tournament.

Three local young men enlisted in the U.S. Navy under the high school graduates training program. They were James Franklin Means, Kenneth A. Lovitt and William D. McClure.

1946: Bill Reimann and Ralph Scofield reached the championship round of the Elks Club golf championship in a 36-hole match. Other top local golfers were Charles Kohlmeyer, Glenn Plymate, Fred Taylor, Dick Wagner, Richard Ewing and Ray Lackey.

1936: Paul Alexander, superintendent of Decatur County schools, spoke to local Kiwanis Club members. “Youth of today is no wilder than was the youth of other generations, and the people who think it are looking through aged eyes and poor memories,” Alexander said at the meeting, held at the Golden Glow. He also pointed out that the “only reason children of today travel faster is that they have adequate means of doing so.”

1926: Twenty-two Ford airplanes, part of a reliability test, passed through Shelby County, about six miles north of Shelbyville. Residents reported that “when the planes passed over their farms, they were flying so low that the word ‘Ford’ could be read on the planes,” The Republican said. The planes traveled over 115 miles per hour.

ADDISON TIMES MAJOR SPONSOR: Freeman Family Funeral Homes & Crematory

Michael William “Mike” Johnson, 65, of Shelbyville passed away on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at his home. He was born on March 26, 1961, in Shelbyville, the son of Joseph William “Bill” and Nancy Jo (Yanzer) Johnson. Mike is survived by his children, Brandon Johnson and wife, Elizabeth, and Caitlin Johnson, both of Shelbyville; sister, Cindy Reece and husband, Steve, of Shelbyville; brother, Todd Fix of Shelbyville; grandson, Dove Johnson; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents.

In 1979, Mike graduated from Shelbyville High School. He retired in March of 2026 from Shelby Material as a truck driver, with 10 years of service. Mike was a member of the Sons of the American Legion. He enjoyed going golfing, fishing and motorcycles. Mike also enjoyed hunting deer. He was an avid softball player. He also leaves behind his dog, Holly Jo.

Visitation will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Saturday, August 22, 2026, at Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 819 S. Harrison St., in Shelbyville. Funeral services will follow, with Rev. Bill Horner officiating. Interment will be at Forest Hill Cemetery in Shelbyville. Memorial contributions may be made to the Cancer Association of Shelby County, PO Box 844, Shelbyville, Indiana 46176. Online condolences may be shared with Mike’s family at www.freemanfamilyfuneralhomes.com.