21,000 distribution & growing! To advertise, call 812-637-0660
THE
www.goBEACONnews.com
INSIDE
The BEACON
BEACON
PUBLISHED MONTHLY SINCE 1994
Courthouse Annex is Now Open to the Public
The Dearborn County Courthouse Annex is nearing
completion. What began as a vision to address the limita-
tions and security issues surrounding the one hundred forty-
five-year-old courthouse has become a reality.
Originally built in 1873, the Dearborn County Courthouse
was bursting at the seams. The much-needed space created
by the new Annex allows for access between court services
and the administration. Having one main entrance stream-
lines access and will aid in obtaining information about
office locations and services. The design of the Annex was
planned specifically for ease of use and public safety.
Courtrooms have been outfitted with the latest technology
for presentations and digital recording. In the old court-
house, inmates were escorted to and from court directly
through public areas which were often already crowded.
The new Annex provides space for inmates to now be taken
directly to courtrooms and holding cells without intermin-
gling with the public.
A Council/Commissioners meeting room is located just off
of the main lobby of the Annex, making meetings more read-
ily accessible to residents. The meeting room in the adminis-
tration building will now be used for meetings that previous-
ly conflicted with Commissioners’ or Council’s scheduled
meetings. In the past, conflicting meetings had to be held in
small conference rooms or scheduled at inopportune times.
Continued on page 3
A Heartwarming
Thanksgiving
Hope is Found
In Healthcare
The Dearborn County
Clearinghouse was joined
by area entities to ensure
to one in Dearborn County
went hungry.
Page 8A
Lilly Scholarship
Recipients
Jonah Ruszczewski, Sophia
Sandford, and Pacey Yauger
are happy workers at Law-
renceburg’s ice rink.
Oldenburg’s new Maypole
fills the sky in the Village
Page 5B
Charlie, Steve, Jackie, Lucy, and
Sophia Stoecklin
Cozy and Cold -
Ice Skating
Dearborn Coummunity
Foundation and Ripley
County Community Foun-
dation honor scholarship
recipients.
Page 9A
Maypole for
All Seasons
February 2018
The fun that winter brings was
enjoyed by so many area residents
at the ice skating rink held as a
part of Downtown Lawrenceburg’s
Winter Wonderland.
Shannon Pannone teaches
Lily and Dylan the joy of
skating.
David Hughes and Nicole Cline
enjoy the warmth of the fire ring after
ice skating.
By Elizabeth Loch
Many residents of towns in south-
eastern Indiana struggle to have their
health needs met. The lack of insur-
ance can often result in people avoid-
ing the doctor. This includes preventa-
tive care, which many avoid because it
seems like an extra expense.
The concern is not just personal for
the people who cannot access health
care and who are uninsured. It is a
community issue that local medical
professionals and non-medical profes-
sionals have decided to make it their
concern as well.
Headed by Michelle Wilhelm, an
RN and former ER nurse at Dear-
born County Hospital, Volunteers
in Medicine of Dearborn, Ohio, and
Switzerland counties (VIMDOS) will
provide free medical care for the under
served in our community. Ms. Wil-
helm was frustrated by having to turn
away people she could not help due
to them being uninsured or unable to
pay for treatments. Inspired by Volun-
teers in Medicine (VIM), a national,
nonprofit organization that serves the
under served of communities all across
America, Ms. Wilhelm reached out to
the Ohio River Valley Commission and
VIM. With the help of these two orga-
nizations, Ms. Wilhelm and many other
local volunteers will now be providing
much-needed, free healthcare to quali-
fying Dearborn, Ohio, and Switzerland
counties residents.
The goal is to “remove every single
Continued on page 7A
SIEOC- Helping Our Community in So Many Ways
By Susan Ray
In an unassuming building on Importing Street in Aurora,
the lives of local Hoosiers are changed every day. People
walk through the doors with more questions than answers
and leave with information and a plan. From child care
referrals to tax preparation, navigating health care options,
home weatherization, or maybe a little food to get through
the month, young families, senior citizens - anyone going
through a difficult time - can find hope and guidance at the
Southeastern Indiana Economic Opportunity Corporation.
This long-standing organization is dedicated to encourag-
ing families and helping individuals become more self-
sufficient across six Indiana counties – Dearborn, Ripley,
Franklin, Ohio, Switzerland, and Union. Tamara “Tammy”
Cunningham is the Executive Director of Southeastern
Indiana Economic Opportunity Corporation, commonly
referred to as SIEOC. She says, “We are a private not-for-
profit, and we’ve been established as that since June 15th,
1965. Actually, we became established through Lyndon
B. Johnson’s signing of the Economic Opportunity Act in
1964. The very first thing we started was Head Start, and
that has evolved over the years from a home visiting pro-
gram to a center-based program.”
Today, SIEOC meets the needs of multiple generations
through a variety of programs including the Housing
Choice Voucher program, formerly known as Section
Continued on page 4A
THE BEACON
Over 21,000 readers and growing!
Serving Dearborn, Ripley, Franklin and Ohio Counties in Indiana and to nearby Ohio communities.
OUR ADVERTISERS ARE YOUR NEIGHBORS. SHOP LOCAL AND TELL THEM YOU SAW THEIR ADS IN THE BEACON.