City editor: Mike Alexieff, 691-7306 Assistant city editor Robert Bruck, 691-7294 WEDNESDAY Coming Thursday: Stretching exercises can prevent golf injuries Classified4C APRIL 14, 1999 LOCAL NEWSSTATE NEWSDAILY RECORDS MESSENGER-INQUIRER1 5f Perry County Regional Roundup Teens buried as community mourns i 4 1 i.n Je i 7 By Mark D. Stalcup Messenger-Inquirer A community shattered by the loss of Julie Irvin and Amber Rogier turned to faith to ease their pain Tuesday as the two girls were laid to rest The two 17-year-old Perry Cen tral High School juniors were killed Saturday evening in a two-car accident that police say was caused by a drunken dnver who veered into the path of Julie's car on State Road 545. More than 2,000 mourners gath ered for each of the girls' funerals, where ministers spoke not of death, but of the life that the two girls loved, and the eternal life awaiting them all. "As long as we love, there will al ways be a certain sense of pain," the Rev. Sean Hoppe said.
Hoppe's words echoed over speakers to the crowds surrounding St. Mark Catholic Church during the funeral of Amber. She was buried in the church cemetery after the 10 a.m. service Tuesday. So many attended the funeral mat the small, rural church proved unable to hold the mourners, who circled the church.
When Amber's casket was taken from the church to St Mark Cemetery, mourners lined both sides of a 100-yard-long path, as friends and family walked, weeping, between them. "If this gathering in our church is any indication, Amber's life and her love of life touched many people," Hoppe said. "But the life that God gave Amber 17 years ago has not been snuffed out It has been changed to eternal life. In the eyes of God, Amber is very much alive, always has been, is now, and always will be. "I suspect that Amber has tears in her eyes as she looks down upon us, seeing the pain that her family and friends are in," Hoppe said.
It was a theme revisited by the Rev. Gilbert H. Hubbard during Julie's 1 p.m. funeral at First United Methodist Church in Tell City. "I believe that when Julie and Amber died, God shed the first tears," he said.
"Not for them, for they are now with God eternally. Those tears were for us who are gathered here. God understands our pain God hears our prayers, even when they are only tears. He understands." A mile-long procession of McLean County leaves the church, friends hold roses the cemetery. Pallbearers remove Julie Irvin's casket Tuesday from First United Methodist Church in Tell City, after the funeral service.
As the casket Charges expected Messenger-Inquirer ROCKPORT, Ind. Ten criminal charges seven felonies and three misdemeanors will be filed today against a New Albany, man who police say drove drunk, killing two Perry County, teens Saturday. Spencer County (Ind.) Prosecutor Jon Dartt confirmed Tuesday evening that charges will be filed against Ricky Van Winkle, 31, in Spencer Circuit Court today. Van Winkle will face two counts each of reckless homicide, causing a death while operating a McLean County From staff reports Ask The Government When will the Daviess County Landfill run out of space at the current use level? The contained landfill near West Louisville, which opened three years ago, has about 15 years of capacity left in its original 56-acre permitted area, according to Solid Waste Coordinator Joey Fischer. The original life expectancy of the landfill was predicted at 21.5 years at 400 tons of trash a day.
But the landfill is averaging 470 tons of trash a day, shortening the life expectancy accordingly, Fischer said. However, the county owns 600 acres at the landfill location and has plenty of room for expansion if it chooses to do so, Fischer said. Fire guts empty house A fire Sunday destroyed an abandoned house on Haycraft Road near Sorgho, the Daviess County Fire Department reported. Firefighters were called at 7:56 p.m. and stayed at the scene for nearly two hours.
No one was living in the house and no injuries were reported. The owner's name wasn't available. The fire's cause is still under investigation, firefighters said. The Daviess County and Airport-Sorgho fire departments responded. Study: Vocational education helps kids succeed LINCOLN CITY, Ind.
Roger Thornton thinks high school vocational education programs have an image problem. As executive director of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, Thornton knows many people look on vocational ed ucation classes in a less-than-flat-tering light But a recent study by the association shows the "shop kids" who other students might look down on are nobody's fools. The study found students with vocational education degrees who later got jobs in the vocational field they studied in high school earn more, are less likely to be unemployed and are more likely to be satisfied with the careers than many of their fellow graduates. News Tip Line 691-7205 Call the Messenger-Inquirer News Tip Line if you have a question about something you've noticed in the community or know of something that needs newspaper coverage. Today Daviess Fiscal Court, 4 p.m.
at the courthouse. Green River Area Development District board of directors, 1 1:30 a.m. at the GRADD office. Central City Council, 5 p.m. at City Hall.
Lottery Numbers Tuesday's lottery numbers: Midday Ky.Pick3: 2-3-2 Ky. Pick 4: 7-3-7-9 Evening Ky. Pick 3: 7-0-3 Ky.Pick4: 0-6-5-0 Ky.Cash 5: 7-9-17-18-27 Ky. Cash Quest 8-31 -53-61 Ind. Daily 3: 5-1-7 Ind.
Daily 4: 2-0-5-0 Ind. Lucky 5: 5-1 0-1 2-23-24 Cash 4 Lite: 32-35-37-52 County explores options for housing prisoners Calhoun-Island waterline project gets final approval John Dunham, Messenger-Inquirer that will be placed on her casket at against driver vehicle with blood alcohol levels greater than .10 percent and causing a death while operating a vehicle while intoxicated, all class felonies. Additionally, Van Winkle will face a class felony charge of neglect of a dependent because his 5-year-old daughter Montana was in the truck while he was driving drunk, Dartt said. He also will be charged with two class A misdemeanor charges of criminal recklessness and operating a vehicle while intoxicated, Dartt said. and be responsible for all operation and maintenance.
And Calhoun won't actually have to spend any money. Its $70,000 contribution will be made through a reduction in the price it charges Island for using water. Calhoun usually sells water at $1.76 per 1,000 gallons but will only charge Island $1.60 per 1,000 gallons, Wiggins said. This rate will remain in effect until Island uses 721 million gallons of water. "This is something that will be remembered many years from now as a great decision on everyone's part," Stuart said.
"This is a red-letter day because we are really in good shape with water on the south side of the county now." For Island, the waterline provides a backup source of water, a necessity because the city gets its water from underground wells, which can be extremely difficult and expensive to replace. It also opens the door for another interconnect along Kentucky 81, between Island and Sacramento, which also doesn't have a secondary water supply- For Calhoun, it offers the chance to make additional revenue, expected to be about $3,600 per month. It also puts the city in position to meet possible future demands, and thus further increase revenue, at the Perdue plant the Island Industrial Park and any other industry that may locate on the south side of the Green River. Stuart said that if construction proceeds as planned, Island should be receiving water from Calhoun through the fine by the middle of July. mourners drove from Amber's burial to the services for Julie, who was buried in Stephenson Cemetery near Magnet First United Methodist Church, larger than St.
Mark Catholic Church, managed to accommodate all the mourners by setting up closed-circuit televisions in upstairs rooms and the basement Even so, crowds overflowed into the hallway outside the chapel, tears streaming down their faces. Tell City Police Chief David Faulkenberg gripped the iron rails of the church staircase and leaned his head against the railing of the stairwell during the service. During his homily, Hubbard likened Julie's life to the track races she excelled at urging mourners to $35,000 more than last year, and there is every indication that the price will only continue to grow each year. "I think I can assure you that it's not going to go down anytime soon," County Attorney Bill Quisenberry Jr. said.
The fiscal court granted Whitaker and Quisenberry permission to conduct a preUminary study. "To keep opening the checkbook and paying more each year, I don't think that's the wisest thing talked him out of it He said since he can't get around too well because of knee surgery, he volunteered to sit on U.S. 60 East near the bypass and hold a bucket "They didn't think it was a good idea. They thought somebody might run up on me," he said. The Shrine's hospitals provide free medical service to children with orthopedic problems and children who have been burned.
Benningfield said Shriners also earn donations by performing at public and private functions. Each Tuesday evening, Sawdust andor "Jimbo" Jim Burton and "Rooster" Richard Eisen- live their lives as she had, to the fullest and with kindness and joy. Inside the hall, tears flowed freely as Hubbard read remembrances from Julie's family. "Julie was that rare combination of smart, funny, beautiful and kind," her brother Jeff Irvin wrote. "She loved little babies, and I know that she would have been an incredible mom someday.
Everything that I do in my life will be a tribute to her." "I know she could have done anything," Julie's sister Tracie Irvin wrote. "We all miss her, and we all wish that we could bring her back. But I know that the day will come when I see her again." That is our one main consolation," Hoppe said. "May this be our consolation, and our hope." to do," Whitaker said. "We need to think where well be three to five years down the line, not where we could have been if we would have decided something now." Whitaker outlined four options: Continue as is, and expect the $110,000 price tag to increase each year.
Open a life safety jail, which would house prisoners convicted of misdemeanors and those that were awaiting sentences of felony See OptionsPage 3C menger entertain kids at Shones Restaurant on south Frederica Street with balloon animals. In turn, the restaurant makes a donation to Shriners' hospitals. "If worth your time if you make just one kid laugh," Benningfield said. More cooks, the better Mark Weakley, who manages the Tumbleweed Southwest Mesquite Grill Bar on south Frederica Street got a call Friday from a regional manager who asked if he could send some of his employees to help out at a Tumble-weed in the community of Fields Ertel a suburb of Cincinnati, which had been hit with a serious tornado earlier that day. The restaurant was running on a See ShrinersPage 3C By Matthew Francis Messenger-Inquirer CALHOUN McLean County officials plan to explore options for housing prisoners after learning the use of Ohio County's jail could cost more than $110,000 for the fiscal year 1999-2000.
Judge-Executive Larry Whitak-er submitted a preliminary jail budget Monday to McLean Fiscal Court, a budget that included a $110,000 estimate for housing prisoners. The figure is approximately Shriners aren't clowning around with collection for hospital By Matthew Francis Messenger-Inquirer CALHOUN The Calhoun City Council took the final step toward making a proposed waterline interconnect with Island a reality by approving $70,000 for the project Tuesday night "This was the last stepping stone," said Island Mayor Charles Strole, who has made the project a priority since taking office in January. "We expect construction to begin in May." The project will involve installing a 10-inch waterline through an approximate eight-mile stretch between the two cities near Kentucky 85. Island first initiated talks about the interconnect in 1998 because the city doesn't have a backup water supply. Calhoun was interested because its water plant can produce more water than the city uses, and providing water to Island could be a revenue source, said Calhoun Mayor Barbara Wiggins.
"We need to sell the water, and Island needs another source, so it was a good opportunity for both cities," Wiggins said. The project is expected to cost about $371,000, said Les Stuart, an environmental engineer working on the project Along with Calhoun's contribution, the McLean Fiscal Court also has agreed to provide $70,000 in $10,000 increments over the next seven years. Island will pay for the remainder of the project by borrowing the money from the Kentucky Area Development Districts to be repaid over the next 20 years, Stuart said. Island, in turn, will own the line, Three times a year, Shriners have a Paper Sale that benefits their 21 hospitals around the United States. On Friday and Saturday, Shriners will be at Fourth Street and Crabtree Avenue, U.S.
60 East at the bypass, U.S. 231 at the bypass and at Southtown Boulevard and Frederica Street Shriners will distribute papers that explain their services and will accept Suzi Bartholomy donations. Some of the collectors are also Shrine clowns. They won't be in costume, but they will be wearing their fezzes. WN "Benny" Benningfield, a a "Sawdust," planned to be in full dress until his clown mates ODOO.