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October 14, 2014 • Headlines
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A South Ripley student, Zach McConnell (not pictured), discusses bees and how they make honey during the annual Agriculture Day at the fairgrounds in Osgood. About 300 students attended. MARY MATTINGLY PHOTO |
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During pre-game ceremonies in an annual united effort of memory and to honor fallen athlete and friend, South Ripley Lady Raider Emily Mathes, a release of balloons preceded the annual volleyball game that acts as a dual school scholarship fundraiser. JOSIE GOLDSBERRY PHOTO |
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Agriculture Day was held at the Ripley County Fairgrounds October 1. Over 300 third graders from Jac-Cen-Del, Batesville, Milan and South Ripley attended presentations and trainings. Pictured above, a student “milks” a wooden cow. MARY MATTINGLY PHOTO |
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Charges filed in fatal accident
The 2009 South Ripley graduate involved in a fatal car accident Oct. 4 on US 421 that resulted in injuries to five Ripley County people has been charged with nine felony counts, including driving while intoxicated causing death.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Pictured left is Jordan T. Griffin.
On Oct. 8, Jefferson County prosecutors charged Jordan T. Griffin, 23, with one count of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death, a Level 4 felony, and eight counts of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury, all Level 6 felonies. Griffin’s address was listed as Madison in the probable cause affidavit. Two counts were filed for injuries to the driver, and two counts each for three of the juvenile passengers.
According to the probable cause affidavit, witnesses told police a black Ford Focus was traveling south in the northbound lanes when a pickup truck, driven by Charles McRoberts Jr. of Versailles, swerved to avoid a collision; however, the two vehicles hit head-on. McRoberts said he did everything he could to miss the car, but there was no time. The witnesses in a vehicle traveling behind the pickup saw the accident and stopped and went to the black car. A witness found Griffin in the driver’s seat, and when asked if there were other passengers, he replied no. He also denied being the driver. It was later discovered John T. Walker, 21, of Kansas, was in the passenger’s seat. He died at the scene.
A witness reported she smelled alcohol and Griffin was staggering. Police arrived and also noticed the smell of alcohol, his slurred speech and bloodshot eyes. Griffin’s blood alcohol content, according to police, registered at 0.41. All five people in the truck were transported to Kings’ Daughter’s Hospital in Madison, and three were later air cared to Louisville for medical care. Bailey McRoberts, 11, and Tyler Smith, 11, are still recovering in the hospital from sustaining serious injuries, including brain trauma.
An account has been set up through GoFundMe.com to help the victims in the McRoberts’s vehicle. Napoleon State Bank has also set up an account in their name. McRoberts lived in Holton before moving to Versailles and attended the Holton Christian Church. A benefit is being planned for them by the church.
Rural post offices change hours
Mary Mattingly
EDITOR
mmattingly@ripleynews.com
The US Post Office is reducing the hours of several rural post offices in Ripley County and throughout the country.
Napoleon’s new post office hours actually went into effect last week, on Oct. 6. Their new hours are from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Previous hours were 8 to 4 p.m. Office manager Carla LaFollette commented, “People are not happy about it. They are used to us being open in the morning.” The lobby is open 24 hours.
MARIA SIEVERDING PHOTO
Pictured left, Becky Neff, officer in charge at the Friendship Post Office, sorts mail. Operating hours will be changing there.
Several of the new post office hours won’t go into effect until Oct. 20. Friendship post office is one of those. Beginning Monday, they will be open Monday through Friday 1:45 to 3:45 p.m. and Saturdays 8:15 a.m. to noon. They had full-time hours prior to this change. Becky Neff, officer in charge at the post office, reported they will be a “remotely managed post office” with Dillsboro as the hub. Signs have been posted throughout the office and all of the box holders were notified by mail and many were done so verbally as well. She noted three years ago a community meeting was held about reducing or closing the office. But due to the business from the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association and the Friendship State Bank there, it was postponed.
Cross Plains and Holton also have reduced hours. Cross Plains will be from 11:30 to 3:30 during the week, and 7 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Holton will be open for six hours instead of eight during the week, 8 to 12, 1:45 to 3:45 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 to noon.
Versailles Post Office will oversee or serve as the hub for both. Alan Weiss, Versailles postmaster, said Cross Plains will not have a postmaster, but they will be hiring part-time help for the week and for Saturdays. Weiss is retiring Nov. 1, after serving over two years as postmaster in Versailles.
This all comes as a cost-saving measure from the USPS. In May 2012, the USPS announced that the 3,700 post offices targeted for closing will remain open. Instead, USPS will reduce the hours of operation at 13,000 rural post offices. Under the new plan, about 9,000 current full-time postal employees will be reduced to part time and lose their benefits after the offices they work at change hours. Another 4,000 full-time employees will see their hours reduced to part-time, but will retain their benefits. Even though many post offices will have vastly reduced operating hours, people will still be able to access their post office boxes all day.
The postmaster general noted that USPS’s plan to reduce operating hours achieves only a fraction of the $22.5 billion in cuts necessary to put the Postal Service back in the black. The USPS posted a multi-billion budget shortfall last year in part because first class mail volume has plummeted 28 percent over the past decade.
The 2009 South Ripley graduate involved in a fatal car accident Oct. 4 on US 421 that resulted in injuries to five Ripley County people has been charged with nine felony counts, including driving while intoxicated causing death.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Pictured left is Jordan T. Griffin.
On Oct. 8, Jefferson County prosecutors charged Jordan T. Griffin, 23, with one count of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death, a Level 4 felony, and eight counts of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury, all Level 6 felonies. Griffin’s address was listed as Madison in the probable cause affidavit. Two counts were filed for injuries to the driver, and two counts each for three of the juvenile passengers.
According to the probable cause affidavit, witnesses told police a black Ford Focus was traveling south in the northbound lanes when a pickup truck, driven by Charles McRoberts Jr. of Versailles, swerved to avoid a collision; however, the two vehicles hit head-on. McRoberts said he did everything he could to miss the car, but there was no time. The witnesses in a vehicle traveling behind the pickup saw the accident and stopped and went to the black car. A witness found Griffin in the driver’s seat, and when asked if there were other passengers, he replied no. He also denied being the driver. It was later discovered John T. Walker, 21, of Kansas, was in the passenger’s seat. He died at the scene.
A witness reported she smelled alcohol and Griffin was staggering. Police arrived and also noticed the smell of alcohol, his slurred speech and bloodshot eyes. Griffin’s blood alcohol content, according to police, registered at 0.41. All five people in the truck were transported to Kings’ Daughter’s Hospital in Madison, and three were later air cared to Louisville for medical care. Bailey McRoberts, 11, and Tyler Smith, 11, are still recovering in the hospital from sustaining serious injuries, including brain trauma.
An account has been set up through GoFundMe.com to help the victims in the McRoberts’s vehicle. Napoleon State Bank has also set up an account in their name. McRoberts lived in Holton before moving to Versailles and attended the Holton Christian Church. A benefit is being planned for them by the church.
Rural post offices change hours
Mary Mattingly
EDITOR
mmattingly@ripleynews.com
The US Post Office is reducing the hours of several rural post offices in Ripley County and throughout the country.
Napoleon’s new post office hours actually went into effect last week, on Oct. 6. Their new hours are from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Previous hours were 8 to 4 p.m. Office manager Carla LaFollette commented, “People are not happy about it. They are used to us being open in the morning.” The lobby is open 24 hours.
MARIA SIEVERDING PHOTO
Pictured left, Becky Neff, officer in charge at the Friendship Post Office, sorts mail. Operating hours will be changing there.
Several of the new post office hours won’t go into effect until Oct. 20. Friendship post office is one of those. Beginning Monday, they will be open Monday through Friday 1:45 to 3:45 p.m. and Saturdays 8:15 a.m. to noon. They had full-time hours prior to this change. Becky Neff, officer in charge at the post office, reported they will be a “remotely managed post office” with Dillsboro as the hub. Signs have been posted throughout the office and all of the box holders were notified by mail and many were done so verbally as well. She noted three years ago a community meeting was held about reducing or closing the office. But due to the business from the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association and the Friendship State Bank there, it was postponed.
Cross Plains and Holton also have reduced hours. Cross Plains will be from 11:30 to 3:30 during the week, and 7 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Holton will be open for six hours instead of eight during the week, 8 to 12, 1:45 to 3:45 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 to noon.
Versailles Post Office will oversee or serve as the hub for both. Alan Weiss, Versailles postmaster, said Cross Plains will not have a postmaster, but they will be hiring part-time help for the week and for Saturdays. Weiss is retiring Nov. 1, after serving over two years as postmaster in Versailles.
This all comes as a cost-saving measure from the USPS. In May 2012, the USPS announced that the 3,700 post offices targeted for closing will remain open. Instead, USPS will reduce the hours of operation at 13,000 rural post offices. Under the new plan, about 9,000 current full-time postal employees will be reduced to part time and lose their benefits after the offices they work at change hours. Another 4,000 full-time employees will see their hours reduced to part-time, but will retain their benefits. Even though many post offices will have vastly reduced operating hours, people will still be able to access their post office boxes all day.
The postmaster general noted that USPS’s plan to reduce operating hours achieves only a fraction of the $22.5 billion in cuts necessary to put the Postal Service back in the black. The USPS posted a multi-billion budget shortfall last year in part because first class mail volume has plummeted 28 percent over the past decade.
