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

From left, 2026 Miss Owen County Makayla Hall poses next to Elliott Page, who holds his Grand Champion rooster in the Poultry Show on July 8 at the Owen County Fairgrounds. CHLOE ODEN | THE OWEN NEWS

From left, 2026 Miss Owen County Makayla Hall poses next to Ily Swan, who holds her Reserve Grand Champion goose in the Poultry Show on July 8 at the Owen County Fairgrounds. CHLOE ODEN | THE OWEN NEWS

From left, Miss Congeniality Jenna Smith, Princess Makynlie Hall, Drew Jennings, 2026 Miss Owen County Makayla Hall and First Runner-up Tori Merchant pose with Jennings’ Grand Champion rabbit. CHLOE ODEN | THE OWEN NEWS

From left, Ily Swan poses next to 2026 Miss Owen County Makayla Hall with her Reserve Grand Champion Rabbit at the Owen County Fairgrounds. CHLOE ODEN | THE OWEN NEWS

Judge Danielle Rowe assesses a rabbit during the 2026 Owen County Fair rabbit show on July 6 at the Owen County Fairgrounds. The entrants watched Rowe judge their projects. CHLOE ODEN | THE OWEN NEWS

A first place ribbon hangs on July 6 in the Rabbit Barn at the Owen County Fairgrounds. CHLOE ODEN | THE OWEN NEWS

Ily Swan and Cash Weaver wait for judge Danielle Rowe to judge their rabbits on July 6 at the Owen County Fairgrounds. CHLOE ODEN | THE OWEN NEWS

Reagan Hauser poses for a photo with Drew Jennings on July 6 at the Owen County Fairgrounds. Hauser was the champion of the Mini 4-H Rabbit Show. CHLOE ODEN | THE OWEN NEWS

Reagan Hauser turns her rabbit on its back during the Mini 4-H Rabbit Show competition while Rabbit Barn Superintendent Nicholas Heck hosts the competition on July 6 at the Owen County Fairgrounds. CHLOE ODEN | THE OWEN NEWS

From left, Kevin Cooper, Judge Andon Boocher, Kailee Cooper and Grand Champion Gilt winner Bryson Cooper pose for a picture while Keagan Shively holds a plate for the pig on July 9 at the Owen County Fairgrounds. CHLOE ODEN | THE OWEN NEWS

From left, Judge Andon Boocher stands next to Reserve Grand Champion Gilt winner Rowan Cooper and Wade Cooper while Keagan Shively holds a plate for the pig on July 9 at the Owen County Fairgrounds. CHLOE ODEN | THE OWEN NEWS

From left, Grand Champion Market Hog winner TJ Rice stands next to Hudson Rice and Judge Andon Boocher while Thurman Rice holds a plate for the pig on July 9 at the Owen County Fairgrounds. CHLOE ODEN | THE OWEN NEWS

From left, Kevin Cooper stands next to Judge Andon Boocher, Reserve Grand Champion Market Hog winner Bryson Cooper and Kailee Cooper while Keagan Shively holds a plate for the pig on July 9 at the Owen County Fairgrounds. CHLOE ODEN | THE OWEN NEWS

Jennifer Zigler talks to Winston and Barrett Zigler as they prepare to take a photo at the Book 2 Barn event on July 6, 2026, at the Owen County Fairgrounds.

The book “Interrupting Cow” lays on a table next to bubbles at the Book 2 Barn event on July 6, 2026, at the Owen County Fairgrounds at 364 S. East St., Spencer.

Rubber wristbands with farm animal designs lay on the table at the Book 2 Barn event on July 6, 2026, at the Owen County Fairgrounds.

Winston and Barrett Zigler hold up props for a photo at the Book 2 Barn event on July 6, 2026, at the Owen County Fairgrounds.

Anya DeFord watches as Winston Zigler works on a cow-themed craft at the Book 2 Barn event on July 6, 2026, at the Owen County Fairgrounds.

The number of volunteer firefighters across the United States is declining.

Gosport is no exception.

These unpaid responders account for more than 60 percent of firefighters and more than 80 percent of fire departments in the country, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

Gosport, a town of less than 900 people in rural Owen County, has relied on its volunteer fire department and a mutual aid agreement with the Owen Valley Fire Territory, but it might not be enough anymore.

“Fewer and fewer young people are becoming volunteer firemen,” Gosport town attorney Terry English said during a July 10 work session. “That’s not just here, that’s across the nation. And so we don’t have as many warm bodies as we might have had previously to man the pumps.”

To give the town fire protection, and keep decisions about funding it with tax rates with local leaders, the town is considering forming a fire territory. Fire territories are fire service consolidations that bring together two or more contiguous taxing units into one fire protection district.

In Gosport’s case, the territory would encompass the town, which is in Wayne Township and one of the other bordering townships, such as Montgomery Township to the west.

The main advantage of forming a territory is increasing revenue for fire protection services, which could fund equipment, property and positions for a territory serving Gosport. Creating the territory would lead to raised tax rates for the town, but it could be successful in revitalizing fire protection for the area.

According to Gosport Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Brian Leonard, the maximum levy possibility for the territory would be 40 cents. Meaning, if a taxpayer’s home is worth $100,000, they would pay $400 per year toward fire protection. English said the actual rate funding the territory would likely end up being around Spencer’s tax levy of $128 per year.

“We’re not talking about great sums of money here, but we are talking about more money on top of taxpayers in Owen County, who are already burdened and already upset about the amount of the assessed valuations of their homes,” English said. “What you have to determine is whether or not fire protection is important enough.”

According to the Journal Review, based in Crawfordsville, IN, Vernon Township in Hancock County increased its revenue by 488 percent by establishing a fire territory, and Pendleton increased its revenue by 921 percent.

This could go toward buying equipment that the State of Indiana may mandate, but that Gosport doesn’t currently have the money to buy.

“There’s no way we can stay open to the way we’re done,” town council member Michael Miller said. “The cost of everything has gone up so much.”

Regardless of the town’s final decision in creating a territory, Miller said the tax rates will go up regardless.

Public Law 134, signed by Gov. Mike Braun in March, requires local governments to compile data on each township and assess their performance by Dec. 31, 2026 and requires qualifying townships to merge by Jan. 1, 2029.

Miller said depending on how the mergers affect Gosport and the Owen County township trustees, the county commissioners could move forward with determining tax rates for the areas that are higher than what they are now.

“Our population’s too small,” Miller said. “I mean we choose to live here because of that, but now it’s gonna cost us. We need to have the fire protection.”

The territory would have an advisory function, making decisions about property ownership and equipment purchases, for example. However, Indiana law requires one of the entities involved to act as the provider unit and oversee the budgeting, accounting and bills. The Town of Gosport would take care of that end, giving the fire territory board a budget, English said.

The town needs to start having conversations about the territory, English said. The window to begin collecting money in 2028 requires the town to have finished the paperwork between Jan. 1 and March 31.

The town is also required to hold three public hearings about the potential territory.

“It’s just a matter of starting to move in the right direction and having the townships before we start committing money for preparation of documents, we have some idea from the township trustees that they, in fact, are interested in moving forward,” English said.

To read day six trial coverage, click here.

After roughly three hours of deliberation, the 12 jurors selected to determine Quentin Lamont Porter Jr.’s responsibility in the murder of Malik Darea Sims found him guilty on all five charges.

Porter was arrested on July 24, 2024 for murder, auto theft of Sims’ Audi A4, identity deception, theft of Sims’ phone and theft of Sims’ credit cards.

About 20 people sat in the gallery of the courtroom, waiting for Owen Circuit Court I Judge Don VanDerMoere II to take the jury’s decisions out of a manila folder. Porter stood while the judge read the word “guilty” again and again.

The gallery was silent, full of both Sims’ and Porter’s family and friends. Some propped their heads up with their hands, some buried their heads in them.

Porter sat down after the decisions were read. Public defender Megan Schueler rubbed his back.

“I accept the verdicts and I remand you to the custody of the Owen County Security Center,” VanDerMoere said.

After Porter was escorted from the room, Sims’ mother hugged Prosecutor Benjamin Kim and Chief Deputy Prosecutor Parker Trulock. Sims’ other supporters shook their hands. Some cried.

On the seventh day of Porter’s trial, the prosecution and defense both gave their closing arguments and final attempts at urging the jury to vote in their favor.

Trulock used his argument to review the evidence presented on each day of the trial, putting it on a timeline in a slideshow for the jury to follow. He reminded the jury of several things he said are not being disputed in this case: the fact that Sims was murdered, the fact that Porter drove Sims’ Audi A4 away from the scene of the crime and that Porter used Sims’ credit card after his death.

What the jury needed to decide was whether or not Porter was responsible for Sims’ death.

Trulock reminded the jury that Porter bought his Taurus G2C 9 millimeter handgun less than a week before Sims was killed by a gunshot wound to the head. The day before and the day that Sims died, Sims’ roommates alleged he showed up repeatedly, asking for Sims, acting jittery and sweaty.

Trulock then walked the jury back through the location data and surveillance footage following the route Sims’ vehicle took from his Bloomington apartment to Stephenson Road in Owen County, where he was found, to Porter’s grandmother’s house in Indianapolis.

He went on to list the transactions Porter made with Sims’ credit card, buying jewelry and supplies to clean the bloodied car. Trulock played clips from Porter’s police interview the day he was arrested.

After the timeline, Trulock described several “contradictions” Porter made in the interview. The explanation Porter gave to police for being the last person seen with Sims was that Sims took him along to make a “play,” which was purported to be a drug deal by the defense, and was shot by someone in a white SUV.

Trulock illustrated inconsistencies in Porter’s story, such as changing his answer in regard to whether or not the alleged shooter saw him sitting in Sims’ car. He also pointed to Porter’s struggle to answer a detective’s question about where he put his bloody clothes.

Porter said he tried to drag Sims’ body into the Audi, but wasn’t able to get it all the way inside. Porter said he washed the clothes, that they were in the laundry at his mother’s house, that they never got bloody and only his hands and arms did.

Trulock pointed to large amounts of blood found in the driver’s seat of the Audi, even though Porter said Sims died outside the vehicle and he tried to load him into the backseat. He said Sims’ blood was found in the stitching of the seams of the seat. Trulock denied Porter’s claim that the driver’s window was broken by a rock.

In this case, there were only two options: Porter killed Sims, or his story was true. Trulock said there was no evidence to prove that what Porter said was true.

“The evidence proves that Quentin Porter murdered Malik Sims,” he said. “The state asks that you hold the defendant accountable for his own actions.”

Public defender Jacob Fish gave his argument to the jury using hand drawn poster boards. He told the jurors that finding Porter guilty means proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. It can’t be highly likely, probable or anything less.

Fish highlighted what he believed were gaps in the state’s investigation, noting the absence of a gunshot residue test in the car and lack of blood found on the door. He said the prosecution minimized the amount of marijuana Sims sold and didn’t investigate far enough into the people he was involved with.

“They didn’t look because they didn’t want to,” Fish said, saying that the state didn’t investigate into areas where the results wouldn’t fit their story.

The detectives had already made up their minds when they brought Porter in for an interview, Fish said, stunting the comprehensiveness of the investigation and evidence.

As the jurors left the courtroom, free to return to their lives after seven days listening to evidence and testimonies, one told Fish, “You did a hell of a job.”

VanDerMoere announced Porter’s sentencing would take place at 1 p.m. Aug. 26, 2026.

Ongoing trial coverage

Day one
Day two
Day three
Day four
Day five
Day six