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

Firewood permits available at MCSP

The public is invited to cut and remove certain downed trees at McCormick's Creek State Park for firewood through Mar. 20, 2026.

Eligible trees, located along roadsides or in public areas such as picnic areas, have fallen naturally or were dropped by park staff for safety reasons.

A $10 permit is required for each load, defined as an eight-foot standard pickup truck bed without any modifications including sideboards. Additional charges will be incurred for a larger truck and trailer load.

Permits are available at the park office from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Firewood is for personal use only and cannot be sold.

All proceeds will be used for resource management and restoration efforts at the park, including replacement of trees.

Merry Commons Light Up

A holiday light display is coming to Cooper Commons on E. Cooper St. in Spencer. A wide variety of Christmas lights and decorations will transform the park into a holiday wonderland beginning Dec. 6 and continuing through Jan. 11.

Initiated by the Spencer Parks & Recreation Board, donations to support this project can be made to the Town of Spencer Parks & Recreation Fund at the Owen County Community Foundation. To learn more, call 812-829-1725 or visit owencountycf.org.

Drawing held for state fair queen program competition

A drawing was held Oct. 3 to determine the contestant order for all 82 counties entered into the 2026 Indiana State Fair Queen Program Competition.

Owen County, represented by 2025 Miss Owen County Fair Queen MiaRose Hess, was selected for the 39th position. The 2026 Indiana State Fair Queen Program Competition will be held Jan. 3 and 4 at the Corteva Coliseum, located on the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis.

Owen Valley Fire Territory receives DHS grant

The Owen Valley Fire Territory was recently awarded a grant from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The grant enabled the department to purchase an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

According to the website startinghearts.org, an AED is a compact, battery-powered medical device used to treat individuals experiencing sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). AEDs help restart the heart during a sudden cardiac arrest by analyzing the heart's rhythm through sticky pads placed on the chest. If the device detects a dangerous rhythm like ventricular fibrillation (VF) or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT) it delivers a controlled electric shock that can reset the heart's electrical activity, restore a normal rhythm and potentially save the person's life.

The Owen County Community Foundation has opened its 2026 Scholarship Application, offering more than 65 scholarship opportunities for graduating high school seniors and adult learners pursuing higher education.

The application is now available and will remain open until Friday, Jan. 16, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Students can apply by creating an account at bit.ly/OCCFscholarship.

Awards range from $500 to $40,000, with an average scholarship amount of $1,800. In 2025, 48 percent of all applicants received at least one scholarship, and awards were distributed across a wide range of students and future educational goals.

In 2025, 63 scholarships totaling more than $145,000 were awarded to 42 students from Owen Valley High School, Cloverdale High School and surrounding communities.

Scholarships are available to graduating high school seniors, students currently enrolled in college or vocational and technical programs, adults beginning college for the first time, adults returning to school after an extended break and students pursuing advanced degrees. Most scholarships are intended for individuals whose permanent residence is in Owen County. Students who are living in on-campus or off-campus housing remain eligible as long as their permanent address is within the county.

Some scholarships are general academic awards, while others are specific to township of residence, intended career field, chosen college, extracurricular involvement, volunteer service or having family ties to legacy Owen County high schools such as Spencer, Freedom, Quincy, Patricksburg or Gosport.

Students can access the application by typing bit.ly/OCCFscholarship into their browser or by visiting owencountycf.org/students, selecting the STUDENTS tab, and clicking the Login to Scholarship Manager button. Students who are creating a new account should use a personal email address rather than a school email that will deactivate after graduation.

All required materials including transcripts, essays and third-party recommendation letters must be submitted by the Jan. 16 deadline. OCCF will offer in-person help sessions at the Owen Valley High School library in the weeks leading up to the deadline. Applicants are also welcome to stop by the OCCF's office located at 60 E. Market St. in Spencer for one-on-one application assistance.

All scholarship recipients are required to attend the Scholarship Awards Program on April 26, 2026, at the Owen Valley High School Auditorium to accept their awards and meet the generous donors behind the scholarships.

Students are encouraged to follow the Owen County Community Foundation on Facebook and Instagram for reminders and updates.

For questions, contact Karah Bobeck, Director of Programs and Communications, at karah@owencountycf.org or 812-829-1725.

About the Owen County Community Foundation

The Owen County Community Foundation (OCCF) is a public charity founded in 1994 as a resource to connect caring individuals with causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. Since its founding, the OCCF has been able to grant more than $12.3 million to local students, area nonprofits and charitable organizations in our community. The OCCF is committed to enhancing the quality of life for all citizens of Owen County, now and for generations to come. For more information on how to begin your own philanthropic journey, please visit owencountycf.org, call 812-829-1725, or stop by our office located on the Courthouse Square at 60 E. Market St., in Spencer.

Spencer-Owen Community Schools proudly recognized the courageous men and women who have served our nation during a series of heartfelt Veterans Day programs across the district. Their selfless dedication and sacrifice have protected the freedoms we hold dear, and our school community came together to express its deep and lasting gratitude.

Each year, Spencer-Owen schools set aside time to honor veterans, and this year's events were filled with pride, patriotism and reflection. At the elementary level, students and staff worked together to create meaningful tributes. Veterans were invited into the schools for special presentations, giving students an opportunity to shake hands, say thank you and learn firsthand about the true meaning of service.

Gosport Elementary hosted a lively Veterans Parade, where students lined the school grounds to cheer on veterans as they drove by, waving flags and handmade signs. Patricksburg Elementary showcased their honored guests with an Honor Walk through the building, followed by a special breakfast prepared in appreciation of their service. At McCormick's Creek Elementary, families and veterans gathered for a warm and moving patriotic program featuring music performed by students. Spencer Elementary held a student-led convocation, recognizing each veteran in attendance and celebrating their contributions to our country.

At the secondary level, the tributes continued with powerful messages and solemn ceremonies. Owen Valley Middle School welcomed Medal of Honor recipient Sammy L. Davis and his wife, Dixie, as honored guests. Their visit brought an inspiring message of courage and commitment. The school's JROTC program presented the traditional flag-folding ceremony, reminding all in attendance of the symbolism and respect behind this time-honored ritual.

Owen Valley High School held its annual convocation in the auditorium, led by the JROTC and featuring music, speakers and expressions of gratitude from students and staff. The program highlighted the importance of recognizing and thanking veterans, not just on Veterans Day, but throughout the year.

These moments across the district were more than ceremonies—they were lessons. S-OCS believes in teaching students the importance of honoring those who have served. By learning about the sacrifices made by past and present military personnel, students gain a deeper understanding of gratitude, courage and patriotism. These values help ensure that the spirit of freedom continues to thrive in future generations.

As our community reflects on Veterans Day, S-OCS extends its heartfelt thanks to all veterans. Their bravery and dedication continue to inspire, reminding us all of the true meaning of service.

Those who knew Mike Spinks say it's hard to find the right words to describe him, not because he was complicated or difficult to work with, but because he was more. More patient than most, more generous with his time, more dedicated to the quiet, everyday work of making Spencer better.

And even near the end, despite a brief bout with an aggressive form of stomach cancer, he was still thinking about Spencer and its future.

Spinks passed away on Oct. 23.

"He took time to call me. He's barely worked with me, and he talked about continuing on with the town... He had so much going on in the end and that was still a concern of his," fellow councilman Evan McKalip said. McKalip has served on the Spencer Town Council with Spinks for about two years. "He was worried about me. He was worried about the town still. I think that says a lot about his character."

Service to Spencer and the citizens of Owen County was integral to who Spinks was, offering steady leadership, a visionary approach, and a deep love for the entire community.

"It's a huge loss for Spencer and the community and Owen County because he was so involved with a lot of different projects. His expertise, his background touched on a lot of subjects, and he applied them all to his job and work with the town," County Councilman Anton Neff said.

Spinks served two separate stints on the Spencer Town Council. The first was for about six months before he moved outside of the town limits and was no longer eligible to serve. Former council member Dean Bruce filled his spot.

"Sometimes life is 360, and he ended up right back in town and jumps back in and gets involved again. So that's dedication and passion for you," Neff said.

But Spinks' indelible mark on the community extends beyond his time on the town council.

Spinks was responsible for starting both the Spencer Redevelopment Commission and the tourism board.

"He really had a great vision for both the county and the town, and was instrumental in getting a number of programs started and maintained and aggressive to promote economic development for the entire county and the town," Spencer Town Attorney Richard Lorenz said. "And I think he's one of the people that you would have to look to to say that they had the vision and aspirations for the county that it was going to achieve a community ambience, an aura that was beneficial to all the population. He just really saw it that way."

Lorenz described how Spinks would visit other communities to learn about opportunities for growth and improvement for Spencer.

Town Clerk-Treasurer Cheryl Moke also described how Spinks started the Spencer Redevelopment Commission.

"That was something nobody did here. And it wasn't really big in small towns, I don't think," Moke said. "He saw how it could grow and how it could help us do things, and it's starting to show."

Moke said she met Spinks more than 50 years ago when she moved to Spencer. Spinks lived two doors down from her.

In addition to his service to the Town of Spencer, Spinks was a member and former president of the Redevelopment Association of Indiana, a mentor for SCORE which helps young businesses thrive, a member of the Owen County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Economic Development Corporation, a member of the Spencer Plan Commission, chairman of the Board of Service Concepts and a member of several other boards.

He also helped develop the business plan for Patriot Manufacturing at Owen Valley High School.

"He was a caring, kind person. He was very knowledgeable. He spent a lot of time learning about the different boards that he was on and contributed greatly," Moke said.

And he was well known for his impact and leadership in Spencer.

"You know, when I go places and to some of my conferences and things, whenever I say I'm from Spencer or Owen County, there's sometimes some names that come up, and Mike Spinks was one of those names. He had a good reputation and had done a good job of networking and representing Owen County and Spencer," Neff said.

More so, Spinks was known for his collaborative spirit, calm resolve and quiet conviction. He was someone who cared about people, process and progress, not credit.

"He participated in all these boards, and also reached out to Indiana University and their ROI teams for things they were doing there," Lorenz said. "He bridged the gap of having the personality to encourage these relationships and foster new and better relationships between the various entities, and I think he helped resolve some conflicts that from time to time would occur… It's one of those things you can't articulate with a particular name or denomination. It's just his involvement was so expansive and so completely in favor of trying to build the community."

Spinks won the Owen County Heart of the Community Award in 2017 and the Owen County Humanitarian Award in 2022.

Moke also spoke of Spinks' positive attitude toward the work he put in for the town.

"He never complained, always provided what was needed," she said.

She noted how he always made himself available when he was needed and that you could turn to Spinks if you had a question.

"He was a servant to the town in the best definition of that word for an office holder. He did everything he could for it," Moke said.

She, like Lorenz, struggled to have adequate words to describe Spinks.

"I don't know the correct word for his personality," Moke said, offering several words and dismissing each as inadequate. "There's something more that I can't quite pinpoint because of the way he wanted to be involved and the way he wanted to accomplish something but still he wasn't pushy about it. He was very kind throughout everything."

She also commented on his respect for others.

"He didn't get in arguments with the other [council] members, or even the County or anything like that," she said.

McKalip noted that Spinks was never antagonistic, always calm and that he never saw Spinks stressed out or upset.

Professionally, Spinks worked for Hoosier Energy for 43 years. And when he wasn't in service to others, he loved spending time with his family, always bringing up recent visits in conversation. As deeply as Spinks cared for the town of Spencer, he cared even more so about his family.

"He was a very impressive man," McKalip said. "It's very, very big shoes to fill."

McKalip noted that part of Spinks' care of and forward thinking for the town was ensuring that there was extended legacy, beyond the time that Spinks would serve, taking the extra time to share the knowledge he had about various items.

"He was concerned about younger people picking that up," McKalip said.

There will be a caucus to fill the open Spencer Town Council position at 5:45 p.m. Nov. 14 at the Democratic Party Headquarters, 152 E. Jefferson St., Spencer. Those interested should reach out to Party Chair Bill Breeden.

Lorenz spoke of the vision Spinks had for the community.

"He could see that we needed to have this way of having the community grow and prosper and enjoy the benefits that we have in Owen County and the town of Spencer. He didn't see it as the town of Spencer only. He clearly was thinking of the entire county and the entire populace of the county," Lorenz said. "We're going to be the beneficiaries of Mike's vision for years to come and his memory should be respected and appreciated for all that he put into these projects."

Motorists and pedestrians will soon benefit from the completion of the latest Community Crossings Matching Grant (CCMG) project that began Nov. 4 in Gosport.

Awarded to Milestone Contractors for $241,694.00, the project includes milling and resurfacing portions of Third, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Church and Goss Streets, in addition to the construction of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant sidewalk ramps in designated areas.

Through the program, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) matches up to $1 million annually when localities invest in road and bridge repairs. To qualify for funding, local governments must provide local matching funds from a funding source approved for road and bridge construction. Communities are also required to submit an INDOT-approved asset management plan for maintaining existing roads and bridges.

Gosport received funding during the round of CCMG grants announced in the Spring of 2025. The Town of Gosport is providing the required 25 percent construction match.

The matching grant program, established by the Indiana General Assembly in 2016, aims to advance community infrastructure projects, strengthen local transportation networks and improve Indiana's roads and bridges.

Since its enactment, the program has awarded more than $2 billion in state matching funds for local construction projects.

Gosport also received funding during the round of CCMG grants announced in November of 2023, with that funding utilized to complete portions of street paving and sidewalk improvements in 2024.

Ever since I learned to hunt, my father and I have used shotguns to hunt deer. We never had the need to shoot over 100 yards with our hunting taking place in thick woods.

Last year that changed though as we were fortunate to be given permission to hunt new areas of farmland with many shots far out of reach for a shotgun.

Last year though, I never connected with a buck and ended up having to pass on a solid 10 pointer because it was slightly out of shotgun reach. With this knowledge, my dad purchased rifles for both of us, mine being a 6.5 Creedmoor and his a .308. With these rifles, equipped with quality scopes, our shot opportunities extended greatly.

This year I would be doing another first, going out on youth weekend. I had never participated in youth weekend before for reasons me and my father both don't know, as it provides a great opportunity to hunt unpressured deer with the weapon of your choice.

With youth weekend looming closer and closer, we purchased ammo and sighted in my rifle. We have numerous cell cameras placed in the area we hunt that had been picking up multiple bucks we would be glad to shoot.

This was exciting to watch and only increased the excitement for the weekend's potential. We had planned on not being able to hunt Saturday morning due to my morning football practice. After my coach unexpectedly canceled the practice after our game on Friday, I sent my dad a message to tell him to pack my stuff and that we could now go hunt that morning.

We woke up early the next morning and packed our supplies into the truck, then started the drive to the property. Once we had arrived, we realized we were running late, and to reach the stand we planned on using, we would have to trek a very lengthy field.

Understanding that could potentially spook the deer at that time, we opted for a closer stand. It was great weather to hunt in, not freezing, but also not too hot for our selected clothing.

We waited as the sun rose, illuminating the fog over the field. As the woods started to come alive with the sounds of nature, we had no sighting of deer until we spotted two does across the field making their way towards us.

Once on our side of the field, they lingered around our path, suspecting something, but not sure what. They proceeded to meander around that spot for a while keeping our attention.

All of a sudden, I heard my dad, who was looking through binoculars, whisper, "Straight ahead. Might be a shooter, not sure yet." As I looked straight ahead in the distance, my gaze was directed to a massive set of antlers moving behind a highpoint in the field.

I whispered back, "Are you crazy? That's definitely a shooter." As I said that with my eyes still locked on to the original set of antlers, I noticed a smaller buck trailing.

I realized this was the deer my dad was watching so I told him to look right in front of it. As he did, he was shocked to see the headgear on the buck I had been watching.

I readied my rifle and watched through the scope, eager to secure a shot as quickly as possible. I didn't want to risk a bad shot though as its shoulder was barely visible on the other side of the highpoint.

"Just wait, he's walking over." My dad whispered. The buck emerged on top of the hill around 150 yards out and started walking quartering away across the field. He took a few more steps then stopped almost perfectly broadside.

Wasting no time, I focused my breathing and tried to steady my rifle, which was proving difficult as my body started shaking with buck fever. Once I had managed to steady my crosshairs behind his shoulder blade, I took a breath, exhaled, and then slowly squeezed the trigger.

The buck immediately dropped on the bullet's impact. This confused the other buck who remained as if nothing happened.

We were hunting with someone else, so we waited as the other buck slowly walked off in hopes that our friend might be able to harvest him. As we were waiting, I was completely taken over by the buck fever shakes and remained shaking for quite some time.

After 45 minutes and no movement from where we had seen the buck drop, we descended our stand and cautiously walked over to recover the deer.

Upon discovery of the buck, I realized how large of a deer it was. It was an extremely large eight pointer that we had seen on trail cams before.

Its body was arguably more impressive than its antlers, as it was enormous and still extremely heavy after we field dressed it. We took some photos, and I received congratulations before we specially field dressed it so its cape could be used for the taxidermy mount we would get.

With all of the firsts and our unprecedented luck with canceled practice and running late, I was very blessed to connect with by far my biggest buck to date. I'm very grateful to be given permission to hunt, and to have my dad and friends to hunt with and share this amazing experience and memory.