Attorney general tried to remove county school board members in 1972

Lawyer Typical Ed W. Hancock sued two customers of the county Board of Schooling in 1972, proclaiming they experienced usurped their positions and need to repay many many years of their salaries.

Circuit Choose Carl Melton was out of city at the time the go well with was submitted by Owensboro attorney Richard S. Taylor on behalf of the attorney basic. That prompted Circuit Courtroom Clerk George Raber to situation a restraining order at 3 p.m. April 17, 1972, which prevented Chairman Wilburn Ray Buckman and board member Paul Thomas from voting at the assembly that night.

Neither of them attended the conference, in accordance to The Gleaner of April 18. Board Vice Chairman James Flint, who presided over the April 17 conference, explained to The Gleaner the restraining buy could not be lifted in time for the two to attend the meeting.

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Both equally guys ended up accused of having a conflict of curiosity. They had been elected Nov. 5, 1968, and took the oath of business Jan. 6, 1969. Even even though they experienced been serving considering the fact that then, the match stated, “they in truth have no proper to physical exercise the responsibilities of explained workplace for the cause that they are serving illegally or are if not ineligible.”

Buckman was the profits supervisor of Taylor-Dempewolf Motors and on July 20, 1970, he created a movement for the school board to invest in a dump truck from his employer. The match alleged this kind of action violated condition regulation and mandated Buckman’s elimination.

Thomas, in the meantime, was employed by the Henderson Area Vocational College, which was a benefit program job. Merit technique workers were being prohibited from serving in a compensated political place by two sections of condition legislation. “Paul Thomas has violated the higher than and, therefore, he need to be ousted as a member of the Board of Education and learning,” the lawsuit claimed.

The Gleaner’s story famous, “The accusation versus Thomas has been designed previously by other men and women, but Superintendent Lewis Johnson and Thomas have denied any impropriety.”

That qualified prospects me to consider there was a backstory to this lawsuit that is not disclosed by either the newspaper stories or the lawful papers. The accommodate experienced big ramifications. Assume of it: If the election of the two males ended up nullified by the courtroom, that would appear to contact into issue every make any difference they experienced voted on since 1969. I suspect that could have been extremely messy.

Tale continues

The Gleaner’s next tale about the controversy – and its past – appeared April 22 and it documented the restraining get had been lifted the former working day following a brief meeting in Henderson Circuit Court docket. But the choose did not rule on irrespective of whether the two males experienced been serving illegally.

In accordance to The Gleaner the foundation for dissolving the restraining order ended up primarily two authorized technicalities: The affidavit filed with the request for the order failed to point out whether the petitioner “had at any time been refused the issuance of such an buy in any other court, and also unsuccessful to state that the circuit choose was out of the county when the restraining purchase was issued.”

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The judge’s formal get from the courtroom file, nevertheless, phrased the reasons rather in another way in that the “plaintiff has failed to file a movement for restraining purchase to be read at this time and day and further that the affidavit submitted for issuance of the restraining purchase is not adequate to authorize the clerk to issue a restraining buy.”

In accordance to The Gleaner, Buckman taken care of he experienced been voting to take the minimal bid for the dump truck buy. Meanwhile, “Thomas explained he cleared the subject of his company with the board with the attorney general’s office before getting office environment.”

On May 19 the scenario was after once again just before the judge, who did not rule until eventually May 30. He dismissed the circumstance for failure to point out a claim “for which aid can be granted.” Having said that, the legal professional standard was offered permission to file an amended criticism.

The amended criticism claimed Thomas’ occupation with the vocational faculty and his service on the college board “are incompatible in that the functions of the two are inherently inconsistent and repugnant to just about every other that the 1 interferes with the general performance of the duties of the other and the occupancy of both equally by the same individual is harmful to the general public curiosity.”

As for Buckman, the amended complaint stated, during his college board time period he had voted to obtain not only the dump truck from Taylor-Dempewolf, but also “various other machines, materials, supplies and services” and that he “received possibly right or indirectly a monetary obtain from these stated transactions.”

School board lawyer C.B. West, in his filings with the court docket, preserved that was not so for the reason that the income paid out Buckman by Taylor-Dempewolf did not adjust no subject what the faculty board did. “While he may well have experienced an ‘emotional interest’ in his employer receiving the deal, the criticism fails to demonstrate that any even further interest on his element, direct or indirect, existed.”

On Aug. 18 a movement was heard to established the scenario for a pre-trial hearing, which was established for Sept. 27 but in no way happened. Neighborhood legal professional George Stigger represented the lawyer basic that working day in court docket. The choose demanded the attorneys to checklist their witnesses, any exclusive damages, and create for inspection all exhibits envisioned to be entered into the document.

The lawyers were being also demanded to post any proposed guidelines to the courtroom, together with a memorandum showing their authorized authority, and a memorandum about any predicted “unusual problems” with the case.

That action on Aug. 18 was primarily the last gasp of the lawsuit – likely for the reason that neither Buckman nor Thomas sought re-election and remaining office at the conclusion of 1972.

On Feb. 13, 1973, the courtroom dismissed the situation “for failure of prosecution” and expected courtroom charges to be paid out by the plaintiff. The legal professional typical “has no objection to dismissing the action, the difficulties included in the motion now being mute” by which the scribe producing in the court order e book most probable intended moot.

100 Many years Back

The Grand Theater premiered “The Sheik” April 20, 1922, along with theaters throughout the country.

The silent movie manufactured Rudolph Valentino 1 of the very first intercontinental movie stars and experienced a huge affect on well known culture – although by modern day expectations it is in no way politically accurate. In reality, the plot requires a traditional circumstance of Stockholm syndrome.

The movie played two days at the Grand. Admission was 15 cents for children and 25 cents for grown ups. There was a matinee at 2 p.m. and the evening effectiveness at 7 p.m.

75 Decades Ago

An report appeared in The Gleaner April 18, 1947, touting the benefits of the new herbicide 2,4-D.

“After two yrs of study in this point out and many others it is now possible to endorse its use for the command of numerous weeds that are troublesome…. Weeds this kind of as dandelion, buckhorn and plantain are killed without harm to the bluegrass” employed in lots of lawns, golfing classes and parks.

In June 1947, according to Maralea Arnett’s “Annals and Scandals” guide, the regional extension business shown use of 2,4-D on a industry of corn. “Gradually the horse weeds started to droop and drop more than, revealing the eco-friendly stalks of corn the weeds had hidden.”

Up to that point, the herbicide had not been used locally on anything at all other than tiny textual content plots. But a moist spring had held the fields as well soaked for cultivation until eventually the weeds ended up thicker and taller than the corn.

Paul Rhodes sprayed 10 acres on June 18 and other farmers followed as shortly as they saw the final results. “It’s like a wonder,” explained just one.

The federal Environmental Protection Company permits the use of 2,4-D, despite the fact that due to the fact 1985 it has banned kinds of it that comprise dioxin, a chemical linked to most cancers.

The exact April 18 version also carried a story noting that Henderson Fiscal Courtroom had acquired its first electricity mower for retaining the courthouse garden. It drew very a little bit of focus.

25 Years In the past

A joint venture in between The Gleaner and Evansville-based Planet Connection Services furnished Henderson with but a different portal to the Planet Extensive Net, according to the April 20, 1997, version.

It was known as Henderson On the internet and showcased 32 modem phone traces that were connected to the World-wide-web by means of a committed T-1 line.

Buyers have been equipped to access the Website, e-mail, and chat rooms in the Tri-Condition vicinity and were being entitled to 4 megabytes of private storage space for placing up a net website page. They also obtained a absolutely free copy of the Netscape browser.

The Gleaner was continuing to set up its Net site, according to Publisher Steve Austin, which now furnished information and facts about the newspaper and hyperlinks to web pages of community interest. “In the long run it will include things like all sorts of news and information services and categorized adverts and temperature,” Austin claimed.

Henderson Online was the fifth World wide web service provider to supply area dial-up provider. Other folks integrated campusMCI (also known as United kingdom Online) Dynasty On the net kih on the internet and LDDNet.

Viewers of The Gleaner can access Frank Boyett at YesNews42@yahoo.com or on Twitter at @BoyettFrank.

This post at first appeared on Henderson Gleaner: Henderson heritage: AG attempted to remove county university board customers in 1972