Have you ever planned a nice quiet lunch for your friends? So did Harriet, or so she thought. Little did she know when she opened the door to a "nice looking young man" that she and her friends would be kidnapped by two bank robbers! Of course, the bank robbers were more like the Apple Dumpling Gang than Bonnie and Clyde but they did give the ladies quite an adventure. If you want to see how things turn out for Harriet and the girls, come and see Rose Island Playhouse’s production of Carolyn Lane’s outrageous comedy "You Can’t Be To Careful."
    The play is directed by Cheryl Beach with assistance from Katie Beach, Jill Sceifers and Julie Hartzell. The cast includes: Krista Storz as Edna, JoAnn Kime as Madge, Rhoda Meier as Alice, Janet Popp as Harriet, Bob McCutcheon as Charlie, David Beach as Jonsie, Samantha Callis as Francine, Joe Sceifers ad the Meter Reader, Anna Mae Lewis as Louise, Phil Hartzell as the Police Officer and the Radio Announcer.
    Performances will be held at the Charlestown Arts and Enrichment Center at 999 Water Street on Friday, September 21 and Saturday, September 22 at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, September 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 for nonmembers and $7 for members. Call 812-289-1329 for reservations or purchase your tickets at the door.

    Recent callers to the Clark County Sheriff’s Department may have noticed something very different when they call the department. Instead of a friendly voice telling them they have reached the Sheriff’s Department, they hear the new friendly automated answering system.
    The new automated system began last Thursday, September 13.
    Clark County Sheriff Danny Rodden was a little hesitant about the new automated system.
    "It’s now automated," stated Major Chuck Adams. "Even though Sheriff Rodden debated to go to the system, it really needed to be done. Sheriff Rodden was concerned that it is less personable."
    The Clark County Sheriff’s Department dispatchers receive, according to Adams, 3-4 and even sometimes 500 phone calls a day. After answering the call, the dispatchers then must transfer the call to the correct department.
    "We just ask that the callers be aware of this new system and that it will work out better in the long run," Adams added. "When you think about 3-4-500 calls a day with two dispatchers, transferring them, that’s a lot of calls. We have grown so much that this is just a necessity."
    The new automated system will give the caller all the information they need. The initial prompts will lead them to the right person to help the caller with their needs.
    "They just need to continue to listen for the prompts and be patient," Adams explained.
    The system gives all the information from the physical address to the department and the website address to the visitation hours of the jail.

    Sellersburg Police Chief Russ Whelan has announced his intention to add reserve officers to the department.
    Interested citizens are encouraged to obtain an application from the Sellersburg Police Department located at 101 S. New Albany Street in Sellersburg. Applications may be received from Deputy Chief Donald Ross Jr. or Administrative Assistant Patty Clapp Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
    The deadline for applications is Friday, October 12 at 4 p.m.
    Candidates for the Sellersburg Police Department’s Reserve Program must be 35 years old or younger and possess a valid driver’s license. They also must have a minimum high school diploma or equivalent and they cannot have a criminal background.
    "Our recruiting program has been very successful. Five of our last six hires have been from our Reserve program. We recently hired Daniel Cotton and J.T. Gardner from our Reserve Department and Chief Whelan wants to at least replace those two positions and he would really like to increase the number of reserve officers to 10 or 12," stated Ross. "The reserve force plays a vital role to our agency, they assist us by handling duties for the Sellersburg Town Court, such as inmate transport and serving as Bailiff."
    All eligible candidates that complete the application process will be contacted by the Sellersburg Police Department after October 19.
    "Eligibility requirements are set up so that all candidates that pass the tests will be brought onto the department’s Reserve Force," Ross added.
    He continued, "They (candidates) will report to a location yet to be determined for a physical assessment test which will consist of a timed mile and a half run, a timed 300 yard sprint, timed sit-ups, maximum amount of push-ups completed and a measured vertical jump."
    All candidates passing the physical assessment test will be informed and then move on to the second phase of the testing for the reserve program.
    The last time the Sellersburg Police Department accepted applications for their Reserve program was last April.
    "Last year we had 14 citizens apply for the reserve program, but by the time testing and background checks were completed we finished with only four new Reserve Officers," Ross stated. "I would like to see that number at least double. The testing can be difficult if you aren’t prepared, we know that, and many have unfortunately found this out the hard way."
    Ross concluded, "This year I would also like to see some women apply for reserve positions with this police department. Female officers are an asset to any agency they join, but we haven’t seen any female applicants in over two years."
    The Sellersburg Police Department currently has four reserves including Greg Dietz, Brad Farrell, Michael Cotton and Troy Smith.

    It was standing room only in Murphy Stadium last Friday night. Fans poured into Providence High School to witness what many had deemed the ‘game of the week.’
   Heading into week five in Southern Indiana High School football, the Pioneers of Providence and the Pirates of Charlestown both had unblemished records. The rivalry gave the fans all they could handle as Charlestown rolled 38-13 and gave the Pioneers their first loss in their current campaign.
   First year Charlestown head coach Jason Hawkins and his gridiron Pirates have been earning the respect of local teams throughout the season. The team has been working to earn the respect, and Friday night they received the "T" from Coach Hawkins.
   After the final buzzer sounded the team and coaches were greeted by a storm of Pirate Pride faithful. The fans piled into the center of the field for one of Hawkins’ pep talks. During the session, Hawkins’ team asked for the "T," thus spelling out r-e-s-p-e-c-t, after earning the letters after each ballgame. After a few moments he produced the last letter in the word that all have been working to earn.
   Charlestown paved their way to victory by forcing five turnovers leading to 17 points for the Pirates. They recovered their first fumble at the 8:20 mark in the first quarter.
   The Pirates found the endzone for the first time a mere three minutes later as sophomore Josh Graham dove into the endzone from one yard out. Senior Craig Brown tacked on the extra point.
   During the Pioneers’ next possession Graham would recover a fumble on a missed option pitch. Charlestown took over on their own 35-yard line.
   Pirate senior quarterback Andrew Smith hooked up with fellow classmate Stephen Grayson for a 65-yard catch and run to the endzone. Brown would split the uprights for the extra point. Charlestown led 14-0 advantage with 17.9 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
   During the first Providence possession in the second stanza the Charlestown defense forced the Pioneers to punt. Charlestown junior Cameron Metzger would cap off the Pirate drive by finding the endzone from two yards out. Brown again tacked on the extra point as Charlestown extended the lead to 21-0 with 5:21 remaining in the half.
   Charlestown junior Damon Vest picked off his first of two Johnelle Hardin passes late in the opening half. The Pirates would close out the scoring in the half when Brown nailed a 30-yard field goal with 6.3 seconds remaining.
   The Pirates held the 24-0 advantage heading into the halftime break.
   Charlestown received the second half kickoff. A mere 1:21 later Metzger broke free and sprinted 75 yards to the goal line. Brown added the extra point to give the Pirates the 31-0 advantage early in the third quarter.
    Providence capitalized on their next possession when junior Zach Ernestberger rambled 18 yards for the touchdown. Freshman Christian Betz tacked on the extra point to put the Pioneers on the scoreboard, 31-7.
   Both teams traded possessions the remainder of the quarter.
   The Pioneers would score their last touchdown on a Hardin pass to senior Brandon Sidebottom from five yards out. Providence attempted the two-point conversion but the Hardin pass was dropped and with 7:56 remaining Charlestown held the 31-13 advantage.
   The Pirates would close out the scoring in the game when Metzger would scamper 10 yards to the endzone before Brown tacked on the extra point. The score gave Charlestown the 38-13 victory to push their record to 5-0.
   After the ballgame Charlestown head coach Jason Hawkins talked about the Pirate defense.
   "Our defense played really well. I know they have a good team but we have a good team too," Hawkins stated.
   After talking with the media Hawkins had a more important conversation with his team and their fans. During the pep talk he addressed the team on their three goals they set at the beginning of the season.
   "Our first goal was to have a winning season, we’re 5-0, we’ve reach that goal. Our second goal is to win the conference championship. The next three weeks will decide the conference. We have three big weeks. And our third goal, is to face Heritage Hills for the sectional championship at our place, and we’ll see what happens."
    Heritage Hills is the number one team in the state in Class 3A.
   Charlestown totaled 428 yards of offense including 317 rushing yards and 121 passing yards. Metzger led all Pirates with 203 yards on 20 carries with three touchdowns. Graham tallied 64 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown.
   Smith completed 7 of 16 passes for 121 yards and one touchdown. Grayson had two catches for 73 yards including one touchdown.
   The Pirates will travel to Corydon Central this Friday night for a Mid Southern Conference match up. Kick off is set for 7 p.m.