The Saint Catherine Regional Hospital Auxiliary will be having their Annual Christmas Bazaar on Friday, December 8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the lobby area. The hospital is located at 2200 Market Street in Charlestown.
    There will be a large selection of Christmas items plus homemade baked goods for purchase.
    Not only will the lobby be filled with gift items and goodies but the Auxiliary Gift Shop will be well-stocked with many wonderful Christmas gift items at a reasonable price. They have the largest selection of dolls in the Charlestown vicinity. You will even find some talking dolls this year.
    The Auxiliary Gift Shop is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

    When many local citizens were preparing for a great Thanksgiving Day meal last Wednesday night the Lady Pirates and Lady Mustangs were heating things up on the hardwood.
    Both teams were ready to take a Thanksgiving Eve victory as they gave the fans an exciting, fast-paced ballgame. The game was close throughout as the visiting Lady Pirates of Charlestown captured the 56-49 victory.
    The Lady Pirates found the scoreboard first as 6'1" senior center LaTonya Lloyd twice hit the first of two free throw attempts early in the quarter.
    New Washington’s Callie Burgin nailed a jumper at the 4:34 mark to knot the ballgame at two. The jumper sparked an 11-1 run for the Lady Mustangs as they held the 11-3 advantage after eight minutes of play.
    "We’ve proven we can start slow," stated Charlestown head coach Tony Hall. "Maybe we need to change the warm-up and be more physical."
    Charlestown came out ready to play in the second quarter as they outscored the home-standing Lady Mustangs 18-7.
    Lloyd began the march with a lay-up at the 7:44 mark.
    New Washington junior Kaelin Tuell recorded the first bucket of the quarter for the Lady Mustangs at the 4:48 mark. Tuell’s jumper tied the game at 13.
    Junior Lady Pirate Katie Jackson put Charlestown up for good with a jumper at the 3:54 mark as New Washington would not tie nor take the lead the remainder of the ball game.
    New Washington cut the lead to a mere point, 19-18, when 6'0" junior Jillian Charlet recorded an old-fashioned three point play and teammate Burgin nailed two from the charity stripe with 1:57 remaining in the half.
    Charlestown freshman Amanda Miller extended the Lady Pirate lead to three on a jumper to close out the scoring in the half.
    The Lady Pirates enjoyed the 21-18 halftime advantage.
    The third stanza proved to be the Jackson and Jennifer Carlisle show as the duo tallied 10 of Charlestown’s 16 points in the quarter.
    Jackson opened the scoring in the second half as she traveled the length of the floor before delivering a bucket to extend the Charlestown lead to five, 23-18.
    New Washington’s Burgin found the bottom of the net as the 5:37 as Charlestown held the 25-20 advantage.
    Jackson and Carlisle added bucket for Charlestown to extend the lead to nine, 31-22 before New Washington sophomore Jenna Sexton nailed three from the charity stripe.
    Charlestown recorded two buckets from Lloyd and one from Sheila Meredith to finish out the stanza.
    Sexton, who led the Lady Mustangs with 18 points, nailed a triple at the buzzer pulling New Washington within five, 37-32.
    Both teams traded buckets to open the final quarter as the Lady Mustangs’ Burgin was answered by Lloyd before Sexton was answered by a trey from Carlisle. After trading buckets, Charlestown led 42-36.
    Again the teams traded buckets before Charlestown sealed the victory from the charity stripe. The Lady Pirates nailed 8 of 10 to close out the ballgame.
    Charlestown took the 56-49 victory over the Lady Mustangs of New Washington to push their early season record to 4-2 as New Washington fell to 3-4.
    Hall reflected on the play of Katie Jackson after the Charlestown victory.
    "Katie Jackson really stepped up to the plate tonight. I think our fans and New Washington’s fans got a glimpse of what she can be," Hall stated. "That’s why we call her the K-Factor."
    Hall concluded, "We took New Washington’s best punch. We knew they were going to pound it in on LT (LaTonya Lloyd). This is a tough place to play."
    New Washington head coach Terry White discussed his team’s momentum after the ballgame.
    "We have a history of not maintaining our intensity level. We allow our momentum to go into our opponent’s favor," White stated. "We become impatient on offense."
    White added, "We have to find some way to get over the hump and play with confidence. And in return, instead of us putting pressure on the other team, we put the pressure on us."
    The Lady Mustangs were led by Jenna Sexton with 18 points while Callie Burgin added 14 points.
    Jennifer Carlisle led all scorers with 19 points as teammate Katie Jackson tallied 12 points. LaTonya Lloyd tacked on 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for a double-double.
    Scoring for Charlestown: Carlisle 19, Jackson 12, Lloyd 11, Meredith 8, Miller 4, Zollman 2.
    Scoring for New Washington: Sexton 18, C. Burgin 14, Charlet 7, Tuell 4, Ivers 3, E. Burgin 2.
    3-point goals: Sexton 3, Ivers 1, Carlisle 1.

 The former Mayor of Charlestown Bob Hall announced this week that he is forming a coalition committee to seek out people that want to change both the direction and leadership in the city.
    In forming this committee he wants to see if there is support in the community for making changes.
    "Anytime myself or members of my family are out in the community we are asked about my running for Mayor. Many people have told me they want me to run again, but as you know, sometimes, people saying they want something and doing something about it are two different things. Changing these elected officials will be hard to do," the former Mayor stated.
    To make meaningful improvements the former Mayor believes voters will need to examine both the role of the Mayor and the City Council.
    Hall added, "The City Council is primarily responsible for the budget of the City and setting rates for water, sewer, sanitation, tax increases, etc. then those increases become final when the Mayor signs the ordinances."
    Hall believes that this coming year is the defining time for the City of Charlestown in choosing the future of the city.
    "What we have seen in the last three years is a city in decline. I know we can do better as a city, the previous two administrations have done better, and we must do better again," Hall remarked.
    The committee will access if there are enough people willing to participate in helping to make changes. When asked what the deciding factors in this process he said that there were basically three.
    "First, getting enough volunteers to help with the campaign that share a common vision for the future of Charlestown. Secondly, to see if a coalition of both Democrats and Republicans can be organized that believe we need a new direction in the city. As I have said many times before this is not about politics or party with me, but it is about building a community. Third, having enough resources to finance a proper campaign."
    When asked what he would say to those voters who opposed him in the last election, Hall replied, "I hope we can put the past differences behind us and look to build a great future working together in a coalition for a better Charlestown."
    Hall concluded, "Just as the voters of Charlestown had a choice between the two Halls four years ago, they may have the opportunity to choose again or maybe not. As for the potential candidate I guess the committee will let us know."
    To participate or to contact the committee call 256-2664, e-mail BringBobBack@Yaholl.com or write P.O. Box 539, Charlestown, IN 47111.

   This year marks the 101^st consecutive year that the Clark County Crop Show will be held. The date is Saturday, December 2.
   Exhibition in the Crop Show is open to the public. All entries are to have been grown by the exhibitor during the 2006 crop year. All exhibits must be entered between 9:30 and 10 a.m. on the day of the show. Exhibits will be released, premiums paid, and awards presented between 1 and 1:30 p.m. Growers who plan to enter the 5-Acre corn yield contest should return completed cards to the Extension Office by November 30.
   Corn exhibit classes will be offered for hybrids, open-pollinated, white and yellow and popcorn. Classes will include: 10 ears, single ear, shelled and 30 ears. Other crop classes are: Grain (wheat, oats, grain sorghum, soybeans and rye), Hay (grass, legume, mixed), Forage Seeds and Tobacco (2 hands). There will also be some fun classes like tallest corn and soybean plants, biggest ear of corn, and soybean with the most pods. Call the Purdue Extension Office for more information at 256-4591.
   It is the policy of The Purdue Cooperative Extension Services, Davis C. Petritz, Director, that all persons shall have equal opportunity and access to the programs and facilities without regard to race, color, sex religion, national origin, age marital status, sexual orientations or disability. Purdue University is an Affirmative Action employer. If auxiliary and or services are needed to participate in any program or services, contact David Trotter in advance at-256-4591.