The Patriot Community Voice
News from Patriot/ Posey Township and Beyond
July 17 , 2025 Edition
By: Mike Jones
I was driving by the North Bend Farm a couple weeks ago and saw an object in the air over the crop fields, and I had to stop and take a second look! They were using a drone to spray the field. Modern technology continues to grow, even on our farms here in Patriot!
Former Switzerland/Ohio County Judge Eddie James Passes Away
The county was saddened to hear of the passing of former Switzerland County Judge, Eddie James. Eddie grew up in Switzerland County, on a farm in York Township, the son of Chester and Dorothy James. He graduated from Vevay High School in 1963 and served in the United States Navy from 1961-1964. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from Eastern Kentucky University and received his law degree from the University of Kentucky in 1971. After law school he joined a law practice with Vevay Attorney Chester Callis. In 1972 he moved to Frankfort, Kentucky and worked as an Assistant Attorney General under Kentucky Attorney General Ed Hancock until 1975. Eddie returned to Switzerland County and he became Judge of the Switzerland/Ohio County/Superior Court until 1981. Eddie married Lisa Moreillion in 1977, and they had two daughters together, Larisa and Laurie Lea. In 1981, Eddie, Lisa and their family moved to Hazard, Kentucky, where he practiced law until 1987. They moved to Carrollton, Kentucky where Eddie continued his practice of law until his death. Eddie, Lisa and the family also operated a farm near Carrollton for many years. Eddie is survived by his loving wife, Lisa, and his daughters, Larisa James of Carrollton, and Laurie Lea James Miles and her husband Doug of Crestwood, Kentucky, and his grandchildren, Leif, Lyric and Lyra McKinney of Carrollton and Julian, Adrian and Lakien Miles of Crestwood, Ky. He is also survived by a sister, Joann Carrigan of Columbus, Mississippi. Eddie was preceded in death by his parents, Chester and Dorothy James and a brother, Paul Freddie James. A memorial gathering will be held from 4-9 p.m. at Richwood on the River in Milton, Kentucky. The celebration of life will be conducted at 5:30 pm. That day at the Richwood property. Information for memorial donations may be found on the Haskell and Morrison website.
Patriot Food Bank to Open Soon
The Patriot Food Bank will have its first food delivery on August 22, 2025, and the first distribution will be the next day on August 23. The distribution will occur at the Patriot Town Hall. The Patriot Food Bank is a part of the Patriot Passion Project. They recently announced that three buyers from the recent Switzerland County 4-H Fair Auction donated the meat to the Patriot Food Bank. Those buyers were:
* Colen Farms
* Dam Auction Company
* Carper Family Herefords/Cutter Farms
Sport Shorts
The Cincinnati Reds record at the All Star break is 50-47. Two Reds will be part of the National League All Star team, shortstop Elly De La Cruz and pitcher Andrew Abbott. The Reds closed out the first half of the season taking 2 out of 3 games in a series with the Colorado Rockies. Their win on Sunday was the 2000th win of Manager Terry Francona. He became only the 13th manager in Major League Baseball history to win 2000 games.
Brandon Turner will be the new Boy’s Head Basketball Coach at Switzerland County High School, replacing Travis Wrightsman, who recently resigned to take the coaching job at Jennings County High School. Turner has spent the last five years as the Rising Sun Boys Varsity Assistant and Junior Varsity Basketball Coach. John Tedesco of Aurora was also hired to teach World History and will be assisting Brandon Turner with coaching.
The Cincinnati Bengals will kick off their 2025 Preseason Camp on July 23, 2025 with the first of eight practices open to the public, with three additional practices open exclusively to season ticket holders and waitlist members. The Bengals will hold a special Saturday night practice in Paycor Stadium on August 2, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The gates will open to the public at 5:00 pm.
Tickets will be available to the public on July 23 via the Bengals App. The Bengals first Preseason game is on August 7, 2025 in Philadelphia against the Eagles. The NFL season will start on September 9, 2025 with the Bengals playing the Browns in Cleveland.
News From the Pews
Bible School is a Big Success at Patriot Baptist Church
The Patriot Baptist Church held their annual Vacation Bible School this week. Big crowd came every night with an average of 23 children per night, with lots of volunteer helpers. On Wednesday night they had a visit from PHI Air Evacuation, which operates out of Madison. They landed in the boat dock park east of town and allowed the children and adults to see the helicopter and learn of their important life saving service. On Thursday, McKay’s Family Farms brought some animals for the children to see. Each night the children enjoyed crafts, videos, music, snacks, and lessons from the Gospel of Matthew.
Patriot Baptist Church is Recipient of Grant
The Patriot Baptist Church recently received a $ 25,000 grant from the Center for Congregations to do work on their historic church building. Work will include renovation/foundation work on the church basement, gutter replacement and replacing carpet in the sanctuary. Work on the basement started this week. The Center for Congregations is an organization in Indiana funded through Eli Lilly, that supports churches throughout Indiana with educational and financial resources, as well as resource consulting. The grant the Patriot Baptist Church received required only a 10% local match.
The Patriot Baptist Church will host the monthly Long Run Association Men’s Prayer Breakfast on Saturday, August 2, 2025 at 8:00 a.m.
Famous Author Born In Patriot
Augusta Stevenson
Augusta Stevenson was born in Patriot in 1873 to James and Polliana Van Houten Stevenson. She received her early education in Patriot and received her undergraduate degree from Butler University, also studying at Columbia University in New York City. She authored a 29-Volume set of books dramatizing the nearly years of such men as Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Booker T. Washington and Daniel Boone. Her books were translated into 14 languages. Augusta taught several years in Indianapolis, but turned to writing when she sought texts to make historic figures come alive, and could not find any. Her first work, a volume of plays inspired by Aesop’s Fables, Grimm’s Fairy Tales and Hans Christian Anderson’s stories, were published in 1908 by Houghton-Mifflin Co. She moved to New York City and lived there until she returned to Indianapolis in 1920 to care for her mother. Her last book, John Fitch: Steamboat Boy; was published in 1966 when she was 96. Most of her books were set in the pioneer days of the United States. She wrote many books on women, including, Clara Barton: Girl Nurse, “Molly Pitcher: Girl Patriot; & Nancy Hanks: Kentucky Girl, and Virginia Dare: Mystery Girl;. Augusta received many letters from readers including children, and in the early 1970’s she received a letter from a boy in New York who had just read, Ben Franklin: Boy Printer. He wrote Miss Stevenson and said, I felt like I was in his time and right there when it happened. She had fulfilled her vision of providing texts to children to make the historic figures come alive! Miss Stevenson died in 1976 at the age of 103. She is buried in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Indianapolis.
Other News
The Ohio Valley Boxing Club will hold a reception following the Swiss Wine Festival Parade on August 23, 2025 in the Boxing Club Building, Indiana Boxing Hall of Fame at the Fairgrounds in Vevay. The building is immediately behind the Commercial Building. There will be several former world champion boxers in the parade and at the reception including, Marvin Johnson, three time light-heavyweight world champion and bronze medalist in boxing at the 1972 Munich Olympics, Larry Donald, former WBO heavyweight champion and Tony Tubbs, former WBA heavyweight champion.
Marlene Jones and Jarrod Van Winkle attended a birthday party for Helen Van Winkle, Baddie Van Winkle on Friday in Richmond, Kentucky.
The Jones Brothers Produce (no relation) has lots of fresh vegetables for sale, and will deliver to the Patriot community. Check them out at “jonesbrothersfarm.com (http://jonesbrothersfarm.com
| jonesbrothersfarm.comJones Brothers Farm located in Warsaw, Ky. A fresh market producer of tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, sweet corn, alfalfa, hemp and cattle.jonesbrothersfarm.com |
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That is all for this week. Until next week, in the words of the Glen Campbell song, remember to, try a little kindness, and shine your light for everyone you meet.