Honoring breast cancer survivors
By Lucy Perry
Each signature tells a personal story.
Volunteers for Susan G. Komen of the Wabash Valley were at First Financial Bank located at Meadows Shopping Center in Terre Haute today. Gwen Hicks was happy to point to the names written with a black Sharpie marker on the side of the pink firetruck, and show custom features of the vehicle, as she handed out information about breast health and the upcoming "Race for the Cure" event.
Breast cancer survivors stopped by to sign their names on the "Engine of Hope," while other curious spectators caught a glimpse the pink firetruck up close and sought information on how to support the cause.
The autographs have been accumulating on one side of the vehicle since last August, and are making a permanent mark.
"Once this side is full of signatures, we will clearcoat it and move to the other side." volunteer Gwen Hicks said, noting that it will be a lasting tribute in the survivors' honor.
Individuals and teams can sign up to participate in the The 19th Annual 5k Walk/Run and One-mile Family Walk scheduled Sept. 26 at Memorial Stadium.
For more information on Race for the Cure and other events, please see http://komenwabashvalley.org/ or the https://www.facebook.com/KomenWabash
(Aug. 3)
Each signature tells a personal story.
Volunteers for Susan G. Komen of the Wabash Valley were at First Financial Bank located at Meadows Shopping Center in Terre Haute today. Gwen Hicks was happy to point to the names written with a black Sharpie marker on the side of the pink firetruck, and show custom features of the vehicle, as she handed out information about breast health and the upcoming "Race for the Cure" event.
Breast cancer survivors stopped by to sign their names on the "Engine of Hope," while other curious spectators caught a glimpse the pink firetruck up close and sought information on how to support the cause.
The autographs have been accumulating on one side of the vehicle since last August, and are making a permanent mark.
"Once this side is full of signatures, we will clearcoat it and move to the other side." volunteer Gwen Hicks said, noting that it will be a lasting tribute in the survivors' honor.
Individuals and teams can sign up to participate in the The 19th Annual 5k Walk/Run and One-mile Family Walk scheduled Sept. 26 at Memorial Stadium.
For more information on Race for the Cure and other events, please see http://komenwabashvalley.org/ or the https://www.facebook.com/KomenWabash
(Aug. 3)
Joy Hay talks with Susan G. Komen of the Wabash Valley volunteer Gwen Hicks at Meadows Shopping Center today about upcoming Breast Cancer awareness events. (Lucy Perry Photo)
4-H'ers keeping busy at the Vigo County Fair
By Lucy Perry
Fourteen-year- old Libby Buckner was hanging out with a herd of cattle on opening day of the Vigo County Fair. This is her first year showing cattle, but her experience and knowledge of the animals is obvious.
"So many people think they shouldn't touch them, but I tell them to go ahead -- it won't bother them" she said, pointing to the young calf she will show in 4-H competition this week.
In a swine stall in another 4-H building, Blake Collins was clipping his two pink hogs' hair. Jack Harrah and his dad were feeding and watering two black hogs. Many curious onlookers, not as educated in livestock, were watching the experts work.
The annual Vigo County Fair kicked off today in Terre Haute and will continue until July 18. Crowds were streaming in all afternoon, on a warm and cloudy 87-degree summer day.
The action-packed fairgrounds is hosting several events and offers various entertainment for all ages to enjoy.
Drew Exposition has set up high-tech carnival rides, including the Cyclops and ION, to family rides such as the Century Wheel and Tornado, to the one of a kind Seattle Wheel, to kiddie rides such as the Rockin Tug, Carousel. Featured this year is Huss Pirate.
Many 4-H shows, food and craft vendors and live music will be underway throughout the fair.
Please see the Vigo County Fair website for a complete schedule and more information.
(July 12)
Fourteen-year- old Libby Buckner was hanging out with a herd of cattle on opening day of the Vigo County Fair. This is her first year showing cattle, but her experience and knowledge of the animals is obvious.
"So many people think they shouldn't touch them, but I tell them to go ahead -- it won't bother them" she said, pointing to the young calf she will show in 4-H competition this week.
In a swine stall in another 4-H building, Blake Collins was clipping his two pink hogs' hair. Jack Harrah and his dad were feeding and watering two black hogs. Many curious onlookers, not as educated in livestock, were watching the experts work.
The annual Vigo County Fair kicked off today in Terre Haute and will continue until July 18. Crowds were streaming in all afternoon, on a warm and cloudy 87-degree summer day.
The action-packed fairgrounds is hosting several events and offers various entertainment for all ages to enjoy.
Drew Exposition has set up high-tech carnival rides, including the Cyclops and ION, to family rides such as the Century Wheel and Tornado, to the one of a kind Seattle Wheel, to kiddie rides such as the Rockin Tug, Carousel. Featured this year is Huss Pirate.
Many 4-H shows, food and craft vendors and live music will be underway throughout the fair.
Please see the Vigo County Fair website for a complete schedule and more information.
(July 12)
ISP Superintendent Douglas Carter presenting the graduation certificate to Trooper Ian Portteus, and K-9 “Czar”. (ISP Photo)
Trooper Ian Portteus and K-9 “Czar” Graduate from ISP K-9 Academy
Indiana State Police
PUTNAMVILLE-- Today, the Indiana State Police held a graduation ceremony for the 2015 ISP K-9 Class at the Indiana State Police Museum in Indianapolis. The ceremony graduated nine ISP troopers from around the state and their K-9 partners, along with one Putnam County Sheriff’s Deputy and his K-9 partner.
Trooper Ian Portteus, assigned to the Putnamville Post, and his K-9 “Czar” were among the graduates. Portteus is a 2 ½ year veteran of the ISP. “Czar” is an 18-month old German Shepherd imported from the country of Poland. “Czar” will accompany Portteus on routine patrol within the Putnamville District.
During the fourteen week academy, “Czar” had 500 hours of training in narcotic searches, aggression control work, building searches, tracking, article searches, and obedience. “Czar” is a certified Police Service Dog through the International Police Work Dog Association (IPWADA). “Czar” is certified in the detection of narcotic odors related to Methamphetamine, Marijuana, Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, Ecstasy, and Heroin. The K-9 academy was under the direction of ISP Master Trainer Sergeant Dennis Wade and trainers Master Trooper Kevin Waters, Senior Trooper Mick Dockery and Senior Trooper Chris Richey, along with ISP K-9 coordinator Tony Knox, and ISP Special Operations Commander Major Pat O’Connor.
“The primary initiative of the ISP K-9 team is to search for and locate suspect(s) or evidence that can be linked to a specific crime. The dog is one of the few investigative tools that is available to the patrol team”, commented ISP K-9 Trainer Master Trooper Kevin Waters.
Lieutenant Dan Jones, Commander of the Putnamville Post, stated, “Today is a proud moment for Ian, “Czar” and our Putnamville District. Ian is a great trooper and this will only enhance his abilities to service the public and fight crime and illegal drug trafficking within our district.”
The Putnamville District is comprised of Parke, Vermillion, Vigo, Clay, Putnam, and Sullivan counties.
(July 16)
Indiana State Police
PUTNAMVILLE-- Today, the Indiana State Police held a graduation ceremony for the 2015 ISP K-9 Class at the Indiana State Police Museum in Indianapolis. The ceremony graduated nine ISP troopers from around the state and their K-9 partners, along with one Putnam County Sheriff’s Deputy and his K-9 partner.
Trooper Ian Portteus, assigned to the Putnamville Post, and his K-9 “Czar” were among the graduates. Portteus is a 2 ½ year veteran of the ISP. “Czar” is an 18-month old German Shepherd imported from the country of Poland. “Czar” will accompany Portteus on routine patrol within the Putnamville District.
During the fourteen week academy, “Czar” had 500 hours of training in narcotic searches, aggression control work, building searches, tracking, article searches, and obedience. “Czar” is a certified Police Service Dog through the International Police Work Dog Association (IPWADA). “Czar” is certified in the detection of narcotic odors related to Methamphetamine, Marijuana, Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, Ecstasy, and Heroin. The K-9 academy was under the direction of ISP Master Trainer Sergeant Dennis Wade and trainers Master Trooper Kevin Waters, Senior Trooper Mick Dockery and Senior Trooper Chris Richey, along with ISP K-9 coordinator Tony Knox, and ISP Special Operations Commander Major Pat O’Connor.
“The primary initiative of the ISP K-9 team is to search for and locate suspect(s) or evidence that can be linked to a specific crime. The dog is one of the few investigative tools that is available to the patrol team”, commented ISP K-9 Trainer Master Trooper Kevin Waters.
Lieutenant Dan Jones, Commander of the Putnamville Post, stated, “Today is a proud moment for Ian, “Czar” and our Putnamville District. Ian is a great trooper and this will only enhance his abilities to service the public and fight crime and illegal drug trafficking within our district.”
The Putnamville District is comprised of Parke, Vermillion, Vigo, Clay, Putnam, and Sullivan counties.
(July 16)
WVCF crews get Bocce Ball courts ready for Special Olympics
Wabash Valley Correctional Facility
CARLISLE- Bocce Ball is one of the most watched competitions at the Special Olympics Indiana games in Terre Haute, something the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF) is proud to help make possible.
WVCF crews were at Wolf Field on the ISU campus Thursday to set up the 12 Bocce Ball courts.
WVCF Maintenance crews made the courts in 2013 and Wabash staffers are donating their time to help out at the competition June 12-14. Donations by the WVCF Fatherhood and PLUS (Purposeful Living Units Serve) programs funded the 12 Bocce Ball courts. Minimum-security offender work crews will assist with the set up of the courts. Each 12’ by 60’ court is made of extremely durable gutter material.
The previous courts were made of wood and had simply worn out prior to the 2013 Special Olympic games. That is when Special Olympics Indiana partnered with Wabash Valley to make all new courts for the nearly 500 Special Olympics athletes taking part in Bocce Ball.
“It’s such a fun game to watch and the athletes use strategy, skill and maybe just a little bit of luck to win,” said Superintendent Richard Brown. He added, “ The neat thing about Bocce Ball is that everyone is a winner, the athletes cheer for each other and we are excited to help out each year!” (June 11)
CARLISLE- Bocce Ball is one of the most watched competitions at the Special Olympics Indiana games in Terre Haute, something the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF) is proud to help make possible.
WVCF crews were at Wolf Field on the ISU campus Thursday to set up the 12 Bocce Ball courts.
WVCF Maintenance crews made the courts in 2013 and Wabash staffers are donating their time to help out at the competition June 12-14. Donations by the WVCF Fatherhood and PLUS (Purposeful Living Units Serve) programs funded the 12 Bocce Ball courts. Minimum-security offender work crews will assist with the set up of the courts. Each 12’ by 60’ court is made of extremely durable gutter material.
The previous courts were made of wood and had simply worn out prior to the 2013 Special Olympic games. That is when Special Olympics Indiana partnered with Wabash Valley to make all new courts for the nearly 500 Special Olympics athletes taking part in Bocce Ball.
“It’s such a fun game to watch and the athletes use strategy, skill and maybe just a little bit of luck to win,” said Superintendent Richard Brown. He added, “ The neat thing about Bocce Ball is that everyone is a winner, the athletes cheer for each other and we are excited to help out each year!” (June 11)
Church wraps up 27th Strawberry Fest
First Congregational Church drew a large crowd to the 27th annual Strawberry Festival in its parking lot at Sixth and Ohio streets Thursday, wrapping up at 8 p.m.
The event is reportedly downtown Terre Haute’s largest one-day event. A crowd of festival-goers enjoyed "the Works" at a cost of $6. The ice-cream treat is complete with a biscuit strawberry topping and whipped cream.(ICN Photos)
(June 11)
The event is reportedly downtown Terre Haute’s largest one-day event. A crowd of festival-goers enjoyed "the Works" at a cost of $6. The ice-cream treat is complete with a biscuit strawberry topping and whipped cream.(ICN Photos)
(June 11)
Pictured from left to right (WVCF Photo): Michael Feese (Greene County), Allan Adams (Sullivan County), William Hayne (Sullivan County) and Jeffrey Athey (Vigo County)
Wabash Valley Correctional Facility K-9 team completes intense training
Wabash Valley Correctional Facility
CARLISLE - Graduation was no easy task for members of the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility(WVCF) K-9 team!
Four days of training on the grounds of the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center (Jennings County) exposed the four WVCF officers and their K-9’s to a variety of training scenarios.
“It was intense but fun!” said K-9 handler Allan Adams, of Sullivan County.
Adams said each day started with physical training, followed by handlers practicing basic commands with their dogs. Classroom instruction, including a course on emergency care for an injured K-9 also took place, followed by specialty work. K-9 aggression, trailing and scent training included activities like vehicle searches and building clearing exercises.
The Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) Emergency Response Operations (ERO) sponsored the training academy, which focused on team building according to Adams.
“We spent 14 and a half hour days training alongside K-9 handlers from several other facilities,” he said. “You learn improved training techniques and how to seamlessly interact with other IDOC Emergency Teams.* I work with Dixie, our Wabash cell phone detection dog. She is experienced and was kind of a motivator to handlers with newly trained cell dogs from other facilities,” Adams noted.
(May 27)
Wabash Valley Correctional Facility
CARLISLE - Graduation was no easy task for members of the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility(WVCF) K-9 team!
Four days of training on the grounds of the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center (Jennings County) exposed the four WVCF officers and their K-9’s to a variety of training scenarios.
“It was intense but fun!” said K-9 handler Allan Adams, of Sullivan County.
Adams said each day started with physical training, followed by handlers practicing basic commands with their dogs. Classroom instruction, including a course on emergency care for an injured K-9 also took place, followed by specialty work. K-9 aggression, trailing and scent training included activities like vehicle searches and building clearing exercises.
The Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) Emergency Response Operations (ERO) sponsored the training academy, which focused on team building according to Adams.
“We spent 14 and a half hour days training alongside K-9 handlers from several other facilities,” he said. “You learn improved training techniques and how to seamlessly interact with other IDOC Emergency Teams.* I work with Dixie, our Wabash cell phone detection dog. She is experienced and was kind of a motivator to handlers with newly trained cell dogs from other facilities,” Adams noted.
(May 27)
Bloomington public official gong to federal prison
Concrete jobs for roads and sidewalks rewarded with bribes and kickbacks
Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS – United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced today the sentencing of a former Bloomington public official for one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 10 counts of wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt sentenced Justin Wykoff, 44, Bloomington, to 55 months in federal prison Tueday.
“Public officials are trusted to serve the people not to serve themselves,” said Minkler. “Those who choose to line their pockets using money from the public payroll can expect the full force of the federal prosecution hammer. Judge Walton Pratt’s sentence sends a strong message; if you choose to abuse the public’s trust as a public official, you will go to prison. There will be no probation, no half-way house, no suspended sentence, no parole. The sentence will be prison.”
Wykoff, was the Manager for Engineering Services for the City of Bloomington and pled guilty in federal court in March 2015, to 11 counts of wire fraud. He was responsible for bidding and awarding contracts for public works projects in the City of Bloomington, like road paving and sidewalk construction. Between April 2011 to February 2014, Wykoff solicited and received substantial cash bribes and kickbacks from Roger Hardin and Zach Hardin, who operated a company called Reliable Concrete and Construction. In exchange for the kickbacks, Wykoff assisted the Hardins in obtaining over $800,000 in city construction contracts and payments for Reliable Concrete.
Wykoff estimated project costs and prepared bid proposals, using his inside information to ensure Reliable Concrete was the low bidder. In some cases, Wykoff awarded city contracts to Reliable Concrete outright without obtaining bids from other contractors. Wykoff also authorized city payments to Reliable Concrete totaling approximately $807,000. Of that amount, approximately $300,000 was for work that was never completed by Reliable Concrete.
Wykoff and the Hardins took steps to conceal their scheme by creating false Reliable Concrete bid proposals after the fact. On February 17, 2014, Wykoff went to Roger Hardin’s home and created multiple bid proposal forms for projects that the City of Bloomington had already paid Reliable Concrete for – even though Reliable Concrete had not performed the work. The forms were backdated to coincide with the dates that the work was supposed to have taken place. Wykoff initialed or signed these forms as if he had approved the bids and then planted copies of the forms in his office in an attempt to further conceal the scheme.
Roger Hardin was sentenced to 33 months for his role in the scheme. His son, Zachary was sentenced to 12 months. All three are equally responsible for restitution of over $400,000 to the City of Bloomington.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Bloomington Police Department.
FBI Special Agent in Charge W. Jay Abbott stated, “Public corruption is one of the FBI’s top investigative priorities and FBI Agents remain committed to pursuing those individuals that violate the public’s trust.”
According to Senior Litigation Counsel Steve DeBrota and Assistant United States Attorney Nick Linder, who are prosecuting the case for the government, Wykoff must serve 3 years of supervised release after his sentence.
(June 9)
Concrete jobs for roads and sidewalks rewarded with bribes and kickbacks
Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS – United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced today the sentencing of a former Bloomington public official for one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 10 counts of wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt sentenced Justin Wykoff, 44, Bloomington, to 55 months in federal prison Tueday.
“Public officials are trusted to serve the people not to serve themselves,” said Minkler. “Those who choose to line their pockets using money from the public payroll can expect the full force of the federal prosecution hammer. Judge Walton Pratt’s sentence sends a strong message; if you choose to abuse the public’s trust as a public official, you will go to prison. There will be no probation, no half-way house, no suspended sentence, no parole. The sentence will be prison.”
Wykoff, was the Manager for Engineering Services for the City of Bloomington and pled guilty in federal court in March 2015, to 11 counts of wire fraud. He was responsible for bidding and awarding contracts for public works projects in the City of Bloomington, like road paving and sidewalk construction. Between April 2011 to February 2014, Wykoff solicited and received substantial cash bribes and kickbacks from Roger Hardin and Zach Hardin, who operated a company called Reliable Concrete and Construction. In exchange for the kickbacks, Wykoff assisted the Hardins in obtaining over $800,000 in city construction contracts and payments for Reliable Concrete.
Wykoff estimated project costs and prepared bid proposals, using his inside information to ensure Reliable Concrete was the low bidder. In some cases, Wykoff awarded city contracts to Reliable Concrete outright without obtaining bids from other contractors. Wykoff also authorized city payments to Reliable Concrete totaling approximately $807,000. Of that amount, approximately $300,000 was for work that was never completed by Reliable Concrete.
Wykoff and the Hardins took steps to conceal their scheme by creating false Reliable Concrete bid proposals after the fact. On February 17, 2014, Wykoff went to Roger Hardin’s home and created multiple bid proposal forms for projects that the City of Bloomington had already paid Reliable Concrete for – even though Reliable Concrete had not performed the work. The forms were backdated to coincide with the dates that the work was supposed to have taken place. Wykoff initialed or signed these forms as if he had approved the bids and then planted copies of the forms in his office in an attempt to further conceal the scheme.
Roger Hardin was sentenced to 33 months for his role in the scheme. His son, Zachary was sentenced to 12 months. All three are equally responsible for restitution of over $400,000 to the City of Bloomington.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Bloomington Police Department.
FBI Special Agent in Charge W. Jay Abbott stated, “Public corruption is one of the FBI’s top investigative priorities and FBI Agents remain committed to pursuing those individuals that violate the public’s trust.”
According to Senior Litigation Counsel Steve DeBrota and Assistant United States Attorney Nick Linder, who are prosecuting the case for the government, Wykoff must serve 3 years of supervised release after his sentence.
(June 9)
Lane Restrictions begin Monday on State Road 59 for chip and seal operation
Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate route
CLAY COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will have lane restrictions on State Road 59 beginning Monday, June 15, weather permitting. S.R. 59 will be chip and sealed from State Road 246 down to State Road 48. Motorists are encouraged to seek an alternate route.
Depending on weather conditions, crews will be on site from 7:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Work is expected to last through Wednesday, June 24.
INDOT crews will be applying a chip-seal treatment to preserve and protect nearly 11 miles of S.R. 59. Loose stone will be on the highway temporarily during the initial cure of the asphalt. Motorists are encouraged to seek an alternate route. Drivers are urged to slow down and allow additional space between vehicles to prevent stone chips from damaging windshields or paint on auto bodies.
Once the chip seal has cured, crews will sweep the highway to clear away loose stone and apply a light application of dark asphalt material to lock in remaining stone and minimize dust.
About Chip-Seal Projects
After years of heavy traffic and winter freeze-thaw cycles, small cracks develop in our highways. If left untreated, moisture seeps into these cracks and form potholes when the water freezes and expands. As the name implies, a chip-seal treatment seals off the cracks. The stone chips provide improved traction for stopping, especially during winter. National research has shown that every $1 used to preserve our pavements saves $6 to $14 in future, more disruptive repairs.
(June 10)
State Road 59 will Close south of Waveland Wednesday
Road closed through the end of August
MONTGOMERY/PARKE COUNTIES, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces State Road 59 (S.R. 59) will close on or after Wednesday, June 17 for a pavement reconstruction and replacement project. The road will be closed in two phases. S.R. 59 will close first between S.R. 236 and Parke C.R. 650 N. through July 23, and then the last section will be closed from C.R. 650 to south of Waveland.
This project was awarded to Milestone Contractors for $1.2 million. This project will reconstruct or replace S.R. 59 from S.R. 236 to the south town limits of Waveland. The roadway is scheduled to reopen at the end of August.
The detour follows S.R. 236 east to U.S. 231 north to S.R. 234 west to S.R 47 south and back to S.R. 59. Traffic traveling in the opposite direction will use the same detour in reverse.
For the latest news and information about INDOT, please visit www.in.gov/indot or www.trafficwise.IN.gov . For social media updates, follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/INDOT_WCentral and like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/INDOTWestCentral.
(June 10)
Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate route
CLAY COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will have lane restrictions on State Road 59 beginning Monday, June 15, weather permitting. S.R. 59 will be chip and sealed from State Road 246 down to State Road 48. Motorists are encouraged to seek an alternate route.
Depending on weather conditions, crews will be on site from 7:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Work is expected to last through Wednesday, June 24.
INDOT crews will be applying a chip-seal treatment to preserve and protect nearly 11 miles of S.R. 59. Loose stone will be on the highway temporarily during the initial cure of the asphalt. Motorists are encouraged to seek an alternate route. Drivers are urged to slow down and allow additional space between vehicles to prevent stone chips from damaging windshields or paint on auto bodies.
Once the chip seal has cured, crews will sweep the highway to clear away loose stone and apply a light application of dark asphalt material to lock in remaining stone and minimize dust.
About Chip-Seal Projects
After years of heavy traffic and winter freeze-thaw cycles, small cracks develop in our highways. If left untreated, moisture seeps into these cracks and form potholes when the water freezes and expands. As the name implies, a chip-seal treatment seals off the cracks. The stone chips provide improved traction for stopping, especially during winter. National research has shown that every $1 used to preserve our pavements saves $6 to $14 in future, more disruptive repairs.
(June 10)
State Road 59 will Close south of Waveland Wednesday
Road closed through the end of August
MONTGOMERY/PARKE COUNTIES, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces State Road 59 (S.R. 59) will close on or after Wednesday, June 17 for a pavement reconstruction and replacement project. The road will be closed in two phases. S.R. 59 will close first between S.R. 236 and Parke C.R. 650 N. through July 23, and then the last section will be closed from C.R. 650 to south of Waveland.
This project was awarded to Milestone Contractors for $1.2 million. This project will reconstruct or replace S.R. 59 from S.R. 236 to the south town limits of Waveland. The roadway is scheduled to reopen at the end of August.
The detour follows S.R. 236 east to U.S. 231 north to S.R. 234 west to S.R 47 south and back to S.R. 59. Traffic traveling in the opposite direction will use the same detour in reverse.
For the latest news and information about INDOT, please visit www.in.gov/indot or www.trafficwise.IN.gov . For social media updates, follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/INDOT_WCentral and like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/INDOTWestCentral.
(June 10)
Indiana State lists summer camps, other events and activities
Indiana State University
Indiana State University will offer a variety of camps and other activities this summer for children, teen-agers and adults.
Community School of the Arts has scheduled an extensive lineupof programs for people of all ages in visual arts, dance, music and theater, including the highly popular Sycamore Drum Major Clinic for high school students July 12-17.
Summer Honors, the long-running program for high-achieving high school students, is scheduled for July 19-25 and is open to students in the high school classes of 2016, 2017 and 2018. Participants can chose from among 16 areas of study, get a preview of what it’s like to live on campus and, upon successful completion, earn college credit.
The Lifespan Healthy Living Initiative will host the inaugural Indiana Summer Games, featuring events in boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball and baseball.
Camp Invention will offer children hands-on problem solving experience in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Founded by the National Inventors Hall of Fame and offered at Indiana State through the Bayh College of Education, Camp Invention, set for July 13-17, is open to children in first through sixth grade.
Summer Science Camp, for children who will be in kindergarten through seventh grade this fall, is set for July 20-31. Age-appropriate activities are scheduled for students in three age groups.
Crossroads Repertory Theatre will mark its golden anniversary this summer with performances of “The Rainmaker,” “A Wrinkle in Time,” “50th Anniversary Musical Cabaret” and “Rent” June 19 through July 26.
Sycamore coaches will also offer summer camps in boys and girls basketball, football, soccer, hurdles, pole vault and throws. The university’s Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation Clinic will offer athletic performance camps for individuals from any activity and sport who are between the ages of 12 and 18.
More information about summer activities at Indiana State, including dates, locations and registration information, is at www.indstate.edu/summer.
(May 6)
Indiana State University
Indiana State University will offer a variety of camps and other activities this summer for children, teen-agers and adults.
Community School of the Arts has scheduled an extensive lineupof programs for people of all ages in visual arts, dance, music and theater, including the highly popular Sycamore Drum Major Clinic for high school students July 12-17.
Summer Honors, the long-running program for high-achieving high school students, is scheduled for July 19-25 and is open to students in the high school classes of 2016, 2017 and 2018. Participants can chose from among 16 areas of study, get a preview of what it’s like to live on campus and, upon successful completion, earn college credit.
The Lifespan Healthy Living Initiative will host the inaugural Indiana Summer Games, featuring events in boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball and baseball.
Camp Invention will offer children hands-on problem solving experience in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Founded by the National Inventors Hall of Fame and offered at Indiana State through the Bayh College of Education, Camp Invention, set for July 13-17, is open to children in first through sixth grade.
Summer Science Camp, for children who will be in kindergarten through seventh grade this fall, is set for July 20-31. Age-appropriate activities are scheduled for students in three age groups.
Crossroads Repertory Theatre will mark its golden anniversary this summer with performances of “The Rainmaker,” “A Wrinkle in Time,” “50th Anniversary Musical Cabaret” and “Rent” June 19 through July 26.
Sycamore coaches will also offer summer camps in boys and girls basketball, football, soccer, hurdles, pole vault and throws. The university’s Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation Clinic will offer athletic performance camps for individuals from any activity and sport who are between the ages of 12 and 18.
More information about summer activities at Indiana State, including dates, locations and registration information, is at www.indstate.edu/summer.
(May 6)
Planning a season of Crossroads Repertory Theatre a logistical feat
By Libby Roerig, Indiana State University
When approaching a mammoth undertaking such as planning the Crossroads Repertory Theatre season, the staff’s goal is simple — to make it look easy.
“The whole reason to come to the theater is because it’s magical,” said Michael Jackson, production manager of Crossroads and associate professor of theater at Indiana State University. “If everyone walks out of the theater with a smile on their faces, we’ve done our jobs. If they’re singing the songs from ‘Rent,’ even better.”
To accomplish this goal, planning for the new season starts in the fall — just after the summer season wraps. Considerations are made for what plays and how many they are going to do, what the company wants to try from an artistic perspective and what they can handle in terms of personnel, casting, scenery and costumes.
This 50th anniversary season includes “The Rainmaker,” which opened the first season of what was then known as Summer Theatre, a “50th Anniversary Musical Cabaret” as a nod to audiences’ most treasured summer stage traditions, the children’s science fiction classic “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeline L’Engle and the musical tour de force, “Rent,” which has never been performed in Terre Haute.
“I don’t think there’s one factor that determines how the season comes together,” Jackson said.
And that’s because there’s so many logistical factors to consider. After the season lineup is decided, next is casting — both of the actors and staffing production departments.
“One of my most rewarding jobs as production manager is picking the right team of people to work together or facilitating that collaboration,” Jackson said.
As the Wabash Valley’s only professional theater company, Crossroads attracts talent from major Midwest cities and gives deserving theater students paid experience.
“That’s something that makes our department unique is we do try to give our students — our best students — their first professional experience,” Jackson said. “It’s a lot of work for them, but it’s a great experience. Experiential learning — there it is. It’s about as good of an opportunity as you can get in the theater.”
Because some actors are in multiple plays — but not all the plays — and local performers often have day jobs, just developing a rehearsal schedule can be like solving a Rubik’s cube.
“It’s really just a puzzle. I put things on a calendar, and we move things around when there are conflicts,” Jackson said. “My job is to see the big picture — for four different shows, for four different directors, for four different companies of actors and four different stage management teams and design teams — which means you have to be flexible.”
Even pre-season prep work can be difficult to pull off, when many of these creative brainstorming sessions — conversations that would ideally be done in person — must be done over the phone because of geographic limitations.
“A lot of logistical coordination that is pretty tricky to make sure everybody’s on the same page and the director’s vision for the production is actually being translated through the designer’s work,” Jackson said. “But the designer has to have a fair degree of autonomy to make decisions — especially the set designer — because we’re all busy.”
Once the season starts, the crews work for three weeks to build scenery, make costumes, hang the lights, set up the technology for the first show. The company opens a show a week for four weeks and then enters a rep cycle — using the same New Theater space.
“I think that’s one of the most exciting things for our audiences is creating this whole new world for a play, especially when we get into the rep cycle and we’re doing a different show every night,” Jackson said. “To be able to come and see four completely different uses of this space in four days is exciting for our audiences.”
For example, “The Rainmaker” is more old chestnut theater, whereas “A Wrinkle in Time” is a spectacle.
“(For ‘Wrinkle’), we have to go to outer space, we have to go to other universes. So, we knew from the beginning that that show would incorporate video projection, which presents a whole set of contemporary problems we didn’t have in the theater 20 years ago,” he said. “Projections require technology that is expensive. They also require very specific skill sets that a lot of people don’t typically have. We’re pretty lucky that (Crossroads artistic director) Chris Berchild has been really interested in projections and incorporating projections vocabulary into theater performance for 20 years — his whole career. It’s just now that the industry is sort of demanding that.”
In previous seasons, Crossroads might have had as many as four set designers. This year, despite how different each production is, there is one designer and one very adaptable set.
“The scenic designer has in some ways the most important artistic job of the whole summer. Obviously, the scenery is the biggest tangible thing we have to deal with, and four different plays presents four different scenic challenges,” Jackson said. “This summer, we wanted to do one scenic designer for all four shows. And that set is sort of a chameleon, a shape-shifter. Depending on the show we’re doing, it’s sort of one mega-structure that rearranges for each show.”
Just figuring out a window of time when the stage floor can be painted can be tricky, as it renders the space unusable for 24 hours while it dries.
“I hope people come and appreciate the organizational effort,” Jackson said.
At the end of the season, after the company has striked the last play and the costumes have been cleaned and packed away for another use, the staff of Crossroads will have another summer of memories.
“We all have real friendships that are made during this process,” Jackson said. “There’s something special about summer theater in America, because it’s when all of the pros go and have fun making theater. And it’s been that way for a very long time.”
Crossroads Rep’s season opens June 19 with “The Rainmaker” in Indiana State’s New Theater, 540 N. 7th St. Season tickets are available for $52 each, and single-production tickets are $15-20 for general admission.
To buy tickets or donate to Crossroads Repertory Theatre, go tocrossroadsrep.com or call the box office, which opens June 15, at 812-237-3333.
(May 26)
By Libby Roerig, Indiana State University
When approaching a mammoth undertaking such as planning the Crossroads Repertory Theatre season, the staff’s goal is simple — to make it look easy.
“The whole reason to come to the theater is because it’s magical,” said Michael Jackson, production manager of Crossroads and associate professor of theater at Indiana State University. “If everyone walks out of the theater with a smile on their faces, we’ve done our jobs. If they’re singing the songs from ‘Rent,’ even better.”
To accomplish this goal, planning for the new season starts in the fall — just after the summer season wraps. Considerations are made for what plays and how many they are going to do, what the company wants to try from an artistic perspective and what they can handle in terms of personnel, casting, scenery and costumes.
This 50th anniversary season includes “The Rainmaker,” which opened the first season of what was then known as Summer Theatre, a “50th Anniversary Musical Cabaret” as a nod to audiences’ most treasured summer stage traditions, the children’s science fiction classic “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeline L’Engle and the musical tour de force, “Rent,” which has never been performed in Terre Haute.
“I don’t think there’s one factor that determines how the season comes together,” Jackson said.
And that’s because there’s so many logistical factors to consider. After the season lineup is decided, next is casting — both of the actors and staffing production departments.
“One of my most rewarding jobs as production manager is picking the right team of people to work together or facilitating that collaboration,” Jackson said.
As the Wabash Valley’s only professional theater company, Crossroads attracts talent from major Midwest cities and gives deserving theater students paid experience.
“That’s something that makes our department unique is we do try to give our students — our best students — their first professional experience,” Jackson said. “It’s a lot of work for them, but it’s a great experience. Experiential learning — there it is. It’s about as good of an opportunity as you can get in the theater.”
Because some actors are in multiple plays — but not all the plays — and local performers often have day jobs, just developing a rehearsal schedule can be like solving a Rubik’s cube.
“It’s really just a puzzle. I put things on a calendar, and we move things around when there are conflicts,” Jackson said. “My job is to see the big picture — for four different shows, for four different directors, for four different companies of actors and four different stage management teams and design teams — which means you have to be flexible.”
Even pre-season prep work can be difficult to pull off, when many of these creative brainstorming sessions — conversations that would ideally be done in person — must be done over the phone because of geographic limitations.
“A lot of logistical coordination that is pretty tricky to make sure everybody’s on the same page and the director’s vision for the production is actually being translated through the designer’s work,” Jackson said. “But the designer has to have a fair degree of autonomy to make decisions — especially the set designer — because we’re all busy.”
Once the season starts, the crews work for three weeks to build scenery, make costumes, hang the lights, set up the technology for the first show. The company opens a show a week for four weeks and then enters a rep cycle — using the same New Theater space.
“I think that’s one of the most exciting things for our audiences is creating this whole new world for a play, especially when we get into the rep cycle and we’re doing a different show every night,” Jackson said. “To be able to come and see four completely different uses of this space in four days is exciting for our audiences.”
For example, “The Rainmaker” is more old chestnut theater, whereas “A Wrinkle in Time” is a spectacle.
“(For ‘Wrinkle’), we have to go to outer space, we have to go to other universes. So, we knew from the beginning that that show would incorporate video projection, which presents a whole set of contemporary problems we didn’t have in the theater 20 years ago,” he said. “Projections require technology that is expensive. They also require very specific skill sets that a lot of people don’t typically have. We’re pretty lucky that (Crossroads artistic director) Chris Berchild has been really interested in projections and incorporating projections vocabulary into theater performance for 20 years — his whole career. It’s just now that the industry is sort of demanding that.”
In previous seasons, Crossroads might have had as many as four set designers. This year, despite how different each production is, there is one designer and one very adaptable set.
“The scenic designer has in some ways the most important artistic job of the whole summer. Obviously, the scenery is the biggest tangible thing we have to deal with, and four different plays presents four different scenic challenges,” Jackson said. “This summer, we wanted to do one scenic designer for all four shows. And that set is sort of a chameleon, a shape-shifter. Depending on the show we’re doing, it’s sort of one mega-structure that rearranges for each show.”
Just figuring out a window of time when the stage floor can be painted can be tricky, as it renders the space unusable for 24 hours while it dries.
“I hope people come and appreciate the organizational effort,” Jackson said.
At the end of the season, after the company has striked the last play and the costumes have been cleaned and packed away for another use, the staff of Crossroads will have another summer of memories.
“We all have real friendships that are made during this process,” Jackson said. “There’s something special about summer theater in America, because it’s when all of the pros go and have fun making theater. And it’s been that way for a very long time.”
Crossroads Rep’s season opens June 19 with “The Rainmaker” in Indiana State’s New Theater, 540 N. 7th St. Season tickets are available for $52 each, and single-production tickets are $15-20 for general admission.
To buy tickets or donate to Crossroads Repertory Theatre, go tocrossroadsrep.com or call the box office, which opens June 15, at 812-237-3333.
(May 26)
Acclaimed Indian dancer to perform May 8
By Libby Roerig, Indiana State University
Indiana State University will welcome one of the most sought-after Indian dancers at 6:30 p.m. May 8 in the recital hall of the Landini Center for Performing and Fine Arts.
Rama Vaidyanathan is one of the leading performers of Bharatanatyam, a popular classical Indian dance form similar to ballet, and will be stopping in Terre Haute for one night only. Bharatanatyam is derived from two words meaning “expression” and “dance form.”
“It’s a good opportunity to have someone of that caliber perform here,” said Nandini Bhowmick, a lecturer in Indiana State’s mathematics and computer science department.
Bhowmick made the arrangements with Vaidyanathan after much interest was expressed in her “Indian Classical Dance” class taught at the university’s Community School of the Arts.
Vaidyanathan will be performing a musical ballet “Duality of Life” with four musicians and another dancer.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is a collaboration among the Community School of the Arts, Center for Global Engagement, the Esha School of Dance and Performing Arts, the Bengali Association of Indiana and the Asian and Pacific Islander Faculty and Staff Council.
By Libby Roerig, Indiana State University
Indiana State University will welcome one of the most sought-after Indian dancers at 6:30 p.m. May 8 in the recital hall of the Landini Center for Performing and Fine Arts.
Rama Vaidyanathan is one of the leading performers of Bharatanatyam, a popular classical Indian dance form similar to ballet, and will be stopping in Terre Haute for one night only. Bharatanatyam is derived from two words meaning “expression” and “dance form.”
“It’s a good opportunity to have someone of that caliber perform here,” said Nandini Bhowmick, a lecturer in Indiana State’s mathematics and computer science department.
Bhowmick made the arrangements with Vaidyanathan after much interest was expressed in her “Indian Classical Dance” class taught at the university’s Community School of the Arts.
Vaidyanathan will be performing a musical ballet “Duality of Life” with four musicians and another dancer.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is a collaboration among the Community School of the Arts, Center for Global Engagement, the Esha School of Dance and Performing Arts, the Bengali Association of Indiana and the Asian and Pacific Islander Faculty and Staff Council.
Conservation officers honor fallen brother nearly 90 years later
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Division of Law Enforcement
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Game Warden William J. Nattkemper died in the line of duty on the Wabash River near Terre Haute April 27, 1926. Warden Nattkemper’s grave went unmarked for 89 years until Indiana Conservation Officers learned that their fallen brother’s final resting place did not have a grave marker.
A Go-Fund-Me internet site rose over $2,000 to erect a historic marker for Warden Nattkemper.
Friday, April 30th, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at Highland Lawn Cemetery, Indiana Conservation Officers Honor Guard, Firing Squad, IDNR Department Directors, Conservation Officers, and Nattkemper family members from around the country will be present to dedicate the stone and remember Warden Nattkemper’s sacrifice.
Warden Nattkemper, along with four other Game Wardens, L.B. Watson, of Greencastle, William Peare, of Rockville, John Pyle and A.R. Hill of Indianapolis were all in a boat on the Wabash River near Tecumseh. They were engaged in destroying illegal fishing nets.
Historic newspaper reports say that the men heard gun shots and turned their boat to the west side of the river to investigate. Sudden high winds created waves on the river which caused the boat to take on water and sink. Warden L.B. Watson was able to swim to shore; Warden John Pyle and Warden A.R. Hill were rescued by a houseboat owner, Mr. Peter Burget. Warden Nattkemper and Warden William J. Peare attempted to swim, but went under in strong current a few yards from shore.
The men were reported to have been strong swimmers, but were wearing boots, overalls, and revolvers which impeded their progress in the water.
Then Vigo County Sheriff Roy Foncannon and a force of deputies drug the river and used dynamite in attempts to raise the men’s bodies. Terre Haute News paper reported that Nattkemper’s body was found on April 30th, 1926, two miles downstream from Fort Harrison Road.
Great-grand nephew Attorney Don Nattkemper, of Terre Haute, will speak at the ceremony. Media and the public are cordially invited to attend the April 30 ceremony.
(April 24)
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Division of Law Enforcement
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Game Warden William J. Nattkemper died in the line of duty on the Wabash River near Terre Haute April 27, 1926. Warden Nattkemper’s grave went unmarked for 89 years until Indiana Conservation Officers learned that their fallen brother’s final resting place did not have a grave marker.
A Go-Fund-Me internet site rose over $2,000 to erect a historic marker for Warden Nattkemper.
Friday, April 30th, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at Highland Lawn Cemetery, Indiana Conservation Officers Honor Guard, Firing Squad, IDNR Department Directors, Conservation Officers, and Nattkemper family members from around the country will be present to dedicate the stone and remember Warden Nattkemper’s sacrifice.
Warden Nattkemper, along with four other Game Wardens, L.B. Watson, of Greencastle, William Peare, of Rockville, John Pyle and A.R. Hill of Indianapolis were all in a boat on the Wabash River near Tecumseh. They were engaged in destroying illegal fishing nets.
Historic newspaper reports say that the men heard gun shots and turned their boat to the west side of the river to investigate. Sudden high winds created waves on the river which caused the boat to take on water and sink. Warden L.B. Watson was able to swim to shore; Warden John Pyle and Warden A.R. Hill were rescued by a houseboat owner, Mr. Peter Burget. Warden Nattkemper and Warden William J. Peare attempted to swim, but went under in strong current a few yards from shore.
The men were reported to have been strong swimmers, but were wearing boots, overalls, and revolvers which impeded their progress in the water.
Then Vigo County Sheriff Roy Foncannon and a force of deputies drug the river and used dynamite in attempts to raise the men’s bodies. Terre Haute News paper reported that Nattkemper’s body was found on April 30th, 1926, two miles downstream from Fort Harrison Road.
Great-grand nephew Attorney Don Nattkemper, of Terre Haute, will speak at the ceremony. Media and the public are cordially invited to attend the April 30 ceremony.
(April 24)
Car chase lands Sullivan man in jail
Indiana State Police
SULLIVAN COUNTY—Last evening at 9:30, Indiana State Police Trooper Brent Robinson spotted a tan 2000 Mercury four-door traveling northbound on West Street in Sullivan. Trooper Robinson recognized the driver as 38-year-old Joseph M. Smith of Sullivan and Robinson knew that Smith did not have a valid driver’s license.
Trooper Robinson activated his emergency lighting and attempted to stop Smith. Joseph Smith failed to stop and fled westbound on Wolfe Street, across US 41, and continued westbound to County Road 325 West. Smith turned south and continued to disregard the emergency lights and siren of Trooper Robinson.
After traveling over various county roads, Joseph Smith came to a stop in the driveway of 2600 South County Road 350 West, his mother’s residence. Trooper Robinson took Smith into custody and incarcerated Smith in the Sullivan County Jail on various charges with a $32,000 bond. Joseph Smith displayed signs of apparent intoxication, but refused a chemical test. The pursuit lasted nearly 15 minutes, covered approximately (8) miles, with a maximum speed of 80 miles-per-hour.
Arrested: Joseph M. Smith, age 38, of Sullivan, IN.
Charges: Criminal Recklessness (felony); Resisting Law Enforcement (felony); Operating While
Intoxicated-Prior (felony); Operating While Intoxicated-Endangerment (misdemeanor);
and Aggressive Driving (misdemeanor).
Assisting near the end of the pursuit were the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office and the Sullivan Police Department.
(April 15)
Indiana State Police
SULLIVAN COUNTY—Last evening at 9:30, Indiana State Police Trooper Brent Robinson spotted a tan 2000 Mercury four-door traveling northbound on West Street in Sullivan. Trooper Robinson recognized the driver as 38-year-old Joseph M. Smith of Sullivan and Robinson knew that Smith did not have a valid driver’s license.
Trooper Robinson activated his emergency lighting and attempted to stop Smith. Joseph Smith failed to stop and fled westbound on Wolfe Street, across US 41, and continued westbound to County Road 325 West. Smith turned south and continued to disregard the emergency lights and siren of Trooper Robinson.
After traveling over various county roads, Joseph Smith came to a stop in the driveway of 2600 South County Road 350 West, his mother’s residence. Trooper Robinson took Smith into custody and incarcerated Smith in the Sullivan County Jail on various charges with a $32,000 bond. Joseph Smith displayed signs of apparent intoxication, but refused a chemical test. The pursuit lasted nearly 15 minutes, covered approximately (8) miles, with a maximum speed of 80 miles-per-hour.
Arrested: Joseph M. Smith, age 38, of Sullivan, IN.
Charges: Criminal Recklessness (felony); Resisting Law Enforcement (felony); Operating While
Intoxicated-Prior (felony); Operating While Intoxicated-Endangerment (misdemeanor);
and Aggressive Driving (misdemeanor).
Assisting near the end of the pursuit were the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office and the Sullivan Police Department.
(April 15)
Indiana Department of Correction partners with Army program
IDOC and U.S. Army Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS) program join forces to assist transitioning Soldiers with civilian opportunities
Indianapolis, IN (April 8, 2014) – Today the Indianapolis Department of Correction cemented its agreement with the U.S. Army Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS) Program. The U.S. Army Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS) Program is a strategic partnership between the US Army and a cross section of corporations, companies, and public sector agencies to reconnect America with its Army. More specifically, PaYS Partners guarantee transitioning soldiers an interview and possible employment after the Army.
The signing ceremony conducted in the main auditorium of the Government Center South building included remarks from several dignitaries including the IDOC, U.S. Army and Indiana State Personnel.
“This is a special day for me,” stated Commissioner Bruce Lemmon. “Two and a half years in the military prepared me for a successful career with the DOC. It’s is an exciting time for the IDOC. Some of the best employees come from a military background.”
“We have approximately 500 vacancies in our Department and I would love to fill them all with current reservist, former or retired soldiers. They’re a perfect fit for our paramilitary command structure,” said IDOC Deputy Commissioner of Operations James Basinger, who is also a retired Command Sergeant Major with the National Guard and United States Marine Corps.
“The State of Indiana is a proud employer of veterans throughout our state and at all levels of employment. With this elevated relationship with the U.S. Army, the State utilizes a ready source of candidates who are motivated, well-trained and efficient leaders. This is a win-win partnership for all involved,” added Denny Darrow, Director of State Personnel.
"The Army is committed to helping our Soldiers achieve a lifetime of success and working with partners like IDOC gets us further toward that goal,” announced Lt. Colonel Michael McClendon Commander of Recruiting Battalion Indianapolis.
Since its inception in October 2000, the program has grown to over 500 private companies, corporations and public sector agency partners and helped influence over 140,000 Regular Army Soldiers and 32,000 Army Reserve Soldiers to join the US Army. IDOC became the 534th partner in this national program.
IDOC and U.S. Army Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS) program join forces to assist transitioning Soldiers with civilian opportunities
Indianapolis, IN (April 8, 2014) – Today the Indianapolis Department of Correction cemented its agreement with the U.S. Army Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS) Program. The U.S. Army Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS) Program is a strategic partnership between the US Army and a cross section of corporations, companies, and public sector agencies to reconnect America with its Army. More specifically, PaYS Partners guarantee transitioning soldiers an interview and possible employment after the Army.
The signing ceremony conducted in the main auditorium of the Government Center South building included remarks from several dignitaries including the IDOC, U.S. Army and Indiana State Personnel.
“This is a special day for me,” stated Commissioner Bruce Lemmon. “Two and a half years in the military prepared me for a successful career with the DOC. It’s is an exciting time for the IDOC. Some of the best employees come from a military background.”
“We have approximately 500 vacancies in our Department and I would love to fill them all with current reservist, former or retired soldiers. They’re a perfect fit for our paramilitary command structure,” said IDOC Deputy Commissioner of Operations James Basinger, who is also a retired Command Sergeant Major with the National Guard and United States Marine Corps.
“The State of Indiana is a proud employer of veterans throughout our state and at all levels of employment. With this elevated relationship with the U.S. Army, the State utilizes a ready source of candidates who are motivated, well-trained and efficient leaders. This is a win-win partnership for all involved,” added Denny Darrow, Director of State Personnel.
"The Army is committed to helping our Soldiers achieve a lifetime of success and working with partners like IDOC gets us further toward that goal,” announced Lt. Colonel Michael McClendon Commander of Recruiting Battalion Indianapolis.
Since its inception in October 2000, the program has grown to over 500 private companies, corporations and public sector agency partners and helped influence over 140,000 Regular Army Soldiers and 32,000 Army Reserve Soldiers to join the US Army. IDOC became the 534th partner in this national program.
Three promoted at WVCF
Wabash Valley Correctional Facility
CARLISLE: The Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF) has three new custody supervisors!
Ryan Vrzina of Sullivan County has advanced from Officer to Correctional Sergeant. He began his career at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF) in September of 2012. Vrzina is a qualified Field Training Officer (FTO) and CTS (Certified Treatment Specialist, mental health). Sergeant Vrzina has proudly served our country as an Infantryman in the Indiana Army National Guard since June of 2010.
Also joining the custody supervisory ranks is Sergeant Kyle Ocheltree. The Vigo County man joined the facility as an Officer in November of 2010. During his time on the job Ocheltree has worked in open population, restricted status and mental health treatment housing units. Sergeant Ocheltree is highly trained in numerous disciplines, including FTO,CTS, Personal Protection Instructor (PPI) and Security Skills Instructor (SSI).
Jonathan Hendrickson has been promoted to Correctional Lieutenant. In July of 2004 the Sullivan County man became part of the WVCF team as a Correctional Officer. After garnering additional safety and security experience at both the Branchville and Rockville facilities, he returned to WVCF as a Correctional Sergeant in March of 2010. Jonathan has been an Emergency Squad member at two facilities for over 10 years. He currently serves as the WVCF Emergency Squad Field Commander.
Hendrickson is a CTS instructor and a Promoting Positive Correctional Culture (PPCC) facilitator. Lieutenant Hendrickson has been an Indiana Criminal Justice Association (ICJA) member for 7 years. He was the recipient of the ICJA 2014 Front Line Correctional Officer of the Year Award, based on his outstanding service in the Special Needs Unit(SNU)over the past five years.
(April 8)
Wabash Valley Correctional Facility
CARLISLE: The Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF) has three new custody supervisors!
Ryan Vrzina of Sullivan County has advanced from Officer to Correctional Sergeant. He began his career at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF) in September of 2012. Vrzina is a qualified Field Training Officer (FTO) and CTS (Certified Treatment Specialist, mental health). Sergeant Vrzina has proudly served our country as an Infantryman in the Indiana Army National Guard since June of 2010.
Also joining the custody supervisory ranks is Sergeant Kyle Ocheltree. The Vigo County man joined the facility as an Officer in November of 2010. During his time on the job Ocheltree has worked in open population, restricted status and mental health treatment housing units. Sergeant Ocheltree is highly trained in numerous disciplines, including FTO,CTS, Personal Protection Instructor (PPI) and Security Skills Instructor (SSI).
Jonathan Hendrickson has been promoted to Correctional Lieutenant. In July of 2004 the Sullivan County man became part of the WVCF team as a Correctional Officer. After garnering additional safety and security experience at both the Branchville and Rockville facilities, he returned to WVCF as a Correctional Sergeant in March of 2010. Jonathan has been an Emergency Squad member at two facilities for over 10 years. He currently serves as the WVCF Emergency Squad Field Commander.
Hendrickson is a CTS instructor and a Promoting Positive Correctional Culture (PPCC) facilitator. Lieutenant Hendrickson has been an Indiana Criminal Justice Association (ICJA) member for 7 years. He was the recipient of the ICJA 2014 Front Line Correctional Officer of the Year Award, based on his outstanding service in the Special Needs Unit(SNU)over the past five years.
(April 8)
One dead, 2 airlifted in evening crash
UPDATE: Gerry Jones, 18, died injuries suffered in the accident on Thursday morning at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.(April 9)
Vigo County Sheriff's Office
At 7:15 pm the Vigo County Sheriff's Office responded to a single vehicle crash on Harlan Drive. east of SR 63 in southern Vigo County. When Deputies arrived, the 2010 Toyota Corolla was down an embankment and partially submerged in a creek. The car was being operated by Andrea Miller, 18, of Terre Haute who was pronounced dead at the scene by the Vigo County Coroner's Office.
Two passengers in the vehicle, Gerry Jones, 18 of Terre Haute and Garrett Smith, 18 also from Terre Haute were airlifted to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis in serious to critical condition.
Primary investigation indicates that seatbelts were not in use and it is unknown if alcohol or drugs played a factor in the crash as toxicology results are pending.
Indiana State Police, Honey Creek Fire Department, Transcare and the Vigo County Fatal Crash Team also responded to the crash.
The investigation is ongoing at this time.
(April 7)
Car in Wabash River, crews call off search for today
By Lucy Perry
Crews from multiple agencies were on the scene after a woman reportedly drove her vehicle in the Wabash River at Fairbanks Park in Terre Haute this afternoon.
Department of Natural Resources, Sugar Creek and Terre Haute Fire and Terre Haute Police responded to the boat ramp at around 1:30 p.m.Divers searched the river for nearly three hours, around 250-feet deep.
Conservation officer Max Winchell said the team was able to spot the vehicle but currents quickly pulled it away from reach.The divers will return another day with more equipment to scan the water.
“We’ll come back another day,there is no rush now,” Winchell said. “With nobody being in it, it’s not a rescue.”
Several witnesses were at the scene and reported the driver, who allegedly had windows down, when it went off the ramp, was able to quickly escape when the vehicle went into the water. She was not injured.
Officials are investigating the incident.
(April 7)
Crews from multiple agencies were on the scene after a woman reportedly drove her vehicle in the Wabash River at Fairbanks Park in Terre Haute this afternoon.
Department of Natural Resources, Sugar Creek and Terre Haute Fire and Terre Haute Police responded to the boat ramp at around 1:30 p.m.Divers searched the river for nearly three hours, around 250-feet deep.
Conservation officer Max Winchell said the team was able to spot the vehicle but currents quickly pulled it away from reach.The divers will return another day with more equipment to scan the water.
“We’ll come back another day,there is no rush now,” Winchell said. “With nobody being in it, it’s not a rescue.”
Several witnesses were at the scene and reported the driver, who allegedly had windows down, when it went off the ramp, was able to quickly escape when the vehicle went into the water. She was not injured.
Officials are investigating the incident.
(April 7)
Bowers
ISP: Arrest made in burglary of Sullivan County law office building
Indiana State Police, Putnamville
SULLIVAN COUNTY—This afternoon around 2:15, Indiana State Police arrested a suspect in the weekend burglary of the Springer Law Office Building located at 1 West Jackson Street in Sullivan.
Arrested: Brett C. Bowers, age 25, of Sullivan, Indiana
Currently held in the Sullivan County Jail
Preliminary Charges: Burglary (one count); Theft (one count); Criminal Mischief (one count)
Around 8:00 Sunday morning, April 5, Sullivan County Sheriff Clark Cottom was on routine patrol and noticed the rear door to the Springer Law Office Building appeared to have been forced open. ISP and owners of the building were contacted and further investigation revealed the office had been ransacked with a laptop; computer related items; $1400 in cash; and other miscellaneous office equipment were missing.
An ISP investigation into the burglary began and during the investigation, an ISP Crime Scene Investigator recovered many items of physical evidence as well as video of the suspect from a nearby business. This morning, law enforcement received an anonymous tip which appeared to correlate with their physical evidence and led to a suspect and ultimate arrest.
Investigators believe the burglary occurred between the hours of 2:00a.m and 5:00a.m. Sunday morning. Investigators also recovered evidence that led them to believe Milburn Pharmacy, located next door to the Springer Law Office, was the initial target; however, access was not gained to the pharmacy.
The case was investigated by ISP Detective Mike Taylor. Assisting were ISP Crime Scene Investigator Sergeant Kris Fitzgerald, Senior Trooper Tom Hanks, Sullivan County Sheriff Clark Cottom, Sullivan Police Department, and the Sullivan County Prosecutor’s Office.
(April 7)
Indiana State Police, Putnamville
SULLIVAN COUNTY—This afternoon around 2:15, Indiana State Police arrested a suspect in the weekend burglary of the Springer Law Office Building located at 1 West Jackson Street in Sullivan.
Arrested: Brett C. Bowers, age 25, of Sullivan, Indiana
Currently held in the Sullivan County Jail
Preliminary Charges: Burglary (one count); Theft (one count); Criminal Mischief (one count)
Around 8:00 Sunday morning, April 5, Sullivan County Sheriff Clark Cottom was on routine patrol and noticed the rear door to the Springer Law Office Building appeared to have been forced open. ISP and owners of the building were contacted and further investigation revealed the office had been ransacked with a laptop; computer related items; $1400 in cash; and other miscellaneous office equipment were missing.
An ISP investigation into the burglary began and during the investigation, an ISP Crime Scene Investigator recovered many items of physical evidence as well as video of the suspect from a nearby business. This morning, law enforcement received an anonymous tip which appeared to correlate with their physical evidence and led to a suspect and ultimate arrest.
Investigators believe the burglary occurred between the hours of 2:00a.m and 5:00a.m. Sunday morning. Investigators also recovered evidence that led them to believe Milburn Pharmacy, located next door to the Springer Law Office, was the initial target; however, access was not gained to the pharmacy.
The case was investigated by ISP Detective Mike Taylor. Assisting were ISP Crime Scene Investigator Sergeant Kris Fitzgerald, Senior Trooper Tom Hanks, Sullivan County Sheriff Clark Cottom, Sullivan Police Department, and the Sullivan County Prosecutor’s Office.
(April 7)
Members of Kyle Snyder Post #398 hold flag pole/memorial dedication at WVCF
CARLISLE- Members of the Kyle Snyder American Legion Post 398 dedicated a flag pole and monument constructed within the maximum-security complex during a special ceremony at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF) in Carlisle this morning.
Guest Speaker Jim Basinger, Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) Deputy Commissioner presented the colors to the post. Basinger is a retired Marine and Indiana Army National Guard veteran who served two tours of duty in Iraq. April 7, 2015 also marks the one year charter anniversary of the post, re-named after Kyle Snyder last October.
The Sullivan County native died along with three other soldiers in March of 2005 when a land mine exploded under their military vehicle in Afghanistan. The Army Specialist (SPC) was a member of the Indiana National Guard’s 76th Infantry Brigade. The incarcerated veterans sponsored a fund raising event to pay for the flag pole monument.
(April 7)
CARLISLE- Members of the Kyle Snyder American Legion Post 398 dedicated a flag pole and monument constructed within the maximum-security complex during a special ceremony at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF) in Carlisle this morning.
Guest Speaker Jim Basinger, Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) Deputy Commissioner presented the colors to the post. Basinger is a retired Marine and Indiana Army National Guard veteran who served two tours of duty in Iraq. April 7, 2015 also marks the one year charter anniversary of the post, re-named after Kyle Snyder last October.
The Sullivan County native died along with three other soldiers in March of 2005 when a land mine exploded under their military vehicle in Afghanistan. The Army Specialist (SPC) was a member of the Indiana National Guard’s 76th Infantry Brigade. The incarcerated veterans sponsored a fund raising event to pay for the flag pole monument.
(April 7)
Organizations awarded AEDs from Lugar Center for Rural Health
SULLIVAN-The Richard G. Lugar Center for Rural Health distributed 14 automated external defibrillators to seven Sullivan County organizations this morning at the Sullivan County Community Hospital.
The organizations receiving devices are: Greene-Sullivan State Forest; Sullivan County Park/Lake; Sullivan County 4H Fair Board; Sullivan City Park;Dugger Union Community Schools; Sullivan County Youth Sports and Sullivan County Sheriff Department. Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Newburgh) and a representative from Senator Dan Coats' office were present at the ceremony. Several Greene County recipients were awarded AEDs later in the day.
Subscribe to Indiana Central News for the complete story and additional photos of the event.
SULLIVAN-The Richard G. Lugar Center for Rural Health distributed 14 automated external defibrillators to seven Sullivan County organizations this morning at the Sullivan County Community Hospital.
The organizations receiving devices are: Greene-Sullivan State Forest; Sullivan County Park/Lake; Sullivan County 4H Fair Board; Sullivan City Park;Dugger Union Community Schools; Sullivan County Youth Sports and Sullivan County Sheriff Department. Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Newburgh) and a representative from Senator Dan Coats' office were present at the ceremony. Several Greene County recipients were awarded AEDs later in the day.
Subscribe to Indiana Central News for the complete story and additional photos of the event.
THPD releases new information on southside burglary suspects
THPD Assistant Chief Shawn Keen
By Lucy Perry
UPDATE 4/11/15: Terre Haute Police made three arrests in connection to the theft. Subscribe for story.
TERRE HAUTE- With a recent wave of burglaries centered around one side of the city, Terre Haute Police are watching activity in that area closely in attempt to catch the suspects.
Asst. Chief Shawn Keen released more information tonight, possibly tying the incidents of residential theft in the southside area and to an armed robbery of Jiffy Mini Mart at 19th Street and Margaret Avenue Thursday morning. Now, Keen explained that investigators are looking at an attempted robbery of another gas station located at 25th and Hulman Streets.
In explaining the latest twist in the crime spree, he released still images of two young men as they entered Speedway on 25th and Hulman -- an alleged target of the two young, white male suspects. Police warn the suspects are armed and dangerous.
Please call the police station at 812-238-1661 with information regarding the suspects and robberies. Subscribe to see additional story on the burglary wave on ICN news.
UPDATE 4/11/15: Terre Haute Police made three arrests in connection to the theft. Subscribe for story.
TERRE HAUTE- With a recent wave of burglaries centered around one side of the city, Terre Haute Police are watching activity in that area closely in attempt to catch the suspects.
Asst. Chief Shawn Keen released more information tonight, possibly tying the incidents of residential theft in the southside area and to an armed robbery of Jiffy Mini Mart at 19th Street and Margaret Avenue Thursday morning. Now, Keen explained that investigators are looking at an attempted robbery of another gas station located at 25th and Hulman Streets.
In explaining the latest twist in the crime spree, he released still images of two young men as they entered Speedway on 25th and Hulman -- an alleged target of the two young, white male suspects. Police warn the suspects are armed and dangerous.
Please call the police station at 812-238-1661 with information regarding the suspects and robberies. Subscribe to see additional story on the burglary wave on ICN news.
Credible threat to ALL Law Enforcement
Press release
Baltimore, Md. - April 27, 2015- The Baltimore Police Department / Criminal Intelligence Unit has received credible information that members of various gangs, including the Black Guerrilla Family, Bloods, and Crips, have entered into a partnership to "take-out" law enforcement officers.
This is a credible threat. Law Enforcement Agencies should take appropriate precautions to ensure the safety of Officers. Notification will be sent via NLETS. Further information will be sent through appropriate channels.
Press release
Baltimore, Md. - April 27, 2015- The Baltimore Police Department / Criminal Intelligence Unit has received credible information that members of various gangs, including the Black Guerrilla Family, Bloods, and Crips, have entered into a partnership to "take-out" law enforcement officers.
This is a credible threat. Law Enforcement Agencies should take appropriate precautions to ensure the safety of Officers. Notification will be sent via NLETS. Further information will be sent through appropriate channels.
Indiana State University students and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute members participate in the Indiana Geological Society’s Quake Cottage in 2012.Submitted photo.
Earthquake simulator to make stop at Indiana State April 29
By Libby Roerig
Forecasting is available for a variety natural disasters — hurricanes, tornadoes, snow storms — but one of the most dangerous and destructive events could strike at any moment and without notice.
“We’re experiencing earthquakes all of the time — it’s just a matter of how significant they are and whether they’re causing any problems,” said Tony Rathburn, professor of geology at Indiana State University. “We can’t see them coming, unlike the storms where you can get some type of warning. When you live in an earthquake-prone area, you recognize this is the equivalent of a storm you can’t see and can cause major damage and disruption of all sorts of things. You really need to be prepared for that.”
Fortunately, a visit by the Indiana Geological Society’s Quake Cottage provides the opportunity for those in the Wabash Valley to become better informed — and prepared.
“This is one way we can begin to educate people about earthquakes, how they happen, why they happen, in addition to the consequences and the real power that is generated by an earthquake,” said Michelle Bennett, program administrator of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Indiana State. “Earthquakes are definitely in our future. Here on this campus and all around the Midwest, we are just not really prepared for a significant earthquake.”
The simulator is free and open to the public (children must meet height requirements and have parental permission)9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. April 29 at Wolf Field on the Indiana State campus.
“You’re basically sitting in a living room chair looking at living room scenery, and then the whole room starts to shake. As you’re experience this simulated earthquake, the (expert) is telling you about the history and science of earthquakes in the region,” Rathburn said.
The magnitudes in the simulator start at 3.0 and increase to 7.0. By comparison, the earthquake that struck Japan in 2011 was a 9.0.
“The seismic scale is a logarithmic one, but the energy released each time you go up a number intensifies 32 times. An earthquake of magnitude 4.0 releases 32 times the energy a 3.0 does, so a magnitude 5 releases over 1000 times the energy — 32 times 32 — of a magnitude three and so forth up the scale,” Rathburn said.
And the next big earthquake could strike the Wabash Valley, he said, as some scientists theorize the stress that caused earthquakes in the prolific New Madrid Seismic Zone has shifted toward the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone.
“The Midwest is second only to the West Coast in terms of earthquake hazard, so we need to be prepared better than we are,” Rathburn said. “It’s important for students to understand that as well. When they feel an actual earthquake, it’s much different than any descriptions or pictures (they see in class).”
Rathburn said all earth science majors are encouraged to attend, as are students living in residence halls. Information about preparing an earthquake disaster kit and history of the area’s earthquakes will be available.
“Some of the same things you need to do for an earthquake, you need to do for other natural disasters,” he said. “Being prepared for those kinds of things is useful.”
Indiana State has a seismic monitoring station, but the wiring was disabled during recent renovations to the Science Building, Rathburn said. He’s working to get the system, which feeds to a real-time monitor in a hall display case, running again soon.
The earthquake simulator is sponsored by the university’s earth and environmental systems department and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
By Libby Roerig
Forecasting is available for a variety natural disasters — hurricanes, tornadoes, snow storms — but one of the most dangerous and destructive events could strike at any moment and without notice.
“We’re experiencing earthquakes all of the time — it’s just a matter of how significant they are and whether they’re causing any problems,” said Tony Rathburn, professor of geology at Indiana State University. “We can’t see them coming, unlike the storms where you can get some type of warning. When you live in an earthquake-prone area, you recognize this is the equivalent of a storm you can’t see and can cause major damage and disruption of all sorts of things. You really need to be prepared for that.”
Fortunately, a visit by the Indiana Geological Society’s Quake Cottage provides the opportunity for those in the Wabash Valley to become better informed — and prepared.
“This is one way we can begin to educate people about earthquakes, how they happen, why they happen, in addition to the consequences and the real power that is generated by an earthquake,” said Michelle Bennett, program administrator of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Indiana State. “Earthquakes are definitely in our future. Here on this campus and all around the Midwest, we are just not really prepared for a significant earthquake.”
The simulator is free and open to the public (children must meet height requirements and have parental permission)9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. April 29 at Wolf Field on the Indiana State campus.
“You’re basically sitting in a living room chair looking at living room scenery, and then the whole room starts to shake. As you’re experience this simulated earthquake, the (expert) is telling you about the history and science of earthquakes in the region,” Rathburn said.
The magnitudes in the simulator start at 3.0 and increase to 7.0. By comparison, the earthquake that struck Japan in 2011 was a 9.0.
“The seismic scale is a logarithmic one, but the energy released each time you go up a number intensifies 32 times. An earthquake of magnitude 4.0 releases 32 times the energy a 3.0 does, so a magnitude 5 releases over 1000 times the energy — 32 times 32 — of a magnitude three and so forth up the scale,” Rathburn said.
And the next big earthquake could strike the Wabash Valley, he said, as some scientists theorize the stress that caused earthquakes in the prolific New Madrid Seismic Zone has shifted toward the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone.
“The Midwest is second only to the West Coast in terms of earthquake hazard, so we need to be prepared better than we are,” Rathburn said. “It’s important for students to understand that as well. When they feel an actual earthquake, it’s much different than any descriptions or pictures (they see in class).”
Rathburn said all earth science majors are encouraged to attend, as are students living in residence halls. Information about preparing an earthquake disaster kit and history of the area’s earthquakes will be available.
“Some of the same things you need to do for an earthquake, you need to do for other natural disasters,” he said. “Being prepared for those kinds of things is useful.”
Indiana State has a seismic monitoring station, but the wiring was disabled during recent renovations to the Science Building, Rathburn said. He’s working to get the system, which feeds to a real-time monitor in a hall display case, running again soon.
The earthquake simulator is sponsored by the university’s earth and environmental systems department and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
Man dies after found in Raccoon Lake
By Indiana Department of Natural Resources
ROCKVILLE, Ind. – Kenneth E. Goodman, 62, of Stilesville, was pronounced dead today at St. Vincent Clay Hospital, in Brazil after he was found in the water near the main boat ramp at Raccoon Lake.
His wife, who had just assisted in launching the boat, found his boat floating against the boat dock unsecured and unoccupied. She then noticed Mr. Goodman floating in the water and unconscious. He had been last seen just a short time earlier in his boat leaving the boat ramp area.
Nearby “Good Samaritans” helped remove Mr. Goodman from the water and immediately began CPR. He was then taken by ambulance to the hospital in Brazil.
Witnesses interviewed at the scene stated they did not see, or hear, Mr. Goodman fall into the water.
The 911 call came into the Parke County Sheriff’s Dispatch at 10:52 a.m. from a witness on the scene.
Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating the death and an autopsy is scheduled for Monday, April 13, 2015 at 3:00 p.m., at Terre Haute Regional Hospital, to be conducted by Forensic Pathologist Roland Kohr.
Mr. Goodman was not wearing a lifejacket at the time he was found. Indiana Conservation Officers encourage boaters to wear life jackets while on the water.
Responding agencies include: Indiana Conservation Officers, Parke County Sheriff’s Department, Bellmore Volunteer Fire Department, and Parke County Ambulance Service.
(April 12)
By Indiana Department of Natural Resources
ROCKVILLE, Ind. – Kenneth E. Goodman, 62, of Stilesville, was pronounced dead today at St. Vincent Clay Hospital, in Brazil after he was found in the water near the main boat ramp at Raccoon Lake.
His wife, who had just assisted in launching the boat, found his boat floating against the boat dock unsecured and unoccupied. She then noticed Mr. Goodman floating in the water and unconscious. He had been last seen just a short time earlier in his boat leaving the boat ramp area.
Nearby “Good Samaritans” helped remove Mr. Goodman from the water and immediately began CPR. He was then taken by ambulance to the hospital in Brazil.
Witnesses interviewed at the scene stated they did not see, or hear, Mr. Goodman fall into the water.
The 911 call came into the Parke County Sheriff’s Dispatch at 10:52 a.m. from a witness on the scene.
Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating the death and an autopsy is scheduled for Monday, April 13, 2015 at 3:00 p.m., at Terre Haute Regional Hospital, to be conducted by Forensic Pathologist Roland Kohr.
Mr. Goodman was not wearing a lifejacket at the time he was found. Indiana Conservation Officers encourage boaters to wear life jackets while on the water.
Responding agencies include: Indiana Conservation Officers, Parke County Sheriff’s Department, Bellmore Volunteer Fire Department, and Parke County Ambulance Service.
(April 12)
Tip leads troopers to apartment search and 2 arrests
Indiana State Police, Putnamville
VIGO COUNTY—This morning around 10:30, Indiana State Police Troopers from the Putnamville District Meth Suppression Team searched apartment 131 of a housing facility at 1300 North 25th Street in Terre Haute. Community tips and other investigative information led troopers to the apartment. During a search of the living area, troopers located approximately (18) grams of suspected methamphetamine, $3,070 in cash, (6) syringes, (2) portable scales, (4) cell phones, and various other small items of drug paraphernalia.
Arrested: Loretta Kay Sanders, age 58, of Terre Haute, IN. (Lived in apartment) Held in the Vigo County Jail.
Charges: Possession of Methamphetamine, Dealing in Methamphetamine, Maintaining a Common Nuisance, and Child Endangerment, all (felonies)
Arrested: Kimberly Jane Miller, age 46, of Terre Haute, IN. (Visiting apartment) Held in the Vigo County Jail.
Charges: Possession of Methamphetamine and Visiting a Common Nuisance (felonies)
A three year old male family member was in the residence at the time. Troopers summoned the Indiana Department of Child Services of Vigo County to the scene and their investigation is ongoing.
The case was investigated by ISP Troopers Shilo Raulston, B.J. Patterson, and Adam Edwards. Assisting were ISP Troopers Tim Rader, Michael Organ, Hans Nowak, Jason Schoffstall, Nicole Cheeks, and David Cox Jr.
(March 30)
Indiana State Police, Putnamville
VIGO COUNTY—This morning around 10:30, Indiana State Police Troopers from the Putnamville District Meth Suppression Team searched apartment 131 of a housing facility at 1300 North 25th Street in Terre Haute. Community tips and other investigative information led troopers to the apartment. During a search of the living area, troopers located approximately (18) grams of suspected methamphetamine, $3,070 in cash, (6) syringes, (2) portable scales, (4) cell phones, and various other small items of drug paraphernalia.
Arrested: Loretta Kay Sanders, age 58, of Terre Haute, IN. (Lived in apartment) Held in the Vigo County Jail.
Charges: Possession of Methamphetamine, Dealing in Methamphetamine, Maintaining a Common Nuisance, and Child Endangerment, all (felonies)
Arrested: Kimberly Jane Miller, age 46, of Terre Haute, IN. (Visiting apartment) Held in the Vigo County Jail.
Charges: Possession of Methamphetamine and Visiting a Common Nuisance (felonies)
A three year old male family member was in the residence at the time. Troopers summoned the Indiana Department of Child Services of Vigo County to the scene and their investigation is ongoing.
The case was investigated by ISP Troopers Shilo Raulston, B.J. Patterson, and Adam Edwards. Assisting were ISP Troopers Tim Rader, Michael Organ, Hans Nowak, Jason Schoffstall, Nicole Cheeks, and David Cox Jr.
(March 30)
WVCF Big Brother Big Sister bowling raises money for Vigo County youth
By Wabash Valley Correctional Facility
CARLISLE: Strike up a big win for Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF) bowlers, knocking down the pins for a good cause!
The 2015 Bowl for Kids Sake benefited Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS)of Vigo County. The Wabash Valley PLUS (Purposeful Living Units Serve ) and Fatherhood Programs donated $1,000 to the cause, with WVCF staff fielding 7 teams. Bowlers led by WVCF Major Dusty Russell won the highest bowing score award out of 80 total teams!
This year’s event was a perfect 300 with over $29,000 (with change to spare), raised for Vigo County youth. Big Brothers Big Sisters goal is to help all children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with volunteer mentors.
(March 2015)
By Wabash Valley Correctional Facility
CARLISLE: Strike up a big win for Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF) bowlers, knocking down the pins for a good cause!
The 2015 Bowl for Kids Sake benefited Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS)of Vigo County. The Wabash Valley PLUS (Purposeful Living Units Serve ) and Fatherhood Programs donated $1,000 to the cause, with WVCF staff fielding 7 teams. Bowlers led by WVCF Major Dusty Russell won the highest bowing score award out of 80 total teams!
This year’s event was a perfect 300 with over $29,000 (with change to spare), raised for Vigo County youth. Big Brothers Big Sisters goal is to help all children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with volunteer mentors.
(March 2015)
WVCF Photo
Scene at Seventh and Oak Streets this after a SUV crashed into Disaster Masters' building. (Lucy Perry Photo)
Woman wrecks SUV into Disaster Masters' building
A woman crashed the Dodge Durango she was driving into the building of Disaster Masters, at Seventh and Oak Streets, just before 11 a.m. today. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment of injuries she suffered in the accident.
According to Terre Haute Police Sgt. Michael Ellerman, it appears that a medical issue with the driver of the red SUV caused the driver to lose control of their vehicle and it then struck a parked vehicle.
“At that time it spun further out of control and then struck the building. The driver didn’t appear to have any life threatening injuries and was taken to an area hospital for treatment,” Ellerman stated in a press release, adding that alcohol didn’t appear to be a factor in the accident.
The accident investigation is ongoing.
A woman crashed the Dodge Durango she was driving into the building of Disaster Masters, at Seventh and Oak Streets, just before 11 a.m. today. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment of injuries she suffered in the accident.
According to Terre Haute Police Sgt. Michael Ellerman, it appears that a medical issue with the driver of the red SUV caused the driver to lose control of their vehicle and it then struck a parked vehicle.
“At that time it spun further out of control and then struck the building. The driver didn’t appear to have any life threatening injuries and was taken to an area hospital for treatment,” Ellerman stated in a press release, adding that alcohol didn’t appear to be a factor in the accident.
The accident investigation is ongoing.
Sullivan man seriously injured in ATV Crash
By Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Division of Law Enforcement
SULLIVAN COUNTY – Lekim Cox, 41 of Sullivan, was taken by Lifeline helicopter to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for possible head injuries following an ATV Crash.
Indiana Conservation Officers say that Mr. Cox was traveling northbound on State Street in Sullivan when he lost control and was ejected from the four-wheel ATV. The ATV rolled over and struck a telephone pole at the intersection of State Street and Snow Street.
The crash occurred at 3:16 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, 2015.
Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating the cause of the crash. Sullivan City Police, Sullivan Fire Department, Sullivan Sheriff’s Department, Sullivan City Medic #1, all assisted at the scene.
(March 18)
By Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Division of Law Enforcement
SULLIVAN COUNTY – Lekim Cox, 41 of Sullivan, was taken by Lifeline helicopter to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for possible head injuries following an ATV Crash.
Indiana Conservation Officers say that Mr. Cox was traveling northbound on State Street in Sullivan when he lost control and was ejected from the four-wheel ATV. The ATV rolled over and struck a telephone pole at the intersection of State Street and Snow Street.
The crash occurred at 3:16 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, 2015.
Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating the cause of the crash. Sullivan City Police, Sullivan Fire Department, Sullivan Sheriff’s Department, Sullivan City Medic #1, all assisted at the scene.
(March 18)
28-year-old found in lake after fatal crash; Subscribe to ICN for full story
Indiana State Police Photo
Sobriety checkpoint nets meth lab
Indiana State Police, Putnamville
VIGO COUNTY - Troopers from the Putnamville Post conducted a DUI checkpoint on Friday evening March 20 from 10 p.m. until 12 a.m. The checkpoint was just west of the Wabash River on National Ave. near Schley Place. During the two hour checkpoint, one vehicle was found with a methamphetamine lab and the driver and passengers were arrested.
The checkpoint was in conjunction with the statewide Operation Pull Over blitz which began on March 19 and concludes on March 22.
During the checkpoint, Troopers David Cox Jr. encountered a blue 2007 Chevrolet Passenger car and the driver immediately advised he was a suspended driver. During the investigation Troopers Charles Murphy, Yan Dravigne along with Trooper Cox began to see there was other criminal activity afoot. Other passengers were found to have hypodermic needles and other Precursors used to manufacture Methamphetamine. Further investigation allegedly found a “ready to cook” meth lab and other precursors located in the vehicle.
ARRESTED:
• Bryan Rudisel, age 24, of Terre Haute, IN (Driver)
• Graham Smith, age 24, of Terre Haute, IN (Passenger)
• Dana Stapp Jr. (Male), age 24, of Terre Haute, IN (Passenger)
• Brooke Jeffries (Female), age 26, of Terre Haute, IN (Passenger)
All four were incarcerated in the Vigo County Jail. Each suspect was preliminarily charged with the following: Manufacturing Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Precursors w/intent to manufacture, and other offenses associated with Methamphetamine and the production of it. ISP Clan Lab Team from Putnamville including Troopers Shilo Raulston, John Cumbie and Mike Wood were responsible for dismantling and clean up of the scene.
In addition to the meth lab arrests, Troopers at the checkpoint arrested three for DUI, one for possession of marijuana and one for driving as a habitual traffic violator. A total of 152 vehicles passed through the checkpoint with nine troopers assigned.
Under the Law, criminal charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Indiana State Police, Putnamville
VIGO COUNTY - Troopers from the Putnamville Post conducted a DUI checkpoint on Friday evening March 20 from 10 p.m. until 12 a.m. The checkpoint was just west of the Wabash River on National Ave. near Schley Place. During the two hour checkpoint, one vehicle was found with a methamphetamine lab and the driver and passengers were arrested.
The checkpoint was in conjunction with the statewide Operation Pull Over blitz which began on March 19 and concludes on March 22.
During the checkpoint, Troopers David Cox Jr. encountered a blue 2007 Chevrolet Passenger car and the driver immediately advised he was a suspended driver. During the investigation Troopers Charles Murphy, Yan Dravigne along with Trooper Cox began to see there was other criminal activity afoot. Other passengers were found to have hypodermic needles and other Precursors used to manufacture Methamphetamine. Further investigation allegedly found a “ready to cook” meth lab and other precursors located in the vehicle.
ARRESTED:
• Bryan Rudisel, age 24, of Terre Haute, IN (Driver)
• Graham Smith, age 24, of Terre Haute, IN (Passenger)
• Dana Stapp Jr. (Male), age 24, of Terre Haute, IN (Passenger)
• Brooke Jeffries (Female), age 26, of Terre Haute, IN (Passenger)
All four were incarcerated in the Vigo County Jail. Each suspect was preliminarily charged with the following: Manufacturing Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Precursors w/intent to manufacture, and other offenses associated with Methamphetamine and the production of it. ISP Clan Lab Team from Putnamville including Troopers Shilo Raulston, John Cumbie and Mike Wood were responsible for dismantling and clean up of the scene.
In addition to the meth lab arrests, Troopers at the checkpoint arrested three for DUI, one for possession of marijuana and one for driving as a habitual traffic violator. A total of 152 vehicles passed through the checkpoint with nine troopers assigned.
Under the Law, criminal charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Subscribe to ICN for news on Friday's big northside fire
Trash, sludge, budget and more top topics at city council candidate forum
Subscribe to to ICN to see more about Terre Haute City Council primary election forum held Monday.
Subscribe to to ICN to see more about Terre Haute City Council primary election forum held Monday.
Jiffy Mini-Mart at 19th Street and Margaret Avenue. (Lucy Perry Photo)
April 2 Jiffy Mini Mart at 19th Street and Margaret Avenue. The picture is of armed suspect with cash during robbery. THPD Photo
Police investigating early morning armed robbery
Terre Haute Police responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Jiffy Mini Mart located at 19th Street and Margaret Avenue, just before 5 a.m. today.
According to Asst. Chief Shawn Keen, the clerk reported that a male entered the store wearing a dark colored hooded sweatshirt and camouflage mask around 4:45 a.m. The clerk indicated that the male pointed a handgun and demanded the cash drawer be opened.
The suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of currency on foot. The suspect was described as approximately 5-feet 10- inches tall and weighs approximately 170- pounds. The clerk was not injured.
The robbery is under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Terre Haute Police Department at 812-238-1661. Follow this story as a subscriber on ICN News.
(April 2)
Terre Haute Police responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Jiffy Mini Mart located at 19th Street and Margaret Avenue, just before 5 a.m. today.
According to Asst. Chief Shawn Keen, the clerk reported that a male entered the store wearing a dark colored hooded sweatshirt and camouflage mask around 4:45 a.m. The clerk indicated that the male pointed a handgun and demanded the cash drawer be opened.
The suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of currency on foot. The suspect was described as approximately 5-feet 10- inches tall and weighs approximately 170- pounds. The clerk was not injured.
The robbery is under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Terre Haute Police Department at 812-238-1661. Follow this story as a subscriber on ICN News.
(April 2)
Kingsberry
Huntertown man arrested on 20 felony charges for crimes against children
By Indiana State Police
ALLEN COUNTY, Ind.- Dillon Douglas Kingsbery, 30, of Huntertown, IN was arrested on 20 felony charges earlier today, April 14, 2015. All of the charges were for child pornography, the result of a nearly four month long investigation into various allegations of crimes against children.
An undercover investigation into peer-to-peer file sharing conducted by the Indiana State Police uncovered a substantial cache of child pornography during the execution of today’s search warrant at Kingsbery’s Huntertown residence. The warrant was served by member agencies of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, inclusive of the Indiana State Police, FBI, Fort Wayne Police Department and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Forensic investigators were able to identify at least 6,000 files of alleged child pornography, bestiality and bondage stored on various computer devices. Among the images recovered were a series of sexually explicit photographs and videos. Some of the recovered images allegedly involved victims previously identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
As a result of Kingsbery’s arrest he has been preliminarily charged by the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office with 10 counts of Child Exploitation, all level 5 felonies and 10 counts of Possession of Child Pornography, all level 6 felonies.
Investigators credit the collaborative effort of all of the agencies involved, especially that of the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office, in this complex and highly technical criminal investigation.
Kingsbery remains held in the custody of the Allen County Jail with bail set at $200,000.
(April 14)
By Indiana State Police
ALLEN COUNTY, Ind.- Dillon Douglas Kingsbery, 30, of Huntertown, IN was arrested on 20 felony charges earlier today, April 14, 2015. All of the charges were for child pornography, the result of a nearly four month long investigation into various allegations of crimes against children.
An undercover investigation into peer-to-peer file sharing conducted by the Indiana State Police uncovered a substantial cache of child pornography during the execution of today’s search warrant at Kingsbery’s Huntertown residence. The warrant was served by member agencies of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, inclusive of the Indiana State Police, FBI, Fort Wayne Police Department and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Forensic investigators were able to identify at least 6,000 files of alleged child pornography, bestiality and bondage stored on various computer devices. Among the images recovered were a series of sexually explicit photographs and videos. Some of the recovered images allegedly involved victims previously identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
As a result of Kingsbery’s arrest he has been preliminarily charged by the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office with 10 counts of Child Exploitation, all level 5 felonies and 10 counts of Possession of Child Pornography, all level 6 felonies.
Investigators credit the collaborative effort of all of the agencies involved, especially that of the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office, in this complex and highly technical criminal investigation.
Kingsbery remains held in the custody of the Allen County Jail with bail set at $200,000.
(April 14)
Hunter faces charges after coyote hunting competition
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
ROCKVILLE- Troy Childers, 39 of Roachdale, is facing multiple charges for hunting and trapping violations after competing in a local coyote hunting competition. Charges include: theft (Class A Misdemeanor), hunting / trapping without consent of the landowners, and removal of animals from another’s trap (All Class C Misdemeanors).
The investigation stemmed from numerous complaints submitted by other hunters during the February 20th – 22nd competition. Childers took first place at the Third Annual Coyote Crush hosted in Rockville; the proceeds of which go to benefit the Wounded Warriors Project. Winnings for the first place prize included $325 cash.
Coyote hunting competitions are a legal sport with a growing popularity across the State. Indiana Conservation Officer Lt. Kent Hutchins stated, “The vast majority of Indiana Sportsmen are decent law abiding people, it is unfortunate when the minority sullies the image of ethical hunters.” The sponsors of this hunt require that contestants follow all hunting and trapping laws while participating.
All individuals charged with crimes are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
(April 18)
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
ROCKVILLE- Troy Childers, 39 of Roachdale, is facing multiple charges for hunting and trapping violations after competing in a local coyote hunting competition. Charges include: theft (Class A Misdemeanor), hunting / trapping without consent of the landowners, and removal of animals from another’s trap (All Class C Misdemeanors).
The investigation stemmed from numerous complaints submitted by other hunters during the February 20th – 22nd competition. Childers took first place at the Third Annual Coyote Crush hosted in Rockville; the proceeds of which go to benefit the Wounded Warriors Project. Winnings for the first place prize included $325 cash.
Coyote hunting competitions are a legal sport with a growing popularity across the State. Indiana Conservation Officer Lt. Kent Hutchins stated, “The vast majority of Indiana Sportsmen are decent law abiding people, it is unfortunate when the minority sullies the image of ethical hunters.” The sponsors of this hunt require that contestants follow all hunting and trapping laws while participating.
All individuals charged with crimes are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
(April 18)
U.S. 40 Closing Wednesday west of State Road 59
Closure will last all day
CLAY COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces U.S. 40 will close west of State Road 59 (S.R. 59) onWednesday, April 22 from 6:30 a.m. until approximately 7:00 p.m. The temporary closure is needed to lower an existing 18" sanitary sewer line that crosses U.S. 40 at Sherman Street. During construction this line was found to be in conflict with the elevation of the new 54" storm drainage sewer being installed.
The detour will take eastbound truck traffic on U.S. 40 south on Chicago Ave. then east on Pinckley Street and north on S.R. 59 and back to U.S. 40, truck traffic traveling in the opposite direction will use the same detour in reverse. Eastbound cars will travel south on Chicago Ave. to east on Jackson Street and north to S.R. 59 and then back to U.S. 40. Cars traveling in the opposite direction will use this same detour in reverse. Police officers will be assisting motorists with this closure.
The U.S. 40 Pavement Replacement project was awarded to Gradex, Inc. for $19.7 million. This project will replace the pavement on U.S. 40 from State Road 340 to Wal-Mart and on S.R. 340 from west of Waterworks Road to U.S. 40. The drainage will be improved with new storm drainage structures, curbs and gutters. New sidewalks will be constructed with ADA compliant curb ramps throughout the project. The U.S. 40 project is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2016.
For the latest news and information about INDOT, please visit www.in.gov/indot or www.trafficwise.IN.gov . For social media updates, follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/INDOT_WCentral and like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/INDOTWestCentral.
Closure will last all day
CLAY COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces U.S. 40 will close west of State Road 59 (S.R. 59) onWednesday, April 22 from 6:30 a.m. until approximately 7:00 p.m. The temporary closure is needed to lower an existing 18" sanitary sewer line that crosses U.S. 40 at Sherman Street. During construction this line was found to be in conflict with the elevation of the new 54" storm drainage sewer being installed.
The detour will take eastbound truck traffic on U.S. 40 south on Chicago Ave. then east on Pinckley Street and north on S.R. 59 and back to U.S. 40, truck traffic traveling in the opposite direction will use the same detour in reverse. Eastbound cars will travel south on Chicago Ave. to east on Jackson Street and north to S.R. 59 and then back to U.S. 40. Cars traveling in the opposite direction will use this same detour in reverse. Police officers will be assisting motorists with this closure.
The U.S. 40 Pavement Replacement project was awarded to Gradex, Inc. for $19.7 million. This project will replace the pavement on U.S. 40 from State Road 340 to Wal-Mart and on S.R. 340 from west of Waterworks Road to U.S. 40. The drainage will be improved with new storm drainage structures, curbs and gutters. New sidewalks will be constructed with ADA compliant curb ramps throughout the project. The U.S. 40 project is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2016.
For the latest news and information about INDOT, please visit www.in.gov/indot or www.trafficwise.IN.gov . For social media updates, follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/INDOT_WCentral and like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/INDOTWestCentral.
Vigo County hiring deputy sheriff
The Vigo County Sheriff's Office is accepting applications to update its hiring list for Deputy Sheriff. Applicants will undergo physical agility testing, followed by aptitude testing, psychological testing, a polygraph examination and a thorough background check. Starting salary for Deputy Sheriff, including uniform allowance is $44,225. Deputies will also have access to health insurance benefits as well as a pension plan.
Interested individuals may begin their application process at http://www.vigocounty.in.gov and follow the instructions.
The application process closes April 24, 2015 at midnight.
(March26)
The Vigo County Sheriff's Office is accepting applications to update its hiring list for Deputy Sheriff. Applicants will undergo physical agility testing, followed by aptitude testing, psychological testing, a polygraph examination and a thorough background check. Starting salary for Deputy Sheriff, including uniform allowance is $44,225. Deputies will also have access to health insurance benefits as well as a pension plan.
Interested individuals may begin their application process at http://www.vigocounty.in.gov and follow the instructions.
The application process closes April 24, 2015 at midnight.
(March26)
Bill Zimmerman (photograph by Markus Georg)
Renowned activist to speak at Indiana State April 21 about pot legalization
By Libby Roerig, Indiana State University
Coincidentally, following a week when many Hoosiers were compelled to take to the streets to protest controversial state legislation, one of the nation’s most renowned activists is preparing to visit Terre Haute.
Bill Zimmerman has spent a lifetime protesting pivotal issues such as the lack of civil rights, the war in Vietnam and more recently the nation’s marijuana laws. He will speak at Indiana State University’s Holmstedt Hall 102 at 7:30 p.m. April 21. The event, which is sponsored by the history department and Center for Community Engagement, is free. A reception and book signing will follow.
Described as a “Zelig of the Left” by The Brooklyn Rail, Zimmerman’s activist credentials include work in the pre-Freedom Rides South; the earliest anti-Vietnam war demonstrations in 1965; leading the dramatic student uprising at Brooklyn College in 1967; participating in the demonstrations at the Pentagon in 1967 and the Democratic Convention in Chicago in 1968; leading medical aid for Indochina from 1971 to 1974; organizing for the dramatic May Day civil disobedience protests in Washington, D.C., in 1971; filming during the bombing of Hanoi in 1972; flying an airlift of food to besieged Indians at Wounded Knee in 1973, which broke an F.B.I. siege there; and helping to lead the first triumphant campaign for Chicago Mayor Harold Washington in 1983.
“I was raised to think only the best about this country, but soon discovered I had been lied to,” Zimmerman said. “Jim Crow laws in the South and a senseless waste of lives in Vietnam demonstrated that injustice was rampant in the U.S. and could only be ended by an outraged citizenry.”
After earning a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, he gave up a promising career as a brain scientist to become one of the nation’s most accomplished progressive political consultants, winning numerous candidate races and ballot initiatives in California and across the country. Zimmerman is the author of “Troublemaker: A Memoir from the Front Lines of the Sixties.”
Of all the campaigns he has participated in and led, Zimmerman says he’s proudest of “standing up to the war in Vietnam as soon as it was launched and in defiance of virtually all the voices of authority and legitimacy in the country.”
At Indiana State, Zimmerman will describe work he has done over the past 20 years to reform the nation’s marijuana laws, which began in 1996 with his serving as the campaign manager for the nation’s first successful medical marijuana ballot measure, Proposition 215. He will describe various attempts to reform America’s drug laws during that time.
“I became interested in reforming the marijuana laws when I understood how many hundreds of thousands of people could have their pain and suffering alleviated through the medical use of marijuana and how many millions of young people were having their lives distorted by the overly harsh criminalization of marijuana use,” Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman may have started his activism in the 1960s, but he has fully embraced new technology in the effort to involve younger generations. Between 2003 and 2008, he produced all the television advertising that allowed MoveOn.org to expand from 300,000 members to more than 5 million.
“Social media have definitely been a boon to activism, primarily by allowing for virtually free communication with potential constituents. We used to have to pay the cost of a stamp and the paper for a mailing just to reach a single individual,” he said.
But clicking the “Like” button or signing an online petition is not activism, he warns modern protestors.
“It’s only a start. Many of us fear that while Internet activism is a mile wide, it’s still only an inch deep,” he said. “We have to find ways to deepen commitment and involvement if the Internet is going to change the balance of power between citizen activists and the forces that shape and control their lives.”
Despite Zimmerman’s thirst for justice and support of civil disobedience, his sense of balance in life and where he derives his contentment is also an important lesson for future generations.
“My life has been about fighting for justice, so I am most content when I see a well-organized political strategy play itself out and prevail,” he said. “But I also love kicking back with a good book and cup of coffee. I try to organize my life so there is a balance between work, family, kids and fun. So far, I’ve succeeded.”
(April 1)
By Libby Roerig, Indiana State University
Coincidentally, following a week when many Hoosiers were compelled to take to the streets to protest controversial state legislation, one of the nation’s most renowned activists is preparing to visit Terre Haute.
Bill Zimmerman has spent a lifetime protesting pivotal issues such as the lack of civil rights, the war in Vietnam and more recently the nation’s marijuana laws. He will speak at Indiana State University’s Holmstedt Hall 102 at 7:30 p.m. April 21. The event, which is sponsored by the history department and Center for Community Engagement, is free. A reception and book signing will follow.
Described as a “Zelig of the Left” by The Brooklyn Rail, Zimmerman’s activist credentials include work in the pre-Freedom Rides South; the earliest anti-Vietnam war demonstrations in 1965; leading the dramatic student uprising at Brooklyn College in 1967; participating in the demonstrations at the Pentagon in 1967 and the Democratic Convention in Chicago in 1968; leading medical aid for Indochina from 1971 to 1974; organizing for the dramatic May Day civil disobedience protests in Washington, D.C., in 1971; filming during the bombing of Hanoi in 1972; flying an airlift of food to besieged Indians at Wounded Knee in 1973, which broke an F.B.I. siege there; and helping to lead the first triumphant campaign for Chicago Mayor Harold Washington in 1983.
“I was raised to think only the best about this country, but soon discovered I had been lied to,” Zimmerman said. “Jim Crow laws in the South and a senseless waste of lives in Vietnam demonstrated that injustice was rampant in the U.S. and could only be ended by an outraged citizenry.”
After earning a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, he gave up a promising career as a brain scientist to become one of the nation’s most accomplished progressive political consultants, winning numerous candidate races and ballot initiatives in California and across the country. Zimmerman is the author of “Troublemaker: A Memoir from the Front Lines of the Sixties.”
Of all the campaigns he has participated in and led, Zimmerman says he’s proudest of “standing up to the war in Vietnam as soon as it was launched and in defiance of virtually all the voices of authority and legitimacy in the country.”
At Indiana State, Zimmerman will describe work he has done over the past 20 years to reform the nation’s marijuana laws, which began in 1996 with his serving as the campaign manager for the nation’s first successful medical marijuana ballot measure, Proposition 215. He will describe various attempts to reform America’s drug laws during that time.
“I became interested in reforming the marijuana laws when I understood how many hundreds of thousands of people could have their pain and suffering alleviated through the medical use of marijuana and how many millions of young people were having their lives distorted by the overly harsh criminalization of marijuana use,” Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman may have started his activism in the 1960s, but he has fully embraced new technology in the effort to involve younger generations. Between 2003 and 2008, he produced all the television advertising that allowed MoveOn.org to expand from 300,000 members to more than 5 million.
“Social media have definitely been a boon to activism, primarily by allowing for virtually free communication with potential constituents. We used to have to pay the cost of a stamp and the paper for a mailing just to reach a single individual,” he said.
But clicking the “Like” button or signing an online petition is not activism, he warns modern protestors.
“It’s only a start. Many of us fear that while Internet activism is a mile wide, it’s still only an inch deep,” he said. “We have to find ways to deepen commitment and involvement if the Internet is going to change the balance of power between citizen activists and the forces that shape and control their lives.”
Despite Zimmerman’s thirst for justice and support of civil disobedience, his sense of balance in life and where he derives his contentment is also an important lesson for future generations.
“My life has been about fighting for justice, so I am most content when I see a well-organized political strategy play itself out and prevail,” he said. “But I also love kicking back with a good book and cup of coffee. I try to organize my life so there is a balance between work, family, kids and fun. So far, I’ve succeeded.”
(April 1)
Riley Fire Department Bicycle Rodeo registration is open
By Riley Fire Department
For years, roads were built with only automobiles in mind and the rules of the road were focused on them. But these days, with more cyclists on the road and more bike lanes being added to streets, it’s essential that all drivers and cyclists alike understand the rules of the road. That is why Riley Fire Department, Honey Creek Fire Department, Seelyville Fire Department, and the Vigo County School Corporation has again partnered with the Indiana State University Police Department to host the 2015 Bicycle Rodeo at Riley Elementary. This year’s rodeo is going to be Saturday, April 18th with check-in starting at 9 a.m. in the south parking lot of Riley Elementary.
All participants are asked to bring their own bicycle and helmet. Following check-in, all bicycles will be inspected for safe use and each helmet will be inspected to ensure proper use and fit. We will provide helmets for any child that does not presently have a helmet, if their present helmet does not fit properly, or is found to be defective or non-approved. Indiana State University Police Officers will then demonstrate safe riding practices to the participants on a simulated road course set up in the parking lot. All student participants will be entered into a drawing to win one of two new bicycles! Depending on the amount of participants, the rodeo typically wraps up around noon. The event is open to any student of the Vigo County School Corporation in grades K-5.
To register your child for the rodeo, please go to www.rileyfire.com and click the Online Registration link.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call Riley Fire Department at 812-894-3610 M-F, 8 a.m-5 p.m.
(March 2)
By Riley Fire Department
For years, roads were built with only automobiles in mind and the rules of the road were focused on them. But these days, with more cyclists on the road and more bike lanes being added to streets, it’s essential that all drivers and cyclists alike understand the rules of the road. That is why Riley Fire Department, Honey Creek Fire Department, Seelyville Fire Department, and the Vigo County School Corporation has again partnered with the Indiana State University Police Department to host the 2015 Bicycle Rodeo at Riley Elementary. This year’s rodeo is going to be Saturday, April 18th with check-in starting at 9 a.m. in the south parking lot of Riley Elementary.
All participants are asked to bring their own bicycle and helmet. Following check-in, all bicycles will be inspected for safe use and each helmet will be inspected to ensure proper use and fit. We will provide helmets for any child that does not presently have a helmet, if their present helmet does not fit properly, or is found to be defective or non-approved. Indiana State University Police Officers will then demonstrate safe riding practices to the participants on a simulated road course set up in the parking lot. All student participants will be entered into a drawing to win one of two new bicycles! Depending on the amount of participants, the rodeo typically wraps up around noon. The event is open to any student of the Vigo County School Corporation in grades K-5.
To register your child for the rodeo, please go to www.rileyfire.com and click the Online Registration link.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call Riley Fire Department at 812-894-3610 M-F, 8 a.m-5 p.m.
(March 2)
Young entrepreneur a vendor at Indiana State’s Earth Day on April 15
By Libby Roerig, Indiana State University
On Earth Day, many reflect on the condition we’re leaving the planet for the next generation. At this year’s celebration at Indiana State University, however, it is an enterprising member of that next generation who is taking sustainability into her own hands.
Pure GRACE Soap will be one of the 50-plus vendors at Indiana State’s Earth Day, celebrated all day April 15 on the campus. The mother-and-daughter body products company was started in 2013 when 7-year-old Madeleine Grace wanted to sell something at the farmers market and create an antidote to her dry, cracked winter lips.
Her mother, Julie Manson, agreed to help get the business started if the proceeds would be put into a college savings fund.
“We knew immediately we wanted to be as natural as possible and with that went us being eco-friendly and green,” Manson said.
Creating each small batch of soap was an intriguing process for Manson, who described the unmolding process as being like Christmas.
“Our soaps and other products are all made with custom recipes. We do a lot of testing to finally get the recipe just right,” she said.
Many of their recipes are born from clients’ requests. Take, for instance, their Strawberry Facial Sugar Scrub. Pure GRACE Soap had a Strawberry Body Sugar Scrub available, and a customer contacted them about reaping the skin-improving benefits of strawberries on his face, not just his body.
“I recommended I would not since the texture of the organic sugar was too rough for the somewhat sensitive and fragile facial tissue and skin,” Manson said. “I offered to create a custom scrub for him that was made with a finer texture of sugar, and after some testing with friends and clients, shipped it out to him. He loved it! The Strawberry Facial Sugar Scrub is now a permanent scrub in our product line.”
At Indiana State’s Earth Day celebration, Pure GRACE Soap will be demonstrating their wool-felted soap, which is a bar of soap wrapped in a wool roving and then wet felted until it shrinks and wraps around the soap like a shell.
“Wool is such an interesting fiber to work with. It’s antimicrobial, which makes it great for the bath or shower use, as it will be more resistant to growing germs than other things might be,” Manson said. “It is not itchy or scratchy once it becomes wet. The bar of soap inside actually lasts longer when it is felted than using a bar without the wool felting.”
Once the soap is used up, Manson recommends repurposing the pouch of wool for other soaps or to craft a coaster or coin purse out of it.
“I had one client who is also a vendor at the farmers market bring it back to me to show me she had added other fibers and ribbons, a pin on the back and made it look more like a brooch or decoration for her jacket,” Manson said. “It was absolutely beautiful, and I was amazed at her creativity. I find the wool felted soap fascinating and hope some of the Earth Day attendees will as well!”
Earth Day kicks off at 11 a.m. on Indiana State’s quadrangle with comments from Mayor Duke Bennett and university President Dan Bradley. Sustainability awards will be presented to students, faculty and staff who are making a positive impact for the environment. Prizes include a bicycle, a sustainable catered lunch with the Bradleys and gift certificates to sustainable local businesses.
A picnic lunch will be served by Sodexo, the university’s dining services provider. The cost is $7-10, and vegetarian options will be available. The Scott Webster Band will perform until 2 p.m., and a rock climbing wall and cornhole games will be available.
A 3:30-6 p.m. concert featuring Ross David and Levi Jones will give festival-goers all the more reason to linger outside.
And, as the sun sets, be sure to arrive early to stake your place on the Condit House lawn and the showing of “The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies,” 8-10 p.m. The first 125 students will receive a free blanket, courtesy of the Hulman Memorial Student Union Board.
Earth Day is sponsored by Indiana State’s Institute for Community Sustainability and Staples Advantage.
(April 7)
By Libby Roerig, Indiana State University
On Earth Day, many reflect on the condition we’re leaving the planet for the next generation. At this year’s celebration at Indiana State University, however, it is an enterprising member of that next generation who is taking sustainability into her own hands.
Pure GRACE Soap will be one of the 50-plus vendors at Indiana State’s Earth Day, celebrated all day April 15 on the campus. The mother-and-daughter body products company was started in 2013 when 7-year-old Madeleine Grace wanted to sell something at the farmers market and create an antidote to her dry, cracked winter lips.
Her mother, Julie Manson, agreed to help get the business started if the proceeds would be put into a college savings fund.
“We knew immediately we wanted to be as natural as possible and with that went us being eco-friendly and green,” Manson said.
Creating each small batch of soap was an intriguing process for Manson, who described the unmolding process as being like Christmas.
“Our soaps and other products are all made with custom recipes. We do a lot of testing to finally get the recipe just right,” she said.
Many of their recipes are born from clients’ requests. Take, for instance, their Strawberry Facial Sugar Scrub. Pure GRACE Soap had a Strawberry Body Sugar Scrub available, and a customer contacted them about reaping the skin-improving benefits of strawberries on his face, not just his body.
“I recommended I would not since the texture of the organic sugar was too rough for the somewhat sensitive and fragile facial tissue and skin,” Manson said. “I offered to create a custom scrub for him that was made with a finer texture of sugar, and after some testing with friends and clients, shipped it out to him. He loved it! The Strawberry Facial Sugar Scrub is now a permanent scrub in our product line.”
At Indiana State’s Earth Day celebration, Pure GRACE Soap will be demonstrating their wool-felted soap, which is a bar of soap wrapped in a wool roving and then wet felted until it shrinks and wraps around the soap like a shell.
“Wool is such an interesting fiber to work with. It’s antimicrobial, which makes it great for the bath or shower use, as it will be more resistant to growing germs than other things might be,” Manson said. “It is not itchy or scratchy once it becomes wet. The bar of soap inside actually lasts longer when it is felted than using a bar without the wool felting.”
Once the soap is used up, Manson recommends repurposing the pouch of wool for other soaps or to craft a coaster or coin purse out of it.
“I had one client who is also a vendor at the farmers market bring it back to me to show me she had added other fibers and ribbons, a pin on the back and made it look more like a brooch or decoration for her jacket,” Manson said. “It was absolutely beautiful, and I was amazed at her creativity. I find the wool felted soap fascinating and hope some of the Earth Day attendees will as well!”
Earth Day kicks off at 11 a.m. on Indiana State’s quadrangle with comments from Mayor Duke Bennett and university President Dan Bradley. Sustainability awards will be presented to students, faculty and staff who are making a positive impact for the environment. Prizes include a bicycle, a sustainable catered lunch with the Bradleys and gift certificates to sustainable local businesses.
A picnic lunch will be served by Sodexo, the university’s dining services provider. The cost is $7-10, and vegetarian options will be available. The Scott Webster Band will perform until 2 p.m., and a rock climbing wall and cornhole games will be available.
A 3:30-6 p.m. concert featuring Ross David and Levi Jones will give festival-goers all the more reason to linger outside.
And, as the sun sets, be sure to arrive early to stake your place on the Condit House lawn and the showing of “The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies,” 8-10 p.m. The first 125 students will receive a free blanket, courtesy of the Hulman Memorial Student Union Board.
Earth Day is sponsored by Indiana State’s Institute for Community Sustainability and Staples Advantage.
(April 7)
Food truck placed out of service
Indiana State Police, Putnamville
SULLIVAN COUNTY- At 3:45 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Trooper Byron Goodman stopped a 2014 Ford box truck at US 41 at Johnson Street. in Sullivan for a routine transportation safety inspection. In doing so, Trooper Goodman found the refrigerator unit on the truck was inoperable and further investigation found a box of seafood above normal temperatures when it should have been frozen.
The Sullivan County Health Department was contacted and health officer Carol Hammond arrived on scene and ordered the cargo condemned for improper shipping and labeling.
The driver of the truck, Shouxiang Wang, 52, Indianapolis, was cited by Trooper Goodman and placed out of service. The load from Xpress Transport LLC was bound for a restaurant in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Indiana State Police, Putnamville
SULLIVAN COUNTY- At 3:45 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Trooper Byron Goodman stopped a 2014 Ford box truck at US 41 at Johnson Street. in Sullivan for a routine transportation safety inspection. In doing so, Trooper Goodman found the refrigerator unit on the truck was inoperable and further investigation found a box of seafood above normal temperatures when it should have been frozen.
The Sullivan County Health Department was contacted and health officer Carol Hammond arrived on scene and ordered the cargo condemned for improper shipping and labeling.
The driver of the truck, Shouxiang Wang, 52, Indianapolis, was cited by Trooper Goodman and placed out of service. The load from Xpress Transport LLC was bound for a restaurant in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Erratic driving results in arrest
By Indiana State Police, Putnamville
SULLIVAN COUNTY—Last night, March 17, at 4:50p.m., the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office dispatched an erratic driver northbound on US 41 near Carlisle. The suspect vehicle was a gray Toyota Camry. Indiana State Police and Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area.
Trooper T.J. Henning witnessed the Camry drive into the parking lot of a Carlisle business and stopped the vehicle to investigate. During his discussion with the female driver, Henning noticed what appeared to be two grams or less of suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia in plain sight next to the driver. The female driver also displayed signs of possible intoxication, but refused a chemical test for intoxicants. Further investigation revealed (26) Hydrocodone pills and (2) Xanax pills in her purse. She was taken into custody and transported to the Sullivan County Jail.
Arrested: Debra J. Trinkle, age 38, of Oaktown, Indiana
Incarcerated in Sullivan County Jail
Charges: Possession of Schedule III Controlled Substance (felony); Possession of Schedule IV Controlled Substance (felony); Driving While Intoxicated w Prior (felony); Possession of Paraphernalia w Prior (felony); Driving While Intoxicated Endangerment (misd);
Possession of Marijuana (misd); and Driving While Suspended w Prior (misd).
Assisting Trooper T.J. Henning were Sullivan County deputies.
By Indiana State Police, Putnamville
SULLIVAN COUNTY—Last night, March 17, at 4:50p.m., the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office dispatched an erratic driver northbound on US 41 near Carlisle. The suspect vehicle was a gray Toyota Camry. Indiana State Police and Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area.
Trooper T.J. Henning witnessed the Camry drive into the parking lot of a Carlisle business and stopped the vehicle to investigate. During his discussion with the female driver, Henning noticed what appeared to be two grams or less of suspected marijuana and drug paraphernalia in plain sight next to the driver. The female driver also displayed signs of possible intoxication, but refused a chemical test for intoxicants. Further investigation revealed (26) Hydrocodone pills and (2) Xanax pills in her purse. She was taken into custody and transported to the Sullivan County Jail.
Arrested: Debra J. Trinkle, age 38, of Oaktown, Indiana
Incarcerated in Sullivan County Jail
Charges: Possession of Schedule III Controlled Substance (felony); Possession of Schedule IV Controlled Substance (felony); Driving While Intoxicated w Prior (felony); Possession of Paraphernalia w Prior (felony); Driving While Intoxicated Endangerment (misd);
Possession of Marijuana (misd); and Driving While Suspended w Prior (misd).
Assisting Trooper T.J. Henning were Sullivan County deputies.
Indiana State Police Photo
Irate driver stops traffic, punches window of another motorist
By Indiana State Police
VIGO COUNTY—This morning at 8:43, Indiana State Police Troopers Ted Robertson and Rondell Shelton were at US 41 (3rd Street) and Chestnut Street, when they heard what appeared to be the sound of screeching motor vehicle tires. The troopers then noticed a beige 1996 Chevrolet GEO Prism stopped in the far right lane of northbound US 41, approximately one block south of Chestnut Street. The driver appeared to be arguing with a female passenger.
The beige GEO Prism began to move northbound again and traveled to a red light at Chestnut Street. The driver of the GEO Prism then exited his vehicle and walked directly behind his vehicle to a blue 2005 Chrysler van. The white male driver of the GEO then began yelling, and with his fist, striking the driver’s side window of the Chrysler van. At which time, Troopers Robertson and Shelton immediately took him into custody.
The distraught 41-year-old female driver of the van was not injured. She was from Marshall, Illinois and on her way to work. A female passenger in the GEO was released from the scene with no charges. The victim and another female following her, were not involved in a confrontation with the GEO Prism driver prior to this event.
Arrested: Nicholas K. Huff, age 28, of Terre Haute, IN.
Incarcerated in the Vigo County Jail.
Preliminary Charges: Criminal Recklessness, Intimidation, Disorderly Conduct.
Assisting were ISP Troopers Brandon Mullen and Joe Watts.
(March 2015)
By Indiana State Police
VIGO COUNTY—This morning at 8:43, Indiana State Police Troopers Ted Robertson and Rondell Shelton were at US 41 (3rd Street) and Chestnut Street, when they heard what appeared to be the sound of screeching motor vehicle tires. The troopers then noticed a beige 1996 Chevrolet GEO Prism stopped in the far right lane of northbound US 41, approximately one block south of Chestnut Street. The driver appeared to be arguing with a female passenger.
The beige GEO Prism began to move northbound again and traveled to a red light at Chestnut Street. The driver of the GEO Prism then exited his vehicle and walked directly behind his vehicle to a blue 2005 Chrysler van. The white male driver of the GEO then began yelling, and with his fist, striking the driver’s side window of the Chrysler van. At which time, Troopers Robertson and Shelton immediately took him into custody.
The distraught 41-year-old female driver of the van was not injured. She was from Marshall, Illinois and on her way to work. A female passenger in the GEO was released from the scene with no charges. The victim and another female following her, were not involved in a confrontation with the GEO Prism driver prior to this event.
Arrested: Nicholas K. Huff, age 28, of Terre Haute, IN.
Incarcerated in the Vigo County Jail.
Preliminary Charges: Criminal Recklessness, Intimidation, Disorderly Conduct.
Assisting were ISP Troopers Brandon Mullen and Joe Watts.
(March 2015)
FiT for the Future conference set for April 11 at Indiana State College of Technology
The College of Technology at Indiana State University will host its eighth annual FiT for the Future conference from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 11 in the John T. Myers Technology Center.
The event, sponsored by Females in Technology and other student organizations, offers female high school and college students a fun-filled day of career exploration featuring hands-on workshops. Professional women in technology will also share how they chose the paths they have followed in building their careers and how students can take advantage of opportunities in technology and engineering.
Students may attend with a group from school, a group of friends, with parents, or on their own. Participants will receive T-shirts, lunch, workshop materials and door prizes. The event is free but participants must register by April 3 atwww.indstate.edu/technology/fitforthefuture. Everyone planning to participate must complete the registration, including parents and educators.
The College of Technology at Indiana State University will host its eighth annual FiT for the Future conference from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 11 in the John T. Myers Technology Center.
The event, sponsored by Females in Technology and other student organizations, offers female high school and college students a fun-filled day of career exploration featuring hands-on workshops. Professional women in technology will also share how they chose the paths they have followed in building their careers and how students can take advantage of opportunities in technology and engineering.
Students may attend with a group from school, a group of friends, with parents, or on their own. Participants will receive T-shirts, lunch, workshop materials and door prizes. The event is free but participants must register by April 3 atwww.indstate.edu/technology/fitforthefuture. Everyone planning to participate must complete the registration, including parents and educators.
Putnamville troopers respond to citizen complaints and make arrests
By Indiana State Police
SULLIVAN COUNTY—On Thursday evening March 5, between 8:00p.m.and approximately midnight, Indiana State Police troopers, along with officers from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office and Sullivan Police Department, responded to numerous citizen complaints of criminal activity possibly occurring at 623 South Court Street in Sullivan. Law enforcement had received the complaints in recent days.
At approximately 8:50 p.m., Troopers stopped a 2012 Chevy Cruze for driving left of center westbound on Johnson Street near Bell Street in Sullivan. The Chevy had been previously seen at the South Court Street residence. In conversations with the driver and passenger, troopers noticed the driver appeared intoxicated. During an inventory search of the vehicle for impoundment, troopers found approximately 28.5 grams of suspected marijuana under front passenger seat. The driver was given a chemical test at Sullivan County Community Hospital and tested positive for marijuana use.
Arrested: Cole Jones, age 21, of Sullivan.(Driver.) Charges: Operating Vehicle While Intoxicated and Possession of Marijuana.. Sullivan County Jail on $8000 bond
Arrested: Nathan Hunt, age 18, of Sullivan.(Passenger.) Charge: Possession of Marijuana; Held in Sullivan County Jail on $4000 bond
At approximately 10:00p.m., Officers went to the 623 Court Street address to speak with the occupants of the home. Officers immediately detected an odor of possible burnt marijuana coming from the residence. A search of the residence yielded approximately .875 pounds of suspected marijuana, scales, various items of paraphernalia, and $1647.00 in US currency in a bedroom of the home. A total of approximately one pound of marijuana was seized at the home and traffic stop combined.
Arrested: Troy Dunscombe, age 41, of 623 South Court Street, Sullivan. Charges: Dealing in Marijuana (felony); Maintaining a Common Nuisance (felony); Possession of Paraphernalia (misdemeanor); Sullivan Co Jail, bond $20,000
Arrested: Ty Hester, age 32, of Terre Haute. Charges: Possession of Marijuana (misdemeanor); Visiting a Common Nuisance (misdemeanor)
The cases were investigated by ISP Troopers Brent Robinson, David Petrowski, Shane Roman, Rondell Shelton, Mike Finney and K-9 “Boomer”. Assisting were the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office and Sullivan Police Department.
By Indiana State Police
SULLIVAN COUNTY—On Thursday evening March 5, between 8:00p.m.and approximately midnight, Indiana State Police troopers, along with officers from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office and Sullivan Police Department, responded to numerous citizen complaints of criminal activity possibly occurring at 623 South Court Street in Sullivan. Law enforcement had received the complaints in recent days.
At approximately 8:50 p.m., Troopers stopped a 2012 Chevy Cruze for driving left of center westbound on Johnson Street near Bell Street in Sullivan. The Chevy had been previously seen at the South Court Street residence. In conversations with the driver and passenger, troopers noticed the driver appeared intoxicated. During an inventory search of the vehicle for impoundment, troopers found approximately 28.5 grams of suspected marijuana under front passenger seat. The driver was given a chemical test at Sullivan County Community Hospital and tested positive for marijuana use.
Arrested: Cole Jones, age 21, of Sullivan.(Driver.) Charges: Operating Vehicle While Intoxicated and Possession of Marijuana.. Sullivan County Jail on $8000 bond
Arrested: Nathan Hunt, age 18, of Sullivan.(Passenger.) Charge: Possession of Marijuana; Held in Sullivan County Jail on $4000 bond
At approximately 10:00p.m., Officers went to the 623 Court Street address to speak with the occupants of the home. Officers immediately detected an odor of possible burnt marijuana coming from the residence. A search of the residence yielded approximately .875 pounds of suspected marijuana, scales, various items of paraphernalia, and $1647.00 in US currency in a bedroom of the home. A total of approximately one pound of marijuana was seized at the home and traffic stop combined.
Arrested: Troy Dunscombe, age 41, of 623 South Court Street, Sullivan. Charges: Dealing in Marijuana (felony); Maintaining a Common Nuisance (felony); Possession of Paraphernalia (misdemeanor); Sullivan Co Jail, bond $20,000
Arrested: Ty Hester, age 32, of Terre Haute. Charges: Possession of Marijuana (misdemeanor); Visiting a Common Nuisance (misdemeanor)
The cases were investigated by ISP Troopers Brent Robinson, David Petrowski, Shane Roman, Rondell Shelton, Mike Finney and K-9 “Boomer”. Assisting were the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office and Sullivan Police Department.
Lucy Perry Photo
Scott College prepares to celebrate 50 years of educating students
By Betsy Simon, Indiana State University
The Scott College of Business invites the public to join in on a reflection of the past and a look at what is in store for the college in the next 50 years at a free, public celebration on Friday, April 10, at Indiana State University’s Sycamore Banquet Center in Hulman Memorial Student Union.
One thing is for sure, said Brien Smith, dean of the Scott College – a lot has changed in the past 50 years.
“Our facilities have improved immensely from the days of being located in the Fine Arts and Science buildings, later in Statesman Towers, and today in beautiful Federal Hall in the heart of downtown Terre Haute,” he said. “Our programs have changed, too. Early on, we focused on teacher training and secretarial preparation, and today we excel in supply chain management, insurance and risk management, financial services, sales and other growing fields.”
The Scott College’s roots go back to 1918 when the department of commerce began at Indiana State Normal School with William Parsons as president. Shepherd Young was appointed head of the new department of commerce.
In 1965, the university assumed its current name – Indiana State University – and the Division of Business was changed to the School of Business, which remained the name for almost four decades until it became the first named college at Indiana State in 2009, thanks to benefactors Don and Susan Scott of Terre Haute.
Today, the Scott College of Business includes more than 1,300 students, nearly 100 staff members, three departments and 11 majors.
Since that golden year – 1964-65 – the Scott College of Business has molded generations of students for successful careers in business and as pillars of their communities.
“But, more importantly, we have prepared them to be strong leaders,” he said. “Aside from the core business curriculum, we teach timeless lessons on teamwork, giving back, stewardship, ethics and valuable soft skills that continue to be in high demand.”
While making their marks on the business world, Smith said, many of our alumni continue to find time to give back to the institution from whence they came.
“Many of our outstanding alumni are in influential positions at companies that compete at the national and often international levels, and several continue to serve the Scott College in valuable ways, such as on our advisory boards, as guest speakers, mentors, internship hosts and more,” he said.
The big 50th celebration will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Sycamore Banquet Center in Hulman Memorial Student Union. There will be a reception with heavy hors d'oeuvres and cocktails from 5-6 p.m., followed by a program and special recognitions from 6 to 7 p.m. A dessert reception and champagne toast will close the evening from 7 to 8 p.m.
Registration online for the event at www.indstate.edu/business/Scott50 or by contacting Michelle Swick in the dean's office at michelle.swick@indstate.edu or 812-237-2000.
Additional information about the 50th anniversary event, along with photos, videos, a timeline and online guestbook may also be found on the 50th celebration website.
By Betsy Simon, Indiana State University
The Scott College of Business invites the public to join in on a reflection of the past and a look at what is in store for the college in the next 50 years at a free, public celebration on Friday, April 10, at Indiana State University’s Sycamore Banquet Center in Hulman Memorial Student Union.
One thing is for sure, said Brien Smith, dean of the Scott College – a lot has changed in the past 50 years.
“Our facilities have improved immensely from the days of being located in the Fine Arts and Science buildings, later in Statesman Towers, and today in beautiful Federal Hall in the heart of downtown Terre Haute,” he said. “Our programs have changed, too. Early on, we focused on teacher training and secretarial preparation, and today we excel in supply chain management, insurance and risk management, financial services, sales and other growing fields.”
The Scott College’s roots go back to 1918 when the department of commerce began at Indiana State Normal School with William Parsons as president. Shepherd Young was appointed head of the new department of commerce.
In 1965, the university assumed its current name – Indiana State University – and the Division of Business was changed to the School of Business, which remained the name for almost four decades until it became the first named college at Indiana State in 2009, thanks to benefactors Don and Susan Scott of Terre Haute.
Today, the Scott College of Business includes more than 1,300 students, nearly 100 staff members, three departments and 11 majors.
Since that golden year – 1964-65 – the Scott College of Business has molded generations of students for successful careers in business and as pillars of their communities.
“But, more importantly, we have prepared them to be strong leaders,” he said. “Aside from the core business curriculum, we teach timeless lessons on teamwork, giving back, stewardship, ethics and valuable soft skills that continue to be in high demand.”
While making their marks on the business world, Smith said, many of our alumni continue to find time to give back to the institution from whence they came.
“Many of our outstanding alumni are in influential positions at companies that compete at the national and often international levels, and several continue to serve the Scott College in valuable ways, such as on our advisory boards, as guest speakers, mentors, internship hosts and more,” he said.
The big 50th celebration will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Sycamore Banquet Center in Hulman Memorial Student Union. There will be a reception with heavy hors d'oeuvres and cocktails from 5-6 p.m., followed by a program and special recognitions from 6 to 7 p.m. A dessert reception and champagne toast will close the evening from 7 to 8 p.m.
Registration online for the event at www.indstate.edu/business/Scott50 or by contacting Michelle Swick in the dean's office at michelle.swick@indstate.edu or 812-237-2000.
Additional information about the 50th anniversary event, along with photos, videos, a timeline and online guestbook may also be found on the 50th celebration website.
Montezuma man arrested after police pursuit
Charles Keller, Jr
By Vigo County Sheriff's Office
The Vigo County Sheriff’s Office was notified Tuesday evening by Illinois law enforcement that they were in pursuit of a Chevrolet pickup truck eastbound on Interstate 70 and were approaching the Indiana/Illinois border.
Once the vehicle entered Indiana, the suspect driver exited I- 70 onto US 40. Vigo County deputies intercepted the pursuit west of Darwin Road as the suspect was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes.
The suspect then crossed back across the eastbound lanes and went off the road traveling down an embankment, which then came to rest due to damage to the vehicle.
As the deputies exited their vehicles they observed a white male exit the driver’s side door and flee from the scene. After a short foot pursuit the suspect was apprehended and identified as Charles Keller, Jr. of Montezuma, Ind. Upon initial investigation, officers located a loaded handgun on the floorboard of the truck and also determined the truck was also stolen from Parke County.
Keller is being held at the Vigo County Jail for the following charges.
Warrants:
1. Edgar County Illinois – Failure to Appear
2. Indiana Parole Board Warrant
New Charges:
1. Resisting Law Enforcement Using a Vehicle
2. Resisting Law Enforcement
3. Possession of a Firearm by a Violent Felon
4. Auto Theft
5. Possession of Paraphernalia.
The Vigo County Sheriff’s Office was notified Tuesday evening by Illinois law enforcement that they were in pursuit of a Chevrolet pickup truck eastbound on Interstate 70 and were approaching the Indiana/Illinois border.
Once the vehicle entered Indiana, the suspect driver exited I- 70 onto US 40. Vigo County deputies intercepted the pursuit west of Darwin Road as the suspect was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes.
The suspect then crossed back across the eastbound lanes and went off the road traveling down an embankment, which then came to rest due to damage to the vehicle.
As the deputies exited their vehicles they observed a white male exit the driver’s side door and flee from the scene. After a short foot pursuit the suspect was apprehended and identified as Charles Keller, Jr. of Montezuma, Ind. Upon initial investigation, officers located a loaded handgun on the floorboard of the truck and also determined the truck was also stolen from Parke County.
Keller is being held at the Vigo County Jail for the following charges.
Warrants:
1. Edgar County Illinois – Failure to Appear
2. Indiana Parole Board Warrant
New Charges:
1. Resisting Law Enforcement Using a Vehicle
2. Resisting Law Enforcement
3. Possession of a Firearm by a Violent Felon
4. Auto Theft
5. Possession of Paraphernalia.
Earlier arrest for stolen vehicle leads to search warrant and additional charges
By Indiana State Police, Putnamville
VIGO COUNTY—On Sunday March 8, Indiana State Police Trooper Ted Robertson sought and received a Vigo County search warrant for the residence, out buildings, and property of 997 Bolton Road, West Terre Haute. Sunday’s search warrant was in response to the March 5 arrest of Bryan Fortner, age 37, of 997 Bolton Road for possession of a stolen blue 1998 Toyota Avalon. The Toyota was found stolen during a traffic stop on US 150 on March 5 by Trooper Robertson. Fortner was initially charged with one count of Receiving Stolen Property (felony) on March 5.
During Sunday’s search of the 997 Bolton Road property, Troopers found a red 2001 Honda Goldwing reported stolen from Clark County, Illinois; red 1996 Honda All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) with the ignition destroyed; black Off-Road motorcycle with the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) partially ground away; red Honda Fourtrax ATV with a destroyed ignition; an Indiana motorcycle registration plate reported stolen out of Vigo County; and a Sentry Safe, approximately 18” x 18”, with the internal contents of assorted coins, assorted wrist watches, assorted jewelry, miscellaneous financial documents and receipts, multiple cameras, and silver utensils. The investigation is continuing into whether the contents of the safe are stolen items. Also found on the property were items commonly used in the manufacture of methamphetamine and approximately one gram of methamphetamine.
Today’s additional ten charges for Bryan L. Fortner are County 1: Manufacturing Methamphetamine; Count 2 Possession of Methamphetamine; Count 3 Possession of Paraphernalia; Count 4 Maintaining a Common Nuisance; Counts 5,6,7,8 Receiving Stolen Auto Parts; Count 9 Theft; and Count 10 Habitual Offender.
On Sunday afternoon, as troopers were serving the search warrant, a 1999 Chrysler Concord drove slowly by the 997 Bolton Road address and appeared suspicious. Trooper Brandon Mullen stopped the vehicle and the female driver, 31-year-old Tamara Carroll of Rosedale, IN., was found to be wanted out of Terre Haute City Court for Theft. Ms. Carroll also did not have a valid driver’s license. Carroll was incarcerated in the Vigo County Jail.
The lead investigator was ISP Trooper Ted Robertson. Assisting at various times along the way were Troopers Jason Owen, Tim Rader, Matt Ames, Brandon Mullen, Michael Organ, Shilo Raulston, Nicole Cheeks, Rondell Shelton, and the Vigo County Prosecutor's Office.
The motorcycles were impounded at McDonald’s Towing.
(March 10)
By Indiana State Police, Putnamville
VIGO COUNTY—On Sunday March 8, Indiana State Police Trooper Ted Robertson sought and received a Vigo County search warrant for the residence, out buildings, and property of 997 Bolton Road, West Terre Haute. Sunday’s search warrant was in response to the March 5 arrest of Bryan Fortner, age 37, of 997 Bolton Road for possession of a stolen blue 1998 Toyota Avalon. The Toyota was found stolen during a traffic stop on US 150 on March 5 by Trooper Robertson. Fortner was initially charged with one count of Receiving Stolen Property (felony) on March 5.
During Sunday’s search of the 997 Bolton Road property, Troopers found a red 2001 Honda Goldwing reported stolen from Clark County, Illinois; red 1996 Honda All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) with the ignition destroyed; black Off-Road motorcycle with the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) partially ground away; red Honda Fourtrax ATV with a destroyed ignition; an Indiana motorcycle registration plate reported stolen out of Vigo County; and a Sentry Safe, approximately 18” x 18”, with the internal contents of assorted coins, assorted wrist watches, assorted jewelry, miscellaneous financial documents and receipts, multiple cameras, and silver utensils. The investigation is continuing into whether the contents of the safe are stolen items. Also found on the property were items commonly used in the manufacture of methamphetamine and approximately one gram of methamphetamine.
Today’s additional ten charges for Bryan L. Fortner are County 1: Manufacturing Methamphetamine; Count 2 Possession of Methamphetamine; Count 3 Possession of Paraphernalia; Count 4 Maintaining a Common Nuisance; Counts 5,6,7,8 Receiving Stolen Auto Parts; Count 9 Theft; and Count 10 Habitual Offender.
On Sunday afternoon, as troopers were serving the search warrant, a 1999 Chrysler Concord drove slowly by the 997 Bolton Road address and appeared suspicious. Trooper Brandon Mullen stopped the vehicle and the female driver, 31-year-old Tamara Carroll of Rosedale, IN., was found to be wanted out of Terre Haute City Court for Theft. Ms. Carroll also did not have a valid driver’s license. Carroll was incarcerated in the Vigo County Jail.
The lead investigator was ISP Trooper Ted Robertson. Assisting at various times along the way were Troopers Jason Owen, Tim Rader, Matt Ames, Brandon Mullen, Michael Organ, Shilo Raulston, Nicole Cheeks, Rondell Shelton, and the Vigo County Prosecutor's Office.
The motorcycles were impounded at McDonald’s Towing.
(March 10)
Fortner
Traffic stop nets vehicle reported stolen
Indiana State Police
VIGO COUNTY—At 2:24 p.m. today, Indiana State Police Trooper Ted Robertson had a vehicle stopped on US 150 near Hollingsworth Place, just north of New Goshen. While conducting the traffic stop, a northbound blue 1998 Toyota Avalon passenger car, failed to yield to the trooper’s stopped police vehicle with emergency lighting activated. Trooper Robertson quickly completed his traffic stop, caught up to the blue Toyota and affected a traffic stop. A computer check revealed the blue Toyota was reported stolen from Vigo County. Further investigation led troopers to a residence at 997 Bolton Road, where they were able to establish probable cause leading to the arrest of Bryan L. Fortner, age 37, of 997 Bolton Road, West Terre Haute, for one count of Receiving Stolen Auto Parts (felony) in connection with the stolen Toyota. Fortner was incarcerated in the Vigo County Jail.
The original driver, 36-year-old Bryant Mahurin of Terre Haute, was cited for driving while license suspended and failure to yield to a stopped emergency vehicle. Mahurin was released later in the afternoon.
The Toyota was seized and impounded.
Assisting were ISP troopers Tim Rader, Matt Ames, Jason Owen and Joe Watts.
(March 5)
Indiana State Police
VIGO COUNTY—At 2:24 p.m. today, Indiana State Police Trooper Ted Robertson had a vehicle stopped on US 150 near Hollingsworth Place, just north of New Goshen. While conducting the traffic stop, a northbound blue 1998 Toyota Avalon passenger car, failed to yield to the trooper’s stopped police vehicle with emergency lighting activated. Trooper Robertson quickly completed his traffic stop, caught up to the blue Toyota and affected a traffic stop. A computer check revealed the blue Toyota was reported stolen from Vigo County. Further investigation led troopers to a residence at 997 Bolton Road, where they were able to establish probable cause leading to the arrest of Bryan L. Fortner, age 37, of 997 Bolton Road, West Terre Haute, for one count of Receiving Stolen Auto Parts (felony) in connection with the stolen Toyota. Fortner was incarcerated in the Vigo County Jail.
The original driver, 36-year-old Bryant Mahurin of Terre Haute, was cited for driving while license suspended and failure to yield to a stopped emergency vehicle. Mahurin was released later in the afternoon.
The Toyota was seized and impounded.
Assisting were ISP troopers Tim Rader, Matt Ames, Jason Owen and Joe Watts.
(March 5)
Riley Fire Department Photo
Local resident, firefighters help dog that fell through ice
By Riley Fire Department
A local resident and firefighters were able to successfully retrieve a dog Wednesday evening after the dog fell though the ice on a pond near Riley.
At approximately 4:45 p.m. yesterday Riley Fire Department and Sugar Creek Fire Water Rescue team were summoned to 6381 Taglewood Road in Timberlake’s subdivision just North of Riley.
Upon arrival firefighters found a local residence had used a small boat to rescue a dog that had fallen through the ice of a pond in the subdivision. The local resident was able to reach the dog and pull it from the water but became exhausted during his efforts and needed assistance in returning to the shore. The dog belonged to a neighbor of the resident.
Sugar Creek’s water rescue team was able to retrieve the residence and K-9. Deputy Chief Mike Stewart of Sugar Creek fire department said that due to the warm temperatures yesterday the ice was very difficult to manage and made the rescue very challenging.
Citizens are reminded to use extreme caution as ice covered ponds and lakes begin to thaw as temperatures begin to increase this spring.
(March 12)
By Riley Fire Department
A local resident and firefighters were able to successfully retrieve a dog Wednesday evening after the dog fell though the ice on a pond near Riley.
At approximately 4:45 p.m. yesterday Riley Fire Department and Sugar Creek Fire Water Rescue team were summoned to 6381 Taglewood Road in Timberlake’s subdivision just North of Riley.
Upon arrival firefighters found a local residence had used a small boat to rescue a dog that had fallen through the ice of a pond in the subdivision. The local resident was able to reach the dog and pull it from the water but became exhausted during his efforts and needed assistance in returning to the shore. The dog belonged to a neighbor of the resident.
Sugar Creek’s water rescue team was able to retrieve the residence and K-9. Deputy Chief Mike Stewart of Sugar Creek fire department said that due to the warm temperatures yesterday the ice was very difficult to manage and made the rescue very challenging.
Citizens are reminded to use extreme caution as ice covered ponds and lakes begin to thaw as temperatures begin to increase this spring.
(March 12)
Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard to wrap up Speakers Series at Indiana State
Indiana State University
Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard will close out the 2014-15 University Speakers Series at Indiana State University.
The Olympic gold medalist, three-time Golden Gloves titlist and six-time world champion boxer will speak at 7 p.m. April 7 in Tilson Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.
Leonard is among the most sought after motivational/inspirational speakers in the world today. His speech, titled "POWER" (Prepare, Overcome, and Win Every Round), is consistently booked with major Fortune 500 companies in the United States and abroad.
Born in 1956, Leonard learned to box at age 14. After winning the 1975 Pan-American Games crown and an Olympic Gold Medal in 1976, he turned professional to help his family defer mounting medical bills stemming from his father's illness. Blinding speed, tremendous power and great charm turned Leonard into an immediate media favorite. Howard Cosell called him the "new Muhammed Ali."
Leonard won his first professional fight at age 20 and went on to defeat some of the finest boxers of the modern era, including Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler, from whom Leonard won the world middleweight title. During his 20-year professional career, Leonard also won world titles in the welterweight, junior middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. He was the first boxer to win world titles in five different weight classes.
While his name is synonymous with boxing – his professional record is 36-3-1 – Leonard is also an entrepreneur, an author and a broadcaster. His 2011 autobiography “The Big Fight: My Life In and Out of the Ring” (Viking) describes how he faced his single greatest competitor: himself. His brutally honest and uplifting memoir revealed in intimate detail the complex man behind the beloved athlete and his battle with depression, rage, addiction and greed.
With honesty, humor and hard-won perspective, Leonard comes to terms with both triumph and struggle-and presents a gripping portrait of remarkable strength, courage and resilience, both in and out of the ring.
1n 2013, Leonard’s new contemporary athletic men's clothing collection debuted. Through his online community,www.sugarrayleonard.com, Leonard connects with fans through the sport of boxing, general fitness and philanthropy. It includes updates from the Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation, which helps fight diabetes and child obesity. Leonard also shares photos and video footage from his personal archives.
Leonard was host and mentor for the first, second and third seasons of the critically-acclaimed series, “Contender,” on NBC and ESPN. Leonard recently appeared in the Paramount Pictures feature film “The Fighter” and served as a consultant on “Real Steal,” DreamWorks and Walt Disney Pictures’ hit film starring Hugh Jackman. His media credits also include competing on the hit ABC series, “Dancing with the Stars.”
Successful business ventures aside, Leonard has always been devoted to the community and to helping those in need. For many years, Leonard has been the international chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk for a Cure. He also participates in a variety of national and international causes benefiting children's charities.
Leonard has four children and lives in Southern California with his wife Bernadette.
Putnamville trooper arrests 2 after separate traffic stops
By Indiana State Police
SULLIVAN COUNTY—Last night at 8:00 p.m., Sullivan County Sheriff’s Dispatch Center reported a Silver 2001 Jeep Cherokee driving erratic northbound on US 41near old State Road 54. Trooper Brent Robinson stopped the vehicle and noticed the smell of suspected marijuana coming from the vehicle’s interior and a partial suspected marijuana cigarette on the driver’s lap in plain view. A search of the vehicle netted two bags of suspected synthetic marijuana (commonly referred to as Spice). The driver failed field sobriety testing and was transported to the Sullivan County Community Hospital for a chemical test and preliminarily tested positive for Marijuana. He was incarcerated in the Sullivan County Jail on $8000 bond.
Arrested: Troy J. Kemper, age 19, Evansville, IN.
Charges: Operating Vehicle While Intoxicated and Possession of Synthetic or look alike substance, both misdemeanors.
Later, at approximately 10:45p.m., Indiana State Police Trooper Brent Robinson stopped a red 2006 Jeep Cherokee on eastbound Washington Street near Cross Street for failing to signal turn or providing a signal indicating a stop. During conversations with the female driver, Trooper Robinson detected a smell of suspected marijuana coming from the Jeep’s interior. A search of the vehicle netted (3) separate bags of suspected marijuana (under 30 grams) and a plastic bag containing psychedelic mushrooms (psilocybin), and various of drug paraphernalia. The driver was incarcerated in the Sullivan County Jail on a $12,000 bond.
Arrested: Rachel L. Whitlock, age 21, Sullivan, IN.
Charges: Possession of Marijuana; Possession of Schedule I Controlled Substance; Possession of Paraphernalia
(March 3)
By Indiana State Police
SULLIVAN COUNTY—Last night at 8:00 p.m., Sullivan County Sheriff’s Dispatch Center reported a Silver 2001 Jeep Cherokee driving erratic northbound on US 41near old State Road 54. Trooper Brent Robinson stopped the vehicle and noticed the smell of suspected marijuana coming from the vehicle’s interior and a partial suspected marijuana cigarette on the driver’s lap in plain view. A search of the vehicle netted two bags of suspected synthetic marijuana (commonly referred to as Spice). The driver failed field sobriety testing and was transported to the Sullivan County Community Hospital for a chemical test and preliminarily tested positive for Marijuana. He was incarcerated in the Sullivan County Jail on $8000 bond.
Arrested: Troy J. Kemper, age 19, Evansville, IN.
Charges: Operating Vehicle While Intoxicated and Possession of Synthetic or look alike substance, both misdemeanors.
Later, at approximately 10:45p.m., Indiana State Police Trooper Brent Robinson stopped a red 2006 Jeep Cherokee on eastbound Washington Street near Cross Street for failing to signal turn or providing a signal indicating a stop. During conversations with the female driver, Trooper Robinson detected a smell of suspected marijuana coming from the Jeep’s interior. A search of the vehicle netted (3) separate bags of suspected marijuana (under 30 grams) and a plastic bag containing psychedelic mushrooms (psilocybin), and various of drug paraphernalia. The driver was incarcerated in the Sullivan County Jail on a $12,000 bond.
Arrested: Rachel L. Whitlock, age 21, Sullivan, IN.
Charges: Possession of Marijuana; Possession of Schedule I Controlled Substance; Possession of Paraphernalia
(March 3)
Shots fired at Merom water tower; 3 arrests made
By Sullivan County Sheriff's Office
SULLIVAN COUNTY- On March 3, 2015 Sullivan County Sheriff's deputies made three arrests after a lengthy investigation into the case involving several shots fired into the water tower in Merom, Ind.
Arrested were Timothy J. Porras - 19, and his father Joseph S. Porras - 47, both of Merom.
Arrested earlier was Jeremiah Mahan - 20, also of Merom.
Sheriff Clark Cottom said that Sgt. William Snead and Deputy David Holmes determined that all three subjects recklessly discharged the firearms. An act that created a substantial risk of bodily injury the towns people.
Further investigation revealed the shots that Timothy Porras and Mahan fired struck the town's water tower causing extensive damage. Also damaged was a historic tree near the tower that local residents believe to be nearly 200 years old.
Timothy J. Porras and Jeremiah Mahan were charged with Criminal Recklessness with a Firearm, a Level 6 Felony and Criminal Mischief, a Class A Misdemeanor.
Joseph Porras was charged with Criminal Recklessness with a Firearm, a Level 6 Felony. Bond was set for Joseph Porras at $8,000. with 10 percent allowed.
Timothy Porras bond was set at $12,000. with no 10 percent.
Jeremiah Mahan bonded out of the Sullivan County Jail earlier on a $12,000. with 10 percent bond.
Sheriff Cottom was pleased with the efforts of Snead and Holmes' and said the incident was very serious as it not only caused extensive damage to the water tower, but it created further risk to Merom's residents as it interrupted the towns water supply.
(March 3)
By Sullivan County Sheriff's Office
SULLIVAN COUNTY- On March 3, 2015 Sullivan County Sheriff's deputies made three arrests after a lengthy investigation into the case involving several shots fired into the water tower in Merom, Ind.
Arrested were Timothy J. Porras - 19, and his father Joseph S. Porras - 47, both of Merom.
Arrested earlier was Jeremiah Mahan - 20, also of Merom.
Sheriff Clark Cottom said that Sgt. William Snead and Deputy David Holmes determined that all three subjects recklessly discharged the firearms. An act that created a substantial risk of bodily injury the towns people.
Further investigation revealed the shots that Timothy Porras and Mahan fired struck the town's water tower causing extensive damage. Also damaged was a historic tree near the tower that local residents believe to be nearly 200 years old.
Timothy J. Porras and Jeremiah Mahan were charged with Criminal Recklessness with a Firearm, a Level 6 Felony and Criminal Mischief, a Class A Misdemeanor.
Joseph Porras was charged with Criminal Recklessness with a Firearm, a Level 6 Felony. Bond was set for Joseph Porras at $8,000. with 10 percent allowed.
Timothy Porras bond was set at $12,000. with no 10 percent.
Jeremiah Mahan bonded out of the Sullivan County Jail earlier on a $12,000. with 10 percent bond.
Sheriff Cottom was pleased with the efforts of Snead and Holmes' and said the incident was very serious as it not only caused extensive damage to the water tower, but it created further risk to Merom's residents as it interrupted the towns water supply.
(March 3)
State Road 236 Resurfacing Project Begins Monday
Crews will resurface the roadway
PARKE COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces a resurfacing project on State Road 236 will begin on or after Monday, April 6. The contractor will restrict one lane of traffic in the area they will be working. The project will resurface S.R. 236 from U.S. 41 to State Road 59.
Dave O’Mara was awarded the $1.4 million contract. This project is scheduled for completion on June 19, 2015.
For the latest news and information about INDOT, please visit www.in.gov/indot or www.trafficwise.IN.gov . For social media updates, follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/INDOT_WCentral and like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/INDOTWestCentral.
Crews will resurface the roadway
PARKE COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces a resurfacing project on State Road 236 will begin on or after Monday, April 6. The contractor will restrict one lane of traffic in the area they will be working. The project will resurface S.R. 236 from U.S. 41 to State Road 59.
Dave O’Mara was awarded the $1.4 million contract. This project is scheduled for completion on June 19, 2015.
For the latest news and information about INDOT, please visit www.in.gov/indot or www.trafficwise.IN.gov . For social media updates, follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/INDOT_WCentral and like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/INDOTWestCentral.
Sullivan County Sherrif's Office accepting applications for deputy
SULLIVAN COUNTY- Sullivan County Sheriff Clark Cottom is announcing that his department is accepting applications for the position of Deputy Sheriff.
Applicants must be 21 years of age, with no felony convictions or domestic violence history.
Applicants will undergo physical agility testing, followed by aptitude testing, psychological testing, a polygraph examination and a thorough background check.
Starting salary for Deputy Sheriff, including uniform allowance is $33,219. Deputies have access to a health insurance, as well as a pension plan.
Career deputies have opportunities to work in specialized areas such as criminal investigations and canine officer.
The application process closes on April 10.
Applications can be picked up in person at the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office 24 So. State St. Sullivan, IN 47882 or be requested by emailing employment@sullivancounty.in.gov
(March 13)
Applicants must be 21 years of age, with no felony convictions or domestic violence history.
Applicants will undergo physical agility testing, followed by aptitude testing, psychological testing, a polygraph examination and a thorough background check.
Starting salary for Deputy Sheriff, including uniform allowance is $33,219. Deputies have access to a health insurance, as well as a pension plan.
Career deputies have opportunities to work in specialized areas such as criminal investigations and canine officer.
The application process closes on April 10.
Applications can be picked up in person at the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office 24 So. State St. Sullivan, IN 47882 or be requested by emailing employment@sullivancounty.in.gov
(March 13)
WVCF Photo
WVCF flag pole/monument dedication
CARLISLE, Ind. The Stars and Stripes will proudly fly April 7, 2015, during a special ceremony at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF).
Members of the Kyle Snyder American Legion Post 398 will dedicate a flag pole and monument constructed within the maximum-security complex. Guest Speaker Jim Basinger, Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) Deputy Commissioner will present the colors to the post. Basinger is a retired Marine and Indiana Army National Guard veteran who served two tours of duty in Iraq.
April 7, 2015 also marks the one year charter anniversary of the post, re-named after Kyle Snyder last October. The Sullivan County native died along with three other soldiers in March of 2005 when a land mine exploded under their military vehicle in Afghanistan. The Army Specialist (SPC) was a member of the Indiana National Guard’s 76th Infantry Brigade. The incarcerated veterans sponsored a fund raising event to pay for the flag pole monument.
At the end of the ceremony members of the post color guard will receive orders from post commander Lee Brown to assume their responsibility to raise and lower the colors each day at the respected time.
CARLISLE, Ind. The Stars and Stripes will proudly fly April 7, 2015, during a special ceremony at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF).
Members of the Kyle Snyder American Legion Post 398 will dedicate a flag pole and monument constructed within the maximum-security complex. Guest Speaker Jim Basinger, Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) Deputy Commissioner will present the colors to the post. Basinger is a retired Marine and Indiana Army National Guard veteran who served two tours of duty in Iraq.
April 7, 2015 also marks the one year charter anniversary of the post, re-named after Kyle Snyder last October. The Sullivan County native died along with three other soldiers in March of 2005 when a land mine exploded under their military vehicle in Afghanistan. The Army Specialist (SPC) was a member of the Indiana National Guard’s 76th Infantry Brigade. The incarcerated veterans sponsored a fund raising event to pay for the flag pole monument.
At the end of the ceremony members of the post color guard will receive orders from post commander Lee Brown to assume their responsibility to raise and lower the colors each day at the respected time.
State Road 42 Bridge over Mill Creek will Close Tuesday
A 60 day closure is scheduled
PUTNAM COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces State Road 42 (S.R. 42) will close on or after Tuesday, April 7 for a bridge deck overlay project. The 60 day closure is for the bridge over Mill Creek which is located nearly three miles east of U.S. 231. The roadway is scheduled to reopen June 8, 2015.
CLR, Inc. was awarded the $517,646 contract. This bridge deck overlay contract is scheduled for completion onSeptember 25 of this year.
The detour follows S.R. 42 east to State Road 142 to State Road 39 north to I-70 west to U.S. 231 south and back to S.R. 42. Traffic traveling in the opposite direction will use the same detour in reverse. For the latest news and information about INDOT, please visit www.in.gov/indot or www.trafficwise.IN.gov .
(April 1)
I-70 lane restrictions begin Wednesday west of U.S. 41
Contractor will replace the deck on the bridges over Clear Creek and Sugar Creek
VIGO COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announce traffic on I-70 will be restricted in eastbound lanes beginning on or after Wednesday, April 1 as crews begin installing a temporary concrete barrier wall. Traffic will be shifted into one lane in each direction on I-70 in the eastbound lanes and restricted to 10 feet by Friday, April 3 so work can begin on the westbound interstate bridges over Clear Creek and Sugar Creek.
HIS Constructors, Inc. was awarded the bridge deck replacement project for $7 million. This contract will replace the decks on both the Clear Creek and Sugar Creek Bridges as well as widen the Sugar Creek Bridge. This project is scheduled for completion on October 15, 2015.
INDOT reminds motorists to follow the posted work zone speed limit, use caution and consider worker safety when traveling through a construction zone. For the latest news and information about INDOT, please visit www.in.gov/indot or www.trafficwise.IN.gov . For social media updates, follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/INDOT_WCentral and like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/INDOTWestCentral.
(March 27)
A 60 day closure is scheduled
PUTNAM COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announces State Road 42 (S.R. 42) will close on or after Tuesday, April 7 for a bridge deck overlay project. The 60 day closure is for the bridge over Mill Creek which is located nearly three miles east of U.S. 231. The roadway is scheduled to reopen June 8, 2015.
CLR, Inc. was awarded the $517,646 contract. This bridge deck overlay contract is scheduled for completion onSeptember 25 of this year.
The detour follows S.R. 42 east to State Road 142 to State Road 39 north to I-70 west to U.S. 231 south and back to S.R. 42. Traffic traveling in the opposite direction will use the same detour in reverse. For the latest news and information about INDOT, please visit www.in.gov/indot or www.trafficwise.IN.gov .
(April 1)
I-70 lane restrictions begin Wednesday west of U.S. 41
Contractor will replace the deck on the bridges over Clear Creek and Sugar Creek
VIGO COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announce traffic on I-70 will be restricted in eastbound lanes beginning on or after Wednesday, April 1 as crews begin installing a temporary concrete barrier wall. Traffic will be shifted into one lane in each direction on I-70 in the eastbound lanes and restricted to 10 feet by Friday, April 3 so work can begin on the westbound interstate bridges over Clear Creek and Sugar Creek.
HIS Constructors, Inc. was awarded the bridge deck replacement project for $7 million. This contract will replace the decks on both the Clear Creek and Sugar Creek Bridges as well as widen the Sugar Creek Bridge. This project is scheduled for completion on October 15, 2015.
INDOT reminds motorists to follow the posted work zone speed limit, use caution and consider worker safety when traveling through a construction zone. For the latest news and information about INDOT, please visit www.in.gov/indot or www.trafficwise.IN.gov . For social media updates, follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/INDOT_WCentral and like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/INDOTWestCentral.
(March 27)
Basketball Fans to Meet Spring Breakers on Indiana Highways
By INDOT
INDIANAPOLIS – Three teams playing in this year’s Men’s Final Four on April 4 and 6 are within a five-hour drive of the action at Lucas Oil Stadium. Motorists should expect additional traffic this holiday weekend as basketball fans meet Spring Break travelers on Interstates 65, 69 and 74 and U.S. 31.
Indiana Department of Transportation contractors will be pulling back construction barrels and barricades as much as possible on these highways to welcome basketball fans. However, some road restrictions will remain in place for ongoing projects, including:
INDOT’s Hoosier Helpers freeway service patrol sponsored by State Farm will be providing patrols in urban areas near Indianapolis, Chicago and Louisville.
Travelers are urged to “know before you go” by checking green-yellow-red traffic speeds on their mobile map app of choice or INDOT’s TrafficWise webpage at indot.carsprogram.org. The TrafficWise service also details construction projects and traffic incidents at 800-261-ROAD (7623) or 511 on your mobile phone. For social media updates on Facebook and Twitter, find your regional district atin.gov/indot/3074.htm.
By INDOT
INDIANAPOLIS – Three teams playing in this year’s Men’s Final Four on April 4 and 6 are within a five-hour drive of the action at Lucas Oil Stadium. Motorists should expect additional traffic this holiday weekend as basketball fans meet Spring Break travelers on Interstates 65, 69 and 74 and U.S. 31.
Indiana Department of Transportation contractors will be pulling back construction barrels and barricades as much as possible on these highways to welcome basketball fans. However, some road restrictions will remain in place for ongoing projects, including:
- I-65 is reduced to two lanes in each direction north of Louisville, Ky. for construction of a new Ohio River bridge.
- I-74 will be reduced to one lane in each direction for resurfacing in Montgomery County between S.R. 25 (Exit 25) and U.S. 231 (Exit 34).
- U.S. 31 is reduced to one lane in each direction for construction north of Indianapolis between S.R. 38 and S.R. 32 in Westfield.
- I-69 is reduced to one lane in each direction on weekdays for bridge rehabilitation at S.R. 4 (Exit 340) near Ashley.
INDOT’s Hoosier Helpers freeway service patrol sponsored by State Farm will be providing patrols in urban areas near Indianapolis, Chicago and Louisville.
Travelers are urged to “know before you go” by checking green-yellow-red traffic speeds on their mobile map app of choice or INDOT’s TrafficWise webpage at indot.carsprogram.org. The TrafficWise service also details construction projects and traffic incidents at 800-261-ROAD (7623) or 511 on your mobile phone. For social media updates on Facebook and Twitter, find your regional district atin.gov/indot/3074.htm.
Emily Grimm Photo
ISU is on alert due to armed robberies, officials say
The campus of Indiana State University is in crime alert after two armed robberies Thursday evening.
According to the report, an ISU student claims she was the victim of an attempted armed robbery. The suspect was allegedly held at knifepoint at University Apartments on Third Street. No injuries reported. The suspect is described as a black male in his late teens or early 20’s, wearing a black hoodie and dark pants.
Another armed robbery took place at Imperial Lanes at Third and Chestnut Streets, according to police scanner activity. Reportedly,two black male suspects displayed handguns in the parking lot, demanding items and got away with the vicitms' cell phones. ICN wil follow this story as it develops.
Call Indiana State University Police Department at 812-237-5555 with any information regarding the incidents.
More information provided on ISU website:
(March 13)
The campus of Indiana State University is in crime alert after two armed robberies Thursday evening.
According to the report, an ISU student claims she was the victim of an attempted armed robbery. The suspect was allegedly held at knifepoint at University Apartments on Third Street. No injuries reported. The suspect is described as a black male in his late teens or early 20’s, wearing a black hoodie and dark pants.
Another armed robbery took place at Imperial Lanes at Third and Chestnut Streets, according to police scanner activity. Reportedly,two black male suspects displayed handguns in the parking lot, demanding items and got away with the vicitms' cell phones. ICN wil follow this story as it develops.
Call Indiana State University Police Department at 812-237-5555 with any information regarding the incidents.
More information provided on ISU website:
(March 13)
Subscribe today to see more on last weekend's public education rally held at the public library in Terre Haute. (LUCY PERRY PHOTO)
Lucy Perry Photo/Clay County Justice Center
ISP: Rosedale man arrested for voyeurism
Indiana State Police, Putnamville
CLAY COUNTY – A Clay County man was arrested Monday March 23, 2015 on allegations of five (5) counts of Voyeurism. The investigation started on March 9, 2015 when a victim found a small recording device in the bathroom of Gary W. Riggs Rosedale home.
Through the investigation Troopers were able to determine that Riggs allegedly videotaped the victim at his residence and the victim’s residence without their permission while using multiple recording and storage devices. Riggs was arrested without incident and transported to Clay County Justice Center and held on a bond of $10,000/ no 10 percent
Arrested and Charges:
Gary Riggs, 53, 14228 N. County Road 500 W. Rosedale.
5 counts of Voyeurism, Level 6 Felony
Investigating Officer: Detective Sam Stearley
Assisting: First Sergeant Jeff Hearon, Detective Chris Carter, Troopers Ian Portteus, and T.J. Henning
Indiana State Police, Putnamville
CLAY COUNTY – A Clay County man was arrested Monday March 23, 2015 on allegations of five (5) counts of Voyeurism. The investigation started on March 9, 2015 when a victim found a small recording device in the bathroom of Gary W. Riggs Rosedale home.
Through the investigation Troopers were able to determine that Riggs allegedly videotaped the victim at his residence and the victim’s residence without their permission while using multiple recording and storage devices. Riggs was arrested without incident and transported to Clay County Justice Center and held on a bond of $10,000/ no 10 percent
Arrested and Charges:
Gary Riggs, 53, 14228 N. County Road 500 W. Rosedale.
5 counts of Voyeurism, Level 6 Felony
Investigating Officer: Detective Sam Stearley
Assisting: First Sergeant Jeff Hearon, Detective Chris Carter, Troopers Ian Portteus, and T.J. Henning
Indiana State Police investigating police action shooting
By Indiana State Police
CLAY COUNTY – Indiana State Police Criminal Investigation Detectives are investigating a mid morning Police Action shooting that occurred at 1790 East Voorhees Street in Harmony. The initial investigation has revealed that just after 9 o’clock, Clay County 911 received a call from Gary Page, age 60, requesting police officers to come to his residence so “they could shoot him”.
Approximately two minutes later, Clay County 911 received another call from a person at the scene advising that Gary Page was at the Pines Apartments in Harmony and “has a firearm and was going crazy”.
When Clay County Deputies made contact with Page upon their arrival, Page pointed his firearm at them and other people at the scene. This resulted in the deputies being forced to stop Page’s lethal actions towards those at the scene by discharging their firearms at Page.
Page suffered gunshot wounds and was given first aid by the officers while they awaited the incoming ambulance. Page was then transported to St. Vincent Clay Hospital where he died about an hour later.
Any loss of life is tragic and it is regrettable that Mr. Page felt his only option in this incident was to threaten officers and others with deadly force as compared to peacefully surrendering and having his day in a court of law.
An autopsy is scheduled for Monday morning in Terre Haute.
(March 2015)
By Indiana State Police
CLAY COUNTY – Indiana State Police Criminal Investigation Detectives are investigating a mid morning Police Action shooting that occurred at 1790 East Voorhees Street in Harmony. The initial investigation has revealed that just after 9 o’clock, Clay County 911 received a call from Gary Page, age 60, requesting police officers to come to his residence so “they could shoot him”.
Approximately two minutes later, Clay County 911 received another call from a person at the scene advising that Gary Page was at the Pines Apartments in Harmony and “has a firearm and was going crazy”.
When Clay County Deputies made contact with Page upon their arrival, Page pointed his firearm at them and other people at the scene. This resulted in the deputies being forced to stop Page’s lethal actions towards those at the scene by discharging their firearms at Page.
Page suffered gunshot wounds and was given first aid by the officers while they awaited the incoming ambulance. Page was then transported to St. Vincent Clay Hospital where he died about an hour later.
Any loss of life is tragic and it is regrettable that Mr. Page felt his only option in this incident was to threaten officers and others with deadly force as compared to peacefully surrendering and having his day in a court of law.
An autopsy is scheduled for Monday morning in Terre Haute.
(March 2015)
Deming Park Easter Egg Hunt April 4
The annual Easter Egg Hunt at Deming Park has been postponed until April 4. Activities will begin at 11 a.m. The egg hunt for 2-4 year olds will begin at 1 p.m. and 5-10 year olds at 1:30 p.m.
Easter Bunny photo hours
Honey Creek Mall: Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday Noon to 6 p.m.
The annual Easter Egg Hunt at Deming Park has been postponed until April 4. Activities will begin at 11 a.m. The egg hunt for 2-4 year olds will begin at 1 p.m. and 5-10 year olds at 1:30 p.m.
Easter Bunny photo hours
Honey Creek Mall: Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday Noon to 6 p.m.
Sgt. Thomas H. Hannon
Hannon promoted to serve as training academy commander
Indiana State Police
On March 16, 2015, Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas G. Carter promoted Putnamville Sergeant Thomas H. Hannon to the rank of First Sergeant. First Sergeant Hannon received his promotion through written testing and a competitive interview process. In his new capacity, Hannon will now serve as the ISP Training Academy Commander.
As the ISP Training Academy Commander, Hannon will be directly responsible for the selection and training of all new Indiana State Police recruits, the day to day operations of the academy, the supervision of all training personnel assigned to the ISP Academy Staff and the coordination of the statewide ISP Field Training Officer program.
First Sergeant Hannon is a 29-year veteran of the Indiana State Police having graduated from the 43rd Indiana State Police Recruit School in November of 1985. Hannon was initially assigned to the former Terre Haute Post and served as a road patrol trooper in Sullivan County until his promotion to Corporal in 2005. In 2006, Hannon was promoted to Sergeant and supervised troopers assigned to Sullivan County until his recent promotion to First Sergeant.
Sergeant Hannon is a Jeffersonville, Indiana native having graduated from Jeffersonville High School. Sergeant Hannon has attended many specialized schools and currently serves as a district training officer for First Responder, Firearms, and Defensive Tactics. He was also a counselor for the 67th ISP Recruit Academy. Hannon is past member of the Central Field Operations Emergency Response Team, commonly known as SWAT, a former ISP Canine Handler, and past member of the former Terre Haute District Methamphetamine Clandestine Lab Team.
Sgt. Hannon and his family reside in Sullivan County.
Indiana State Police
On March 16, 2015, Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas G. Carter promoted Putnamville Sergeant Thomas H. Hannon to the rank of First Sergeant. First Sergeant Hannon received his promotion through written testing and a competitive interview process. In his new capacity, Hannon will now serve as the ISP Training Academy Commander.
As the ISP Training Academy Commander, Hannon will be directly responsible for the selection and training of all new Indiana State Police recruits, the day to day operations of the academy, the supervision of all training personnel assigned to the ISP Academy Staff and the coordination of the statewide ISP Field Training Officer program.
First Sergeant Hannon is a 29-year veteran of the Indiana State Police having graduated from the 43rd Indiana State Police Recruit School in November of 1985. Hannon was initially assigned to the former Terre Haute Post and served as a road patrol trooper in Sullivan County until his promotion to Corporal in 2005. In 2006, Hannon was promoted to Sergeant and supervised troopers assigned to Sullivan County until his recent promotion to First Sergeant.
Sergeant Hannon is a Jeffersonville, Indiana native having graduated from Jeffersonville High School. Sergeant Hannon has attended many specialized schools and currently serves as a district training officer for First Responder, Firearms, and Defensive Tactics. He was also a counselor for the 67th ISP Recruit Academy. Hannon is past member of the Central Field Operations Emergency Response Team, commonly known as SWAT, a former ISP Canine Handler, and past member of the former Terre Haute District Methamphetamine Clandestine Lab Team.
Sgt. Hannon and his family reside in Sullivan County.
Patrick Ralston
Ralston elected to USO Indiana board of directors
By USO of Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS- The USO of Indiana is pleased to announce the election of Patrick R. Ralston, of Terre Haute, to their Board of Directors. Pat is the Vice President of Business and Economic Development and Government Relations for First Financial Bank, in Terre Haute.
“Pat is very well respected, not just in Terre Haute, but statewide. He has such a breadth of knowledge and experience, his board membership will help us tremendously as we expand our service and programs in Indiana’s Wabash Valley,” said USO of Indiana Executive Director, Charles Ridings.
Pat has nearly 40 years of experience working with and for state and federal governments. He has a B.S. and an M.S. from Indiana State University.as well as a William Cohen Fellowship at the Kennedy School Of Government at Harvard. Committed to building better communities, Pat has served as a State Agency Head for three Indiana Governors. and currently sits on several local and state boards. He is Chairman of the Terre Haute Regional Hospital Board of Trustees, St Mary’s of the Woods College Board of Trustees and serves as Treasurer of the IVY Tech Foundation statewide to name a few. Pat was appointed in 1999 by Congress to a Blue Ribbon Panel to review the US response capabilities for terrorism involving Weapons of Mass Destruction known as the Gilmore Commission.
"To be selected to sit on the USO of Indiana’s board is quite an honor," said Ralston. "As a Vietnam Veteran, I understand the role the USO of Indiana plays in taking care of those that are currently serving our country.”
The mission of the USO of Indiana is to lift the spirits of America’s service members and their families. The organization is a not-for-profit that relies solely on the generous donations from the citizens and companies in the state if Indiana. The USO of Indiana operates four centers in the state and provides an extensive list of warrior and family care programs that are available to our military members and their families.
By USO of Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS- The USO of Indiana is pleased to announce the election of Patrick R. Ralston, of Terre Haute, to their Board of Directors. Pat is the Vice President of Business and Economic Development and Government Relations for First Financial Bank, in Terre Haute.
“Pat is very well respected, not just in Terre Haute, but statewide. He has such a breadth of knowledge and experience, his board membership will help us tremendously as we expand our service and programs in Indiana’s Wabash Valley,” said USO of Indiana Executive Director, Charles Ridings.
Pat has nearly 40 years of experience working with and for state and federal governments. He has a B.S. and an M.S. from Indiana State University.as well as a William Cohen Fellowship at the Kennedy School Of Government at Harvard. Committed to building better communities, Pat has served as a State Agency Head for three Indiana Governors. and currently sits on several local and state boards. He is Chairman of the Terre Haute Regional Hospital Board of Trustees, St Mary’s of the Woods College Board of Trustees and serves as Treasurer of the IVY Tech Foundation statewide to name a few. Pat was appointed in 1999 by Congress to a Blue Ribbon Panel to review the US response capabilities for terrorism involving Weapons of Mass Destruction known as the Gilmore Commission.
"To be selected to sit on the USO of Indiana’s board is quite an honor," said Ralston. "As a Vietnam Veteran, I understand the role the USO of Indiana plays in taking care of those that are currently serving our country.”
The mission of the USO of Indiana is to lift the spirits of America’s service members and their families. The organization is a not-for-profit that relies solely on the generous donations from the citizens and companies in the state if Indiana. The USO of Indiana operates four centers in the state and provides an extensive list of warrior and family care programs that are available to our military members and their families.
Construction Begins Wednesday on U.S. 40 Project in Brazil
By INDOT
CLAY COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announce construction is scheduled to begin this year on or after Wednesday, April 1 on the U.S. 40 project in Brazil, weather permitting. U.S. 40 traffic will be maintained at all times.
The plan for this year is to finish U.S. 40 to State Road 59 (S.R. 59) and complete the work at the S.R. 59 intersection. The U.S. 40 work consists of installing a new water main under the south half, and new storm sewer under the north half throughout the downtown section and completely rebuilding the road and sidewalks. The section from Depot St. to S.R. 59 also gets historic style cut limestone curb, as well as decorative black street lights and signal poles. This section will also have stamped concrete with a brick pattern between the back of curb and the new sidewalk. The work at the S.R. 59 intersection consists of rebuilding the road one block north and south of U.S. 40.
Work will begin on the north side of U.S.40. There will be no left turns allowed except at the operating traffic signals. Sidewalks to all businesses will be maintained however no parking in front of businesses will be available during the construction. Northbound and southbound cross traffic will alternate between Depot and Walnut Streets depending upon the closures.
The U.S. 40 Pavement Replacement project was awarded to Gradex, Inc. for $19.7 million. This project will replace the pavement on U.S. 40 from State Road 340 to Wal-Mart and on S.R. 340 from west of Waterworks Road to U.S. 40. The drainage will be improved with new storm drainage structures, curbs and gutters. New sidewalks will be constructed with ADA compliant curb ramps throughout the project. The U.S. 40 project is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2016.
(March 2015)
By INDOT
CLAY COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announce construction is scheduled to begin this year on or after Wednesday, April 1 on the U.S. 40 project in Brazil, weather permitting. U.S. 40 traffic will be maintained at all times.
The plan for this year is to finish U.S. 40 to State Road 59 (S.R. 59) and complete the work at the S.R. 59 intersection. The U.S. 40 work consists of installing a new water main under the south half, and new storm sewer under the north half throughout the downtown section and completely rebuilding the road and sidewalks. The section from Depot St. to S.R. 59 also gets historic style cut limestone curb, as well as decorative black street lights and signal poles. This section will also have stamped concrete with a brick pattern between the back of curb and the new sidewalk. The work at the S.R. 59 intersection consists of rebuilding the road one block north and south of U.S. 40.
Work will begin on the north side of U.S.40. There will be no left turns allowed except at the operating traffic signals. Sidewalks to all businesses will be maintained however no parking in front of businesses will be available during the construction. Northbound and southbound cross traffic will alternate between Depot and Walnut Streets depending upon the closures.
The U.S. 40 Pavement Replacement project was awarded to Gradex, Inc. for $19.7 million. This project will replace the pavement on U.S. 40 from State Road 340 to Wal-Mart and on S.R. 340 from west of Waterworks Road to U.S. 40. The drainage will be improved with new storm drainage structures, curbs and gutters. New sidewalks will be constructed with ADA compliant curb ramps throughout the project. The U.S. 40 project is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2016.
(March 2015)
David Satter
Russia expert to speak at Indiana State about Putin’s leadership
Journalist and author David Satter, a former Moscow correspondent for Radio Liberty and longtime observer of Russia and the Soviet Union, will speak at Indiana State University April 1 about Russia under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin.
Satter will deliver a public lecture entitled "Putin's Russia: The Road to Dictatorship and War" at 4:30 p.m. in Stalker Hall, Room 102.
Satter is the author of three books and numerous articles on Russian politics - both historical and contemporary. He has also directed a documentary based on his 2001 book, "The Age of Delirium." As a result of his insightful and critical commentary, he was expelled from Russia in 2013 and banned for five years, becoming the first American reporter since the Cold War to be kicked out of Russia.
Given his background, Satter is particularly well-suited to speak about the dramatic recent directions of Russian politics with respect to both internal developments, including political assassination, and a foreign policy that challenges the West in ways reminiscent of the Cold War, said Richard Lotspeich, professor of economics at Indiana State.
Satter is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a fellow of the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. His lecture at Indiana State has been made possible through the support of the Russian and East European Institute at Indiana University and Indiana State's International Studies Program and the Center for Global Engagement.
Journalist and author David Satter, a former Moscow correspondent for Radio Liberty and longtime observer of Russia and the Soviet Union, will speak at Indiana State University April 1 about Russia under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin.
Satter will deliver a public lecture entitled "Putin's Russia: The Road to Dictatorship and War" at 4:30 p.m. in Stalker Hall, Room 102.
Satter is the author of three books and numerous articles on Russian politics - both historical and contemporary. He has also directed a documentary based on his 2001 book, "The Age of Delirium." As a result of his insightful and critical commentary, he was expelled from Russia in 2013 and banned for five years, becoming the first American reporter since the Cold War to be kicked out of Russia.
Given his background, Satter is particularly well-suited to speak about the dramatic recent directions of Russian politics with respect to both internal developments, including political assassination, and a foreign policy that challenges the West in ways reminiscent of the Cold War, said Richard Lotspeich, professor of economics at Indiana State.
Satter is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a fellow of the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. His lecture at Indiana State has been made possible through the support of the Russian and East European Institute at Indiana University and Indiana State's International Studies Program and the Center for Global Engagement.
INDOT Offers Scholarships, Jobs to Engineers in Training
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Department of Transportation is offering civil engineering students scholarships of up to $3,125 per semester, and paid employment during summer breaks and upon graduation.
Students must be accepted or enrolled full time in one of Indiana’s certified civil engineering schools and apply using the form at www.INDOTScholarship.in.gov. Applications for the 2015-2016 school year must be postmarked by Tuesday, March 31.
INDOT’s scholarship program offers $3,125 per semester or $2,083 per trimester for up to five years of post-secondary civil engineering education. Scholarship funds can be applied to educational expenses, fees and books. In return, recipients will work for INDOT in full-time, paid positions during their summer breaks and upon graduation.
Students must be accepted or enrolled full time in one of Indiana’s Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology certified civil engineering programs. Eligible programs include Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne, Purdue University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Trine University, University of Evansville, University of Notre Dame and Valparaiso University.
Learn more about the INDOT Engineer Scholarship program and download the application at www.INDOTScholarship.in.gov. Applications for the 2015-2016 school year must be postmarked by Tuesday, March 31.
Students or parents with questions may contact recruitment consultant Jeremy Haggard at jhaggard@spd.in.gov or 317-234-8096.
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Department of Transportation is offering civil engineering students scholarships of up to $3,125 per semester, and paid employment during summer breaks and upon graduation.
Students must be accepted or enrolled full time in one of Indiana’s certified civil engineering schools and apply using the form at www.INDOTScholarship.in.gov. Applications for the 2015-2016 school year must be postmarked by Tuesday, March 31.
INDOT’s scholarship program offers $3,125 per semester or $2,083 per trimester for up to five years of post-secondary civil engineering education. Scholarship funds can be applied to educational expenses, fees and books. In return, recipients will work for INDOT in full-time, paid positions during their summer breaks and upon graduation.
Students must be accepted or enrolled full time in one of Indiana’s Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology certified civil engineering programs. Eligible programs include Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne, Purdue University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Trine University, University of Evansville, University of Notre Dame and Valparaiso University.
Learn more about the INDOT Engineer Scholarship program and download the application at www.INDOTScholarship.in.gov. Applications for the 2015-2016 school year must be postmarked by Tuesday, March 31.
Students or parents with questions may contact recruitment consultant Jeremy Haggard at jhaggard@spd.in.gov or 317-234-8096.
Jackie Storm
Greene County resident to oversee all community activities at Wabash Valley Correctional Facility PLUS Unit
By Wabash Valley Correctional Facility
CARLISLE: The Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF) PLUS Unit now includes an added plus! Greene County resident Jackie Storm is the new Program Coordinator for the faith, character and community service based housing unit. Over the past year the Purposeful Living Units Serve (PLUS) unit has distributed 3,100 custom quilts to homeless shelters, veterans homes, and police and fire departments (comfort quilts) to name a few. PLUS donations to not-for-profit organizations, working in tandem with the WVCF Fatherhood Program, topped 48 thousand dollars.
In her new assignment Ms. Storm will oversee all community service activities for the unit as its participants continue their efforts to give back to community.
Storm began her career at the maximum-security facility 17 years ago as a Correctional Officer. She has extensive experience as a Dispatch, SNU (Special Needs Unit) and facility Count Officer. Storm has also taken an active role in employee appreciation committees and was instrumental in launching the WVCF Facebook page, serving as Facebook Coordinator.
Assistant Superintendent of Programs, Kevin Gilmore said, “Jackie is a dedicated and well respected employee joining a great team of staff currently assigned to PLUS and our Programs Department.”
Storm said she is excited about her new role, adding, “ When PLUS went on line back in 2005 I knew I wanted to be part of it. “ It’s a program that helps area folks in need and our participants, trying to make positive lifestyle changes as they get ready to go home.”
The Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) PLUS program is in place at 15 additional facilities around the state.
(March 2015)
By Wabash Valley Correctional Facility
CARLISLE: The Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF) PLUS Unit now includes an added plus! Greene County resident Jackie Storm is the new Program Coordinator for the faith, character and community service based housing unit. Over the past year the Purposeful Living Units Serve (PLUS) unit has distributed 3,100 custom quilts to homeless shelters, veterans homes, and police and fire departments (comfort quilts) to name a few. PLUS donations to not-for-profit organizations, working in tandem with the WVCF Fatherhood Program, topped 48 thousand dollars.
In her new assignment Ms. Storm will oversee all community service activities for the unit as its participants continue their efforts to give back to community.
Storm began her career at the maximum-security facility 17 years ago as a Correctional Officer. She has extensive experience as a Dispatch, SNU (Special Needs Unit) and facility Count Officer. Storm has also taken an active role in employee appreciation committees and was instrumental in launching the WVCF Facebook page, serving as Facebook Coordinator.
Assistant Superintendent of Programs, Kevin Gilmore said, “Jackie is a dedicated and well respected employee joining a great team of staff currently assigned to PLUS and our Programs Department.”
Storm said she is excited about her new role, adding, “ When PLUS went on line back in 2005 I knew I wanted to be part of it. “ It’s a program that helps area folks in need and our participants, trying to make positive lifestyle changes as they get ready to go home.”
The Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) PLUS program is in place at 15 additional facilities around the state.
(March 2015)
Elise McDaniel
Sullivan County resident begins new assignment at Wabash Valley Correctional Facility
By Wabash Valley Correctional Facility
SULLIVAN COUNTY- Extensive on-the-job experience will pay big dividends for staff and the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF) with the addition of new Training Four Officer Elise McDaniel!
The Sullivan County resident began her career at WVCF in 2010 as a Correctional Officer. She worked in the challenging environment of the facility mental health oriented Special Needs Unit (SNU) on the night shift before moving to unit team. McDaniel’s most recent assignment was in the Classification Department as a Caseworker.
During her time with the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) McDaniel has been a valued member of the WVCF Emergency Squad and is a member of the IDOC Special Emergency Response Team (SERT). Elise McDaniel will put her Indiana State University Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education to good use, instructing staff in training. She’s been a familiar face there this past year as an adjunct instructor. “I’m thrilled to be moving into the training department full time,” McDaniel said, adding, “The best part of my positions as an officer, caseworker and member of emergency response has been teaching and training my fellow staff members.”
“Elise knows what it takes to work in the corrections business,” said Assistant Superintendent/Operations Frank Littlejohn. “She can back up everything she says and teaches and staff respect her mental and physical toughness,” he added.
All WVCF staff, including contractual (681 total), are required to attend annual training. McDaniel will begin her new assignment March 16.
By Wabash Valley Correctional Facility
SULLIVAN COUNTY- Extensive on-the-job experience will pay big dividends for staff and the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF) with the addition of new Training Four Officer Elise McDaniel!
The Sullivan County resident began her career at WVCF in 2010 as a Correctional Officer. She worked in the challenging environment of the facility mental health oriented Special Needs Unit (SNU) on the night shift before moving to unit team. McDaniel’s most recent assignment was in the Classification Department as a Caseworker.
During her time with the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) McDaniel has been a valued member of the WVCF Emergency Squad and is a member of the IDOC Special Emergency Response Team (SERT). Elise McDaniel will put her Indiana State University Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education to good use, instructing staff in training. She’s been a familiar face there this past year as an adjunct instructor. “I’m thrilled to be moving into the training department full time,” McDaniel said, adding, “The best part of my positions as an officer, caseworker and member of emergency response has been teaching and training my fellow staff members.”
“Elise knows what it takes to work in the corrections business,” said Assistant Superintendent/Operations Frank Littlejohn. “She can back up everything she says and teaches and staff respect her mental and physical toughness,” he added.
All WVCF staff, including contractual (681 total), are required to attend annual training. McDaniel will begin her new assignment March 16.
Sen. Dan Coats not seeking re-election
Press release
WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.) today announced that he will not seek re-election in 2016:
“Today I am announcing that I will not seek re-election to the United States Senate. This was not an easy decision. While I believe I am well-positioned to run a successful campaign for another six-year term, I have concluded that the time has come to pass this demanding job to the next generation of leaders.
“Until the end of my Senate term, I pledge to my constituents that I will continue to focus all of my time and energy on the major challenges that Hoosiers sent me to Washington to address.
“I am grateful to God and to Hoosiers who allowed me to serve my state and my country. I am particularly thankful for the unqualified support of my wife Marsha and our family. Regarding this decision, they were 100 percent in favor of whatever choice I would make.
“Marsha and I look forward to continued engagement in Indiana in many other ways.”
From 1981 to 1999, Coats served in the United States Congress, first in the House of Representatives and then in the Senate. In keeping with a term-limits pledge he made to Hoosiers, Coats stepped down from his Senate seat in 1999.
In 2001, Coats was named U.S. Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, arriving in country only three days before the tragic events of September 11, 2001. As Ambassador, Coats played a critical role in establishing robust relations with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and in the construction of a new United States Embassy in the heart of Berlin.
Coats returned to the Senate in 2011 and currently serves on the Finance, Select Intelligence and Joint Economic Committees. Coats is chairman of the bicameral Joint Economic Committee.
Dan and Marsha Coats met in college and have three adult children and ten grandchildren.
(March 24)
Press release
WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.) today announced that he will not seek re-election in 2016:
“Today I am announcing that I will not seek re-election to the United States Senate. This was not an easy decision. While I believe I am well-positioned to run a successful campaign for another six-year term, I have concluded that the time has come to pass this demanding job to the next generation of leaders.
“Until the end of my Senate term, I pledge to my constituents that I will continue to focus all of my time and energy on the major challenges that Hoosiers sent me to Washington to address.
“I am grateful to God and to Hoosiers who allowed me to serve my state and my country. I am particularly thankful for the unqualified support of my wife Marsha and our family. Regarding this decision, they were 100 percent in favor of whatever choice I would make.
“Marsha and I look forward to continued engagement in Indiana in many other ways.”
From 1981 to 1999, Coats served in the United States Congress, first in the House of Representatives and then in the Senate. In keeping with a term-limits pledge he made to Hoosiers, Coats stepped down from his Senate seat in 1999.
In 2001, Coats was named U.S. Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, arriving in country only three days before the tragic events of September 11, 2001. As Ambassador, Coats played a critical role in establishing robust relations with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and in the construction of a new United States Embassy in the heart of Berlin.
Coats returned to the Senate in 2011 and currently serves on the Finance, Select Intelligence and Joint Economic Committees. Coats is chairman of the bicameral Joint Economic Committee.
Dan and Marsha Coats met in college and have three adult children and ten grandchildren.
(March 24)
Indiana State Spring Choral Showcase is March 27
The Indiana State University School of Music will present a Spring Choral Showcase Concert at 7:30 p.m. March 27 in the University Hall Theater, located in the Bayh College of Education building.
The concert will feature three Indiana State choral ensembles. The Concert Choir, under the direction of Scott Buchanan, will perform a diverse program of exciting repertoire that is both sacred and secular in nature. Composers include J.S. Bach, Dale Grotenhuis, Shawn Kirchner, Sydney Guillaume and Susan Brumfield. Angela Scherer will serve as the accompanist.
“This is going to be an exciting program, from the standpoint of diversity,” Buchanan said. “This may be the finest choir I have ever had here at ISU. The group is looking forward to performing “Tap-Tap,” a complex piece by Sydney Guillaume. Not only is it rhythmically challenging, but also it is sung in a Haitian Creole dialect, which makes it even more difficult. However, the students have truly enjoyed working on it. Combined with the rest of the music in their program, it should make for an exciting program.”
The Women’s Choir will also offer a diverse program including works by Paul Carey, Joan Szymko, Cynthia Gray and Francesco Tosti. They will also perform a piece that was composed by Nancy Cobb Lippens, the former director of the Indiana State School of Music. Colleen Davis will conduct, and Andrea Marlowe will serve as the accompanist.
The Sycamore Singers will open the concert with vocal jazz arrangements of by some of today’s better-known arrangers.
“Vocal jazz is becoming a very popular genre in today’s choral world,” Buchanan said. “This group is preparing for a 12-day concert tour in China coming up in May, and they are learning a lot of music. So, for this concert, we thought it best to open the program with a few jazz charts that we’ve done in past. A few up-tempo tunes and a couple of ballads make for a nice set.”
Buchanan also conducts the Sycamore Singers, and Angela Scherer is their accompanist.
The concert is free and open to the public.
The Indiana State University School of Music will present a Spring Choral Showcase Concert at 7:30 p.m. March 27 in the University Hall Theater, located in the Bayh College of Education building.
The concert will feature three Indiana State choral ensembles. The Concert Choir, under the direction of Scott Buchanan, will perform a diverse program of exciting repertoire that is both sacred and secular in nature. Composers include J.S. Bach, Dale Grotenhuis, Shawn Kirchner, Sydney Guillaume and Susan Brumfield. Angela Scherer will serve as the accompanist.
“This is going to be an exciting program, from the standpoint of diversity,” Buchanan said. “This may be the finest choir I have ever had here at ISU. The group is looking forward to performing “Tap-Tap,” a complex piece by Sydney Guillaume. Not only is it rhythmically challenging, but also it is sung in a Haitian Creole dialect, which makes it even more difficult. However, the students have truly enjoyed working on it. Combined with the rest of the music in their program, it should make for an exciting program.”
The Women’s Choir will also offer a diverse program including works by Paul Carey, Joan Szymko, Cynthia Gray and Francesco Tosti. They will also perform a piece that was composed by Nancy Cobb Lippens, the former director of the Indiana State School of Music. Colleen Davis will conduct, and Andrea Marlowe will serve as the accompanist.
The Sycamore Singers will open the concert with vocal jazz arrangements of by some of today’s better-known arrangers.
“Vocal jazz is becoming a very popular genre in today’s choral world,” Buchanan said. “This group is preparing for a 12-day concert tour in China coming up in May, and they are learning a lot of music. So, for this concert, we thought it best to open the program with a few jazz charts that we’ve done in past. A few up-tempo tunes and a couple of ballads make for a nice set.”
Buchanan also conducts the Sycamore Singers, and Angela Scherer is their accompanist.
The concert is free and open to the public.
Work Zone Awareness Week brings attention to safety
INDOT
WEST CENTRAL INDIANA – Governor Mike Pence is proclaiming March 23-27, 2015 as Work Zone Awareness Week in Indiana. Work Zone Awareness Week marks the ceremonial start to highway construction season and intends to draw awareness to motorist and worker safety.
More than $1.3 billion will be invested in construction projects to build and maintain Indiana’s highways in 2015. As INDOT increases its focus on preservation, drivers will see more work on existing state highway roads and bridges. INDOT’s goal is to maximize both the safety and mobility of motorists and workers while maintaining as much access as possible to businesses, residents and emergency services.
INDOT is dedicated to continuously improving work zone safety for workers and motorists. Last year, 11 people were killed and more than 600 people were injured in Indiana highway work zones. Most of these injuries and deaths are caused by rear-end collisions, following too closely or making improper lane changes.
Slow down and avoid distractions
Highway work zones leave no room for distractions and require attentive, cautious driving habits. Do not use cell phones while driving, especially in a work zone. Several studies show drivers using a phone are four times more likely to be in a crash. Other distractions, anything other than driving, can be just as dangerous.
Motorists face fines of up to $1000 for speeding, up to $5000 for driving recklessly or aggressively, and up to $10,000 and/or a prison sentence of up to eight years for injuring or killing a worker. These fines are used to fund additional Indiana State Police work zone patrols.
Pay attention to signs
Indiana State Police have 11 white pickup trucks patrolling in and around highway work zones across Indiana. The pickup trucks resemble typical vehicles normally seen in and around highway construction zones. Motorists are urged to comply with posted and reduced speed limits in construction zones to promote safety for the highway workers as well as the motoring public. Motorists that speed or drive recklessly may meet troopers driving the special pickup trucks or other police vehicles.
Know before you go
Motorists can learn about highway work zones and other traffic alerts at indot.carsprogram.org, 1-800-261-ROAD (7623) or 511 from a mobile phone. Information about projects and restrictions is also available at www.INDOT.IN.gov, by following INDOT on social media, and subscribing to receive INDOT email updates.
INDOT
WEST CENTRAL INDIANA – Governor Mike Pence is proclaiming March 23-27, 2015 as Work Zone Awareness Week in Indiana. Work Zone Awareness Week marks the ceremonial start to highway construction season and intends to draw awareness to motorist and worker safety.
More than $1.3 billion will be invested in construction projects to build and maintain Indiana’s highways in 2015. As INDOT increases its focus on preservation, drivers will see more work on existing state highway roads and bridges. INDOT’s goal is to maximize both the safety and mobility of motorists and workers while maintaining as much access as possible to businesses, residents and emergency services.
INDOT is dedicated to continuously improving work zone safety for workers and motorists. Last year, 11 people were killed and more than 600 people were injured in Indiana highway work zones. Most of these injuries and deaths are caused by rear-end collisions, following too closely or making improper lane changes.
Slow down and avoid distractions
Highway work zones leave no room for distractions and require attentive, cautious driving habits. Do not use cell phones while driving, especially in a work zone. Several studies show drivers using a phone are four times more likely to be in a crash. Other distractions, anything other than driving, can be just as dangerous.
Motorists face fines of up to $1000 for speeding, up to $5000 for driving recklessly or aggressively, and up to $10,000 and/or a prison sentence of up to eight years for injuring or killing a worker. These fines are used to fund additional Indiana State Police work zone patrols.
Pay attention to signs
Indiana State Police have 11 white pickup trucks patrolling in and around highway work zones across Indiana. The pickup trucks resemble typical vehicles normally seen in and around highway construction zones. Motorists are urged to comply with posted and reduced speed limits in construction zones to promote safety for the highway workers as well as the motoring public. Motorists that speed or drive recklessly may meet troopers driving the special pickup trucks or other police vehicles.
Know before you go
Motorists can learn about highway work zones and other traffic alerts at indot.carsprogram.org, 1-800-261-ROAD (7623) or 511 from a mobile phone. Information about projects and restrictions is also available at www.INDOT.IN.gov, by following INDOT on social media, and subscribing to receive INDOT email updates.
INDOT staff educates the public on work zone dangers
WEST CENTRAL, Ind. – Governor Michael R. Pence has proclaimed March 23-27 as Work Zone Awareness Week in Indiana. Work Zone Awareness Week marks the ceremonial start to highway construction season and aims to bring awareness to motorist and worker safety in work zones. The danger is real. Last year, 10 motorists were killed and more than 600 people were injured in Indiana highway work zone crashes.
INDOT’s West Central District will hold a public event on Friday, March 27, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the eastbound I-70 Clear Creek Welcome Center located near the one mile marker. The public will learn about the importance of staying alert in work zones and have the opportunity to meet INDOT staff.
For more information on work zone safety, visit workzonesafety.in.gov. Motorists can learn about highway work zones atwww.TrafficWise.IN.gov or by calling 1-800-261-ROAD (7623). Information about projects and restrictions are also available atwww.INDOT.IN.gov and by following INDOT on social media.
WEST CENTRAL, Ind. – Governor Michael R. Pence has proclaimed March 23-27 as Work Zone Awareness Week in Indiana. Work Zone Awareness Week marks the ceremonial start to highway construction season and aims to bring awareness to motorist and worker safety in work zones. The danger is real. Last year, 10 motorists were killed and more than 600 people were injured in Indiana highway work zone crashes.
INDOT’s West Central District will hold a public event on Friday, March 27, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the eastbound I-70 Clear Creek Welcome Center located near the one mile marker. The public will learn about the importance of staying alert in work zones and have the opportunity to meet INDOT staff.
For more information on work zone safety, visit workzonesafety.in.gov. Motorists can learn about highway work zones atwww.TrafficWise.IN.gov or by calling 1-800-261-ROAD (7623). Information about projects and restrictions are also available atwww.INDOT.IN.gov and by following INDOT on social media.
Women’s History programming includes speakers, movies, discussions
The Women’s History Month Colloquium at Indiana State University promises four days of packed programming March 24-27 at the university’s Cunningham Memorial Library.
The colloquium kicks off with a showing of the movie “She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry” at 6 p.m. March 24 in the events area of the library.
Dan Clark, associate professor of history at Indiana State, will talk about his research on women in the university’s early years during his presentation “Pioneer Professionals: Indiana State Normal School and Hoosier Women” at 6 p.m. March 25in the events area.
Jolynn Kuhlman, professor in the kinesiology, recreation and sport department at Indiana State, and Mildred Lemen, professor emerita, will present “Women’s Collegiate Athletics: Before and After Title IX,” including a special emphasis on Indiana State, at 6 p.m. March 26 in the events area.
Daytime sessions run according to university class times March 25-27, and sessions include guest lectures, film screenings and discussions.
The colloquium is sponsored by the following: the gender studies program, department of history and African and African-American studies, department of economics, Center for Community Engagement, American Democracy Project, College of Arts and Sciences, Feminist Majority, foundational studies program, department of criminology and criminal justice, Cunningham Memorial Library, College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services, interdisciplinary programs, office of the president.
A full program is available at http://www.indstate.edu/wmnstudy/; click on the Women’s History Month link on the sidebar.
The Women’s History Month Colloquium at Indiana State University promises four days of packed programming March 24-27 at the university’s Cunningham Memorial Library.
The colloquium kicks off with a showing of the movie “She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry” at 6 p.m. March 24 in the events area of the library.
Dan Clark, associate professor of history at Indiana State, will talk about his research on women in the university’s early years during his presentation “Pioneer Professionals: Indiana State Normal School and Hoosier Women” at 6 p.m. March 25in the events area.
Jolynn Kuhlman, professor in the kinesiology, recreation and sport department at Indiana State, and Mildred Lemen, professor emerita, will present “Women’s Collegiate Athletics: Before and After Title IX,” including a special emphasis on Indiana State, at 6 p.m. March 26 in the events area.
Daytime sessions run according to university class times March 25-27, and sessions include guest lectures, film screenings and discussions.
The colloquium is sponsored by the following: the gender studies program, department of history and African and African-American studies, department of economics, Center for Community Engagement, American Democracy Project, College of Arts and Sciences, Feminist Majority, foundational studies program, department of criminology and criminal justice, Cunningham Memorial Library, College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services, interdisciplinary programs, office of the president.
A full program is available at http://www.indstate.edu/wmnstudy/; click on the Women’s History Month link on the sidebar.
Star Parker
Activist Star Parker to speak at Indiana State March 25
Indiana State University
Nationally-known activist Star Parker will speak at Indiana State University March 25 as part of the 2014-15 University Speakers Series.
Parker is the founder and president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit think tank which promotes market based public policy to fight poverty. She will speak at 7 p.m. in Tilson Auditorium.
Before her involvement in social activism, Parker had seven years of first-hand experience in the grip of welfare dependency. Now, as a social policy consultant, she is bringing new energy to policy discussions on how to transition America's poor from government dependency. Her personal transformation from welfare dependent to conservative crusader has been chronicled by ABC’s “20/20,” “Readers Digest,” “Christianity Today,” “Charisma,” and “World” magazine.
Parker spoke at the 1996 Republican National Convention and was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress from California’s 37th District in 2010. She hosted a documentary on poverty with the BBC in London; she has debated Jesse Jackson on various headline issues; she fought for school choice on “Larry King Live;” she defended welfare reform on the “Oprah Winfrey Show;” and she debated healthcare reform against Michael Moore on ABC’s “The View” with host Barbara Walters.
Currently, Star is a regular commentator on CNN, TBN, CSPAN, CBN, and FOX News. Her articles and quotes continuously appear in major publications around the world. She has written three books: “Pimps, Whores & Welfare Brats,” “Uncle Sam's Plantation” and “White Ghetto: How Middle Class America Reflects Inner City Decay.”
She is a syndicated columnist for Scripps News Service with her commentary appearing weekly in more than 300 newspapers and internet news sites worldwide, including the Boston Herald, the Dallas Morning News, the Orange County Register, the Korean Times, the Washington Examiner, and Stars and Stripes.
Parker holds a Bachelor of Science in marketing and business from Woodbury University and has received numerous awards and commendations for her work on public policy issues. She consults with Republican legislators on numerous urban issues, lectures on anti-poverty initiatives at more than 180 colleges and universities and serves on advisory boards for several national organizations.
March 2015)
Indiana State University
Nationally-known activist Star Parker will speak at Indiana State University March 25 as part of the 2014-15 University Speakers Series.
Parker is the founder and president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit think tank which promotes market based public policy to fight poverty. She will speak at 7 p.m. in Tilson Auditorium.
Before her involvement in social activism, Parker had seven years of first-hand experience in the grip of welfare dependency. Now, as a social policy consultant, she is bringing new energy to policy discussions on how to transition America's poor from government dependency. Her personal transformation from welfare dependent to conservative crusader has been chronicled by ABC’s “20/20,” “Readers Digest,” “Christianity Today,” “Charisma,” and “World” magazine.
Parker spoke at the 1996 Republican National Convention and was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress from California’s 37th District in 2010. She hosted a documentary on poverty with the BBC in London; she has debated Jesse Jackson on various headline issues; she fought for school choice on “Larry King Live;” she defended welfare reform on the “Oprah Winfrey Show;” and she debated healthcare reform against Michael Moore on ABC’s “The View” with host Barbara Walters.
Currently, Star is a regular commentator on CNN, TBN, CSPAN, CBN, and FOX News. Her articles and quotes continuously appear in major publications around the world. She has written three books: “Pimps, Whores & Welfare Brats,” “Uncle Sam's Plantation” and “White Ghetto: How Middle Class America Reflects Inner City Decay.”
She is a syndicated columnist for Scripps News Service with her commentary appearing weekly in more than 300 newspapers and internet news sites worldwide, including the Boston Herald, the Dallas Morning News, the Orange County Register, the Korean Times, the Washington Examiner, and Stars and Stripes.
Parker holds a Bachelor of Science in marketing and business from Woodbury University and has received numerous awards and commendations for her work on public policy issues. She consults with Republican legislators on numerous urban issues, lectures on anti-poverty initiatives at more than 180 colleges and universities and serves on advisory boards for several national organizations.
March 2015)
ISP: Sobriety checkpoints Friday in Vigo County
Indiana State Police, Putnamville
Troopers from the Indiana State Police Putnamville District will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint during the late evening hours of Friday, March 20, 2015 in Vigo County. The checkpoint is in conjunction with the Operation Pull Over Period “Outside the Blitz “, which runs from January 1 through March 31St, 2015.
Drivers that encounter a checkpoint will be required to produce a valid license and registration. Motorists that are not impaired can expect only short delays of 2-3 minutes while passing through the checkpoint.
Remember to drive sober or use a designated driver and buckle-up.
Should you encounter a person suspected of driving impaired or fatigued, dial 911.
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The Indiana State Police are committed to traffic safety and will continue to conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints to apprehend impaired drivers and to deter others from drinking and driving.
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Griffin Bike Park gets grant
INDIANAPOLIS – First Lady Karen Pence awarded grants to 35 organizations from across Indiana today. According to a press release, Pence hosted a reception at the Governor’s Residence for 35 organizations and charities that serve Hoosier families and children across Indiana. Checks range from $500 to $1,000 in grant money from the Indiana First Lady’s Charitable Foundation.
Representatives from the following organizations were on hand to receive their award and recognition, including Vigo County’s Griffin Bike Park. The bike park is under construction in Fowler Park and is in memorial of Terre Haute native, Sgt. Dale Griffin, who died while serving in Afghanistan in 2009.
Complete list of recipients:
Griffin Bike Park www.griffinbikepark.com Vigo
Gary Youth Services Bureau http://www.gary.in.us/parks/youth.asp Lake
Purchased www.purchased.org Marion
Indiana Christian Academy Art Department www.indianachristianacademy.org Madison
Community Kitchen of Monroe Countywww.monroecommunitykitchen.com Monroe
Heartland Film www.heartlandfilm.org Marion
Another Chance Outreach Center www.anotherchanceoutreach.org Lake
Assistance League of Indianapoliswww.Alindy.org Marion
Teen Workswww.teenworks.orgMarion
The Carriage Housewww.fortwayneclubhouse.orgAllen
Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids Foundation, Inc.www.nwicancerkids.orgLake
School on Wheelswww.indyschoolonwheels.orgMarion
Fort Wayne Sexual Assault Treatment Centerwww.youspeakwelisten.orgAllen
Summit Equestrian Center (Allison Wheaton)www.summitequestrian.orgAllen
W.D. Richards Elementary School Music Program www.bcsc.k12.in.us//site/default.aspx? Bartholomew
Lawrence County Cancer Patient Services www.lawrencecountycancerpatientservices.org Lawrence
National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Indiana State Chapter www.nationalMSsociety.org/iniMarion
Lafayette Symphony, Inc.www.lafayettesymphony.orgTippecanoe
Crossroads CASA www.facebook.com/crossroadscasa Jasper
Kingsway Community Care Centerwww.kingswaycarecenter.orgHendricks
Brandon’s House Counseling Center, Inc.www.brandonshousein.comFloyd
Art of the Soul Studio www.artofthesoulstudio.com Marion
Metropolitan Youth Orchestra http://www.indianapolissymphony.org/education/myo.aspx Marion
IU Herron School of Art and Designwww.herron.iupui.eduMarionJoy’s Housewww.joyshouse.org Marion
Westminster Neighborhood Services, Inc.www.westmin.org Marion
Freewheelin’ Community Bikeshttp://freewheelinbikes.org Marion
Brooke’s Place for Grieving Young Peoplewww.brookesplace.orgMarion
Reins to Recovery, Inc.www.reinstorecovery.orgBartholomew
Starke County Youth Club, Inc.www.thescyc.org Starke
Family Centered Services, Inc. (FCS)http://www.fcs-inc.netWells
Michigan City Commission on the Social Status of African-American Males http://www.emichigancity.com/cityhall/boards/africanamerican/index.htm La Porte
Susie’s Place Child Advocacy Centers www.susiesplace.org Hendricks
Carel Associates, Inc.www.careledufoundation.org Hendricks
Camptown, Inc. www.camptown.net Marion
The Indiana First Lady’s Charitable Foundation is a 501 ( c ) (3). The First Lady receives no compensation. Donations are tax deductible. Learn more about how to make a donation or request a grant on the Foundation’s website at: www.IndianaFirstLadysCharitableFoundation.org
INDIANAPOLIS – First Lady Karen Pence awarded grants to 35 organizations from across Indiana today. According to a press release, Pence hosted a reception at the Governor’s Residence for 35 organizations and charities that serve Hoosier families and children across Indiana. Checks range from $500 to $1,000 in grant money from the Indiana First Lady’s Charitable Foundation.
Representatives from the following organizations were on hand to receive their award and recognition, including Vigo County’s Griffin Bike Park. The bike park is under construction in Fowler Park and is in memorial of Terre Haute native, Sgt. Dale Griffin, who died while serving in Afghanistan in 2009.
Complete list of recipients:
Griffin Bike Park www.griffinbikepark.com Vigo
Gary Youth Services Bureau http://www.gary.in.us/parks/youth.asp Lake
Purchased www.purchased.org Marion
Indiana Christian Academy Art Department www.indianachristianacademy.org Madison
Community Kitchen of Monroe Countywww.monroecommunitykitchen.com Monroe
Heartland Film www.heartlandfilm.org Marion
Another Chance Outreach Center www.anotherchanceoutreach.org Lake
Assistance League of Indianapoliswww.Alindy.org Marion
Teen Workswww.teenworks.orgMarion
The Carriage Housewww.fortwayneclubhouse.orgAllen
Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids Foundation, Inc.www.nwicancerkids.orgLake
School on Wheelswww.indyschoolonwheels.orgMarion
Fort Wayne Sexual Assault Treatment Centerwww.youspeakwelisten.orgAllen
Summit Equestrian Center (Allison Wheaton)www.summitequestrian.orgAllen
W.D. Richards Elementary School Music Program www.bcsc.k12.in.us//site/default.aspx? Bartholomew
Lawrence County Cancer Patient Services www.lawrencecountycancerpatientservices.org Lawrence
National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Indiana State Chapter www.nationalMSsociety.org/iniMarion
Lafayette Symphony, Inc.www.lafayettesymphony.orgTippecanoe
Crossroads CASA www.facebook.com/crossroadscasa Jasper
Kingsway Community Care Centerwww.kingswaycarecenter.orgHendricks
Brandon’s House Counseling Center, Inc.www.brandonshousein.comFloyd
Art of the Soul Studio www.artofthesoulstudio.com Marion
Metropolitan Youth Orchestra http://www.indianapolissymphony.org/education/myo.aspx Marion
IU Herron School of Art and Designwww.herron.iupui.eduMarionJoy’s Housewww.joyshouse.org Marion
Westminster Neighborhood Services, Inc.www.westmin.org Marion
Freewheelin’ Community Bikeshttp://freewheelinbikes.org Marion
Brooke’s Place for Grieving Young Peoplewww.brookesplace.orgMarion
Reins to Recovery, Inc.www.reinstorecovery.orgBartholomew
Starke County Youth Club, Inc.www.thescyc.org Starke
Family Centered Services, Inc. (FCS)http://www.fcs-inc.netWells
Michigan City Commission on the Social Status of African-American Males http://www.emichigancity.com/cityhall/boards/africanamerican/index.htm La Porte
Susie’s Place Child Advocacy Centers www.susiesplace.org Hendricks
Carel Associates, Inc.www.careledufoundation.org Hendricks
Camptown, Inc. www.camptown.net Marion
The Indiana First Lady’s Charitable Foundation is a 501 ( c ) (3). The First Lady receives no compensation. Donations are tax deductible. Learn more about how to make a donation or request a grant on the Foundation’s website at: www.IndianaFirstLadysCharitableFoundation.org
DNR
Changing lives, one arrow at a time
Tournament March 14
The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) continues to grow in Indiana. Over 330 schools have the NASP program as part of the curriculum. The program is affecting approximately 50,000 students annually.
The DNR Law Enforcement Division has certified over 1200 teachers as instructors in the NASP program. The Division is working with schools across the state with the ambitious goal of adding a minimum of 45 schools a year. Students participate by shooting a Genesis compound bow at an international competition scoring target. The program has shown results of improving student attendance, attitude, behavior, and overall learning experience. It teaches the students to be safe, courteous, and sportsmanship as well as other life skills.
Students are given an opportunity to join competitive archery teams to represent their schools at tournaments across the state. In January, qualifiers were held to obtain an invitation to the state tournament. While not all the teams qualify for this event, the lessons the program is designed to teach will be achieved by everyone who participates in the program at any level.
“NASP has created an opportunity for anyone to join a team and compete at all levels. While the program has incorporated some competition, the main focus is to teach life skills that can be used in everyday situations”, said Outdoor Education Lt. Larry Morrison. “Archery teaches concentration, poise, relaxation and commitment to practice, which translates to a better student in the classroom”.
“2068 competitive shooters representing 101 qualifying schools statewide will be competing at this year’s State NASP tournament”, said Outdoor Education Coordinator Chris Clark.
The Indiana State NASP tournament will be held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Blue Ribbon and Champions Pavilion on March 14, beginning at 7:30 a,m. An additional 3-D tournament will be held throughout the day for any registered participant of the NASP tournament.
For more information visit the Indiana NASP website: http://indiananasp.com/
Tournament March 14
The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) continues to grow in Indiana. Over 330 schools have the NASP program as part of the curriculum. The program is affecting approximately 50,000 students annually.
The DNR Law Enforcement Division has certified over 1200 teachers as instructors in the NASP program. The Division is working with schools across the state with the ambitious goal of adding a minimum of 45 schools a year. Students participate by shooting a Genesis compound bow at an international competition scoring target. The program has shown results of improving student attendance, attitude, behavior, and overall learning experience. It teaches the students to be safe, courteous, and sportsmanship as well as other life skills.
Students are given an opportunity to join competitive archery teams to represent their schools at tournaments across the state. In January, qualifiers were held to obtain an invitation to the state tournament. While not all the teams qualify for this event, the lessons the program is designed to teach will be achieved by everyone who participates in the program at any level.
“NASP has created an opportunity for anyone to join a team and compete at all levels. While the program has incorporated some competition, the main focus is to teach life skills that can be used in everyday situations”, said Outdoor Education Lt. Larry Morrison. “Archery teaches concentration, poise, relaxation and commitment to practice, which translates to a better student in the classroom”.
“2068 competitive shooters representing 101 qualifying schools statewide will be competing at this year’s State NASP tournament”, said Outdoor Education Coordinator Chris Clark.
The Indiana State NASP tournament will be held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Blue Ribbon and Champions Pavilion on March 14, beginning at 7:30 a,m. An additional 3-D tournament will be held throughout the day for any registered participant of the NASP tournament.
For more information visit the Indiana NASP website: http://indiananasp.com/
“Miss Julie” tackles race in battle-of-the-sexes play March 5-8
By Libby Roerig, Indiana State University
The rhythmic pulses of African drumming are heard in the distance, as the warmth of a roaring fire on a cold Christmastime night, with flickering candlelight, beckons the audience to a powerful psychological drama around forbidden love.
While this description may seem like the scene from a romance novel, it’s the setting for the Indiana State University theater department’s production of “Miss Julie.”
The story is an inevitable affair that is strictly forbidden: It’s 1799 on a plantation in Virginia, and the lovers are a white mistress and the head domestic slave.
The classic naturalistic play by Sweden’s August Strindberg — originally written in 1888 about a relationship between a man and a woman from different social classes — inspired generations of American 20th century playwrights including Tennessee Williams, Eugene O’Neill, Edward Albee and now Arthur Feinsod, professor of theater at Indiana State.
“I’ve always loved the play. I enjoyed teaching it. And I always thought, if I ever did it, it should take place in America and involve race,” he said.
More than just adding the race issue, Feinsod adapted the original with this new time and place, adding every imaginable layer of tension. It’s set just before the turn of a new century, one that holds hope for the enslaved. It’s set in a time just prior to the first American slave rebellions and just before Christmas.
“Christmas was a time when, according to my research, rebellious feelings among slaves were stirred up. More escape attempts, more rebellion attempts occurred around Christmastime than any other time during the year,” he said.
In accordance with naturalist theory, all factors make the affair in the play inevitable, including the fact the plantation owner is away meeting with tobacco buyers in Richmond. But other factors contribute to the affair: the light in the room, the celebratory atmosphere on the plantation, the sound of African drumming and the strong attraction between a man who sees himself on the rise and a woman who sees herself as falling.
“It becomes a complex and interesting situation — both the attraction to the other, the attraction to someone who has either more power or less power than you and how that enters into relationships. Once the line’s been crossed, there’s no turning back for the couple. While their futures are now intertwined, their skin is metaphorically peeled away to expose the nerve endings,” Feinsod said.
“Julie feels ashamed, she feels the consequences — there might be a pregnancy. Jean knows he will be whipped, perhaps even hung. They want to run away so Jean can realize his dream of being a free man in Philadelphia, but how can a black fugitive slave and a white woman run away together in Virginia in 1799? The stakes are literally life and death.”
Kristin, the plantation’s cook and Jean’s fellow-slave girlfriend, finds out and disapproves and will do anything to stop it.
“Strindberg creates on stage an electric field of tensions, looks, what later would be called subtext — the actor thinking about something other than what he’s saying,” Feinsod said. “It’s a palpable minefield on stage. For an audience, it’s mesmerizing. You don’t know what to expect next; you’re caught off guard by all the switches.”
Despite the challenging material, the cast — sophomore Nicole Hill as Miss Julie, senior Rashad Ellis as Jean and freshman Ally Miles as Kristin — is doing a great job, said Feinsod, who is also the director.
“It’s hugely challenging for the actors to play,” he said. “At one moment, you’re attracted to somebody so much so you want to sleep with them, then the next, you hate them and just want to say the thing that’s most painful and damaging to them.”
Strindberg was married three times and experienced his own tumultuous relationships. He understood human relationships and had the guts to investigate them through his plays, Feinsod said.
“For Jean and Julie, it’s all these layers of conflict — of attraction, of hatred,” he said. “It’s about love-hate relations; you’re attracted to someone who will destroy you. And you’re attracted partly because they can destroy you, a concept Freud would make great sense of in the next century.”
This adaptation calls for dancers and drummers, slaves in Virginia who are close enough to their African roots to want to play the music of their motherland while the forbidding master is away. This element of the production is made possible by a close collaboration with the Community School of the Arts and the Center for Global Engagement.
Played without an intermission, “Miss Julie” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. March 5-7 and 4 p.m. March 8 at Indiana State’s Dreiser Theater. Tickets are $10 (or free with a valid student ID) and are on sale noon-4:30 p.m. March 2-6 in the New Theater lobby, 536 S. 7th St.
(Feb.25)
By Libby Roerig, Indiana State University
The rhythmic pulses of African drumming are heard in the distance, as the warmth of a roaring fire on a cold Christmastime night, with flickering candlelight, beckons the audience to a powerful psychological drama around forbidden love.
While this description may seem like the scene from a romance novel, it’s the setting for the Indiana State University theater department’s production of “Miss Julie.”
The story is an inevitable affair that is strictly forbidden: It’s 1799 on a plantation in Virginia, and the lovers are a white mistress and the head domestic slave.
The classic naturalistic play by Sweden’s August Strindberg — originally written in 1888 about a relationship between a man and a woman from different social classes — inspired generations of American 20th century playwrights including Tennessee Williams, Eugene O’Neill, Edward Albee and now Arthur Feinsod, professor of theater at Indiana State.
“I’ve always loved the play. I enjoyed teaching it. And I always thought, if I ever did it, it should take place in America and involve race,” he said.
More than just adding the race issue, Feinsod adapted the original with this new time and place, adding every imaginable layer of tension. It’s set just before the turn of a new century, one that holds hope for the enslaved. It’s set in a time just prior to the first American slave rebellions and just before Christmas.
“Christmas was a time when, according to my research, rebellious feelings among slaves were stirred up. More escape attempts, more rebellion attempts occurred around Christmastime than any other time during the year,” he said.
In accordance with naturalist theory, all factors make the affair in the play inevitable, including the fact the plantation owner is away meeting with tobacco buyers in Richmond. But other factors contribute to the affair: the light in the room, the celebratory atmosphere on the plantation, the sound of African drumming and the strong attraction between a man who sees himself on the rise and a woman who sees herself as falling.
“It becomes a complex and interesting situation — both the attraction to the other, the attraction to someone who has either more power or less power than you and how that enters into relationships. Once the line’s been crossed, there’s no turning back for the couple. While their futures are now intertwined, their skin is metaphorically peeled away to expose the nerve endings,” Feinsod said.
“Julie feels ashamed, she feels the consequences — there might be a pregnancy. Jean knows he will be whipped, perhaps even hung. They want to run away so Jean can realize his dream of being a free man in Philadelphia, but how can a black fugitive slave and a white woman run away together in Virginia in 1799? The stakes are literally life and death.”
Kristin, the plantation’s cook and Jean’s fellow-slave girlfriend, finds out and disapproves and will do anything to stop it.
“Strindberg creates on stage an electric field of tensions, looks, what later would be called subtext — the actor thinking about something other than what he’s saying,” Feinsod said. “It’s a palpable minefield on stage. For an audience, it’s mesmerizing. You don’t know what to expect next; you’re caught off guard by all the switches.”
Despite the challenging material, the cast — sophomore Nicole Hill as Miss Julie, senior Rashad Ellis as Jean and freshman Ally Miles as Kristin — is doing a great job, said Feinsod, who is also the director.
“It’s hugely challenging for the actors to play,” he said. “At one moment, you’re attracted to somebody so much so you want to sleep with them, then the next, you hate them and just want to say the thing that’s most painful and damaging to them.”
Strindberg was married three times and experienced his own tumultuous relationships. He understood human relationships and had the guts to investigate them through his plays, Feinsod said.
“For Jean and Julie, it’s all these layers of conflict — of attraction, of hatred,” he said. “It’s about love-hate relations; you’re attracted to someone who will destroy you. And you’re attracted partly because they can destroy you, a concept Freud would make great sense of in the next century.”
This adaptation calls for dancers and drummers, slaves in Virginia who are close enough to their African roots to want to play the music of their motherland while the forbidding master is away. This element of the production is made possible by a close collaboration with the Community School of the Arts and the Center for Global Engagement.
Played without an intermission, “Miss Julie” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. March 5-7 and 4 p.m. March 8 at Indiana State’s Dreiser Theater. Tickets are $10 (or free with a valid student ID) and are on sale noon-4:30 p.m. March 2-6 in the New Theater lobby, 536 S. 7th St.
(Feb.25)
Indiana State’s Masterworks Chorale to perform April 26
The Indiana State University School of Music Student Ensemble Series will present the Masterworks Chorale in concert 4 p.m. April 26 in Tilson Auditorium.
The 55-member Masterworks Chorale will perform “Regina Coeli” (“K.108”) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and “Requiem” by John Rutter, both works composed for soprano soloist, choir and chamber orchestra. The latter will consist of varying combinations of strings, winds, percussion and keyboard, and the program will be conducted by Mark Carlisle, associate professor in the School of Music.
Featured soprano soloist for both works will be Indiana State alumna and former President’s Scholar Anna Buck, who is a graduate student at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.
“Regina Coeli” (“Queen of Heaven”) is an ancient Latin Marian Hymn of the Catholic Church. It is one of the four seasonal Marian antiphons of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is sung or recited in place of the Angelus during the Easter season. Musical settings include one each by Jean-Baptiste Lully and Johannes Brahms, as well as three by the young Mozart. The setting for this program, “K.108,” is Mozart’s first and is a four-movement concertante work that reflects the brilliance of Italian symphonic writing and the virtuosity of Italian opera.
“Requiem” by John Rutter is a musical setting of parts of the Latin Requiem, with added psalms in English and completed in 1985. The work is divided into seven movements, the first of which includes the Introit from the “Requiem” (“Requiem aeternam”) and the “Kyrie.” The second movement, entitled “Out of the deep,” is based on Psalm 130, commonly used during Anglican funerals. Movement three, the motet “Pie Jesu,” is essentially a soprano solo with light orchestral and choral accompaniment. The fourth movement, “Sanctus” (with Benedictus), is characteristically bright, lively and exclamatory. Movement five is the “Agnus dei” of the “Requiem” and the sixth movement is Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd,” a setting originally composed in 1976 as a separate anthem. The last movement of the work, “Lux aeterna,” includes words from the 1662 “Book of Common Prayer” Burial Service (slightly altered) and the communion chant from “Requiem.” English translations to the Latin, at times, were provided by John Rutter.
This performance is dedicated to the memory of those who died over the past year and were well known, beloved and especially significant to members of the choir and the community. Their names will be listed in the program.
The event is open to the public. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $5 for non-Indiana State students and free for Indiana State students with a student I.D. and children under the age of 10. Tickets are available at the door or by calling the School of Music at 812-237-2771.
Tilson Auditorium is located in Tirey Hall on the Indiana State campus.
Symphonic, Concert Band to perform April 21
Indiana State University’s Symphonic Band and Concert Band will perform works of several modern composers at 7:30 p.m. April 21 in Tilson Auditorium.
The concert, conducted by Nikki Gross and Roby George, will feature the music of several modern composers of wind music, including Robert Russell Bennett’s famous “Suite of Old American Dances.”
The event is free and open to the public.
Work with Syrian children in refugee camps topic of keynote Community Semester event April 23
“Seen for Syria” is the keynote and closing event for Indiana State University’s Community Semester, 4-6 p.m. April 23 at St. Stephens Episcopal Church.
Symphonic, Concert Band to perform April 21
Indiana State University’s Symphonic Band and Concert Band will perform works of several modern composers at 7:30 p.m. April 21 in Tilson Auditorium.
The concert, conducted by Nikki Gross and Roby George, will feature the music of several modern composers of wind music, including Robert Russell Bennett’s famous “Suite of Old American Dances.”
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call the School of Music at 812-237-2771.
Indiana State Wind Orchestra to perform April 23
Indiana State University’s Wind Orchestra will perform music inspired by keyboard works at 7:30 p.m. April 23 in Tilson Auditorium.
The highlights include the famous Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D minor,” arranged for band and Igor Stravinsky’s “Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments.” The concerto is being performed by Indiana State’s sensational young pianist Nathaniel Canfield. Roby George is conductor.
The event is free and open to the public.
Digital Noise 2.5
The Turman Art Gallery at Indiana State University presents “Digital Noise 2.5: Digital Art Student Exhibition 2015” March 30-April 14.
The exhibition features the emerging talents of undergraduate and graduate visual art students enrolled in the Introduction to Digital Art, Intermediate Digital Art, Advanced Digital Art classes taught by Sala Wong, associate professor in the department of art and design at the Indiana State.
Participating student artists are Grace Adams, Sam Barnes, Tyler Brown, Veronica Collazo, Shayla Fish, Xirui Fu, ’14, Stetson Hennington, Nikki Jones, Joshua Lewis, Alexis McNeil, Paul Miller, Kindal Mohr, Stefan Munsey, Annie Newkirk, Clarissa Rawlings, Nicole Regnier, Tanner Robinson, Ian Simoneaux, Corey Stewart, Brittany Thayer, Maria Verduzco and Marissa Wehner.
The artists will be present at the opening reception 4:30-6:30 p.m.April 2. The public is invited to help celebrate the students’ work that includes digital animation, multi-channel video installation, digital cinema and sound art. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
The Turman Art Gallery is located on the Indiana State campus in the Fine Arts Building on Chestnut Street, just west of 7th Street. Gallery hours for this exhibition are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. For more information, call 812-237-3720.
Honest Abe Roofing hosts special event to meet Lincoln impersonator
Meet Michael Krebs, Lincoln impersonator will be at the Terre Haute location of Honest Abe Roofing at 1420 Washington Avenue. The event is free and open to the public at 5 p.m. April 14.
Job Fair
Where: Ivy Tech Community College
8000 S. Education Drive
Terre Haute, Indiana
When: Thursday April 16, 2015 at 10:30a.m.-1:00p.m
University Orchestra to present “An American in Paris” April 9
The Indiana State University Orchestra will perform “An American in Paris: A Four City Tour” 7:30 p.m. April 9 in Tilson Auditorium.
The program is based loosely off the theme of traveling to four cities: Nurnberg, Salzburg, New York and Paris. The repertoire includes Wagner’s Overture to “Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg,” Mozart’s “Concerto for Two Pianos in E-flat,” Bernstein’s “Three Dances” from “On the Town” and Gershwin’s “An American in Paris.”
The concert, which is free and open to the public, will also feature School of Music faculty members Beverley Simms and Martha Krasnican as piano soloists. Erik Rohde, director of string activities at Indiana State, is the conductor.
For more information, call the Indiana State School of Music at 812-237-2771.
Opera Theater Workshop to perform April 10-11
The Indiana State University Opera and Music Theater Workshop will present an “Evening of Scenes” 7:30 p.m. April 10 and 11 the recital hall of the Landini Center for the Performing and Fine Arts.
The first half of the program will include scenes from Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” and “Cosi fan tutte” and Johann Strauss’ comic operetta “Die Fledermaus.” The second half will be made up of music theater scenes from popular shows of recent decades, including “Miss Siagon,” “Little Women,” “Closer than Ever,” “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” “Rent,” “Jekyll and Hyde” and Steven Sondheim’s “Company.”
This year’s ensemble consists of 10 select music vocal music majors: music performance, music education and music business students, both graduates and undergraduates, are all participants.
The Indiana State theater department supports the “Evening of Scenes” with the loan of costumes, stage properties and small set pieces. Theater student Nathan Kasper is the costume coordinator for the opera scenes portion of the program.
The musical staff includes Mark Carlisle, music director, and Larysa Tudorica, collaborative pianist. Colleen Davis serves as stage director, assisted by graduate assistant Marcel Ramalho de Mello, who is stage director of scenes in both opera and music theater portions as a part of an Independent Study in stage direction.
The Opera Theater Workshop is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Indiana State School of Music at 812-237-2771.
Race in the Media
“Race in the Media: Covering Racial Unrest in Contemporary News” panel is Thursday 5:30 p.m. April 2 at Vigo County Public LibraryMedia coverage of racial issues and racial unrest has long been fraught with controversy. Recent coverage of the shootings of unarmed African Americans and of the protests that have followed has prompted a national discussion about journalists’ role in the public discourse about race. The panelists will discuss public reaction to media coverage of these issues and will address how the media can report on race responsibly.This event is part of Indiana State University’s Community Semester, which runs throughMay 6. For a complete schedule, go to http://www.indstate.edu/cas/communitysemester/.
President, CEO of Holiday World next Scott College of Business Leader In Action
Matt Eckert, President and CEO of Holiday World & Splashin' Safari and a 1996 graduate of Indiana State in accounting and insurance and risk management, will be visiting the Scott College of Business as the next Leader In Action April 6-8.
“Our Leader In Action program was launched in 2007 in conjunction with our financial services programs being named an ISU Program of National Distinction,” said Maria Greninger, Director of External Relations for the Scott College of Business. “Each year, top-level executives from near and far come to share their time and talents with our students and the community. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”
Eckert has been with Holiday World, which employs more than 2,000 people, for more than 15 years. The organization has been recognized as a world leader in the industry. Prior to joining Holiday World, Eckert was a senior auditor with Arthur Andersen in Indianapolis. He serves on the Dean's Executive Council for the Scott College of Business and is a Certified Public Accountant.
As part of his multi-day visit, Eckert will be engaging Scott College students and the community on a range of topics in marketing, management and accounting. The theme for his free Campus and Community Luncheon is "Tourism in Indiana: A Wild Ride." The event starts with a reception from 11:30 to noon, followed by a buffet lunch and Eckert’s presentation. The luncheon is free and open to the public.
During his stay in Terre Haute, Eckert also will be speaking to the South Rotary Club at the Holiday Inn on Tuesday, April 7, at noon. He also will speak to a variety of classes, meet with student organizations and will host roundtables with student groups.
To get more information or to register for the free Campus and Community Luncheon (space is limited) on Wednesday, April 8, please visit the Scott College of Business’ Leader In Action web site at www.indstate.edu/business/leader or contact Maria Greninger in the dean’s office at (812) 237-4357 or at Maria.Greninger@indstate.edu.
Faculty Brass Quintet to perform March 30
The Indiana State University Faculty Brass Quintet will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. March 30 in the recital hall of the Landini Center for the Performing and Fine Arts.
Performers include Eddie Ludema, trumpet, Blake Reynolds, trumpet, Brian Kilp, horn, Randy Mitchell, trombone, and Glen Dimick, tuba.
The program will feature selections such as “Animal Ditties” by Anthony Plog, which has 10 short movements for narrator and quintet with each movement depicting a different animal in music and clever narration, “Satin Doll” by Duke Ellington, “Foliations” by Jan Bach, which presents a theme with many unusual variations that the audience is involved in picking the order.
Indiana State’s Faculty Brass Quintet plays a high school concert tour each fall and performs a concert on campus each spring. In addition to these performances, the group also performs for campus events and in the local community.
Members of the quintet play in the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra, the Danville, Illinois Symphony Orchestra and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
Concerto/Aria Competition Recital set for March 29
Finalists in the Indiana State University School of Music’s annual Paul W. Hagan Concerto/Aria Competition will perform a recital 2 p.m. March 29 in the recital hall of the Landini Center for Performing and Fine Arts.
As many as three of the finalists will be selected to perform as soloists with the symphony orchestra or the wind orchestra during the 2015-16 academic year. The competing students are from all areas in the School of Music — wind, brass, string, piano, voice and percussion — and are undergraduate and graduate students.
Off-campus adjudicators are Davis Brooks of Butler University and Leon Harshenin and Christopher Bade of Taylor University. Results will be announced soon after the recital.
The event is sponsored by the School of Music as part of the school’s performance opportunities and has been supported by the late Paul W. Hagan, who generously provided a cash stipend for the winners.
Third Wheel brass trio to perform March 26
The Indiana State University School of Music will present a recital featuring the Third Wheel brass trio at 7:30 p.m. March 26 in the recital hall of the Landini Center for Performing and Fine Arts.
Dedicated to exploring color and style beyond the expected in brass repertoire, Third Wheel promises an exciting afternoon of chamber music and will perform works of Frigyes Hidas, Roger Kellaway, John Stevens and Eric Ewazen.
Members include professor of horn at Valparaiso University Ericka Grodrian, trombonist John Grodrian of Chicago’s Gargoyle Brass and TromboTeam!, and Indiana State instructor of tuba Glen Dimick. They will be joined by pianist Martha Krasnican.
The concert is free and open to the public.
Recycle Center to offer TV collection March 28
The Indiana State University Recycle Center has partnered with RecycleForce to offer a one-day collection of televisions for recycling. The collection will be limited to 8 a.m. to noon on March 9 and there will be a $10 charge for each TV.
The Recycle Center is located at 449 N. Ninth Street.
Cracker Barrell at the Library, Rally for Education planned
Cracker Barrel session will be on the main floor of the Vigo County Public Library at 10 a.m. March 14. A rally for public education is planned at 9 a.m.
Ag Day March 7
Annual Sullivan County Ag Day March 7 at the Sullivan County 4-H Fairgrounds in Sullivan, IN, from 6:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Pancake and Sausage breakfast, tractor pull and over 60 various community displays.
Paul Bro, Scotty Stepp and friends to perform March 9
Paul Bro and Scotty Stepp will perform as part of the Indiana State University Faculty Artist Series at7:30 p.m. March 9 in the recital hall of the Landini Center for Performing and Fine Arts.
The recital, which is free and open to the public, will feature compositions by Scott Perkins, John Anthony Lennon, Balee Pongklad, David Asher Brown, Benjamin Taylor, Ennio Morricone and Carter Pann. Collaborating guest musicians include Martha Krasnican (piano), Erik Rohde (violin), Sam Fritz (saxophone), Erika Stepp (saxophone), Nathan Spellman (percussion) and Nick Olson (percussion).
Bro, who is also the director of Indiana State’s School of Music, has performed throughout the United States and Canada, as well as in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, and Thailand. He is a member of the Chicago Saxophone Quartet, the Solaire Saxophone Quartet and the Bro-Fowler Duo.
Stepp has performed throughout the United States, Europe and China. Notable performances include those at the United States Embassy in Paris, France, and as a selected performer at the German-American Fulbright Program’s 50th anniversary conference in Berlin, Germany.
The Landini Center is located at 200 N. 7th St., Terre Haute.
Violinist, pianist concert rescheduled for March 12
Violinist Sharilyn Spicknall and pianist Eugenio Urrutia-Borlando will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. March 12 in the recital hall of the Landini Center for Performing and Fine Arts at Indiana State University.
The program, which is free and open to the public, will include musical works by Bach, Beethoven, Szymanowski and Korngold.
This performance was rescheduled from its original date on March 1 because of inclement weather.
The recital hall is located on the southwest corner of 7th and Chestnut streets in Terre Haute.
Cello alumnus to perform Wednesday
Indiana State University School of Music alumnus Christian Schrock will perform a cello recital at 7:30 p.m. March 25 in the recital hall of the Landini Center for Performing and Fine Arts.
The concert will feature two works, “Suite for Solo Cello in Eb Major” by Johann Sebastian Bach and “Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 66,” by Nikolai Miaskovsky.
Schrock, who is pursuing a doctorate at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, will be accompanied by pianist Jih-Ting Chen.
The program is free and open to the public.
(March 23)
The Indiana State University School of Music Student Ensemble Series will present the Masterworks Chorale in concert 4 p.m. April 26 in Tilson Auditorium.
The 55-member Masterworks Chorale will perform “Regina Coeli” (“K.108”) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and “Requiem” by John Rutter, both works composed for soprano soloist, choir and chamber orchestra. The latter will consist of varying combinations of strings, winds, percussion and keyboard, and the program will be conducted by Mark Carlisle, associate professor in the School of Music.
Featured soprano soloist for both works will be Indiana State alumna and former President’s Scholar Anna Buck, who is a graduate student at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.
“Regina Coeli” (“Queen of Heaven”) is an ancient Latin Marian Hymn of the Catholic Church. It is one of the four seasonal Marian antiphons of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is sung or recited in place of the Angelus during the Easter season. Musical settings include one each by Jean-Baptiste Lully and Johannes Brahms, as well as three by the young Mozart. The setting for this program, “K.108,” is Mozart’s first and is a four-movement concertante work that reflects the brilliance of Italian symphonic writing and the virtuosity of Italian opera.
“Requiem” by John Rutter is a musical setting of parts of the Latin Requiem, with added psalms in English and completed in 1985. The work is divided into seven movements, the first of which includes the Introit from the “Requiem” (“Requiem aeternam”) and the “Kyrie.” The second movement, entitled “Out of the deep,” is based on Psalm 130, commonly used during Anglican funerals. Movement three, the motet “Pie Jesu,” is essentially a soprano solo with light orchestral and choral accompaniment. The fourth movement, “Sanctus” (with Benedictus), is characteristically bright, lively and exclamatory. Movement five is the “Agnus dei” of the “Requiem” and the sixth movement is Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd,” a setting originally composed in 1976 as a separate anthem. The last movement of the work, “Lux aeterna,” includes words from the 1662 “Book of Common Prayer” Burial Service (slightly altered) and the communion chant from “Requiem.” English translations to the Latin, at times, were provided by John Rutter.
This performance is dedicated to the memory of those who died over the past year and were well known, beloved and especially significant to members of the choir and the community. Their names will be listed in the program.
The event is open to the public. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $5 for non-Indiana State students and free for Indiana State students with a student I.D. and children under the age of 10. Tickets are available at the door or by calling the School of Music at 812-237-2771.
Tilson Auditorium is located in Tirey Hall on the Indiana State campus.
Symphonic, Concert Band to perform April 21
Indiana State University’s Symphonic Band and Concert Band will perform works of several modern composers at 7:30 p.m. April 21 in Tilson Auditorium.
The concert, conducted by Nikki Gross and Roby George, will feature the music of several modern composers of wind music, including Robert Russell Bennett’s famous “Suite of Old American Dances.”
The event is free and open to the public.
Work with Syrian children in refugee camps topic of keynote Community Semester event April 23
“Seen for Syria” is the keynote and closing event for Indiana State University’s Community Semester, 4-6 p.m. April 23 at St. Stephens Episcopal Church.
Symphonic, Concert Band to perform April 21
Indiana State University’s Symphonic Band and Concert Band will perform works of several modern composers at 7:30 p.m. April 21 in Tilson Auditorium.
The concert, conducted by Nikki Gross and Roby George, will feature the music of several modern composers of wind music, including Robert Russell Bennett’s famous “Suite of Old American Dances.”
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call the School of Music at 812-237-2771.
Indiana State Wind Orchestra to perform April 23
Indiana State University’s Wind Orchestra will perform music inspired by keyboard works at 7:30 p.m. April 23 in Tilson Auditorium.
The highlights include the famous Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D minor,” arranged for band and Igor Stravinsky’s “Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments.” The concerto is being performed by Indiana State’s sensational young pianist Nathaniel Canfield. Roby George is conductor.
The event is free and open to the public.
Digital Noise 2.5
The Turman Art Gallery at Indiana State University presents “Digital Noise 2.5: Digital Art Student Exhibition 2015” March 30-April 14.
The exhibition features the emerging talents of undergraduate and graduate visual art students enrolled in the Introduction to Digital Art, Intermediate Digital Art, Advanced Digital Art classes taught by Sala Wong, associate professor in the department of art and design at the Indiana State.
Participating student artists are Grace Adams, Sam Barnes, Tyler Brown, Veronica Collazo, Shayla Fish, Xirui Fu, ’14, Stetson Hennington, Nikki Jones, Joshua Lewis, Alexis McNeil, Paul Miller, Kindal Mohr, Stefan Munsey, Annie Newkirk, Clarissa Rawlings, Nicole Regnier, Tanner Robinson, Ian Simoneaux, Corey Stewart, Brittany Thayer, Maria Verduzco and Marissa Wehner.
The artists will be present at the opening reception 4:30-6:30 p.m.April 2. The public is invited to help celebrate the students’ work that includes digital animation, multi-channel video installation, digital cinema and sound art. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
The Turman Art Gallery is located on the Indiana State campus in the Fine Arts Building on Chestnut Street, just west of 7th Street. Gallery hours for this exhibition are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. For more information, call 812-237-3720.
Honest Abe Roofing hosts special event to meet Lincoln impersonator
Meet Michael Krebs, Lincoln impersonator will be at the Terre Haute location of Honest Abe Roofing at 1420 Washington Avenue. The event is free and open to the public at 5 p.m. April 14.
Job Fair
Where: Ivy Tech Community College
8000 S. Education Drive
Terre Haute, Indiana
When: Thursday April 16, 2015 at 10:30a.m.-1:00p.m
University Orchestra to present “An American in Paris” April 9
The Indiana State University Orchestra will perform “An American in Paris: A Four City Tour” 7:30 p.m. April 9 in Tilson Auditorium.
The program is based loosely off the theme of traveling to four cities: Nurnberg, Salzburg, New York and Paris. The repertoire includes Wagner’s Overture to “Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg,” Mozart’s “Concerto for Two Pianos in E-flat,” Bernstein’s “Three Dances” from “On the Town” and Gershwin’s “An American in Paris.”
The concert, which is free and open to the public, will also feature School of Music faculty members Beverley Simms and Martha Krasnican as piano soloists. Erik Rohde, director of string activities at Indiana State, is the conductor.
For more information, call the Indiana State School of Music at 812-237-2771.
Opera Theater Workshop to perform April 10-11
The Indiana State University Opera and Music Theater Workshop will present an “Evening of Scenes” 7:30 p.m. April 10 and 11 the recital hall of the Landini Center for the Performing and Fine Arts.
The first half of the program will include scenes from Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” and “Cosi fan tutte” and Johann Strauss’ comic operetta “Die Fledermaus.” The second half will be made up of music theater scenes from popular shows of recent decades, including “Miss Siagon,” “Little Women,” “Closer than Ever,” “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” “Rent,” “Jekyll and Hyde” and Steven Sondheim’s “Company.”
This year’s ensemble consists of 10 select music vocal music majors: music performance, music education and music business students, both graduates and undergraduates, are all participants.
The Indiana State theater department supports the “Evening of Scenes” with the loan of costumes, stage properties and small set pieces. Theater student Nathan Kasper is the costume coordinator for the opera scenes portion of the program.
The musical staff includes Mark Carlisle, music director, and Larysa Tudorica, collaborative pianist. Colleen Davis serves as stage director, assisted by graduate assistant Marcel Ramalho de Mello, who is stage director of scenes in both opera and music theater portions as a part of an Independent Study in stage direction.
The Opera Theater Workshop is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Indiana State School of Music at 812-237-2771.
Race in the Media
“Race in the Media: Covering Racial Unrest in Contemporary News” panel is Thursday 5:30 p.m. April 2 at Vigo County Public LibraryMedia coverage of racial issues and racial unrest has long been fraught with controversy. Recent coverage of the shootings of unarmed African Americans and of the protests that have followed has prompted a national discussion about journalists’ role in the public discourse about race. The panelists will discuss public reaction to media coverage of these issues and will address how the media can report on race responsibly.This event is part of Indiana State University’s Community Semester, which runs throughMay 6. For a complete schedule, go to http://www.indstate.edu/cas/communitysemester/.
President, CEO of Holiday World next Scott College of Business Leader In Action
Matt Eckert, President and CEO of Holiday World & Splashin' Safari and a 1996 graduate of Indiana State in accounting and insurance and risk management, will be visiting the Scott College of Business as the next Leader In Action April 6-8.
“Our Leader In Action program was launched in 2007 in conjunction with our financial services programs being named an ISU Program of National Distinction,” said Maria Greninger, Director of External Relations for the Scott College of Business. “Each year, top-level executives from near and far come to share their time and talents with our students and the community. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”
Eckert has been with Holiday World, which employs more than 2,000 people, for more than 15 years. The organization has been recognized as a world leader in the industry. Prior to joining Holiday World, Eckert was a senior auditor with Arthur Andersen in Indianapolis. He serves on the Dean's Executive Council for the Scott College of Business and is a Certified Public Accountant.
As part of his multi-day visit, Eckert will be engaging Scott College students and the community on a range of topics in marketing, management and accounting. The theme for his free Campus and Community Luncheon is "Tourism in Indiana: A Wild Ride." The event starts with a reception from 11:30 to noon, followed by a buffet lunch and Eckert’s presentation. The luncheon is free and open to the public.
During his stay in Terre Haute, Eckert also will be speaking to the South Rotary Club at the Holiday Inn on Tuesday, April 7, at noon. He also will speak to a variety of classes, meet with student organizations and will host roundtables with student groups.
To get more information or to register for the free Campus and Community Luncheon (space is limited) on Wednesday, April 8, please visit the Scott College of Business’ Leader In Action web site at www.indstate.edu/business/leader or contact Maria Greninger in the dean’s office at (812) 237-4357 or at Maria.Greninger@indstate.edu.
Faculty Brass Quintet to perform March 30
The Indiana State University Faculty Brass Quintet will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. March 30 in the recital hall of the Landini Center for the Performing and Fine Arts.
Performers include Eddie Ludema, trumpet, Blake Reynolds, trumpet, Brian Kilp, horn, Randy Mitchell, trombone, and Glen Dimick, tuba.
The program will feature selections such as “Animal Ditties” by Anthony Plog, which has 10 short movements for narrator and quintet with each movement depicting a different animal in music and clever narration, “Satin Doll” by Duke Ellington, “Foliations” by Jan Bach, which presents a theme with many unusual variations that the audience is involved in picking the order.
Indiana State’s Faculty Brass Quintet plays a high school concert tour each fall and performs a concert on campus each spring. In addition to these performances, the group also performs for campus events and in the local community.
Members of the quintet play in the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra, the Danville, Illinois Symphony Orchestra and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
Concerto/Aria Competition Recital set for March 29
Finalists in the Indiana State University School of Music’s annual Paul W. Hagan Concerto/Aria Competition will perform a recital 2 p.m. March 29 in the recital hall of the Landini Center for Performing and Fine Arts.
As many as three of the finalists will be selected to perform as soloists with the symphony orchestra or the wind orchestra during the 2015-16 academic year. The competing students are from all areas in the School of Music — wind, brass, string, piano, voice and percussion — and are undergraduate and graduate students.
Off-campus adjudicators are Davis Brooks of Butler University and Leon Harshenin and Christopher Bade of Taylor University. Results will be announced soon after the recital.
The event is sponsored by the School of Music as part of the school’s performance opportunities and has been supported by the late Paul W. Hagan, who generously provided a cash stipend for the winners.
Third Wheel brass trio to perform March 26
The Indiana State University School of Music will present a recital featuring the Third Wheel brass trio at 7:30 p.m. March 26 in the recital hall of the Landini Center for Performing and Fine Arts.
Dedicated to exploring color and style beyond the expected in brass repertoire, Third Wheel promises an exciting afternoon of chamber music and will perform works of Frigyes Hidas, Roger Kellaway, John Stevens and Eric Ewazen.
Members include professor of horn at Valparaiso University Ericka Grodrian, trombonist John Grodrian of Chicago’s Gargoyle Brass and TromboTeam!, and Indiana State instructor of tuba Glen Dimick. They will be joined by pianist Martha Krasnican.
The concert is free and open to the public.
Recycle Center to offer TV collection March 28
The Indiana State University Recycle Center has partnered with RecycleForce to offer a one-day collection of televisions for recycling. The collection will be limited to 8 a.m. to noon on March 9 and there will be a $10 charge for each TV.
The Recycle Center is located at 449 N. Ninth Street.
Cracker Barrell at the Library, Rally for Education planned
Cracker Barrel session will be on the main floor of the Vigo County Public Library at 10 a.m. March 14. A rally for public education is planned at 9 a.m.
Ag Day March 7
Annual Sullivan County Ag Day March 7 at the Sullivan County 4-H Fairgrounds in Sullivan, IN, from 6:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Pancake and Sausage breakfast, tractor pull and over 60 various community displays.
Paul Bro, Scotty Stepp and friends to perform March 9
Paul Bro and Scotty Stepp will perform as part of the Indiana State University Faculty Artist Series at7:30 p.m. March 9 in the recital hall of the Landini Center for Performing and Fine Arts.
The recital, which is free and open to the public, will feature compositions by Scott Perkins, John Anthony Lennon, Balee Pongklad, David Asher Brown, Benjamin Taylor, Ennio Morricone and Carter Pann. Collaborating guest musicians include Martha Krasnican (piano), Erik Rohde (violin), Sam Fritz (saxophone), Erika Stepp (saxophone), Nathan Spellman (percussion) and Nick Olson (percussion).
Bro, who is also the director of Indiana State’s School of Music, has performed throughout the United States and Canada, as well as in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, and Thailand. He is a member of the Chicago Saxophone Quartet, the Solaire Saxophone Quartet and the Bro-Fowler Duo.
Stepp has performed throughout the United States, Europe and China. Notable performances include those at the United States Embassy in Paris, France, and as a selected performer at the German-American Fulbright Program’s 50th anniversary conference in Berlin, Germany.
The Landini Center is located at 200 N. 7th St., Terre Haute.
Violinist, pianist concert rescheduled for March 12
Violinist Sharilyn Spicknall and pianist Eugenio Urrutia-Borlando will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. March 12 in the recital hall of the Landini Center for Performing and Fine Arts at Indiana State University.
The program, which is free and open to the public, will include musical works by Bach, Beethoven, Szymanowski and Korngold.
This performance was rescheduled from its original date on March 1 because of inclement weather.
The recital hall is located on the southwest corner of 7th and Chestnut streets in Terre Haute.
Cello alumnus to perform Wednesday
Indiana State University School of Music alumnus Christian Schrock will perform a cello recital at 7:30 p.m. March 25 in the recital hall of the Landini Center for Performing and Fine Arts.
The concert will feature two works, “Suite for Solo Cello in Eb Major” by Johann Sebastian Bach and “Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 66,” by Nikolai Miaskovsky.
Schrock, who is pursuing a doctorate at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, will be accompanied by pianist Jih-Ting Chen.
The program is free and open to the public.
(March 23)
Professors to share Auschwitz experiences March 5
By Kristen Kilker, Indiana State University
Marking the 70 years since the Russians liberated Auschwitz, two Indiana State University professors will share their experiences visiting the concentration camp during a panel discussion 6:30-8:30 p.m. March 5 at the C.A.N.D.L.E.S. Museum.
As part of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Community Semester, the“70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz: Reflections and Discussion” is free and open to the public. The C.A.N.D.L.E.S. Museum is located at 1532 South Third St., Terre Haute.
Isaac Land, associate professor of history at Indiana State and organizer of this year’s Community Semester, had been curious about a tour of Auschwitz for many years. He felt more urgency about going when he started teaching a comparative genocide course.
“It wasn’t very convenient to go in the middle of the semester, but I realized it might be my last chance to see it with a survivor,” Land said. “(C.A.N.D.L.E.S. founder) Eva (Kor) was a child when she was there, and most of the survivors that are still around were just kids. So it’s one thing to read about it in books, and it’s another to actually walk it with a survivor.”
Ann Rider, associate professor in the department of languages, literatures and linguistics, toured Auschwitz on the 65th anniversary trip and during the panel, will discuss German media coverage and the differences in how some European countries address the topic of the Holocaust today.
Land went on the C.A.N.D.L.E.S.-led trip in January. His group consisted of 70 different people from 18 U.S. states and four different countries. According to Land, many dignitaries attended the ceremony — including François Hollande, the president of France. He was also able to interact with a British psychiatric nurse who treated survivors, a German lawyer in the midst of prosecuting a 90-year-old former Nazi guard, a Rwandan genocide survivor and Rainer Hoess, the grandson of the Auschwitz camp commandant, who has visited Indiana State and is featured in the documentary, “Hitler’s Children.”
At Auschwitz, Kor’s group was able to see some rooms that are usually blocked off to visitors.
“There are the ruins of barracks,” said Land. “The guards blew up most of the gas chambers and crematoria on the way out, so often what you’re looking at is a ruin — and then we were there in January, so there’s snow on everything. You need a lot of explanation to know what it is.”
Among the rooms they viewed was block 10, Josef Mengele’s lab, located next to torture chambers and an execution wall. Mengele could hear the screams while conducting medical experiments on twins, such as Kor and her sister at age 8. Land recalled rooms that had a pile of children’s shoes — more than 200,000 children were killed in Auschwitz — an array of confiscated crutches and a display case of the most treasured family pictures brought to the camp by prisoners, who thought they were being brought there to work.
“It’s not whether you cry in Auschwitz,” Land said. “It’s in which room.”
A description of the atrocities of the ruined concentration camp is incomplete without a discussion of the atrocities that brought the camp to life. Land illustrated mock-medical aspects of the camp. Prisoners were stripped and fumigated after being separated from the weak — a status that was determined by nurses and doctors at the selection platform.
“That’s something some people struggle with about Auschwitz,” Land said. “It’s a killing factory. It’s administered mainly by doctors and nurses and medical researchers … and so these people see it as part of their medical training.”
As Land was part of an audience that watched the ceremony on the screen, he recalled one survivor suggesting there should be an 11th commandment added to the original list of 10: “Don’t be a bystander.”
This value is one Eva often teaches visitors to the C.A.N.D.L.E.S Museum — a place that Land personally esteems because, “if you grow up in Terre Haute, you had Darfur survivors go to your high school. You had people from Rwanda come though. It has become a center for all sorts of people who are concerned with the world today,” he said.
Marking the 70 years since the Russians liberated Auschwitz, two Indiana State University professors will share their experiences visiting the concentration camp during a panel discussion 6:30-8:30 p.m. March 5 at the C.A.N.D.L.E.S. Museum.
As part of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Community Semester, the“70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz: Reflections and Discussion” is free and open to the public. The C.A.N.D.L.E.S. Museum is located at 1532 South Third St., Terre Haute.
Isaac Land, associate professor of history at Indiana State and organizer of this year’s Community Semester, had been curious about a tour of Auschwitz for many years. He felt more urgency about going when he started teaching a comparative genocide course.
“It wasn’t very convenient to go in the middle of the semester, but I realized it might be my last chance to see it with a survivor,” Land said. “(C.A.N.D.L.E.S. founder) Eva (Kor) was a child when she was there, and most of the survivors that are still around were just kids. So it’s one thing to read about it in books, and it’s another to actually walk it with a survivor.”
Ann Rider, associate professor in the department of languages, literatures and linguistics, toured Auschwitz on the 65th anniversary trip and during the panel, will discuss German media coverage and the differences in how some European countries address the topic of the Holocaust today.
Land went on the C.A.N.D.L.E.S.-led trip in January. His group consisted of 70 different people from 18 U.S. states and four different countries. According to Land, many dignitaries attended the ceremony — including François Hollande, the president of France. He was also able to interact with a British psychiatric nurse who treated survivors, a German lawyer in the midst of prosecuting a 90-year-old former Nazi guard, a Rwandan genocide survivor and Rainer Hoess, the grandson of the Auschwitz camp commandant, who has visited Indiana State and is featured in the documentary, “Hitler’s Children.”
At Auschwitz, Kor’s group was able to see some rooms that are usually blocked off to visitors.
“There are the ruins of barracks,” said Land. “The guards blew up most of the gas chambers and crematoria on the way out, so often what you’re looking at is a ruin — and then we were there in January, so there’s snow on everything. You need a lot of explanation to know what it is.”
Among the rooms they viewed was block 10, Josef Mengele’s lab, located next to torture chambers and an execution wall. Mengele could hear the screams while conducting medical experiments on twins, such as Kor and her sister at age 8. Land recalled rooms that had a pile of children’s shoes — more than 200,000 children were killed in Auschwitz — an array of confiscated crutches and a display case of the most treasured family pictures brought to the camp by prisoners, who thought they were being brought there to work.
“It’s not whether you cry in Auschwitz,” Land said. “It’s in which room.”
A description of the atrocities of the ruined concentration camp is incomplete without a discussion of the atrocities that brought the camp to life. Land illustrated mock-medical aspects of the camp. Prisoners were stripped and fumigated after being separated from the weak — a status that was determined by nurses and doctors at the selection platform.
“That’s something some people struggle with about Auschwitz,” Land said. “It’s a killing factory. It’s administered mainly by doctors and nurses and medical researchers … and so these people see it as part of their medical training.”
As Land was part of an audience that watched the ceremony on the screen, he recalled one survivor suggesting there should be an 11th commandment added to the original list of 10: “Don’t be a bystander.”
This value is one Eva often teaches visitors to the C.A.N.D.L.E.S Museum — a place that Land personally esteems because, “if you grow up in Terre Haute, you had Darfur survivors go to your high school. You had people from Rwanda come though. It has become a center for all sorts of people who are concerned with the world today,” he said.
Amber Alert issued for two Indianapolis teenagers
UPDATE IMPD, 2 p.m. 3/3: At this time, Aaron and Emma Blackwell have been temporary placed under the care of Child Protective Services in Indianapolis until detectives can determine they are no longer in any danger. IMPD detectives continue to work with the Detroit Police Department and our Federal Law Enforcement Partners to investigate yesterday's incidents in Indianapolis and Detroit, respectively. At this point in the investigation, the detectives believe this incident to be narcotics related, and the children were specifically targeted by their abductors. This is still an on-going investigation between the agencies mentioned above. Detectives encourage anyone with information regarding the abduction of Aaron and Emma Blackwell to call Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-TIPS.
UPDATE 3/3/15 2:30 a.m.
Emma Blackwell,13, has returned home safely and is unharmed at this time. IMPD detectives are continuing their investigation into the abduction of Aaron and Emma Blackwell. Further updates on this case will be given after the detectives have an opportunity to speak with Emma Blackwell.
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UPDATE: Police say that Aaron Blackwell has been found in Detroit. Meanwhile his sister, Emma, is still missing.
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By Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
INDIANAPOLIS – On Monday, March 02, 2015 at approximately 3:30 a.m., officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) were dispatched on a 9-1-1 call to a home in the 1200 block of North Lasalle Street on a report of the caller’s children being abducted from the home at gunpoint. Upon arrival, the caller advised officers that three black males entered the home and abducted the children, who were described to be sixteen and thirteen years of age.
The abducted children are:
1. Aaron Blackwell, 16, B/M, 5’11”, 180 lbs, shoulder length black, curly hair; last seen wearing a gray robe with red dots
2. Emma Blackwell, 13, B/F, 5’5”, 150 lbs, long hair; last seen wearing –pink, white striped shirt, pink pants with yellow stripes
At this time, investigators with IMPD’s Missing Person’s Unit and the Indiana State Police, along with our federal law enforcement agency partners, continue to evaluate the information provided to them and at this time believe the children are in extreme danger. The motive for their abduction has not been determined, however; investigators do not believe this was a random act. At this time, the children's mother is cooperating with the investigation. Investigators will continue to follow all investigative leads ensuring the safe return of the abducted children.
The suspects in this case have been described as three black males possibly driving a black Cadillac Escalade and a black Dodge Charger. Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call 9-1-1, Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 262-TIPS or the Amber Alert Hotline at 1-888-58 AMBER.
(March 2)
UPDATE IMPD, 2 p.m. 3/3: At this time, Aaron and Emma Blackwell have been temporary placed under the care of Child Protective Services in Indianapolis until detectives can determine they are no longer in any danger. IMPD detectives continue to work with the Detroit Police Department and our Federal Law Enforcement Partners to investigate yesterday's incidents in Indianapolis and Detroit, respectively. At this point in the investigation, the detectives believe this incident to be narcotics related, and the children were specifically targeted by their abductors. This is still an on-going investigation between the agencies mentioned above. Detectives encourage anyone with information regarding the abduction of Aaron and Emma Blackwell to call Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-TIPS.
UPDATE 3/3/15 2:30 a.m.
Emma Blackwell,13, has returned home safely and is unharmed at this time. IMPD detectives are continuing their investigation into the abduction of Aaron and Emma Blackwell. Further updates on this case will be given after the detectives have an opportunity to speak with Emma Blackwell.
--
UPDATE: Police say that Aaron Blackwell has been found in Detroit. Meanwhile his sister, Emma, is still missing.
--
By Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
INDIANAPOLIS – On Monday, March 02, 2015 at approximately 3:30 a.m., officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) were dispatched on a 9-1-1 call to a home in the 1200 block of North Lasalle Street on a report of the caller’s children being abducted from the home at gunpoint. Upon arrival, the caller advised officers that three black males entered the home and abducted the children, who were described to be sixteen and thirteen years of age.
The abducted children are:
1. Aaron Blackwell, 16, B/M, 5’11”, 180 lbs, shoulder length black, curly hair; last seen wearing a gray robe with red dots
2. Emma Blackwell, 13, B/F, 5’5”, 150 lbs, long hair; last seen wearing –pink, white striped shirt, pink pants with yellow stripes
At this time, investigators with IMPD’s Missing Person’s Unit and the Indiana State Police, along with our federal law enforcement agency partners, continue to evaluate the information provided to them and at this time believe the children are in extreme danger. The motive for their abduction has not been determined, however; investigators do not believe this was a random act. At this time, the children's mother is cooperating with the investigation. Investigators will continue to follow all investigative leads ensuring the safe return of the abducted children.
The suspects in this case have been described as three black males possibly driving a black Cadillac Escalade and a black Dodge Charger. Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call 9-1-1, Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 262-TIPS or the Amber Alert Hotline at 1-888-58 AMBER.
(March 2)
Wintery mix, ice could affect Indiana; Hoosiers are encouraged to prepare now for potentially hazardous weather
In partnership with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security the Indiana State Police is sharing this important weather- related message
INDIANAPOLIS – There is a potential for sleet and freezing rain in much of Indiana tonight, with snow possible for the northern portion of the state. In southern Indiana, warmer weather has promoted snowmelt, which could lead to slick surfaces as the temperature drops below freezing overnight.
State agencies advise Hoosiers to prepare now for potentially deteriorating conditions, which could extend intoTuesday’s commute.
Travel
Hoosiers should carefully consider if travel is necessary, especially if roads become hazardous. If travel is necessary, the Indiana State Police, Indiana Department of Transportation and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security encourage motorists to use a variety of resources to make an informed decision.
One source is the Indiana County Travel Advisory Map. It's updated with travel information determined by county emergency management agencies and describes the conditions for a travel warning, watch, advisory and caution.
The map is available online at http://www.in.gov/dhs/traveladvisory/ or on a mobile device by downloading the Indiana Travel Advisory app for iPhone (https://appsto.re/us/QHVw4.i) in the App Store, and Android (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.in.traveladvisory) in the Google Play Store.
Keep an eye on road conditions and closures across the state using the Indiana Department of Transportation's TrafficWise service at trafficwise.in.gov or by calling 1-800-261-ROAD (7623.)
In addition to these tools, stay aware of changing travel conditions by monitoring the local news, travel, weather and trusted social media sites and apps.
Citizens that must travel should let someone know the planned route, expected time of arrival and contact information. Charge cell phones before leaving. Pack essential items such as high protein snacks, water, first aid kit, flashlight, warm blankets, extra prescription medications and important documents or information that might be needed during an emergency.
Develop a Plan
Winter weather, especially ice, can cause power outages. Hoosiers should be prepared to take action should the power go out. Citizens should look up their electric utility's outage reporting phone number and add it to their cell phone contact list.
Other ways to get ready include:
- Charge cell phones, laptops and any other battery-operated accessories to ensure maximum battery life when without power.
- Know where to go should the power go out. Identify a friend or family member's house, or a nearby shelter or warming station that can be used. If none of these are available, identify the most insulated and interior room available and gather extra clothing, warm blankets and sleeping bags to help stay warm.
- Prepare an emergency kit, including food and water for three days (includes three gallons of water per person, per day), a battery operated or hand crank all hazards radio, a flashlight and extra batteries and any other special items (baby formula, insulin, medications).
Take the time to check with neighbors and see if there's anything they can do before, during or after weather events.
For more winter weather preparedness information, visit www.GetPrepared.in.gov.
(March 2)
In partnership with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security the Indiana State Police is sharing this important weather- related message
INDIANAPOLIS – There is a potential for sleet and freezing rain in much of Indiana tonight, with snow possible for the northern portion of the state. In southern Indiana, warmer weather has promoted snowmelt, which could lead to slick surfaces as the temperature drops below freezing overnight.
State agencies advise Hoosiers to prepare now for potentially deteriorating conditions, which could extend intoTuesday’s commute.
Travel
Hoosiers should carefully consider if travel is necessary, especially if roads become hazardous. If travel is necessary, the Indiana State Police, Indiana Department of Transportation and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security encourage motorists to use a variety of resources to make an informed decision.
One source is the Indiana County Travel Advisory Map. It's updated with travel information determined by county emergency management agencies and describes the conditions for a travel warning, watch, advisory and caution.
The map is available online at http://www.in.gov/dhs/traveladvisory/ or on a mobile device by downloading the Indiana Travel Advisory app for iPhone (https://appsto.re/us/QHVw4.i) in the App Store, and Android (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.in.traveladvisory) in the Google Play Store.
Keep an eye on road conditions and closures across the state using the Indiana Department of Transportation's TrafficWise service at trafficwise.in.gov or by calling 1-800-261-ROAD (7623.)
In addition to these tools, stay aware of changing travel conditions by monitoring the local news, travel, weather and trusted social media sites and apps.
Citizens that must travel should let someone know the planned route, expected time of arrival and contact information. Charge cell phones before leaving. Pack essential items such as high protein snacks, water, first aid kit, flashlight, warm blankets, extra prescription medications and important documents or information that might be needed during an emergency.
Develop a Plan
Winter weather, especially ice, can cause power outages. Hoosiers should be prepared to take action should the power go out. Citizens should look up their electric utility's outage reporting phone number and add it to their cell phone contact list.
Other ways to get ready include:
- Charge cell phones, laptops and any other battery-operated accessories to ensure maximum battery life when without power.
- Know where to go should the power go out. Identify a friend or family member's house, or a nearby shelter or warming station that can be used. If none of these are available, identify the most insulated and interior room available and gather extra clothing, warm blankets and sleeping bags to help stay warm.
- Prepare an emergency kit, including food and water for three days (includes three gallons of water per person, per day), a battery operated or hand crank all hazards radio, a flashlight and extra batteries and any other special items (baby formula, insulin, medications).
Take the time to check with neighbors and see if there's anything they can do before, during or after weather events.
For more winter weather preparedness information, visit www.GetPrepared.in.gov.
(March 2)
ISP investigation continues into police action shooting
By Indiana State Police
VIGO COUNTY—Indiana State Police Detectives from the Putnamville Post continue to vigorously investigate the police action shooting on February 25, 2015, involving a veteran officer of the Terre Haute Police Department and now deceased suspect Alexander P. Long.
In the spirit of investigative transparency, the Indiana State Police Crime Scene Investigator and Detectives did not find a suspect firearm immediately visible at the scene. Further investigation of the suspect’s car failed to disclose a suspect weapon as well; however, the suspect vehicle did reveal two rounds of ammunition, construction type tools, and items commonly associated with the use of illicit drugs.
The name of the veteran Terre Haute police officer is expected to be officially disclosed after the ISP report is submitted to the Vigo County Prosecutor’s Office for review. ISP is hoping to conclude the investigation in approximately two weeks.
Indiana State Police detectives have interviewed many witnesses over the course of this investigation and more interviews will be conducted. As one can image, an investigation of this nature will be slow and methodical to ensure it is done right for the suspect’s family and the law enforcement community.
No other information will be released at this time.
Assisting the ISP is Terre Haute Police Chief John Plasse and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Terre Haute Police Department and Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt, Chief Deputy Rob Roberts, and their staff.
Anyone with information they believe will help this investigation is urged to contact ISP Detective First Sergeant Jeff Hearon or Detective Tony Guinn at 765-653-4114. No amount of information is considered too small.
(Feb. 28)
VIGO COUNTY—Indiana State Police Detectives from the Putnamville Post continue to vigorously investigate the police action shooting on February 25, 2015, involving a veteran officer of the Terre Haute Police Department and now deceased suspect Alexander P. Long.
In the spirit of investigative transparency, the Indiana State Police Crime Scene Investigator and Detectives did not find a suspect firearm immediately visible at the scene. Further investigation of the suspect’s car failed to disclose a suspect weapon as well; however, the suspect vehicle did reveal two rounds of ammunition, construction type tools, and items commonly associated with the use of illicit drugs.
The name of the veteran Terre Haute police officer is expected to be officially disclosed after the ISP report is submitted to the Vigo County Prosecutor’s Office for review. ISP is hoping to conclude the investigation in approximately two weeks.
Indiana State Police detectives have interviewed many witnesses over the course of this investigation and more interviews will be conducted. As one can image, an investigation of this nature will be slow and methodical to ensure it is done right for the suspect’s family and the law enforcement community.
No other information will be released at this time.
Assisting the ISP is Terre Haute Police Chief John Plasse and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Terre Haute Police Department and Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt, Chief Deputy Rob Roberts, and their staff.
Anyone with information they believe will help this investigation is urged to contact ISP Detective First Sergeant Jeff Hearon or Detective Tony Guinn at 765-653-4114. No amount of information is considered too small.
(Feb. 28)
Putnamville troopers enjoy day with disabled students
By Indiana State Police
Today, troopers from the Putnamville Post, along with some of their family members, took time out of their busy day to provide fun and fellowship to a group of adults with disabilities at the local Terre Haute Happiness Bag Facility. During the heartwarming day, troopers and participants from Happiness Bag shared camaraderie, lunch and fun during several games of basketball. The competition was competitive in a fun way, but simple friendship was the order of the day.
For the past several years, various troopers from the local post have donated their time and effort to play basketball with the Happiness Bag students with disabilities. The games with the Indiana State Police are eagerly anticipated every year by the students and are considered a huge success in the realm of compassion and fellowship.
Participating troopers were Tom Hannon, Joe Watts, Chris Wright, Jimmy Cruse, Ty Lightle, Bill Bradbury, Erik Smith, Don Curtis, T.J. Henning, Shayne Roman, Rondell Shelton, Polly Blackburn, Nicole Cheeks, and B.J. Patterson. ISP family members on the court were Angie Bradbury, Byron Bradbury, Alex Bradbury, Lauren Wright, and Kate Hannon. The team was coached by ISP retiree Dale Mullikin.
Happiness Bag Incorporated is an independent, not for profit, United Way agency that provides recreational and educational programs and services to individuals with mental and/or physical disabilities in the Wabash Valley. For more information about Happiness Bag Inc., please contact Executive Director Jodi Moan at 812-234-8867.
In part, the Indiana State Police Mission Statement states “We will assist the public at any time and in any manner possible” and the Happiness Bag Mission Statement reads “Happiness Bag, Inc. is dedicated to providing adapted educational and recreational services and programs that encourage the unique potential of children and adults with disabilities”. Therefore, Saturday’s games were a simple collaboration of the mission statements of both agencies and considered a huge success.
(Feb.28)
Today, troopers from the Putnamville Post, along with some of their family members, took time out of their busy day to provide fun and fellowship to a group of adults with disabilities at the local Terre Haute Happiness Bag Facility. During the heartwarming day, troopers and participants from Happiness Bag shared camaraderie, lunch and fun during several games of basketball. The competition was competitive in a fun way, but simple friendship was the order of the day.
For the past several years, various troopers from the local post have donated their time and effort to play basketball with the Happiness Bag students with disabilities. The games with the Indiana State Police are eagerly anticipated every year by the students and are considered a huge success in the realm of compassion and fellowship.
Participating troopers were Tom Hannon, Joe Watts, Chris Wright, Jimmy Cruse, Ty Lightle, Bill Bradbury, Erik Smith, Don Curtis, T.J. Henning, Shayne Roman, Rondell Shelton, Polly Blackburn, Nicole Cheeks, and B.J. Patterson. ISP family members on the court were Angie Bradbury, Byron Bradbury, Alex Bradbury, Lauren Wright, and Kate Hannon. The team was coached by ISP retiree Dale Mullikin.
Happiness Bag Incorporated is an independent, not for profit, United Way agency that provides recreational and educational programs and services to individuals with mental and/or physical disabilities in the Wabash Valley. For more information about Happiness Bag Inc., please contact Executive Director Jodi Moan at 812-234-8867.
In part, the Indiana State Police Mission Statement states “We will assist the public at any time and in any manner possible” and the Happiness Bag Mission Statement reads “Happiness Bag, Inc. is dedicated to providing adapted educational and recreational services and programs that encourage the unique potential of children and adults with disabilities”. Therefore, Saturday’s games were a simple collaboration of the mission statements of both agencies and considered a huge success.
(Feb.28)
Indiana National Guard receives first of 3 cyber teams
INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana National Guard received approval today for a Cyber Protection Team (CPT) to be added to the FY-16 force structure.
Indiana is one of three states to receive this new force structure. Georgia and California will also each receive a CPT. Indiana will join with Michigan and Ohio to collectively resource and maximize utilization and capabilities of this new team.
The CPT will be trained on Information Technology and Cyber-specific skills. If mobilized, the CPT will provide surge support to the Army Cyber Command and support defensive cyberspace operations as assigned. When deployed in support of state active duty, the CPT will be used to provide support to law enforcement, homeland defense and support to civilian authorities.
The Indiana Army National Guard is uniquely postured to support the CPT mission based on skill-sets and experiences already present in Indiana. The Indiana National Guard has strong partnerships with the cyber community in the fields of research, security and law enforcement. Key academic resources in Indiana include Purdue University's Cyber Center and Indiana University's Center for Applied Cyber Security Research, which is a leader in the Army Cyber-Security Collaborative Research Alliance.
Indiana's fully accredited 10,000 square foot Sensitive Compartmentalized Information Facility and the Muscatatuck / Atterbury cyber range made Indiana a strong competitor in this new force structure decision. The Indiana cyber range is a premier training facility for both public and private cyber endeavors and will host the 2015 Cyber Shield national-level training exercise.
(Feb.24 press release)
Indiana is one of three states to receive this new force structure. Georgia and California will also each receive a CPT. Indiana will join with Michigan and Ohio to collectively resource and maximize utilization and capabilities of this new team.
The CPT will be trained on Information Technology and Cyber-specific skills. If mobilized, the CPT will provide surge support to the Army Cyber Command and support defensive cyberspace operations as assigned. When deployed in support of state active duty, the CPT will be used to provide support to law enforcement, homeland defense and support to civilian authorities.
The Indiana Army National Guard is uniquely postured to support the CPT mission based on skill-sets and experiences already present in Indiana. The Indiana National Guard has strong partnerships with the cyber community in the fields of research, security and law enforcement. Key academic resources in Indiana include Purdue University's Cyber Center and Indiana University's Center for Applied Cyber Security Research, which is a leader in the Army Cyber-Security Collaborative Research Alliance.
Indiana's fully accredited 10,000 square foot Sensitive Compartmentalized Information Facility and the Muscatatuck / Atterbury cyber range made Indiana a strong competitor in this new force structure decision. The Indiana cyber range is a premier training facility for both public and private cyber endeavors and will host the 2015 Cyber Shield national-level training exercise.
(Feb.24 press release)
INDOT preparing for weekend winter storm
INDIANAPOLIS – The National Weather Service has declared a winter weather advisory for most of central and southern Indiana, predicting up to 7 inches of snow along and north of I-70. Across northern Indiana, up to 4 inches of new snow is expected through Sundayevening. Further south, snow may mix with rain, leading to potentially icy road conditions.
Indiana Department of Transportation maintenance supervisors are closely monitoring evolving local forecasts. INDOT will deploy its yellow plow trucks ahead of any predicted accumulation on Indiana’s interstates, U.S. highways and state routes. Trained INDOT employees are on call to staff plow trucks around the clock with alternating shifts of 12 hours or more.
Know before you go
Each INDOT plow route takes 2-3 hours to complete with salt assisting in melting between passes. INDOT urges drivers to reschedule optional trips during and shortly after winter precipitation as that’s when road conditions will be the worst.
If you must venture out, there are several state resources drivers can access to “know before you go”:
Ice is most difficult
A few degrees can mean the difference between rain, freezing rain or snow, so ice can be difficult for forecasters to pinpoint. INDOT uses our statewide network of road and bridge pavement sensors and reports from law enforcement and the public to supplement local weather forecasts. As there are changes in forecasted and observed road conditions, our maintenance supervisors adjust their call-out of manpower, trucks and materials and shift resources as appropriate.
Ice can be the most difficult road conditions for drivers to navigate and plow crews to treat because four-wheel-drive vehicles and large trucks are no match if all tires are on ice. “Black ice” or “slick spots” can also be hard for drivers to distinguish from wet pavement.
Granular salt deployed before and during the storm helps to add traction while lowering the temperature at which the ice melts.
Driver tips
If you must venture out, there are several steps that drivers can take to minimize the risk of losing control on icy roads:
(Press release Feb.28)
INDIANAPOLIS – The National Weather Service has declared a winter weather advisory for most of central and southern Indiana, predicting up to 7 inches of snow along and north of I-70. Across northern Indiana, up to 4 inches of new snow is expected through Sundayevening. Further south, snow may mix with rain, leading to potentially icy road conditions.
Indiana Department of Transportation maintenance supervisors are closely monitoring evolving local forecasts. INDOT will deploy its yellow plow trucks ahead of any predicted accumulation on Indiana’s interstates, U.S. highways and state routes. Trained INDOT employees are on call to staff plow trucks around the clock with alternating shifts of 12 hours or more.
Know before you go
Each INDOT plow route takes 2-3 hours to complete with salt assisting in melting between passes. INDOT urges drivers to reschedule optional trips during and shortly after winter precipitation as that’s when road conditions will be the worst.
If you must venture out, there are several state resources drivers can access to “know before you go”:
- Counties post travel advisories as new information is available to http://www.in.gov/dhs/traveladvisory or the Indiana Travel Advisory app for iPhone or Android.
- INDOT maintenance staff report color-coded winter driving conditions on INDOT’s TrafficWise map athttp://indot.carsprogram.org. Road conditions are defined as:
- Gray: Good, the road is clear
- Blue: Fair, speed is reduced due to isolated patches of snow and ice, and
- Violet: Difficult or hazardous, speed is reduced due to snow and/or ice covered pavement.
- For social media updates, find the INDOT Facebook and Twitter pages for your regional district at www.in.gov/indot/3074.htm.
Ice is most difficult
A few degrees can mean the difference between rain, freezing rain or snow, so ice can be difficult for forecasters to pinpoint. INDOT uses our statewide network of road and bridge pavement sensors and reports from law enforcement and the public to supplement local weather forecasts. As there are changes in forecasted and observed road conditions, our maintenance supervisors adjust their call-out of manpower, trucks and materials and shift resources as appropriate.
Ice can be the most difficult road conditions for drivers to navigate and plow crews to treat because four-wheel-drive vehicles and large trucks are no match if all tires are on ice. “Black ice” or “slick spots” can also be hard for drivers to distinguish from wet pavement.
Granular salt deployed before and during the storm helps to add traction while lowering the temperature at which the ice melts.
Driver tips
If you must venture out, there are several steps that drivers can take to minimize the risk of losing control on icy roads:
- Consult local weather forecasts to determine the latest timing and location of the storm.
- Choose direct routes instead of longer routes on higher-speed highways.
- Watch how salt trucks, emergency vehicles and other drivers are responding to the weather as visual cues for driving habits. Stay a safe distance and speed behind a plow at work as road conditions are always better behind one than in front.
- Take your foot off the gas and slow down gradually, especially on high-speed highways. No one should be traveling at interstate speeds during these conditions.
- Increase following distance and turn off cruise control.
- Apply anti-lock brakes firmly when encountering ice. Pump brakes that are not anti-lock. Do not overcorrect with steering.
(Press release Feb.28)
ISP reports slideoffs, crashes |
Indiana State Police photo.
(Feb.18)Putnamville Troopers respond to many calls along Interstate 70 in Vigo and Clay Counties.
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SNOWMAN smiles at passersby along 19th Street Saturday evening. Photo by Alex Majors.
Winter storm warning
issued for Central, Southern Indiana Feb.20
By INDOT
INDIANAPOLIS – The National Weather Service has declared a winter storm warning for most of central and southern Indiana, predicting up to 8 inches of new snow by late Saturday. Rising temperatures may result in rain, ice or sleet, which would reduce snow totals in some parts of the state.
Indiana Department of Transportation maintenance supervisors are closely monitoring evolving local forecasts. INDOT will deploy its yellow plow trucks ahead of any predicted accumulation on Indiana’s interstates, U.S. highways and state routes. Trained INDOT employees are on call to staff plow trucks around the clock with alternating shifts of 12 hours or more.
Know before you go
Each INDOT plow route takes 2-3 hours to complete with salt assisting in melting between passes. INDOT urges drivers to reschedule optional trips during and shortly after winter precipitation as that’s when road conditions will be the worst.
If you must venture out, there are several state resources drivers can access to “know before you go”:
- Most southern and eastern counties are still under a yellow travel advisory. Clark, Floyd, Harrison and Scott counties are still under an orange travel watch, which recommends only essential travel. Counties post updates as new information is available to http://www.in.gov/dhs/traveladvisory or the Indiana Travel Advisory app for iPhone or Android.
- INDOT maintenance staff report color-coded winter driving conditions on INDOT’s TrafficWise map at thttp://indot.carsprogram.org. Road conditions are defined as:
- Gray: Good, the road is clear
- Blue: Fair, speed is reduced due to isolated patches of snow and ice, and
- Violet: Difficult or hazardous, speed is reduced due to snow and/or ice covered pavement.
Lucy Perry photo . Friday Feb.20 Terre Haute Street Department
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VIDEO Terre Haute snowplow on Crawford Street early Feb. 21
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Darwin’s books topic of guest speaker on Feb. 24
Libby Roerig, Indiana State University
We’ve all heard the phrase: “You are what you eat;” however, biology Professor David Wooten has his own spin: “You are what you read.”
Wooten will share insights from the books that Charles Darwin read during his lecture, “Darwin: Books, Beetles, and Blasphemy,” as Indiana State University’s Darwin Day Speaker at 7 p.m. Feb. 24 in the events area of Cunningham Memorial Library.
“For me, to truly understand Darwin and his theory, you need to understand the roots of its formation and this led to me to these various books,” said Wooten, a professor of biology at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Mich. “Darwin was not the first person to contemplate a theory of evolution. Individuals from Aristotle to Lamarck postulated on how species can change over time, but Darwin was the one that figured out the mechanism to explain such a process.”
Wooten started collecting antique books — at first, mostly biology tomes with beautiful illustrations — after graduate school. His first love, as expected, was science and Darwin’s contributions.
“Undoubtedly (‘The Origin of Species’) was his major achievement, but far from his only contribution to science. Darwin wrote seminal works on geology, marine biology, zoology, ecology and numerous works in the field of botany,” Wooten said. “If you take away evolution and ‘Origin of Species,’ Charles Darwin is still one of the greatest and most ingenious scientists in history.”
Darwin made these contributions in the face of much personal sacrifice — hence, use of the word “blasphemy” in Wooten’s alliterative lecture title.
“He had witnessed others before him who published works claiming species were mutable and were subsequently, both socially and professionally, ostracized,” Wooten said. “He greatly feared the consequences of his theory for both his family and himself.”
The religious debate continues today in some places. Controversy aside, evolution remains a topic scientists and non-scientists alike are fascinated by more than 150 years later.
“Evolution answers one of the greatest questions of all time: Why is our world so diverse? It addresses who we are and where we come from as humans. These questions strike at the core of how we perceive ourselves and how we fit into the complex dynamic of our planet,” Wooten said.
With advances in genomics and the continued exploration of the mechanisms of gene expression, epigenetics and mutation, science is ever evolving, too.
“In my opinion, it is a fascinating and important time to be a biologist and address these issues,” Wooten said. “Historically, this time period is critical for us and our works/actions will most definitely be critiqued and studied by future generations.”
During his lecture, Wooten says he aims to engage a diverse audience of science-lovers, history-lovers and book-lovers for an inspiring evening.
“I designed this talk to capture the interest of folks interested in evolution, in history and in antique literature. It is not a talk directly about evolution, and it’s not a talk only about Darwin,” Wooten said. “It’s a bibliographic history about the books that inspired an unsuspecting English naturalist to sail the world and come back with an idea that grew into the greatest unifying theory in all of biology. I want attendees to walk away with an appreciation of the journey, the genius, the humility, the tribulation and the ultimate success of Charles Darwin.”
Part of the Darwin Keynote Speaker Series, Darwin Day was founded to celebrate science as an international language, much like music, and is sponsored by Indiana State’s University Honors Program and Center for Community Engagement.
ISU Photos
Concert on Feb. 22 honored accomplishments of civil rights movement
Libby Roerig, Indiana State University
Indiana State School of Music students, including Gregory Jacks, second from left, rehearse for a concert commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. (ISU Photos)
An Indiana State University concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of landmark civil rights legislation aims to bridge the progress the country has made with the work still ahead.
The anniversary has special meaning for alumnus Bill Powell, ’70, who on May 1, 1969, staged a sit-in along with five other black students and a white student in the vice president’s office — and became a part of what’s now called the “Magnificent Seven.”
The students were upset about a variety of social injustices, including inequality for female students’ rights, lack of recognition for black fraternities and sororities and the university not assisting minority faculty members looking for housing.
“We got together and said we had to have a meaningful demonstration,” Powell recalled.
That demonstration culminated in shutting down the university’s administration building and about 500 students walking out of classes.
“It was unnerving on one hand — we didn’t know if we were going to jail or if we were going to get kicked out of school,” Powell said. “It inspired a number of students to not only support us, but also to walk out of class.”
The sit-in, followed by more demonstrations and unrest, led to the establishment of an African and African-American studies program at Indiana State, among other changes. The still-ongoing interdisciplinary program, approved in August 1972, was one of the first in the nation.
“I learned that it didn’t take a whole lot of people to be effective,” Powell said. “I learned some things about leadership. Rather than tell people where they want to go, you find out where they want to go and help them get there. That becomes effective leadership.”
Actions such as Powell’s and other activists during the civil rights movement in America will be commemorated — in music, visuals and word — during a free concert set for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at the historic Indiana Theatre.
“New Morning for the World: Daybreak of Freedom,” a composition by Joseph Schwantner for narrator and orchestra (transcribed for wind ensemble), is among the pieces selected for the concert. The arrangement uses excerpts from the Rev. Martin Luther King’s speeches as its focal point. The music is dramatic, intense and poignant, as it seeks to represent the great words of the fallen civil rights leader.
Christopher Olsen, professor and chair of Indiana State’s history department, will narrate the work. Accompanying the performance will be a compilation of dramatic and moving images of the ’60s in film, including the Selma march and many of the well-known images that have become symbols of those turbulent times.
As part of the celebration, additional photographs and artwork commemorating civil rights in Terre Haute as well as across the nation will be on display in the theater’s lobby. A reception, 5-7 p.m., will precede the event.
Indiana State senior Gregory Jacks, a music performance major from Fishers, is among the ensemble that will perform at the concert — the significance of which isn’t lost on him.
“Fifty years ago, I probably would not be in this room,” Jacks said. “It makes me grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given, and it makes me grateful that I’m even taken into consideration for scholarships and that I’m able to play music at the level I can. It makes me proud of what I’ve accomplished so far — and what people like me have been able to accomplish so far with the Civil Rights Act.”
Jacks, a recipient of the George M. Graesch Scholarship and member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity, says music was an unlikely course for him.
“Once I was in that marching band setting … I realized you’re taking a hundred or so people who didn’t really like each other that much, they were bickering, they weren’t really mature and teaching them not only musical concepts, but how to live, how to be adults, how to resolve our issues in a civilized manner, how to take responsibility for our actions,” he said.
Both men agree much work is yet to be done to achieve true racial and social equality.
“I think we have some of the same problems in different (forms). We have the same economic problems,” Powell said, referencing a large percentage of minorities living below the poverty line and few minority-owned businesses.
Powell, a Navy veteran, went on to earn a master’s degree from Michigan State and conducted doctoral studies at the University of Maryland. In retirement, he has earned a second bachelor’s degree in renewable energy and is working on his master’s in the same field. He hopes to start his own renewable energy company.
“I think what we need to do is first of all, we as black people need to reach out to other ethnic groups and pull them in,” Powell said. “It doesn’t work anymore for us to say we’re going to do our own thing. We have to reach out to other people.”
Libby Roerig, Indiana State University
Indiana State School of Music students, including Gregory Jacks, second from left, rehearse for a concert commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. (ISU Photos)
An Indiana State University concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of landmark civil rights legislation aims to bridge the progress the country has made with the work still ahead.
The anniversary has special meaning for alumnus Bill Powell, ’70, who on May 1, 1969, staged a sit-in along with five other black students and a white student in the vice president’s office — and became a part of what’s now called the “Magnificent Seven.”
The students were upset about a variety of social injustices, including inequality for female students’ rights, lack of recognition for black fraternities and sororities and the university not assisting minority faculty members looking for housing.
“We got together and said we had to have a meaningful demonstration,” Powell recalled.
That demonstration culminated in shutting down the university’s administration building and about 500 students walking out of classes.
“It was unnerving on one hand — we didn’t know if we were going to jail or if we were going to get kicked out of school,” Powell said. “It inspired a number of students to not only support us, but also to walk out of class.”
The sit-in, followed by more demonstrations and unrest, led to the establishment of an African and African-American studies program at Indiana State, among other changes. The still-ongoing interdisciplinary program, approved in August 1972, was one of the first in the nation.
“I learned that it didn’t take a whole lot of people to be effective,” Powell said. “I learned some things about leadership. Rather than tell people where they want to go, you find out where they want to go and help them get there. That becomes effective leadership.”
Actions such as Powell’s and other activists during the civil rights movement in America will be commemorated — in music, visuals and word — during a free concert set for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at the historic Indiana Theatre.
“New Morning for the World: Daybreak of Freedom,” a composition by Joseph Schwantner for narrator and orchestra (transcribed for wind ensemble), is among the pieces selected for the concert. The arrangement uses excerpts from the Rev. Martin Luther King’s speeches as its focal point. The music is dramatic, intense and poignant, as it seeks to represent the great words of the fallen civil rights leader.
Christopher Olsen, professor and chair of Indiana State’s history department, will narrate the work. Accompanying the performance will be a compilation of dramatic and moving images of the ’60s in film, including the Selma march and many of the well-known images that have become symbols of those turbulent times.
As part of the celebration, additional photographs and artwork commemorating civil rights in Terre Haute as well as across the nation will be on display in the theater’s lobby. A reception, 5-7 p.m., will precede the event.
Indiana State senior Gregory Jacks, a music performance major from Fishers, is among the ensemble that will perform at the concert — the significance of which isn’t lost on him.
“Fifty years ago, I probably would not be in this room,” Jacks said. “It makes me grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given, and it makes me grateful that I’m even taken into consideration for scholarships and that I’m able to play music at the level I can. It makes me proud of what I’ve accomplished so far — and what people like me have been able to accomplish so far with the Civil Rights Act.”
Jacks, a recipient of the George M. Graesch Scholarship and member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity, says music was an unlikely course for him.
“Once I was in that marching band setting … I realized you’re taking a hundred or so people who didn’t really like each other that much, they were bickering, they weren’t really mature and teaching them not only musical concepts, but how to live, how to be adults, how to resolve our issues in a civilized manner, how to take responsibility for our actions,” he said.
Both men agree much work is yet to be done to achieve true racial and social equality.
“I think we have some of the same problems in different (forms). We have the same economic problems,” Powell said, referencing a large percentage of minorities living below the poverty line and few minority-owned businesses.
Powell, a Navy veteran, went on to earn a master’s degree from Michigan State and conducted doctoral studies at the University of Maryland. In retirement, he has earned a second bachelor’s degree in renewable energy and is working on his master’s in the same field. He hopes to start his own renewable energy company.
“I think what we need to do is first of all, we as black people need to reach out to other ethnic groups and pull them in,” Powell said. “It doesn’t work anymore for us to say we’re going to do our own thing. We have to reach out to other people.”
Former financial advisor, Right to Die panel top agenda at Indiana State’s 10th annual Ethics Conference
By Betsy Simon, Indiana State University
A once rising star of the financial industry who served two years in federal prison for wire fraud and a discussion on an individual's right to die will be among the highlights of the upcoming Ethics Conference at Indiana State University.
Organized by juniors in the Networks Financial Institute's Professional Development Program, the 10th annual conference will be 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 4.
"We want people to realize that ethics is important and impacts people every day," said Kate Arndt, a junior finance major from Westmont, Ill. and a conference planning team leader. "No one is immune to it."
A lesson that highlights an extreme ethical lapse will be highlighted by keynote speaker John Borbi, a former financial advisor who was convicted of wire fraud in 2004. Borbi managed nearly $100 million dollars for his clients and generated an income of $500,000 until the stock market crashed in 2001. To cover up his clients' losses, Borbi began transferring assets illegally until he was caught by a client. Borbi was convicted of wire fraud in 2004.
Having served a two-year sentence in federal prison for his actions, Borbi will discuss how bad decisions led to his ethical downfall and reshaped his future ever since. He will speak exclusively with local business professionals at8:30-10 a.m. March 4 before talking with students at noon in Hulman Memorial Student Union, Dede I.
Another feature of the Ethics Conference will be a speaker panel, "The Right to Die", on March 3. The professional panel will examine the ethics of physician assisted suicide at 7 p.m. in Dede I. The panel will include Dr. Jim Turner, medical director of the Richard G. Lugar Center for Rural Health at Union Hospital.
In addition to handling the fundraising, marketing and logistics for the conference, twelve students have been responsible for securing the event's speakers who will discuss ethics in a variety of areas, including music, medicine and law, to show the wide-reaching impact morals have on people's lives.
"We want students to realize that ethics isn't just found in business, but is something that impacts all areas," said Mitchell Wasmund, a junior finance major from Avon who is helping plan the conference.
People may also follow the Ethics Conference on Twitter @ISUEthicsConf.
(Press release Feb.25)
Visiting flute-guitar duo to perform March 4
Duo Damiana, featuring flutist Molly Alicia Barth and guitarist Dieter Hennings, will perform as part of Indiana State University’s guest artist recital series at 7:30 p.m. March 4 in the recital hall for theLandini Center for Performing and Fine Arts.
The duo will also present a convocation on career development at 11 a.m. March 5 in recital hall. Both events are free and open to the public.
Formed by Barth and Hennings, Duo Damiana is focused on broadening the cutting-edge body of repertoire for flute and guitar. Featured composers include Chen Yi, David Lang, Hebert Vazquez, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Jean-Michel Damase, Michael Fiday and Toru Takemitsu.
In demand as a soloist, Barth focuses primarily on contemporary chamber music. As a founding member of the new music sextet Eighth Blackbird from 1996 to 2006, Barth won the 2007 “Best Chamber Music Performance” Grammy Award, recorded four albums with Cedille Records and was granted the 2000 Naumburg Chamber Music Award and first prize at the 1998 Concert Artists Guild International Competition.
Before assuming her teaching position at the University of Oregon, Barth taught at Willamette University and held residencies at the University of Chicago and at the University of Richmond.
The musical endeavors of Hennings span from new music on guitar to early music for lute, baroque guitar and theorbo. Recent engagements include concerts with pop singer Natalie Merchant and baroque violinist Monica Huggett, as well as appearances at the Mexican Embassy in Rome, Festival SpazioMusica of Cagliari, Conservatorio de las Rosas in Morelia, Mexico, University of Chicago, Festival Internacional de Chihuahua, New York’s Joyce Theater, Julliard’s Paul Hall and New England Conservatory. Hennings is a resident artist at the East Coast Composers Ensemble and the Eastman Broad Band Ensemble, with whom he maintains an active performing schedule.
Current recording projects include an album of works by Silvius Leopold Weiss for baroque lute and the guitar works of composers Juan Trigos and Luca Cori. Recently, Hennings collaborated in a recording project with singer Natalie Merchant, which also featured musicians such as Winton Marsalis, Medeski, Martin and Wood and producer Anders Levin.
Since August 2009, Hennings has been an assistant professor of music at the University of Kentucky, where he directs the classical guitar studies program.
By Betsy Simon, Indiana State University
A once rising star of the financial industry who served two years in federal prison for wire fraud and a discussion on an individual's right to die will be among the highlights of the upcoming Ethics Conference at Indiana State University.
Organized by juniors in the Networks Financial Institute's Professional Development Program, the 10th annual conference will be 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 4.
"We want people to realize that ethics is important and impacts people every day," said Kate Arndt, a junior finance major from Westmont, Ill. and a conference planning team leader. "No one is immune to it."
A lesson that highlights an extreme ethical lapse will be highlighted by keynote speaker John Borbi, a former financial advisor who was convicted of wire fraud in 2004. Borbi managed nearly $100 million dollars for his clients and generated an income of $500,000 until the stock market crashed in 2001. To cover up his clients' losses, Borbi began transferring assets illegally until he was caught by a client. Borbi was convicted of wire fraud in 2004.
Having served a two-year sentence in federal prison for his actions, Borbi will discuss how bad decisions led to his ethical downfall and reshaped his future ever since. He will speak exclusively with local business professionals at8:30-10 a.m. March 4 before talking with students at noon in Hulman Memorial Student Union, Dede I.
Another feature of the Ethics Conference will be a speaker panel, "The Right to Die", on March 3. The professional panel will examine the ethics of physician assisted suicide at 7 p.m. in Dede I. The panel will include Dr. Jim Turner, medical director of the Richard G. Lugar Center for Rural Health at Union Hospital.
In addition to handling the fundraising, marketing and logistics for the conference, twelve students have been responsible for securing the event's speakers who will discuss ethics in a variety of areas, including music, medicine and law, to show the wide-reaching impact morals have on people's lives.
"We want students to realize that ethics isn't just found in business, but is something that impacts all areas," said Mitchell Wasmund, a junior finance major from Avon who is helping plan the conference.
People may also follow the Ethics Conference on Twitter @ISUEthicsConf.
(Press release Feb.25)
Visiting flute-guitar duo to perform March 4
Duo Damiana, featuring flutist Molly Alicia Barth and guitarist Dieter Hennings, will perform as part of Indiana State University’s guest artist recital series at 7:30 p.m. March 4 in the recital hall for theLandini Center for Performing and Fine Arts.
The duo will also present a convocation on career development at 11 a.m. March 5 in recital hall. Both events are free and open to the public.
Formed by Barth and Hennings, Duo Damiana is focused on broadening the cutting-edge body of repertoire for flute and guitar. Featured composers include Chen Yi, David Lang, Hebert Vazquez, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Jean-Michel Damase, Michael Fiday and Toru Takemitsu.
In demand as a soloist, Barth focuses primarily on contemporary chamber music. As a founding member of the new music sextet Eighth Blackbird from 1996 to 2006, Barth won the 2007 “Best Chamber Music Performance” Grammy Award, recorded four albums with Cedille Records and was granted the 2000 Naumburg Chamber Music Award and first prize at the 1998 Concert Artists Guild International Competition.
Before assuming her teaching position at the University of Oregon, Barth taught at Willamette University and held residencies at the University of Chicago and at the University of Richmond.
The musical endeavors of Hennings span from new music on guitar to early music for lute, baroque guitar and theorbo. Recent engagements include concerts with pop singer Natalie Merchant and baroque violinist Monica Huggett, as well as appearances at the Mexican Embassy in Rome, Festival SpazioMusica of Cagliari, Conservatorio de las Rosas in Morelia, Mexico, University of Chicago, Festival Internacional de Chihuahua, New York’s Joyce Theater, Julliard’s Paul Hall and New England Conservatory. Hennings is a resident artist at the East Coast Composers Ensemble and the Eastman Broad Band Ensemble, with whom he maintains an active performing schedule.
Current recording projects include an album of works by Silvius Leopold Weiss for baroque lute and the guitar works of composers Juan Trigos and Luca Cori. Recently, Hennings collaborated in a recording project with singer Natalie Merchant, which also featured musicians such as Winton Marsalis, Medeski, Martin and Wood and producer Anders Levin.
Since August 2009, Hennings has been an assistant professor of music at the University of Kentucky, where he directs the classical guitar studies program.