The Indiana Department of Transportation has scheduled a series of road and ramp closures in conjunction with the 26th annual Thunder Over Louisville, an all-day air show followed by what promoters call “the largest fireworks display in North America” to be staged this Saturday as the kickoff event to 2015’s Kentucky Derby Festival.
INDOT’s closures begin tomorrow (Thursday) morning.
Southbound U.S. 31 closes at 9 a.m.Thursday, April 16, at mile marker 0.5 (at Interstate 65 just north of the Clark Memorial Bridge/Second Street bridge)
Northbound and southbound I-65 at Exit 0 at 6 a.m. on Saturday, April 18
I-65 northbound Tenth Street ramp at 1 p.m.Saturday
These closures begin at 8:30 p.m.Saturday.
I-265 eastbound to I-65 southbound ramp
I-265 westbound to I-65 southbound ramp
Veterans Parkway to I-65 southbound ramp
Lewis & Clark to I-65 southbound ramp
Eastern Boulevard to I-65 southbound
Tenth Street ramp to I-65 southbound
Stansifer Avenue to I-65 southbound ramp
I-65 to Stansifer northbound ramp
I-65 to Eastern northbound ramp
Indiana State Police patrols will stage a rolling roadblock on southbound I-65 beginning at 8 p.m.Saturday—diverting traffic to I-265. Once fireworks have concluded, INDOT will reopen I-65 ramps one-at-a-time from south to north under ISP direction.
Thunder Over Louisville attracts more than 600,000 spectators each year. Some watch from boats and barges on the Ohio River. Many find vantage points at Jeffersonville and Clarksville, Indiana.
It is now up to the state Senate to decide whether a bill that would remove state Superintendent Glenda Ritz as chair of the State Board of Education goes to the governor or to a conference committee.
Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle, plans to dissent to alterations made by the Indiana House to a bill that likely would remove Glenda Ritz as chair of the State Board of Education.
Brady Hagerty, a spokesman for Holdman, said the bill would move to a conference committee, where it hopefully will be brought in line with its original language.
From there, the bill will have to receive a favorable vote in both the House and Senate before it can move to Gov. Mike Pence for a signature.
The House passed the bill (SB 1) 56-to-41 on Tuesday, a bill supporters say will help end the rancor between the Democratic superintendent and the board. It would end the more than 100-year-old practice of having the elected superintendent chair the State Board, instead having board members elect their own chair – the superintendent would remain a member of the board.
Right now, Indiana and Oklahoma are the only states in which part of the job of the elected superintendent is to chair the board of education.
The Senate must decide whether to go along with a change made by the House that expands the board from 11 to 13 members.
The governor would retain his current 10 appointments to the board, and additional board members would be appointed by the leaders of the House and Senate.
The original Senate version of the bill shrank the board to nine members and reduced the number of members appointed by the governor to four, while the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate would have had one appointment each.
Though the education board has members of both parties by law, all its current members were appointed by Republican governors, and backers of the bill say the strained relationship led to poor communication on issues such as the development of a new ISTEP.
Opponents of the bill, including Ritz, the teacher unions and a handful of Republicans who voted against it, say it appears to be Republican retribution for Ritz winning the only statewide office not held by the GOP. The change would take effect July 1, more than a year before Ritz is up for re-election.
Indiana junior Yogi Ferrell will announce his decision on whether he will enter the 2015 NBA draft on Saturday, April 25, his father Kevin Ferrell Sr. confirmed on Monday.
Ferrell will make his announcement at the Ruth’s Chris Steak House on the northside of Indianapolis during an exclusive dinner, which will include friends and family.
“We want to make sure that we give ourselves enough time to make a very educated decision and not rush into things,” Ferrell Sr. said. “This was a difficult year for him but he had an outstanding season, so we just don’t want to rush and make a hasty decision in that regard.”
The NBA early entry deadline is Sunday, April 26 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
According to multiple NBA mock drafts, Ferrell is projected to be anywhere from a second round pick to perhaps missing on a draft selection entirely.
In his junior season at Indiana, the 6-foot Ferrell recorded 16.3 points and 4.9 assists per game, earning a first team all-Big Ten honors. And according to Ferrell Sr., following his successful junior campaign, the family has heard from a few NBA teams who have expressed interest.
Indiana public health officials say more than 40 people have received help in the first two weeks of a temporary needle exchange program implemented to stem an HIV outbreak in Scott County.
And it’s been so successful, Scott County health officials say a new needle exchange program is working and now are going door to door.
Authorities said Tuesday at a press conference in Austin, that as of Friday, 95 people in Scott County have tested positive for HIV, with an additional 11 preliminary positives.
The needle exchange, created in an emergency order by Gov. Mike Pence, gave out more than 1,500 syringes in exchange for 580 used needles.
Scott County Health Department nurse Brittany Combs says many have stayed away on fears they will be arrested if they go to exchange needles or that the system will be used to track them.
Combs says the program is anonymous, and users receive a card they can show police if they are stopped and found with needles.
The governor authorized a clean needle exchange program in his 30-day Public Health Emergency Declaration for Scott County. Today, we were told more than 1,500 clean needles have been distributed, while 580 dirty needles have been turned in.
Officials can only keep the program running until April 25. That’s when the governor’s executive order ends.
U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly released the statement below following the Pentagon announcement today that the 434th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) at Indiana’s Grissom Air Force Base has been selected as one of four finalists to be the first Air Force Reserve unit to fly the new KC-46A tanker aircraft.
Donnelly said, “Today’s announcement from the Air Force is tremendous news. In terms of the infrastructure necessary to host the KC-46, Grissom has everything the Air Force needs. Most importantly, it has the smart, hardworking Hoosier men and women serving in 434th Air Refueling Wing. Their sterling reputation in combination with the strong support of the surrounding communities in Miami County are why Grissom is a finalist. I will continue working on the Senate Armed Services Committee in the months ahead to ensure the Air Force recognizes and fairly evaluates these strengths when making its final basing decision on the KC-46.”
On February 20, 2015, Donnelly joined members of the Indiana congressional delegation in sending a letter to Secretary of the Air Force Deborah James urging the Air Force to give strong consideration to Grissom to host the KC-46A.
If selected, the 434th ARW could receive the new aircraft as early as fiscal year 2019. The KC-46A is a top Air Force priority and a significant step forward in replacing the military’s aging tanker fleet. It has an extended refueling capacity and range, improved capabilities and efficiency, and the ability to perform cargo and aeromedical evacuation.
According to the Air Force, the next step in the selection process will entail conducting detailed, on-the-ground site surveys of each of the four finalist bases. After completion of the site surveys, a single preferred location will be selected this summer. That preferred site must then undergo an environmental review, with the final decision expected in the summer of 2016.
Dillon Douglas Kingsbery, 30, of Huntertown, IN was arrested on 20 felony charges earlier today by the Indiana State Police.
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.
Approximately 30 AWC alumni and board members gathered April 13 for a brainstorming session about the future direction of Awareness Washington County.
Debbie Mildenburger, co-director, welcomed everyone and made introductions. The session began with a gathering by Judy Johnson, ( class of 2002). Marji Morris, co-director, gave background on where AWC had been and where it is today.
Johnson then challenged the group to envision where AWC wants to be. The hard part came later when she tasked the group to come up with specifics on how the organization should get there, what the staff would look like, and how additional facilitators and board would be recruited, trained and retained.
The AWC board stated that the evening was very productive, with lots of energy in the room.
Participants included people from the very first AWC class to people in the present class. The directors gathered the idea sheets and the board will use them in planning for the immediate and long-range future.
Former University of Louisville football star, Teddy Bridgewater, will return to his college hometown to serve as Grand Marshal of this year’s Republic Bank Pegasus Parade. Bridgewater was quarterback for the Cardinals from 2011 to 2013, and is now quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings.
The 60th annual parade is set to march down Broadway on Thursday, April 30th.
“This year’s theme is ‘Best of Louisville’ and we know fans will agree that Teddy is just that,” said Mike Berry, KDF President & CEO. “We are excited to have him back to participate in one of the biggest events in the city each year.”
A Miami native, Bridgewater was considered a four star recruit with 2,606 passing yards and 22 touchdowns his senior year in high school. During his years as a Louisville Cardinal, he was named 2011 Freshman All-American, 2011 Big East Rookie of the Year and 2012 Big East Offensive Player of the Year. He was named MVP at the 2013 Sugar Bowl, where the Cardinals, decided underdogs, defeated the Florida Gators 33-23. His last season at UofL in 2013, he was named MVP of the Russell Athletic Bowl.
On top of the football accolades, Bridgewater became the first in his family to graduate college and walked across the stage in December 2013 to receive a degree in Sports Administration. Following his graduation, Bridgewater was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. The youngest Minnesota Viking, Bridgewater was named the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year in his first season.
The annual spectacle marches west on Broadway from Campbell to Ninth Street and will feature approximately 100 units. Tickets for the Parade are on sale now online at www.kdf.org or by calling the Derby Festival Hotline at (502) 584-FEST. Ticket prices are $10 for bleacher seats, $12 chair seating and $30 review stand seats.
The Pegasus Parade – the Derby Festival’s oldest founding event – is one of nearly 70 events produced by the Kentucky Derby Festival in the spring and provides an estimated economic impact of more than $22 million. The annual spectacle marches west on Broadway from Campbell to Ninth Street.
The Derby Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people in a two-week period. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single-attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
The Indiana Senate voted 46-3 today in favor of an amended version of House Bill 1273, which would lay the framework to secure an 18,000-seat multipurpose stadium in downtown Indianapolis. The stadium would serve as a permanent home for all Indy Eleven Professional Soccer games and potentially more than 30 other sports and entertainment events to be held every year on the Indiana University campus of IUPUI.
“We are thrilled that the Senate’s vote today furthers our goal to secure a proper stadium for ‘the World’s Game’ and all of its passionate supporters from across Indiana,” said Peter Wilt, president and general manager of Indy Eleven. “We look forward to building on this momentum with our partners at Indiana University and IUPUI and working towards a venue plan that will do the City and State proud while boosting Indiana’s economy for all Hoosiers.”
HB 1273 was filed by Indiana State Representative Todd Huston (Fishers – District 37) to extend a sports and entertainment development area to include a future stadium site and a new downtown Indianapolis hotel to be developed by the owner of Indy Eleven for the purpose of reinforcing stadium finances. The multipurpose stadium bill received strong bipartisan support from the Indiana House by a vote of 74-21.
The cost of the project would still be financed through user fees captured at the stadium and, if necessary, the afore-mentioned downtown hotel project.
Now that the legislation has been approved by the Indiana Senate, a conference committee of House and Senate lawmakers will work to finalize legislation for a stadium located on the campus of IUPUI that would be owned by Indiana University and have $20 million of its financing allocated by the State of Indiana.
“We appreciate the thoughtful consideration of the stadium bill by the Senate and their efforts to help create a fiscally responsible solution for a multipurpose stadium in Indianapolis,” said Ersal Ozdemir, owner of Indy Eleven. “The potential to partner with Indiana University to create a first-division-quality stadium that honors the rich heritage of soccer in the Hoosier State is being met with tremendous enthusiasm by our fans.”
A check on a local sex offender led to the arrest of three from Henryville on Meth charges.
James A. Walton, 41, 3732 Pixley Knob Road, Henryville, was arrested and charged with Failure to register as sex offender – Level 6 Felony, Possession of Methamphetamine – Level 6 Felony, Possession of Paraphernalia – Class A Misdemeanor, Warrant for Parole Violation.
James A. Walton, 41, 3732 Pixley Knob Road, Henryville, Failure to register as sex offender – Level 6 Felony, Possession of Methamphetamine – Level 6 Felony, Possession of Paraphernalia – Class A Misdemeanor, Warrant for Parole Violation.Jonathan Neil Hayes, 31, 3732 Pixley Knob Road, Henryville, Possession of Methamphetamine – Level 6 Felony, Possession of Marijuana – Class B Misdemeanor, Maintaining a Common Nuisance – Level 6 Felony, Possession of Paraphernalia – Class A Misdemeanor, Neglect of a Dependent – Level 5 Felony.Eva M. Campbell, 25, 3732 Pixley Knob Road, Henryville, Possession of Methamphetamine – Level 6 Felony, Possession of Marijuana – Class B Misdemeanor, Maintaining a Common Nuisance – Level 6 Felony, Possession of Paraphernalia – Class A Misdemeanor, Neglect of a Dependent – Level 5 Felony.
Jonathan Neil Hayes, 31, 3732 Pixley Knob Road, Henryville, was arrested and charged with Possession of Methamphetamine – Level 6 Felony, Possession of Marijuana – Class B Misdemeanor, Maintaining a Common Nuisance – Level 6 Felony, Possession of Paraphernalia – Class A Misdemeanor, Neglect of a Dependent – Level 5 Felony.
Eva M. Campbell, 25, 3732 Pixley Knob Road, Henryville, was arrested and charged with Possession of Methamphetamine – Level 6 Felony, Possession of Marijuana – Class B Misdemeanor, Maintaining a Common Nuisance – Level 6 Felony, Possession of Paraphernalia – Class A Misdemeanor, Neglect of a Dependent – Level 5 Felony.
On April 9, Indiana State Trooper Brett Walters and Detective Scott Stewart of the Indiana State Police were investigating Walton, a convicted sex offender, for failing to properly register his current place of residence as required by law.
Walton, along with Hayes, and Campbell were residing at 3732 South Pixley Knob Road in eastern Washington County. Campbell’s five year old child was also staying at the residence.
Shortly after beginning their investigation, troopers from the Indiana State Police Meth Suppression Unit advised that they were also investigating Walton, as well as Hayes, for possible drug charges. Officers then combined their efforts as they continued their investigations.
After meeting with the suspect at his current place of residence, officers obtained a search warrant and conducted a search of the residence.
Officers from the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, Salem Police Department and Washington County Child Protective Services also assisted in the investigation.
During the search officers located methamphetamine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.
As a result of the investigation, all three subjects were arrested and transported to the Washington County Jail.
Due to the nature of the charges, the five year old child was placed with a family member by Washington County Child Protective Services.
