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Third House Session in Orange County

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The first Orange County Third House of 2015 being sponsored by the three Orange County Chambers of Commerce is set for Saturday, Feb. 14 at the Orleans Town Hall from 10 to 11 a.m.

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State Representatives Steve Davisson, R, Salem, Lloyd Arnold, R, Leavenworth as well as State Senator Erin Houchin, R, Salem are expected to be in attendance to participate in dialogues regarding issues being addressed during this current Indiana General Assembly.

Robert F. Henderson, Orleans Chamber Exec. Director, will moderate.

The public is welcome to attend.

FANS CAN REGISTER FOR 2015 MLB ALL-STAR TICKET STRIPS BEGINNING TODAY

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Major League Baseball and the Cincinnati Reds today announced that fans can register for the opportunity to purchase full ticket strips for 2015 MLB All-Star events beginning today by visiting allstargame.com or reds.com.2015-Primary-ASG-Logo

Winners will be randomly selected as available tickets will be extremely limited. Date, time and instructions for purchase will be communicated via e-mail to each selected applicant in late April.  Full strips include: 

  • One ticket to the 86th MLB All-Star Game at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday, July 14
  • One ticket to Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the Home Run Derby at Great American Ball Park on Monday July 13
  • One ticket to All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and the All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game at Great American Ball Park on Sunday, July 12
  • Two tickets to T-Mobile All-Star FanFest at the Duke Energy Convention Center,July 10-14
  • One official 2015 MLB All-Star Game Program

 

Cincinnati Reds Season Ticket Holders will be among the first fans to receive the opportunity to secure tickets for 2015 MLB All-Star events. For information on season ticket plans that include All-Star ticket options, fans should call a Reds ticket representative at (513) 765-7500.

Additionally, MasterCard, the preferred card of Major League Baseball, will offer a special pre-sale opportunity on May 4, 2015 to MasterCard cardholders for 2015 MLB All-Star ticket strips.

Gatorade All-Star Workout Day features American League and National League batting practice followed by the Home Run Derby, where players from each League participate in a home run hitting contest. Recent winners include Yoenis Cespedes, who won most recently in back-to-back years (2014, 2013), Prince Fielder (2012), Robinson Cano (2011) and David Ortiz (2010).

All-Star Sunday includes the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, which showcases many of the top Minor League prospects and has featured current Reds Carlos Contreras (2013), Billy Hamilton (2013, 2012), Devin Mesoraco (2011), Jay Bruce (2007), Joey Votto (2007, 2006), Homer Bailey (2006), Marlon Byrd (2002) and Brandon Phillips (2002).  Other players who have competed in both the All-Star Futures Game and the MLB All-Star Game include Robinson Cano, Bryce Harper, Clayton Kershaw, Andrew McCutchen, Mike Trout and Justin Verlander.

The 2015 All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game, also part of All-Star Sunday, will feature stars from film, music, television and entertainment teaming up with former Major Leaguers and former Reds stars immediately following the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. Past celebrity participants have included Jon Hamm, Jimmy Kimmel, Andy Cohen, Kate Upton, Marisa Miller, Chris Rock, January Jones and Jordin Sparks. The game has also featured a collection of Hall of Famers including the late Ernie Banks, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Rickey Henderson, Paul Molitor, Ozzie Smith and Dave Winfield.

T-Mobile All-Star FanFest will be held at the Duke Energy Convention Center. The five-day event, beginning on July 10th will serve as the launch of MLB All-Star Week, which will culminate with the 86th Midsummer Classic on July 14th at Great American Ball Park. T-Mobile All-Star FanFest is the world’s largest interactive baseball fan event, providing an unrivaled experience for fans of all ages. With more than 100 different appearances from MLB Legends and Hall of Famers, fans have the opportunity to get free autographs, participate in baseball clinics led by former players, attend Q&A sessions and much more.  Legends who have attended T-Mobile All-Star FanFest in past years include Hall of Famers Barry Larkin, Ozzie Smith and Dave Winfield, plus current players Alex Gordon, Joe Mauer, Andrew McCutchen and Giancarlo Stanton.

For more information, please visit allstargame.com and reds.com.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AGREE TO TERMS WITH G-BEN HEENAN

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The Indianapolis Colts today agreed to terms with guard Ben Heenan.

Heenan, 6-4, 316 pounds, played the last three seasons (2012-14) with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) after being selected by the team with the first overall pick of the 2012 CFL Draft. He competed in 52 career games on the offensive line, starting 49 contests. In 2014, Heenan started all 21 games for the Roughriders for the first time in his career. In 2013, he started 16 games at right guard and right tackle and helped the Roughriders win their fourth Grey Cup in franchise history. As a rookie in 2012, Heenan saw action in a total of 15 games and started 12.crop_19068650515

Collegiately, Heenan played four seasons (2008-2011) at the University of Saskatchewan at both guard and tackle and helped the Huskies to three Canada West regular season titles and four playoff appearances. The team led the conference in points scored and total offense on two occasions. Heenan was one of only three Canadian players selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game following his senior season. He was also named Second Team All-Canadian and was a Canada West All-Star in 2011. Heenan earned First Team All-Canadian and Canada West All-Star honors in 2010, while playing in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport East-West Bowl. In his first year with the Huskies in 2008, he started all nine games and was named Canada West Rookie of the Year.

Youth Training March 11 at Ivy Tech Sellersburg

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The Indiana Youth Institute (IYI) is bringing five experts to Sellersburg for a series of training sessions designed for youth workers, teachers, youth ministers, family service providers and others who work directly with children.

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The statewide tour will be in Sellersburg on March 11 in Pfau Hall at Ivy Tech Community College in Sellersburg, 8204 U.S. 311, Sellersburg, IN 47172.

The two morning sessions run from 9 a.m. to noon EST and include the following choices:

“Flipping the Resilience Switch.” Christian Moore, the founder of WhyTry, will explain how to get young people to rely on their natural resilience by tapping into the four sources of resilience – street, relational, resource and rock bottom. Christian grew up with severe learning disabilities, sometimes alone on the streets near Washington DC. He uses those experiences to help explain why some people thrive under any circumstances while others crumble under small challenges.

“Keeping Kids SAFE: Screening Mentor Applicants to Ensure Child Safety.” This workshop focuses on characteristics of child predators, the grooming process and the red flags workers need to know to keep children safe. Jen Lindwall is an independent consultant and former director of training and quality assurance at the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota. She will discuss how the “Screening Applicants for Effectiveness” (SAFE) system helps youth-based groups keep children safe by exploring the latest in child molestation research, wisdom from screening volunteers and recommendations from leading experts on child exploitation

The two afternoon sessions will begin at 2 p.m. and end at 5 p.m. EST. Those options include:

“Fundraising for the Small Shop.” Melissa Brown advises nonprofit groups and spent two decades at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University (now the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy). Through her experience at the Fund Raising School®, Brown teaches comprehensive, proven fundraising concepts and principles to nonprofit professionals. Her session focuses on smaller nonprofits where staff members may be juggling program, management and fundraising responsibilities. She will help attendees learn the fundamentals of building a fundraising program for a small shop, including the selection of the fundraising vehicles, donors and markets best suited to small nonprofits.

“Graduation and Beyond! How to Help More Students Achieve College and Career Success.”  This session will focus on helping educators and youth-workers more effectively help students achieve their dreams beyond high school. This hands-on session will draw from the new College and Career Mentoring Toolkit. IYI and Indiana Mentoring Partnership consultant Tracy Butler and IYI Director of College and Career Counseling Kate Coffman will share practical skills to help attendees develop a new college and career success program or take an existing program to a higher level.

Other training options include Merrillville on March 3, South Bend on March 4, Fort Wayne on March 5, Evansville on March 10 and Indianapolis on March 12. The cost is $20 to attend one session or $40 to attend two sessions. Individuals can register online atwww.iyi.org/spring2015. Onsite check-in begins 30 minutes before each session.

These trainings are funded in part by Lilly Endowment Inc. and the Nicholas H. Noyes, Jr. Memorial Foundation, Inc.

Statewide support for “Graduation and Beyond!” is provided by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.

Christian Moore’s training in Indianapolis is sponsored by Indiana University Health.

Additional support for the Ft. Wayne trainings is provided by the English, Bontner, Mitchell Foundation, the Clarence L. and Edith B. Schust Foundation, NIPSCO and Old National Bank.

Additional support for the Merrillville training is provided by NIPSCO.

Additional support for the Evansville trainings is provided by Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana.

The Indiana Youth Institute promotes the healthy development of Indiana children and youth by serving the people, institutions, and communities that impact their well-being.

Editorial – Strengthening Education Policy

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After meeting with dozens of teachers across Southern Indiana in the last year, the first bill I decided to author as a state senator works to move Indiana’s I-READ reading assessment from third grade to second grade. My legislation, Senate Bill 169, requires students who do not pass the I-READ reading assessment in second grade to retake the test during the third grade, which allows for more time and opportunity to strengthen reading abilities.

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This is an idea that came directly from teachers I met by participating in meetings with educators to discuss ways to improve education policy for teachers and students. During these meetings, concerns were raised about the amount of time spent on testing, particularly in the third grade.

Teachers suggested this move to second grade because ISTEP, I-READ, Acuity and other local tests are given in third grade. My bill to move the reading assessment from third grade to second grade would rebalance instruction time for third-grade students and teachers.

In addition, SB 169 addresses the importance of catching reading deficiencies early so that issues can be promptly addressed. The change would allow an additional year for remediation. My proposal recommends students who fail at the end of grade two be remediated during the third grade and retested at the end of that school year, at which point failure would require retention.

Currently, third-grade students who do not pass the I-READ reading assessment are remediated and retested between March and the end of the school year, and in some cases in summer school, when available. If the student doesn’t pass, they must be retained in grade three.

If the I-READ reading assessment shifts to the second grade, it would remove the “high-stakes” pressure for most students by not requiring retention for those that fail in the second grade. Instead, the focus will be on remediation.

Earlier this month, SB 169 received a hearing in the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development. There was meaningful discussion by legislators and valuable testimony from the public. As a result, the bill was amended to recommend the issue be further examined in a legislative study committee. The amended bill will now go to the full Senate for further consideration.

Enacting my bill will allow lawmakers, educators and affected families to continue working to find the right policies regarding reading proficiency in Indiana schools. I continue to believe that our elementary school students would be better served by assessing reading proficiencies in second grade. In doing so, we can ensure students have obtained the basic foundational phonics skills to improve future educational outcomes. I welcome the opportunity to further explore the merits of this proposal in a legislative study committee.

As always you can contact my office directly with your input, questions and concerns by email at Senator.Houchin@iga.in.gov or by phone at 317-232-9400. I look forward to hearing your feedback.

To track the progress of SB 169, visit www.in.gov/iga.

 

Salem Chief Throws Hat in Mayor’s Race

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Salem Police Chief Troy Merry has thrown his hat into the race for Salem Mayor and will give voters a choice for Democrat in the May Primary.

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Police Chief Troy Merry read a resolution from the Mayor proclaiming last Thursday as Cincinnati Reds Day in Salem. Major Detective Scott Ratts and Becky White look on. Merry announced last week he was going to run for Mayor of Salem.

Merry, a Salem native and 1987 graduate of Salem High School, will run against Hank Jacoby, for the Democratic nod to seek the office in November.  He has worked for the City of Salem Police Department for 15 years.

There is also a race for the Republican slot for Mayor after Ron Haendiges filed to seek the Republican approval to run in the fall election and will campaign against Jason Cockerill.

“I think Salem is the greatest city you could ever live in,” said Merry. “Salem is making great progress and I am proud of all the new projects that are going on in the city…like the new businesses and the ones that are coming in the future.”

Merry said he wanted to continue to build on that success. “I want to help the small businesses in Salem and see them grow. I want to help promote the downtown area and would like to be part of the Lake Salinda project and see it back on line. It would add another water source for the citizens of Salem, not only as another water source but would help with our capacity to attract new business.”

Youth and seniors are also important to Merry. “I want to see what their needs are and act on that,” he said.

WSLM will update all the election filings this week on the air as well as at wslmradio.com

SHS Science Club Wins Award

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Last week,  the Salem High School science club was notified that it has won the 2015 Indiana Tree Farm Outdoor Lab of the year award.

According to group sponsor and teacher John Calhoun, the award was given because of the club’s work on the 60 acres north of Salem Schools.

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“We are very excited about this award,” said Calhoun. “So many people and organizations have helped us get this project started and we look

forward to continuing our work with our students to make this area an educational tool for our students, faculty and our community.”

The group will be receiving the award of a plaque and $500 on Friday February 13th at the annual HASTI conference.

Indianapolis EMS Units Respond to Level I Mass Casualty

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Just before 8:00 PM, this evening, units from Indianapolis Emergency Medical Service (IEMS) along with units from Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) were dispatched to the 7500 block of North Keystone Avenue for a two car, head on collision. The initial units on scene determined that there were eight possible patients and up to six involved vehicles and initiated a Mass Casualty Incident-Level 1 Response (MCI-L1). Additional units were added to supplement personnel and apparatus already on scene following the declaration of an MCI-L1.

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IEMS transported a total of 7 patients from the scene to area trauma centers for treatment. At the scene it was determined that one patient was in critical condition, two in serious condition, and four were in fair condition. One person at the scene declined treatment and transportation to a hospital. IEMS sent five advanced life support ambulances, one District Lieutenant and one Operational Medical Director to the response. First responding units indicated multiple persons were ejected from their vehicle at the collision site.

All patient conditions are reported as they were at the collision site. Any information on current conditions should be obtained from the receiving hospitals. The injured were transported to St. Vincent Hospital, IU Health Methodist Hospital, and IU Health Riley Hospital for Children.

IEMS is the largest provider of emergency pre-hospital medical care in the state, responding to nearly 100,000 911 calls each year. A division of the Indianapolis Department of Public Safety, IEMS is a partnership between the City of Indianapolis, Indiana University School of Medicine and Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County, with Eskenazi Health as the supervising health system. IEMS strives to provide the best pre-hospital medical services to the community through the endless pursuit of excellence in patient-centered care, education, efficiency, efficacy, safety and quality of service. IEMS serves the community not only through emergency care, but also through unique outreach programs and educational opportunities. Our mission: Right care. Every patient. Every time.

To learn more about IEMS, visit www.IndianapolisEMS.org. You can also follow IEMS on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/IndianapolisEMS), Twitter (http://twitter.com/IndianapolisEMS) and Instagram(http://instagram.com/IndianapolisEMS).

Mellancamp Rocks Louisville Palace

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The Walls Came Crumblin’ Down at the Louisville Palace Friday night as Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Mellencamp came into the Derby City for a two-hour show.

Mellancamp is a local legend, having grown up just a few minutes north in Seymour, IN and even filmed parts of his videos around the area (Pink Houses filmed portions in Little York and Vallonia) and making one of his homes in Bloomington, IN where he can be seen at IU Basketball games, shopping at the College Mall or eating at various restaurants around town.

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John Mellancamp performing at the Louisville Palace. Photo by WSLMRADIO

 

The 63-year-old Mellencamp continues to inspire and draw a crowd as he performed Friday night at a sold-out Louisville Palace. One of the great things about Mellencamp is that he doesn’t just show up and perform – he seems to enjoy it and have fun performing the music he’s written and arranged. He’s as much actor as musician – as much showman as tune smith.

He opened the 20 song set with “Lawless Times” and “Troubled Man,” then when rocked out the house with “Minutes to Memories” and “Small Town” he had us all in the palm of his hand for the rest of the night.

At first, when Mellancamp added fiddle music to his music in 90s, I wasn’t sure what to think but over time it grew on me and the other millions of fans. His show Friday featured the fiddle player, a very versatile musician on keyboard and piano and a bass player who jumped onto the standup bass for Mellancamp’s version of the Robert Johnson cover “Stones in My Passway.”

Through the next five songs, Mellancamp proved he was more than the “Small Town” boy who grew into a rock and roll hall of famer and also.  But then he went back to more familiar ground and really wowed the crowd with a slow, grinding version of “Jack and Diane” and ended with four straight hits from his early days – “Crumblin’ Down,” “Authority Song”, “Pink Houses” and the finale – “Cherry Bomb”.

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Carlene Carter and John Mellancamp performing at the Louisville Palace. Photo by WSLMRADIO

Though Mellencamp’s moved from his arena performances to more intimate locations like the Louisville Palace, he was able to bring the house to its feet for most of the night to dance, swing and sway to his band’s versions of songs we’ve all jammed to in the car for two decades. In fact, his rhythm guitar player has been with him through that entire journey.

Carlene Carter, the opening act, joined Mellancamp on stage for two songs they had done together for the Stephen King collaboration, Ghost Brothers of Darkland County “Away From This World” and “Tear This Cabin Down.”

Carter sang alone for most of her meager time on stage but was joined on stage for two numbers by her husband, Joseph Breen.

She played mostly songs from her most recent album, “Carter Girl,” a collection of music recorded by The Carter Family beginning in the late 20s. The Carter Family was one of the original families of Country Music and the crowd responded well to the older songs, including some gospel.

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Carlene Carter opened the evening at the Louisville Palace and was joined on stage by husband Joseph Breen.

 

There were no encores and the 20 set show left us wanting more – including what would have been an awesome encore set with – “R.O.C.K. in the USA” and other favorites – “Hand to Hold On To”, “Hurts So Good,” “Ain’t Even Done with the Night” and the newer “Wild Night” were nowhere to be found.

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John Mellancamp performing at the Louisville Palace. Photo by WSLMRADIO

At the end of the night, what we got was great and I’m sure we all went home listening to Mellancamp on our phones – hoping for the next time we could gather and enjoy him live in concert.

Overnight Lane Closures Monday On Sherman Minton Bridge

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The Indiana Department of Transportation plans to close lanes on the Sherman Minton Bridge during overnight hours Monday (JAN. 26) for contracted maintenance operations.
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Beginning at 11 p.m. Monday, the left and center lanes of eastbound Interstate 64 will close to traffic crossing the Ohio River bridge.  Midwestern Electric, INDOT’s contractor, will have crews and equipment along vacated bridge lanes for maintenance of highway lighting. 
 
If time allows, operations will move from the Sherman Minton Bridge’s bottom deck to westbound I-64 left and center lanes on the top bridge deck. 
 
All lanes will reopen to traffic by 4 a.m. Tuesday.
 
For highway information, monitor social media sites: www.Facebook.com/INDOTSoutheast and Twitter @INDOTSoutheast.  Verify travel plans at TrafficWise:  http://www.trafficwise.in.gov.
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MEDIA CONTACT:  Harry Maginity at (317) 468-3190 or hmaginity@indot.in.gov