A new report puts Indiana in the top ranks of states for drug overdoses.

The Trust for America‘s Health report ranks Indiana among the top five states with the fastest growing rates of fatal drug overdoses.  The report says the Indiana figure has quadrupled in the past ten years.

Scott Watson of Indianapolis-based Heartland Intervention attributes the rise to the continued availability and misuse of prescription pain medication.

Watson says that can become a gateway for other drugs like heroin.  He says parents need to remain vigilant and carefully watch their kids. Watson adds that Indiana has been criticized for not using federal resources that include expansions to Medicaid to fight substance abuse.

However, Watson adds the state legislature is working at addressing the issue of drugs and drug abuse.

Two people are confirmed dead from an early morning house fire at 434 Randolph Ave. in Clarksville.

Clarksville Fire Department officials have yet to identify the two people found inside the home. Clarksville Fire Department Chief Tom Upton said he was uncertain if anyone else was in the home, and there were no reports of anyone else being in the residence.

But Clarksville Police Department Chief Mark Palmer confirmed in a press release later in the day that the fire is now being investigated as a crime.

“Two individuals have been recovered from the fire inside and their deaths are part of the investigation,” according to the release.

CPD officers were on the scene marking and collecting evidence late Wednesday morning.

Work on Phase One of the U.S. 50 North Vernon Bypass project is on schedule.

That‘s according to Indiana Department of Transportation Spokesman Harry Maginity.

He says two construction companies – Milestone Contractors and Force Construction – are working on the 21-point-9 million dollar dollar project. If everything stays on track, the new bypass should be ready for traffic by the end of this year.

Jeffersonville police want to know why a man was waving a shotgun outside a government building.

Police arrested Henry Campbell yesterday after he pointed the shotgun at the Clark County Courthouse.

Campbell didn‘t fight with police when they arrived to arrest him, but investigators say he had enough ammo to do a lot of damage.

INDIANAPOLIS  (2 October 2013) – More than 45 students from throughout the state participating in the Indiana Preservation Youth Summit will travel to southern Indiana this week to explore Underground Railroad sites.

The three-day, two-night excursion, Friday through Sunday (Oct. 4-6), will take students and educators to Jeffersonville, New Albany and Madison where they will meet with local Underground Railroad and museum experts (see photo opp itinerary below).

The Youth Summit is more than an extended field trip. Based on their Underground Railroad field studies, a team of the students will share their perspectives on how to interest youth in history and preservation in an October 31 session at the National Preservation Conference in Indianapolis.

Preservationists, real estate developers, architects and planners, state and local officials, and tourism experts attend the annual conference staged by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This is the first time the conference has been held in Indiana.

“The great aspect of the Youth Summit is that it allows students to act as consultants who give feedback to tourism professionals, museum administrators and politicians on the best ways to interest young people in the Underground Railroad,” says Suzanne Stanis, director of education at Indiana Landmarks and one of the summit organizers. “Instead of trying to determine what kids want, we’re letting the students figure it out and tell us.”

The junior and senior high students and eight educators were selected through a competitive application process. Each received a scholarship made possible through: the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program; the Indiana Department of National Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology; Indiana Landmarks; and Indiana Freedom Trails, Inc.

For more information about the Preservation Youth Summit or to see the itinerary, visit www.indianafreedomtrails.org/youth_summit.php.

The Youth Summit project has been funded in part by a grant from the U.S.

Department of the Interior, National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Fund administered by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology.

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Indiana Landmarks revitalizes communities, reconnects us to our heritage, and saves meaningful places. With eight offices located throughout the state, the non-profit organization helps people rescue endangered landmarks and restore historic neighborhoods and downtowns. People who join Indiana Landmarks receive its bimonthly magazine, Indiana Preservationist. For more information, call 317-639-4534, 800-450-4534, or visit www.indianalandmarks.org.

Members of the Orleans Fire Department will once again be sponsoring a Corn Hole Tourney, in conjunction with the upcoming Orleans Fall Fun Fest in the Park on Saturday, October 12.

The tourney will be held on the west side of the historic Congress Square (town park) beginning at 11 a.m. Sign-ups will get underway at 10:30 a.m.
Costs will be $10 per team with cash prizes awarded to the winners. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the restoration of the original 1926 Peter Pirsch Fire Truck.
In addition to the Corn Hole, the firemen will also serve up pork roast sandwiches in the park beginning at 11 a.m. that day as well.