Kokomo police continue to search for the driver in a hit-and-run crash that killed a 13-year-old boy.

Police said they are looking for a 2005 to 2007 white truck, possibly a Ford or Mercury, with front-end damage.

Christian Reede and another teen were on a moped last Thursday when they were hit.  Reede died Friday from his injuries.  Doctors have released the second 13-year-old hurt in the crash.

Meanwhile, hundreds attended a memorial service for Reede on Wednesday.  Funeral services will be held this morning.

It can wait. That‘s the message the Hoosier State is working to drive home to stop the dangerous trend of texting while driving.

Governor Pence and more than 30 mayors across the state have designated today (Thurs) as ‘Drive 4 Pledges Day‘.  The goal is to get more people to take a stand against texting and driving by signing a pledge.

It‘s part of a national movement to create more of a “social stigma” against texting and driving.  Indiana lawmakers outlawed texting while driving in 2011.

Various activities are planned statewide, or you can go online and take the pledge at ItCanWait.com.

The first year for four schools turned over to independent operators has brought little change in ISTEP scores.

Passing rates went up four points at Arlington High School in Indy and five at Gary Roosevelt, but more than three-quarters of the students in those schools still flunked. At Indy‘s Howe High School and Donnan Middle School, passing rates went down a point or two.

All four schools‘ passing rates were 30-percent or below, placing them in the bottom seven statewide.  The state took control of the four schools after six years of failing performance while under district control.

Spokeswoman Beverly Rella with EdPower, the Indianapolis group now operating Arlington, says the small improvement is disappointing but not entirely surprising. She says EdPower‘s other school, the Charles A. Tindley charter school, performed poorly in its first couple of years after opening in 2004.

This year, 83-percent of Tindley‘s students passed ISTEP, the 42nd-best performance in the state.   Rella says the primary goal for the first year, at Tindley and at Arlington, is to create a safe environment that encourages learning. She expects test scores will follow as they did at Tindley.
Jay Kenworthy with the education reform group Stand for Children agrees it‘ll take a few years to judge the private operators‘ performance. And he says ISTEP shouldn‘t be the only measure anyway. He says the schools should also be judged by how many of their graduates go on to college.

Indianapolis Manual High School, also taken over by the state, includes only grades 9 through 12 and therefore doesn‘t have any students taking the test.

Seven House Republicans have unveiled their own version of a federal health care law.

The bill drafted by members of the Republican Study Committee, including Fourth District Representative Todd Rokita, repeals President Obama‘s health care law, and replaces it with a 75-hundred-dollar income tax deduction if you buy your own insurance. It proposes health savings accounts similar to those in Indiana‘s health insurance plan, and would make state insurance data and Medicare claims data public, to allow patients to comparison-shop on pricing.

Rokita argues the G-O-P version would force medical prices down through competition, while preserving existing doctor-patient relationships.

Republicans offered many of the provisions during the original health care debate three years ago. The bill incorporates the existing law‘s high-risk pools to ensure people with preexisting conditions can get coverage.

Rokita acknowledges the bill will go nowhere in the Senate without Democratic support. He says that would probably first require the existing law to prove unworkable as more provisions take effect — something Rokita maintains is inevitable.

Casey Crain, 24, Salem appeared in court today to be formally charged with a Class A Felony, Neglect of a Minor.

Her 8 month old son died in Sunday September 8 as a result of alleged  injuries from her boyfriend,  Jamie Lykins.

Washington County Circuit Judge Larry Medlock told Crane she placed her son in danger, allowed him to be abused and delayed medical treatment,  resulting in the baby’s death.

Because Crane said she had no assets, Medlock appointed Mark Clark as her defense attorney.

A pre-trial conference is set for Thursday October 31 at 9 a.m. with the trial tentatively set for May 7, 2014.

Crane was arrested at noon last Friday after Medlock issued a warrant based on information gathered by the Indiana State Police,  Salem Police Department and the Washington County Prosecutors office.

She is being held on a $40, 000 full cash bond at the Washington County Detention Center in an isolated cell.

Lykins was arrested a week ago and was charged with two Class A Felonies— Battery Resulting in Death and Neglect of a minor.

He remains incarcerated in the Washington County Detention Center.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Sept. 16) – Indiana State Excise Police officers arrested or cited 61 people on alcohol, tobacco and drug charges at the B100 concert at the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds in South Bend yesterday.

Officers arrested 22 people for illegal possession or consumption of alcohol. Six adults were arrested for furnishing or providing alcohol to a minor.

Twenty-eight people were cited for underage possession of tobacco. Two adults were also cited for furnishing tobacco to a juvenile.

Excise officers also made arrests for possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession of synthetic marijuana and false informing.

Yesterday was B100’s 19^th annual birthday party, when the station hosts country music performers for a free concert. This year’s event included Travis Tritt, Joe Nichols and several other music artists.

As the enforcement division of the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, the primary mission of the Indiana State Excise Police is to promote public safety by enforcing Indiana’s Alcoholic Beverage Code. While excise officers have the authority to enforce any state law, they focus primarily on alcohol, tobacco and related laws.

All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Reed May of Brownstown Central High School has been named the Colts/NFL Coach of the Week, a program presented by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

May was selected after recording his 200^th victory as the head football coach at Brownstown Central. The Brownstown Central Braves delivered an excellent performance beating the visiting Salem Lions 55-7 to secure their coach’s 200^th victory and improve to 4-0 on the season.

Coach May enters his twenty-first season as the leader of the Brownstown Central football program. With an overall record of 200-41 during that time, May has built a tradition of hard work and dedication. Coach May attributes his success at Brownstown Central to the commitment and loyal support of the school, local community and his coaching staff.

The 2013 season marks the fourteenth year the Indianapolis Colts will be recognizing outstanding Indiana High School football coaches through the Colts/NFL Coach of the Week program, presented by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

All high school head coaches in the state of Indiana are eligible regardless of their school size, league or division.  Coaches are evaluated on various factors including the coach’s impact on his team, school and community, as well as performance of the team.  The honorees are selected by a panel of high school football media, former athletic directors and other football representatives from all regions of the state. Each Monday, following a high school football weekend, one head coach will be announced.

At the conclusion of the high school football season, each winning coach will receive a framed certificate signed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Colts Head Coach Chuck Pagano, Colts General Manager Ryan Grigson and Colts Youth Football Commissioner Mike Prior, as well as a $1,000 donation from the NFL Youth Football Fund.  In addition, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield will contribute $1,000 for the school’s athletic fund.

The following coaches were recognized as honorable mentions for Week 4:

Salem, Indiana – August 28, 2012 – The Hospital Foundation of Washington County, Inc. will host a golf scramble on Friday, September 14 at Hidden Creek Golf Club in Sellersburg, IN. Registration will begin at 10:30 a.m. This year the event will also include a silent auction.  While silent auction items are still being collected, to date, a Peyton Manning autographed football, and a signed UofL football and basketball and tickets to various sporting events are just a few of the most sought after items to be offered.

Teams are $400 for four players which include green fees, cart rental, lunch, snacks and drink tickets. Individual registrations are $100 per person. The winning teams will be awarded cash prizes.

All money raised from the tournament will go toward renovations within the hospital.  “The Hospital Foundation has already provided funds to purchase new flooring in the main entrance of the hospital and new paint and lighting in the Emergency Room,” said Lee Jaeger, CEO of St.Vincent Salem Hospital and Vice-President of the Hospital Foundation. “The funds raised at this golf outing will allow the Foundation to continue investing in the improvement of our facility.”

Each golfer will also have the chance to win a $10,000 cash prize by carding a hole-in-one on the seventeenth hole.

Sponsorship opportunities with various pricing options are also available for the tournament. Corporate Sponsors include: First Harrison Bank, Washington County Medical Association and Premier Care.

For more information on the golf scramble, to register a team or to become a sponsor, please call Tournament Director, Melissa Richardson, at 883.5881 ext. 1366 or e-mail at MLRicha1@stvincent.org.

Salem, Indiana – September 13, 2013 – On August 8, St.Vincent Salem Hospital Emergency Medicine physician, Joel Nunley, MD, was awarded the Doc Hollywood award during the IRHA Annual Conference.

The Doc Hollywood Award was created to recognize the many individuals who care professionally for folks in rural and underserved communities across the country.  It is also a way to honor those medical professionals who have shown dedication toward improving healthcare in his/her own underserved rural community.

Dr. Nunley was nominated by St.Vincent Salem Hospital for many different reasons. Not only is he a full-time Emergency physician in rural Washington County in southern Indiana, but he is also pastor at City on the Hill Church in Scottsburg and a tireless volunteer in both communities.

Dr. Nunley consistently offers to pray with patients and/or families in the ER after he has treated them, but once he leaves the hospital, Dr. Nunley doesn’t stop! He also runs “Gospel-Driven” free community medical clinics and food giveaway events for families in need. The medical clinics include non-urgent medical exams, diabetes and blood pressure screenings and vision screenings. They also give away food to families in need, free haircuts, consultations for stress, anxiety and depression and they offer free dog and cat food and kitty litter to those in need.  These clinics are offered throughout Indiana approximately four times a year and are completely staffed by volunteers. Many times they are attended by 200-300 individuals in need of medical care and other types of assistance.

Every month, Dr. Nunley travels to the Scott County Jail to minister to the inmates and to pray with them. He hands out bibles and gives them his cell phone number to call if they need someone to talk to or pray with.

This year he also offered free sports physicals to students in Scott County, Indiana so that underprivileged children can also participate in school sports.

He is also part of an organization called “Breaking Borders” which focuses on taking medical care to third world countries and sharing the gospel in those countries. He has traveled several times to various countries with this group.

“I was pleasantly shocked to win this award! I just thought I had been nominated and that would be it,” said Dr. Nunley. “This award is just a way for me to give glory to God for all that he has done in my life. I wouldn’t be able to put on the clinics and devote my time to all these endeavors without my family, the volunteers and churches that so graciously support it. It is a way to share the gospel with those who attend by providing testimonials, compassionate care and showing them the love of Jesus.”

“Dr. Nunley is very deserving of the Doc Hollywood Award,” said Dana Muntz, CEO/CNO at
St.Vincent Salem Hospital. “He is constantly looking to help others. He is not only a supporter with money, but with actions. He uses his medical training to further the well-being of others whenever and wherever he can, but graciously gives the glory to God when patients thank him for helping them feel better.”

Dr. Nunley’s next free medical clinic will be held on September 21 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Kid’s Place in Austin, Indiana. For more information, visit www.cityonahillscottsburg.com/ministries/free-medical-clinic/.

Dr. Nunley resides in Scottsburg with his wife, Peggy and their three children.

A Scott County man pleaded guilty Friday to one count of causing death while driving under the influence of a controlled substance.

Garan A. Terrell, 19, of Austin, faces up to four years in prison under a plea agreement with the Jackson County prosecutor’s office.

Terrell was arrested last fall in connection with the death of 17-year-old Danika Collins, of Seymour, following a wreck on Seymour’s far west side.

Terrell pleaded guilty to the one charge, causing death when operating a motor vehicle with a Schedule I or II controlled substance in the blood. Two other charges, including reckless homicide, were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

The crash  involving a car and a parked trailer owned by Seymour Police Department left a teen dead and two others injured.

Seymour Assistant Police Chief Craig Hayes says that  Collins, died from blunt force trauma to the chest.

She was a front-seat passenger in a car driven by 18-year-old Garan Terrell, of Brownstown.

Terrell was taken to Schneck Medical Center in Seymour, where he was treated for minor injuries and released.

A back-seat passenger, 18-year-old Tanner Payton, of Seymour, who suffered facial injured was flown by helicopter to University Hospital in Louisville. According to a hospital spokeswoman Payton is listed in serious condition.