Indiana Department of Transportation maintenance crews plan to begin chip seal operations beginning Monday, May 2 on S.R. 56 in Scott and Washington Counties.

Work will take place between the Salem Bypass and Zion Road east of Salem.

Drivers can expect lane closures with flagging along this stretch of road.

Chip and seal operations typically last three to four days per location depending upon the weather.

Work will be completed under single lane closures with flagging or daily road closures to prevent damage to both vehicles and the roadway.

During operations, the existing pavement is coated with liquid asphalt, which seals cracks and provides waterproof protection.

This extends the service life of the roadway and lowers maintenance costs. Once the seal coat is complete, loose aggregate is applied and swept from the road. After a curing period, crews will return to fog seal the new driving surface and apply pavement markings.

Chip seal is a cost-effective pavement preservation technique that is utilized across the state of Indiana, saving an estimated $6-$14 in taxpayer expenditures for every dollar invested in extending the life of a roadway.

INDOT reminds drivers to slow down, avoid distractions, and consider worker safety when traveling through active work zones. All work is weather-dependent and schedules are subject to change.

Washington County will receive $1 million in state matching grants for road and bridge improvement projects. 

In total, more than 220 towns, cities and counties will receive over $107 million in state funding through the Community Crossings Matching Grant Program.

Funds, awarded twice a year, are for road and bridge preservation, road reconstruction, intersection improvements, guardrail replacements and signage, and can cover material costs for chip sealing and crack filling operations.

The Community Crossings Matching Grant, established by the Indiana General Assembly in 2016, aims to advance community infrastructure projects, strengthen local transportation networks and improve Indiana’s roads and bridges.

Since its enactment, the program has awarded more than $1 billion in state matching funds for local construction projects.

Through the program, the Indiana Department of Transportation matches up to $1 million annually when localities invest in road and bridge repairs.

Counties with populations fewer than 50,000 and cities and towns with populations fewer than 10,000 receive a 75%/25% match, while counties with populations greater than 50,000 and cities and towns with populations greater than 10,000 receive a 50%/50% match.

The CCMG offers two rounds of applications each year, with the next call for applications occurring in July of 2022.

Other communities in the WLSM Listening area include: 

• Bedford $383,320.47
• Bloomington $129,311.22
• Clark County $560,462.50
• Crawford County $368,236.42
• Harrison County $1,000,000.00
• Jackson County $983,240.97
• Jasper $549,846.50
• Jeffersonville $970,154.05
• Jennings County $501,492.27
• Lawrence County $292,300.50
• Marengo $59,723.98
• Milltown $108,568.79
• New Albany $1,000,000.00
• Orange County $998,932.47
• Orleans $14,790.50
• Patoka $69,465.75
• Scottsburg $920,019.44
• Scottsburg $920,019.44

Indiana Department of Transportation contractor Ragle Inc. plans to begin work on or after Monday, May 2, to complete bridge deck patching and joint replacement on the S.R. 7 bridge over Middlefork Creek in Jefferson County.

The bridge, located 1.5 miles north of S.R. 250, will be reduced to one lane with temporary signals to control traffic during construction. Middlefork Road on the north end of the bridge will be closed while work is in progress.

The $280,000 contract was awarded to Ragle last October. Restrictions are expected to be removed in approximately three weeks. INDOT reminds drivers to slow down, avoid distractions, and consider worker safety when traveling through active construction zones. All work is weather-dependent and schedules are subject to change.

On April 21, 2022, a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Indiana returned a seventeen-count indictment charging Quintez Tucker, 18, of Indianapolis, D’Maurah Bryant, 19, of Indianapolis, and Robdarius Williams, 19, of Indianapolis with conspiracy and multiple robbery and firearms offenses relating to a series of eight armed robberies committed over the course of twenty-five days. The indictment was unsealed today following the arrest of all the defendants.

According to court documents, beginning on November 8, 2021, and continuing through December 3, 2021, Tucker, Bryant, Williams, and others, including at least two juveniles, committed eight armed robberies of cell phone stores in Indianapolis and Fishers. Tucker, Bryant, Williams, and others planned the robberies and decided what combination of individuals would commit the robbery. Upon entering the cell phone stores, the defendants brandished firearms and stole cell phones, cell phone accessories, and U.S. currency from the stores and their customers.

The eight stores affected by the robberies were:

• Verizon: 11760 Olio Road, Fishers IN
• T-Mobile: 1560 E. 86^th Street, Indianapolis, IN
• T-Mobile: 11725 Fox Road, Indianapolis, IN
• AT&T: 4850 Southport Road, Indianapolis, IN
• Verizon: 1950 Kessler Blvd. West Drive, Indianapolis, IN
• T-Mobile: 1155 East Stop 11 Road, Indianapolis, IN
• T-Mobile: 6929 W 38^th Street, Indianapolis, IN
• AT&T: 8855 South Emerson Avenue, Indianapolis, IN

Each of the defendants is scheduled to make their initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on Wednesday, April 27, at 1:30 p.m. If convicted on the robbery charges, each faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment, three years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, for each count. If convicted of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, each faces a mandatory minimum of seven years up to life in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, for each count. Actual sentences are determined by a federal district court judge and are typically less than the maximum penalties.

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and Herbert J. Stapleton, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case. The Fishers Police Department, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, and the Marion County Prosecutors Office also provided valuable assistance.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Lawrence D. Hilton and Kelsey Massa, who are prosecuting this case.

This case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Indiana Department of Transportation contractor Force Construction Inc. plans to implement ramp closures starting later this week on I-65 in Bartholomew County as part of the $65 million added travel lanes contract that began last year.

On or after Thursday, April 28, the entrance and exit ramps will close at the northbound I-65 rest area near MM 74 for asphalt patching. The entrance ramp will close Thursday morning, followed by the exit ramp later in the day once all parked vehicles have left the rest area. Both ramps will remain closed through approximately 7 a.m. Saturday morning, April 30.

The following week Force plans to complete patching on the ramps to and from U.S. 31 at Taylorsville (Exit 76). Work will be completed under overnight closures, from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. Nightly closures are tentatively planned as follows, weather permitting:

Monday, May 2: I-65 NB to US 31 NB and I-65 NB to US 31 SB
Tuesday, May 3: I-65 SB to US 31 NB and I-65 SB to US 31 SB
Wednesday, May 4: U.S. 31 to I-65 NB/U.S. 31 to I-65 SB
Thursday, May 5: U.S. 31 to I-65 NB/U.S. 31 to I-65 SB

INDOT reminds drivers to slow down, avoid distractions, and consider worker safety when traveling through active construction zones. All work is weather-dependent and schedules are subject to change. Additional ramp closures will take place later this spring/summer for asphalt paving. The added travel lanes project is scheduled for completion this summer.

This Saturday, April 30 the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is sponsoring the 22^nd nationwide “Prescription Drug Take Back” initiative and will work in conjunction with Indiana State Police posts around the state.

The “Take Back” initiative seeks to prevent prescription drug abuse and theft through proper disposal of prescription drugs.

Collection sites will be set up nationwide for expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs which will be properly disposed of without threat to the environment.  This program is for liquid and pill medications. 

Vaping pens without batteries and vaping cartridges will also be taken.  Needles, new or used, WILL NOT be accepted for disposal.  This service is free and anonymous with no questions asked.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue.  Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.  Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—pose both potential safety and health hazards.

Once again, the Indiana State Police is pleased to partner with the DEA, and as in the past, unwanted medications may be dropped off at any Indiana State Police Post, except for the Lowell and Toll Road Posts.  The event will be on Saturday, April 30, 2022 between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.   

To locate the State Police post closest to your home or business, click this link for Indiana State Police on the Map. To find other locations in Indiana or across the U.S. that are participating in the Drug Take Back initiative, click this link to the DEA.

The Drug Take Back events are the safe, popular and responsible way for the public to legally dispose of prescription drugs with no questions asked.