Thirty-six probationary troopers graduated from the 80th Indiana State Police Academy on December 19, 2020.

One of those probationary troopers is assigned to the Indiana State Police in Sellersburg – Benjamen Davis. 

Davis is a native of North Platte, Nebraska. Upon graduating Highschool, Davis joined the US ARMY, where he served as a Combat Engineer for nine years and attained the rank of Staff Sergeant.

Following his time in the Army, Davis moved to Indiana and graduated from Indiana University – Southeast with a Criminal Justice degree. 

Upon completion of field training, Davis will be assigned primary patrols in Clark and Floyd Counties.   

Probationary troopers now begin their next phase of instruction, a three-month field training period riding with veteran troopers. Field training aims to give a practical application to the training received throughout the formal academy. Upon completing field training, the troopers will be assigned a state police patrol vehicle and begin solo patrol.

These officers have already completed over 1,200 hours of structured training in law enforcement techniques and hands-on and scenario-based training at the Indiana State Police Recruit Academy.

Their curriculum included criminal law instruction, emergency vehicle operations, psychology, traffic law, crash investigation, self-defense, first responder, and other general enforcement related training.

Five juvenile males are in jail after a vehicle chase that led several law enforcement agencies from Salem into Clark County early this morning. 

At approximately 3:18a, Salem Police Officer Jordan Taylor was dispatched to a suspicious vehicle. 

Once Officer Taylor initiated his emergency lights and sirens in an attempt to stop the vehicle on East Market Street, the vehicle sped away and headed south on South Jackson Street. 

According to Taylor, the vehicle headed south into Borden, where it became disabled and the five juveniles fled on foot. 

All five were taken into custody after a brief foot chase. 

The Salem Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Department, Clark County Sheriff’s Department, and Indiana State Police were all involved in the pursuit. 

No other details were provided. 

The NCAA will stage the entire 2021 men’s basketball championship in Indiana, with the majority of the tournament’s 67 games taking place in Indianapolis.

Selection Sunday is still scheduled for March 14, and plans remain to have the Final Four April 3 and 5, with exact preliminary round dates still to be determined.

“This is a historic moment for NCAA members and the state of Indiana,” said NCAA President Mark Emmert. “We have worked tirelessly to reimagine a tournament structure that maintains our unique championship opportunity for college athletes. The reality of today’s announcement was possible thanks to the tremendous leadership of our membership, local authorities and staff.”

“We are excited to serve as a host site for the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball championship and will work with the NCAA, the Indiana Sports Corporation, Purdue University and local officials to ensure a safe and positive experience for all participants that will compete in Mackey Arena,” said Purdue Director of Athletics Mike Bobinski. “Mackey Arena is one of college basketball’s great venues and we look forward to showcasing our facility in one of America’s premier sporting events.”

The NCAA is partnering with a local health provider to administer COVID-19 testing within the controlled environment for players, coaching staffs, administrators and officials.

The Marion County Health Department has approved medical protocols shared by the NCAA and will continue collaborating with the NCAA leading up to and during the championship.

The tournament will be hosted by Ball State University, Butler University, the Horizon League, Indiana University, IUPUI and Purdue University, which are lending their facilities and staffs to assist with tournament operations.

The Indiana Convention Center will be used as a practice facility, with multiple courts set up inside the venue. Marriott properties, an official NCAA Corporate Partner, will house most of the tournament teams and are connected to the convention center via skywalks and within a controlled environment.

All teams will be housed on dedicated hotel floors, with physically distanced meeting and dining rooms, as well as secure transportation to and from competition venues.

Games will be played on two courts inside Lucas Oil Stadium, as well as Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Mackey Arena in West Lafayette and Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.

Only one game at a time will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium.

CBS Sports and Turner Sports will continue to distribute all 67 games of the tournament across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV and their digital platforms.

WSLM will also broadcast games on 97.9 FM. 

“The 2021 version of March Madness will be one to remember, if for no other reason than the uniqueness of the event,” said NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt. “With the direction of the men’s basketball committee, we are making the most of the circumstances the global pandemic has presented. We’re fortunate to have neighbors and partners in Indianapolis and surrounding communities who not only love the game of basketball as much as anyone else in the country but have a storied history when it comes to staging major sporting events.

“This is going to be complicated and difficult; there’s no question about that. We appreciate the collaboration among the men’s basketball committee and staff, our hosts and local organizers, the staffs at each practice and competition venue, and our broadcast and corporate partners. We will all pull together and stage a terrific national championship.”

The NCAA is closely monitoring the ongoing pandemic and will continue to work with local officials to determine the feasibility of having fans attend games at any of the venues, though a limited number of family members of each participating teams’ student-athletes and coaches will be permitted to attend their team’s games. Details pertaining to the possible allocation of other tickets will be finalized later, as will any decision about fan events.

The NCAA is also working with the city and state to promote “Mask Madness,” an initiative to promote health and safety by practicing social distancing and wearing a mask. As part of this program, the NCAA will donate thousands of masks throughout the state leading up to the tournament.

Indiana Conservation Officer Matthew Porter, who serves Vanderburgh County, has been selected as the 2020 District 7 Indiana Conservation Officer of the Year.

He has served as a conservation officer for four years.

Porter is a Boonville High School and Vincennes University graduate. His primary county of assignment is Vanderburgh County. In addition to patrol and education responsibilities, Porter also serves as a public safety diver.

District 7 includes the counties of Vanderburgh, Posey, Warrick, Spencer, Gibson, Pike, Dubois, Knox, Daviess, and Martin.

The district award puts Porter in the running for the Pitzer Award, which is given to the top overall conservation officer in Indiana and selected from the 10 district award winners.

The Pitzer award is named after Indiana Conservation Officer James D. Pitzer, who was fatally shot while investigating illegal hunting activity on Jan. 2, 1961 in Jay County.

With Washington County’s Covid-19 map status Washington County Schools are going to back to in-person school this week. 

East and West Washington Schools returned for in-person instruction this morning.

Salem Community Schools will return with full in-person instruction on Tuesday, January 5th, according to Salem Schools Superintendent Jon Acton. 

Salem’s teachers and staff reported today. 

Washington County’s Covid-19 map status is currently Orange after spending two weeks in the Red. 

Students participating in the Online Lions program will also start on Tuesday, January 5th. 

Action said the walking track will open to the public on Tuesday, January 5th as well.  

Acton said Monday, January 4th would be a professional development day for teachers and administrators and NO school for Salem Students either in person or Online Lions.

“We will continue operating under the guidance of the Indiana State Health Department and the Washington County Health Department and will promptly send out notifications of any updates or changes,” said East Washington Superintendent Dennis Stockdale. 

Stockdale said there were no changes for the school’s virtual students.

Salem Community Schools will use current guidance from the Washington County Health Department which allows for full in-person instruction, said Acton.

“We will follow all updated changes and guidance provided by the ISDH and the Washington County Health Department,” said Acton.