The Indiana University Department of Athletics has administered 1,417 COVID-19 tests for student-athletes, coaches and staff, as a part of its return to campus protocol with 63 positive tests reported. Testing began on June 8.

The department has paused all voluntary workouts indefinitely for members of its men’s basketball, field hockey, men’s soccer, and wrestling programs after 14 participants tested positive during COVID-19 testing this week.

Testing will continue and all workout decisions will be re-evaluated by the Indiana medical staff to protect the health and safety of all student-athletes.

IU Athletics began bringing groups of students back to campus for voluntary workouts on June 15. The Medical Advisory Group’s Restart Plan, which was released June 3, includes a series of pre-participation protocols before participants can be reintegrated. Following reintegration, subsequent requirements for voluntary workout participants include daily medical checks, abiding by CDC guidelines regarding social distancing, and, when deemed necessary by IU Athletics chief medical officer, COVID-19 testing. 

Per the recommendations of the IU Athletics Medical Advisory Group, each positive test results in isolation until further notice and contact tracing measures are established to detect individuals who are considered close contacts and may have been exposed to the virus. These close contact individuals are also quarantined until further notice.

All athletic activities will continue to be voluntary in all sports currently permitted to engage in such activities. Furthermore, student-athletes who choose not to participate in intercollegiate athletics at any time during the summer and/or the 2020-21 academic year due to concerns about COVID-19 will continue to have their scholarships honored and will remain in good standing with their team.

American Senior Communities (ASC) has earned the 2020 Customer Approved award from Lincoln, Nebraska–based healthcare-intelligence firm NRC Health. The award recognizes senior-care organizations across the country for creating an outstanding care experience for their customers.

Local ASC communities include Meadow View Health & Rehabilitation and Salem Crossing.

Only twenty Independent Living, Assisted Living, or Skilled Nursing organizations across the country earned this remarkable distinction. Winners were selected according to the results from the 2019 Resident and Family Experience Survey conducted by NRC, a third-party vendor.

Donna Kelsey, CEO, stated “Feedback from our customers is so important to us. It allows us to prescriptively shape our plans to ensure we are living out our mission of compassionately serving our customers with quality care and excellence.”

To qualify, organizations must have a high percentage of respondents willing to recommend their locations to friends and family. This measure is known as the Net Promoter Score (NPS), and it strongly correlates with both customer satisfaction and enduring loyalty.

“These organizations have dedicated themselves to creating enriching experiences for each person they serve,” said Stephanie Kolbo, NRC Health’s Vice President of Business Development. “As the survey results show, their efforts have not gone unnoticed by residents and their family members. It’s NRC Health’s pleasure to recognize their achievement.”

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A Salem man was found dead yesterday afternoon at approximately 3:30p by Washington County Sheriff Brent Miller.

Billy James Wagers, 54, Salem, was found lying in the woods near the parking lot to the trailhead.

There was a report of a suspicious person on a moped in the woods and possibly living there.

Miller said he was investigating the report of a suspicious person and looking for the man and was told that he was sleeping on the state property. 

Miller said he called the Washington County Coroner’s office, the Department of Natural Resources. He said Indiana State Police detective Travis Baker and crime scene technicians were called to the Leota Trailhead of the Knobstone Trail after Wagers was found.

No foul play is suspected, and the Scott County Coroner has ruled the cause of death as natural. 

The family has been notified. 

The trailhead is located at 12598 East Saylor Road, Salem, just inside Scott County, near the Scott-Washington County line. 

State Police investigators were assisted by the Scott County Coroner, Indiana Conservation Officers, the Scott County Sheriff’s Department, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, and Scott County EMS.   

Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced $51 million for 50 broadband infrastructure expansion projects across the state as a part of the second round of the Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program.

The $100 million Next Level Broadband Grant Program is the largest single-state investment in broadband.

In total, rounds one and two of the program have awarded more than $79 million for broadband infrastructure for more than 21,900 homes and commercial locations in 41 counties.

“Lt. Governor Crouch and I have been dedicated to improving internet access for years, and now COVID has only made the need for affordable, dependable broadband more apparent,” Gov. Holcomb said. “This latest round of grants will give more Hoosiers access to more affordable, quality internet regardless of where they live, work or go to school.”

This second round of funding will provide broadband infrastructure to more than 10,590 homes and commercial locations across 32 counties. A map marking both rounds one and two is attached to this press release.

In addition to the $51 million awarded today, the 16 telecommunications providers and utility cooperatives contributed more than $53 million in matching funds, resulting in more than $104 million total investment for broadband.

The program allows broadband service providers and utility cooperatives to apply for up to $5 million to expand service to unserved areas if they provide at least a 20 percent match. Unserved areas are those without at least one telecommunication provider offering at least 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload. Proposed projects must provide a minimum level of service at actual speeds of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload.

At Governor Holcomb’s request, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, along with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, administers and oversees the program.

“In a time where Hoosiers are having to adjust their lifestyles due to COVID-19, it’s imperative that we connect as many Hoosiers as possible,” said Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch. “Governor Holcomb’s Next Level Connections initiative is a significant step toward bridging the digital divide and bringing greater opportunities for all Hoosiers.”

Last year during round one, 14 projects were awarded more than $28 million. With more than $23 million in a local match, a total of more than $51 million was invested in broadband expansion.

Information regarding a third round will be released in the future. For more information, visit https://www.in.gov/ocra/3018.htm.

Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program is part of Governor Holcomb’s $1 billion Next Level Connections infrastructure program, which accelerates the completion of major highway projects, expands access to rural broadband services, creates more nonstop flights and pursues the expansion of rail projects in northwest Indiana.

Governor Eric J. Holcomb today joined members of the Clarksville Town Council and Redevelopment Commission to officially open the newly completed Discovery Trail. The 1.9-mile asphalt multi-use trail was built with help from a more than $840,000 Next Level Trails grant.

“I’m so glad I could join you here in Clarksville, Indiana’s oldest town, to celebrate our state’s newest trail. The Discovery Trail accomplishes the key goal of our Next Level Trails program by connecting Clarksville’s residential core to schools, parks, employers, and neighboring communities via the Ohio River Greenway. The opportunity to get outside and exercise with friends and family has never been more important, especially as more Hoosiers are taking advantage of our growing statewide network of trails.” 

The new trail is built on a former railroad corridor, acquired from CSX by the town in 2018.  The project extends through Clarksville, from Applegate Lane southwest to Silver Creek, where the trail merges with the Ohio River Greenway, creating uninterrupted trail connections to New Albany, Jeffersonville, and Louisville. As part of the project, a new trailhead and crossing signal were installed at Eastern Boulevard.

“Completing this trail puts the majority of Clarksville residents within two miles of a trail,” said Ryan Ramsey, Clarksville Town Council president. “Trails are an important investment in our quality of life, and we are grateful to the many partners who helped make this project a reality.”

The trail was developed by the Town of Clarksville in cooperation with the Clarksville Redevelopment Commission and Clarksville Parks & Recreation. Key partners in the project include SoIN Tourism, Duke Energy and Silver Creek Sand and Gravel. The total investment for the project, including Next Level Trails funding, was more than $2,373,000.

The Discovery Trail is one of 17 Next Level Trails grants awarded to communities and non-profit organizations in May 2019. The nearly $25 million investment announced by Gov. Holcomb, the largest infusion of state trails funding in Indiana history, will develop a total of 42 miles of new trail across Indiana in the coming years. As part of Gov. Holcomb’s Next Level Connections initiative, the Next Level Trails program makes critical trail connections within and between communities. Next Level Trails is administered by the Department of Natural Resources.

This is the third Next Level Trails project opened to the public this year. The Veterans Memorial Parkway Trail was dedicated in Hebron on June 6, and the Syracuse-Wawasee Park Foundation celebrated the completion of the Conklin Bay Boardwalk and Trail on July 30.