Progress continues on railroad overpass at S.R. 46 and S.R. 11

Eastbound S.R. 46 is now reduced to one lane west of S.R. 11 in Columbus as crews begin work to tie-in existing S.R. 46 to the new alignment and overpass as part of the $30 million interchange project that began late last year.

The current configuration is expected to be in place for the next two weeks, with two lanes remaining open westbound. Motorists should watch for various traffic changes as work continues near the new interchange.

Progress is also continuing on the 3rd Street bridge deck overlay, with lane closures in effect through late June into early July. A rainy May caused some delays on the heavily weather-dependent portion of the project.

In addition, the current closure of S.R. 11 just south of S.R. 46 is planned to be removed by the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The road closed on June 1 for pavement reconstruction and storm sewer work between Garden City and S.R. 46. The official detour remains I-65.

Motorists are reminded to slow down, use extra caution and drive distraction-free through all work zones.

On June 17, 2020, Corporal Kenton Makowsky, Deputies Charlie Morgan, and Josh Juliot, served a search warrant at a local motel in Scottsburg stemming from an ongoing investigation. 

As a result of the search warrant, two people were arrested. 

Ashlee Marshall, 27, of Austin was arrested for Dealing a Schedule I, II, III or IV Controlled Substance, Dealing in Cocaine or a Narcotic Drug, Possession of a Schedule I, II, III or IV Controlled Substance, Maintaining a Common Nuisance, Unlawful Possession of a Syringe and Possession of Cocaine or a Schedule I or II Narcotic Drug At least 5 Grams but less than 10 Grams. 

Earl Estep, 29, of Austin was arrested for Dealing in Cocaine or a Narcotic Drug, Dealing in a Schedule I, II, III or IV Controlled Substance At Least 1 Gram but Less Than 5 Grams, Possession of Cocaine or a Schedule I or II Narcotic Drug At Least 5 Grams but Less Than 10 Grams, Possession of a Schedule I, II, III or IV Controlled Substance, Maintaining a Common Nuisance and Unlawful Possession of a Syringe. 

Police did not name the location of the arrest. 

Sheriff Jerry Goodin wanted the drug dealers to know,” you cannot go to motels or hotels and think you are hiding while selling drugs, we will find you and arrest you”.

The sheriff also asked that local businesses, motel and hotel owners and/or employees to contact the sheriff’s office and report any suspicious activity.

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) today announced he will be an original cosponsor of Senator Tim Scott’s (R-S.C.) legislation to address police reform, accountability, and transparency. The Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act provides long-term solutions to repair the broken trust between communities of color and law enforcement, and also promotes efforts to identify solutions to systemic issues affecting people of color such as education and health disparities.

“Since the murder of George Floyd and the protests that have ensued, two words have been on my mind: Listen and Act. Over the last several weeks, I’ve reached out and listened to black leaders across Indiana, and sought their advice on realistic solutions to improve the criminal justice system and repair trust. The JUSTICE Act is an important step toward enacting meaningful reform,” said Senator Young.

“This comprehensive legislation ends the practice of chokeholds and provides grants for de-escalation tactics training and the use of body-worn cameras. It also enacts penalties for those who fail to comply with these provisions. The bill seeks to ensure greater transparency and accountability from law enforcement, while building stronger community relations. Additionally, it will establish two commissions to examine and propose solutions to the broader systemic challenges black Americans face, something I have sought to do through my Fair Shot Agenda. The JUSTICE Act is a critical step forward for our nation, and we owe it to our fellow Americans to come together and swiftly pass this bill,” Senator Young added.

  The full text of the JUSTICE Act is here, and a section by section analysis is here. A summary is below.

 Law Enforcement Reform

• The JUSTICE Act strengthens the training methods and tactics throughout law enforcement jurisdictions, especially regarding de-escalation of force and the duty to intervene, providing law enforcement with new funding to do so, and will also end the practice of utilizing chokeholds.
• Additionally, the bill will reform hiring practices by providing more resources to ensure the makeup of police departments more closely matches the communities they serve.
• The JUSTICE Act also ensures when a candidate is interviewed, the department looking to hire will have full access to their prior disciplinary records.

• Too often, after a tragic incident, we have learned the offending officer had a disciplinary past in another jurisdiction of which their current employer was unaware.

 Accountability

• Studies show that when body cameras are properly used violent encounters decrease significantly.
• The JUSTICE Act will put more body cameras on the streets, and ensure that departments are both using the cameras and storing their data properly.
• The JUSTICE Act also requires a report establishing best practices for the hiring, firing, suspension, and discipline of law enforcement officers.

 Transparency

• Currently, only about 40 percent of police officers from jurisdictions nationwide report to the FBI after an incident where an officer has discharged his or her weapon or used force.
• The bill will require full reporting in these two areas.
• There is also very little data as to when, where, and why no knock warrants are used, and the JUSTICE Act will require reporting in this area as well.

 Additional Steps

• The JUSTICE Act will finally make lynching a federal crime.
• It also creates two commissions to study and offer solutions to a broader range of challenges facing black men and boys, and the criminal justice system as a whole.

A 38-year old Scottsburg Woman was charged with felony neglect of a dependent following an Indiana State Police (ISP) investigation and review by the Scott County Prosecutor.

The unlicensed daycare where a six-month old was found dead in May was operated by Candace Jones, 38, Scottsburg, who called 911 upon finding the child unresponsive after placing her down to sleep earlier.

On Monday, June 15, Jones turned herself into the Scott County Jail after charges were filed and a warrant issued by the Scott County Prosecutor’s Office.

Jones has been charged with the following, she is being held on a $250,000 full cash bond:
1. Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Death- Level 1 Felony
2. Reckless Supervision by a Child Care Provider Resulting in Death – Level 6 Felony
3. Operating a Child Care Home Without a License – Class A Misdemeanor

The infant was reportedly in the care of an unlicensed daycare facility and was found unresponsive when the mother of the child returned from work.

An ISP investigation began on May 30, 2019, when Detective Brian Busick and crime scene investigators responded to a Scottsburg address after learning of the death of a 6-month old infant girl earlier that day.

Detective Busick was assisted by investigators from the Indiana Department of Child Services, and the investigation was turned over to the Scott County Prosecutor in 2019.

“All subjects are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.”

There is no realistic scenario in which government units in Indiana come out of the COVID-19 pandemic unscathed, says a new report from Ball State University.

“COVID-19 Effects on Indiana’s State and Local Taxes,” an analysis by Ball State’s Center for Business and Economic Research, finds that the economic shutdown caused by COVID-19 has deeply damaged the state’s economy.

The study estimates state and local governments are now facing tax revenue losses for all local governments that range from $240 million to $700 million in 2020. CBER anticipates tax revenues will rebound by the end of 2021 but remain beneath the 2019 levels by as little as $39 million and as much as $559 million.

“Our scenarios reflect a state that will not fully recover from this pandemic before 2022, if not much longer,” said Michael Hicks, CBER director who conducted the study with Dagney Faulk, CBER research director, and Srikant Devaraj, a CBER research professor. “These estimates are for a deep and lengthy downturn, and each of our scenarios are among the seven worst since the start of the Great Depression.”

CBER estimates decreases in tax revenues to state and local government for five familiar economic scenarios resulting from the pandemic in 2020 and 2021:  a V-shaped recession (downturn followed by a quick and lasting recovery), a V-shaped recession with a hangover (quick down, quick upturn followed by slow growth), Nike swoosh (gradual, but still aggressive recovery), roller coaster (up and down economic growth), and L-shaped recession (fast downturn followed by long, brutally-slow recovery).

For each scenario, CBER estimated the impact on Indiana state sales tax, personal and corporate income tax, and other tax revenue with reasonable assumptions. For the calendar year 2020, researchers expect tax losses to range from 3.8% to 10.9% of 2019 total revenues for the state. In 2021, the study anticipates tax revenues will still range from 0.7% to 9.4% beneath those of 2019.

“While we generally anticipate improved economic conditions in 2021, our most optimistic scenario places GDP at only 2% above that of 2019,” Hicks said. “Our most pessimistic scenario considers GDP in 2021 at 2% beneath the 2019 level. “

Compared to the state, county-level tax losses comprise a smaller share of total revenues, ranging from losses of 2.4% to 6.8% across the five scenarios in 2020 and between 0.4% to 5.8% losses in 2021. In 2020, the report anticipates county-level revenue losses to range from less than 1% of total tax revenue to more than 48%.

Hicks said the wide variation in anticipated tax losses for local governments can be attributed to variations in local economic structures, with a higher share of employment in the most “at-risk” sectors of recreation, eating and drinking establishments, and accommodations.

Variation in tax revenue losses can also be attributed to variation in the local share of non-property tax revenues, which is a local decision, he said.

Faulk said the goal of this study is to help state and local policymakers better understand the fiscal impacts of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and aid with budget planning considerations.

“We also hope that our work will help federal policymakers understand the risks of diminished public services to state and local economies,” she said.

Opening about a month behind schedule due to the Coronavirus, Holiday World opens today to the general public. The water park is set to open in July. 

The park will open today with 50% capacity, and opened on Sunday for Season Passholders.

The park will sell date-specific tickets online and officials ask that all guests come with a ticket in hand to make sure they can enter. 

“We want to make sure everyone who shows up gets to enter the park,” says Park President Matt Eckert. “While we know some complexities are going to be necessary, we want to try to keep this process as simple as possible. If you have a Season Pass or a ticket with the date on it, you’re all set to come to enjoy the parks. It’s that simple.” 

Tickets that listeners win on WSLM Radio can be used as regular tickets to enter the park. (register to win online at wslmradio.com/contests or share to win on Facebook)

“Although the website says visitors should buy tickets online, I don’t want there to be any confusion on the tickets our listeners win on WSLM,” said station owner and general manager Rebecca White. “Holiday World is allowing capacity for people with WSLM tickets that are marked as general admission to be able to visit. They do not need to redeem anything online prior to attending the park.”

As part of the phased reopening plan, officials plan to open Holiday World first, then open Splashin’ Safari no later than July 4.

“It’s important that we open slowly and safely, so we want to make sure we have Holiday World operations finely tuned when we open Splashin’ Safari,” adds Eckert. 

This summer, Guests will also be asked to use inLine Reservation System, Holiday World’s new virtual queuing system. To keep queue areas from getting overly crowded, Guests enter the queue from their smartphone, then return and wait just 5-15 minutes in a physical queue. Those who don’t have smartphones, or choose not to use their smartphones will be able to use a barcoded wristband.

The park will also be making other smaller changes to their operations including 90 Hand “Santatizer” Stations, increasing sanitation procedure frequency, and adding sanitation processes for high-touch point areas, including attractions.

Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari have also added three operating days in August. 

New for the 2020 season is Holiday World’s Worry-Free Weather Guarantee for inclement weather.

Guests who visit on a day where weather forces attractions to close will now be able to visit another day of their choosing by bringing their original ticket back to the park. 

The Worry-Free Weather Guarantee is activated when the weather closes major attractions for a period of two cumulative hours on the day of a Guests’ visit.

“After an abnormally rainy June last year, we wanted to do more for our Guests who had picked stormy weather days through no fault of their own,” says park president Matt Eckert.

“We’ve worked a little magic on our end so all Guests get a fair shot at having a fantastic day here.” Here’s how it works: Guests will need to keep some form of their tickets from their visit–either the original ticket, a picture of the ticket, or a screenshot of their digital ticket–just in case the guarantee gets activated.

If Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari rides are down for a total of two or more hours, the guarantee is activated and the date will be posted on HolidayWorld.com/worryfree/ Guests will need to bring the photos or original tickets with them on whatever day they pick to return. 

“We don’t get to pick rainy days, but neither do our Guests. Rain or shine, every day should be a worry-free day to visit Holiday World,” adds Eckert.