The Indiana Department of Transportation announces a large structure replacement project for State Road 37 in English.

Beginning on or around Monday Nov. 4, contractors will close S.R. 37 just under two miles north of S.R. 64 to replace the drainage structure over Bird Hollow Creek.

During this time, crews will completely replace the drainage structure requiring a full road closure.

Work is scheduled to last until early January depending upon weather condition.

During that time, local residents will have access up to the point of closure, however all other traffic will need to use the official detour using S.R. 64, S.R. 66 and U.S. 150.

INDOT urges drivers to slow down and stay alert near crews.

The Salem High School Marching Band won the Indiana State School Music Association’s Scholastic Class State Finals in Class B on Saturday. 

The competition was held at Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis on Saturday, Oct. 26. 

Eastern High School’s band finished fourth, with Henryville finishing fifth. 

Washington High School was second and Madison Consolidated finished third. 

It’s that time of year when kids are looking forward to dressing up in their favorite costumes and spending time with family and friends trick or treating!  Although everyone loves to get lots of candy and have fun, the most important thing is safety while trick or treating, and making sure everyone gets home safely!

Listed below are some safety tips that the Indiana State Police Jasper Post would like to provide.

1)      Know what the dates and times are in your local community for trick or treating.

2)      Make sure that you have a flashlight, glow stick, or reflective material on the costume so that you can be seen at all times.

3)      Always trick or treat with an adult or in a group and use the buddy system when going from house to house.

4)      Please walk on the sidewalks and not in the roadway and make sure that you look both directions before crossing the roadway.

5)      Only go trick or treating at houses where the front porch light is on.

6)      Take masks off between houses so that you can see where you are walking. 

7)      Only accept treats at the doorway of the house.  Never enter the house of a stranger.

8)      If a trick or treater gets separated from the group, have them stay where they are located and ask an adult for help. 

9)      Have an adult inspect the candy before it is eaten. 

10)   If you’re not actively participating in trick or treating and are out driving, we ask that you please slow down and drive with caution.           

The Indiana State Police Jasper Post hopes that these few safety tips help you enjoy your night out with friends and family while trick or treating!

Officials with Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources are investigating after a body was pulled from the Ohio River in New Albany on Sunday.

The body was discovered just after 4 p.m. near Silver Creek. 

Officials say a cause of death will not be determined until an autospy is completed this week.

Sunday afternoon, while searching for a missing Bedford man, a team from the University of Indianapolis, Human Identification Center, directed by Dr. Krista Latham, recovered human remains that had been located in a wooded area on Friday.

The remains were discovered by a person walking their dog in woods located in the area of 22nd and F streets.

A search had been conducted to look for Brian S. Blomquist who had been reported missing to the Bedford Police Department on August 13th.

Blomquist was last seen on August 6, on 24th Street near G Street.

The remains will be examined, and positive identification cannot be determined until DNA results return in 6 to 8 weeks.

A search of this area was conducted on September 15th, by members of Bedford Police Department, K-9 handlers from the Grant County Kentucky Sheriff’s Office and members of the Kentucky Search Dog Association.

Bedford Police officers would like to thank Tabernacle of Praise Service (TOPES) for providing foods and drinks, members of the Lawrence County Prosecutors Office and Lawrence County Coroner Office for their assistance.

The longest General Motors strike in history is over and workers in Bedford returned to work over the weekend.

United Auto Workers union voted in favor of a four-year labor deal to end the walkout.

The United Auto Workers Union released a statement announcing UAW General Motors members ratified the 2019 Collective Bargaining Agreement Friday.

The rank-and-file members voted 57 percent in favor of the deal, according to the union. Locally, the 703 members of UAW Local 440 voted 60 percent to 40 percent not to approve the terms of the agreement, according to union president Kevin Hutchinson.

The vote ends a painful work stoppage that has lasted six weeks, costing GM nearly $2 billion in lost production and employees nearly $1 billion in lost wages.

The strike by nearly 50,000 hourly GM workers started Sept. 16.

It is the largest against a US business since the last GM strike 12 years ago. But that strike was over in less than three days. This strike is the longest auto industry work stoppage in more than 20 years and the longest nationwide auto strike in 50 years.

The final deal would give striking workers four small wins and one major loss.

Workers are guaranteed a 3 percent pay raise and a 4 percent lump-sum increase in alternating years. 

Employees got the same result the last time they negotiated a contract in 2015, without going on strike.

GM agreed to lift the $12,000 cap on profit-sharing, so there’s no limit to the cut workers can get from GM’s profits.

Right now, they each get $1,000 for every $1 billion the company earns.  

The Detroit-Hamtramck factory was one of four slated for closure before the strike, it will now stay open, and GM will build electric trucks and vans there.

That’s a $3 billion investment in 2,225 jobs.

The company will also invest $1 billion in two other factories — one in Tennessee and another in Michigan — to build mid-size SUVs.

There is now a process for temporary workers to become permanent employees after three years on the job and for newer hires to earn the full pay rate in four years instead of eight.

That top wage rate was increased from about $30 to $32 per hour.

The cost of workers’ health care plans, among the lowest in the nation, was left untouched.

The company had announced plans to increase premiums but backed down during the strike.

Permanent workers will also get an $11,000 signing bonus and temporary workers will get $4,500, basically covering the wages they lost during the strike

Union negotiators were unable to get GM to move car production from Mexico to the Lordstown, Ohio plant, which once produced the Chevy Cruze, which was perhaps the most sensitive issue on the table.

It was terrible news for the 1,400 workers who have since been laid off – several hundred of them have accepted transfers to other factories.

GM officials have promised to open an electric car battery factory near the Lordstown plant. That’s not what the union wanted, though, because it would only employ a few hundred people at lower wages.

Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating an off-road vehicle (ORV) accident that occurred early this morning in Blackford County. At approximately 3:30 a.m., Todd P. Clancy, 56, of Fairmount, was operating a Polaris Ranger side-by-side vehicle when it rolled over in a field outside of Hartford City.

Clancy was seriously injured in the accident and was transported by a family member to IU Health Blackford Hospital. From there, he was transported to IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis where he was being treated for severe neck and back injuries.

Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the accident. Clancy was not wearing a helmet or seatbelt at the time of the accident. 

All charges are merely accusations, and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Indiana Conservation Officers remind the public to not ride ORVs while impaired, and of the importance of wearing protective equipment.