A memorial service honoring the life and career of Indiana’s former U.S. Senator and House Speaker Birch Bayh (1928-2019) will be held at noon Wednesday, May 1, in the South Atrium of the Statehouse. 

Among those remembering Senator Bayh’s accomplishments will be Governor Eric J. Holcomb, House Speaker Brian Bosma, Congressman André Carson, Purdue President Mitch Daniels, former Congressman Baron Hill and Federal District Court Chief Judge Jane E. Magnus-Stinson.

Former Governor and U.S. Senator Evan Bayh and Indianapolis attorney Christopher Bayh will eulogize their father. Former First Lady Susan Bayh will attend, as will their sons Beau and Nick. Katherine “Kitty” Bayh, the widow of Senator Birch Bayh, will read a poem written by her husband.

The service is open to the public. Attendees should enter the Statehouse from either the upper east (Capitol Street) or lower west (Senate Avenue) entrances.

Josh J. Minkler, the United States Attorney, is pleased to announce that Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) federal grant dollars are available for State and local government agencies to partner with federal law enforcement on targeted and prioritized violent-crime reduction programs, which include community engagement, prevention and reentry efforts.

PSN grants monies may be used for criminal justice-related initiatives, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, contracted support, information systems, research and evaluation.

Applicants are encouraged to propose evidence-based, effective, promising or best practices cited in an academic, journal, a recognized list of evaluated programs or causal evidence from an outcome evaluation. Applications must enhance or expand, not replace, existing funds.

“The Justice Department is pleased to offer opportunities for community members to partner with state and local government agencies in an effort to reduce the gun-related violence that currently plagues our communities,” said United States Attorney Josh Minkler.

“We would like to recognize and thank our PSN Task Force partners, ICJI, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, the Indiana Department of Education, the Indianapolis Marion County Forensic Services Agency, and community volunteer Gloria Riggs, for their persistence tackling these challenges over time and their innovative efforts to drive down the violence.”

Project Safe Neighborhoods is the Justice Department’s flagship Violence Reduction initiative and was reinvigorated in 2018. In the Southern District of Indiana, United States Attorney Minkler appointed Kendra Klump, Assistant U.S. Attorney, to lead the PSN Task Force efforts in coordination with Marshall Depew of IMPD.   

This funding opportunity runs from October 2019 through September 2020. 

Applications may be submitted through May 24, 2019 using the IntellGrants system at http://intelligrants.IN.gov.

For assistance with submitting an application, contact CJIHelpDesk@cji.in.gov, Terrie Grantham at TGrantham@cji.in.gov or Leann Jaggers at LeJaggers@cji.in.gov

Workshops teach citizens how to test and protect local streams

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s (IDEM) Hoosier Riverwatch program will host 14 workshops around the state in 2019. The basic training workshop introduces Hoosiers to hands-on water quality monitoring methods. Attendees learn about aquatic habitats, chemical and biological assessment techniques, and leave the workshop knowing how to test their local rivers and streams. 

Basic training workshops:

• Wednesday, May 8 at Orange County SWCD Office in Paoli, IN
• Wednesday, May 29 at Posey County Fairgrounds in New Harmony, IN
• Saturday, June 1 at Patoka Regional Water District Office in Dubois, IN
• Monday, June 3 & Monday, June 10 at Karst Farm Park in Bloomington, IN

The basic training workshop is eight hours and attendees must be 18 or older. To sign up for a class or to find upcoming workshops across the state, visit IDEM’s Hoosier Riverwatch website. 

About Hoosier Riverwatch
Since 1996, Hoosier Riverwatch has engaged Indiana citizens in becoming active stewards of Indiana’s valuable water resources through its hands-on water quality education and volunteer stream monitoring program. The statewide Hoosier Riverwatch volunteer network has more than 3,000 trained stream monitors and more than 31 certified instructors.

Tuesday morning, April 23, Indiana State Police initiated a criminal investigation after being contacted by the Knox County Prosecutor’s Office regarding an incident that occurred at their office involving Bicknell Police Chief Terry Stremming.

Arrested and Charged:

Stremming, 47, Bicknell, IN

1. Official Misconduct, Level 6 Felony
2. Battery, Level 6 Felony

On Monday, April 22, a Bicknell police officer went to the Knox County Prosecutor’s Office and turned over a laptop that possibly contained evidence of officer misconduct on another Bicknell police officer.

Tuesday morning, April 23, at approximately 8:30, Stremming arrived at the prosecutor’s office and allegedly demanded the laptop back into his possession and attempted to remove it from a desk.

Rose Archer, 51, an investigator from the prosecutor’s office, put her hands on the laptop to prevent Stremming from taking it.

Stremming allegedly put his hands on Archer and attempted to push her out of the way. Stremming left the prosecutor’s office without the laptop.

Indiana State Police arrested Stremming last night at approximately 7:00 p.m. at the Bicknell Town Hall without incident. He was taken to the Knox County Jail where he was released after posting bond.

The NRA Foundation recently awarded Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry a grant to be used to serve Indiana residents. These funds will help Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry pay processing fees for large game and livestock donations within Indiana.

The processed meat will then be given to area hunger-relief agencies.

Founded in 2011, Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry asks area hunters and farmers to take their large game or livestock to a participating meat processor where the donation is processed, packaged and frozen at no cost (plus, farmers may write off the fair market value on their taxes).

Local hunger-relief agencies will be contacted for pick up and distribution of this nutritious protein back into the community.

We are very excited about our “Meat” the Need program, said Debra Treesh, Executive Director of Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry. & We’re pleased that the NRA Foundation is continually willing to make an investment in the community Lack of food does not only affect the homeless or unemployed.

The economy may be showing signs of improvement but many hardworking Hoosiers are still living paycheck to paycheck, regularly having to choose
between paying bills, obtaining medicine or buying groceries.

In these homes, an unexpected bill of any sort (like a major car repair or medical bill) can throw an already tight budget into a downward spiral. According to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap, 31% of working Indiana residents who are food insecure do not qualify
for food-assistance programs. These residents have to turn to charitable food assistance networks such as food banks, pantries, hunger ministries, etc… And the hardest commodity for food banks to obtain? Protein, a nutrient that is part of every cell in your body and vital to brain/body development.

More than 300,000 Indiana children have no idea where their next meal is coming from…
“The grant provided by this store will pay to process about 750 pounds of donated large game and livestock, which will then be distributed to area hunger-relief agencies – providing almost 3,000 meals to residents in need within our communities,” said Treesh.

In the last seven years, Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry has helped to
distribute approximately 1.2 million pounds of meat to Indiana food banks, providing over 5 million meals to Hoosiers in need. “To date, we have 83 participating meat processors working within 85 counties in Indiana to aid us in our mission and to ensure residents in need are served,” shared Amber Zecca, Fund Development Director of Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry.

On average, the cost of this donated meat is about $1.30 per pound, which is less than $.30 per meal!

Established in 1990, The NRA Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that raises tax-deductible contributions in support of a wide range of firearm-related public interest activities of the National Rifle Association of America and other organizations that defend and foster the Second Amendment rights of
all law-abiding Americans.

These activities are designed to promote firearm and hunting safety, to enhance
marksmanship skills of those participating in the shootings sports, and to educate the general public about firearms in their historic, technological, and artistic context.  More information about The NRA Foundation can be found online at www.nrafoundation.org.

Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry is accepting donations to fund our “Meat” the Need program throughout Indiana and is continuously looking for volunteers to help us in our efforts to feed the hungry and reduce hunger issues throughout Indiana.

For more information on the Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry program, its services and to find participating meat processors in your area, or to find out how you can help, please visit www.HoosiersFeedingtheHungry.org.

On April 22, 2019, in the evening hours, deputies received drug tip information that led them to a residence in Scottsburg, Indiana.

Deputy Joe Baker, Deputy Johnney Coomer, Deputy Darin Marshall, Deputy Phil Thomas, with the assistance of Indiana State Police arrived at the residence located on Woodland Drive in Scottsburg to witness drug activity occurring in plain view.

Deputies announced their presence and one individual fled the residence, while two others were detained. An investigation was conducted which led to the arrest of Adam Richey, 28, of Scottsburg.

Richey was charged with DEALING SCHEDULE I, II, III CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF SYRINGE, and VISITING A COMMON NUISANCE.

A female inside the residence was identified as Taressa Caudill, 28, of Scottsburg, she was arrested and charged with POSSESSION SCHEDULE I, II, III, OR IV CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF SYRINGE, and MAINTAINING A COMMON NUISANCE.

The individual that fled the residence was apprehended and identified as Christopher Couch, 39, Scottsburg. Couch was arrested and charged with POSSESSION SCHEDULE I, II, III, OR IV CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF SYRINGE, and MAINTAINING A COMMON NUISANCE.

Sheriff Goodin is extremely excited about the number of public tips coming into the Sheriff’s Office and encouraged everyone to keep them coming.

“As it shows, when the whole community works together we get things done,”  Goodin said.