A Bloomington man was arrested after he broke into the home of singer-songwriter John Mellencamp’s home.

Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies went to the home after a security alarm sounded around 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.

When they arrived they found someone had rammed the security gate open and found a red Jeep Cherokee near the home.

Deputies located 48-year-old Robert Carter in a building on the property.

Police say Carter told them he was there to “arrest Mellencamp for supporting a government” which Carter doesn’t support. He admitted he kicked in the door of the home.

The home was empty at the time.

Carter was arrested on charges of burglary, residential entry, and criminal trespass.

He was arrested and released from the Monroe County Jail on Feb. 6 after a misdemeanor arrest for possessing a handgun without a license.

Police say they had been keeping an eye on him due to things he posted on social media.

Washington County Sheriff Brent Miller reported that Beck’s Mill Road and Blue River Church Road were flooded in spots.

“Also the roads in Salem on High Street at the low water bridge, on Walnut Street by the old Miller Hardware Store are likely places that will be flooded,” said Miller.

“Also as the night goes on, look for spots around the county that traditionally flood. They will likely also be flooded in the near future. Use extreme caution and never drive through flooded areas,” Miller said.

Sheriff Miller also reminded drivers that in conditions like today, it is the law to use your headlights. 

Certified residents of Salem have until Noon Friday, Feb. 8 to file at the Washington County Clerk’s office to run in the May primary for a variety of Salem offices, including Mayor.

There will be a race for Mayoral nomination on the Republican ticket.  Salem businessman Republican Justin Green will seek the party nomination along with Robert “Bobby” Fletcher. 

So far there hasn’t been a Democrat filing for the seat. Current Democrat Mayor Troy Merry will not seek re-election. 

Current City Clerk-Treasurer: Sally Hattabaugh (R) will seek a second term. 

Those filing to run in the primary for party nominations for City Council are:

• At-Large: Janine Lee (R)
• At-Large: Jody Smedley (R) Incumbent 
• At-Large: Mark W. Hobson (D) Incumbent
• Dist. 1: Danny Libka (R) Incumbent
• Dist. 2: Warren “Truck” Jones (D) Incumbent
• Dist. 2: Rick Stewart (D)
• Dist. 3: Steve Crane (R) Incumbent
• Dist. 4: Gail Napier (R)
• Dist. 4: Wally Terkhorn (D) Incumbent

Candidates for the May primary must live in the City of Salem. 

The legal age to buy tobacco and vaping liquids in Indiana would be raised to 21 and the state would start taxing those e-cigarette materials under bills advancing in the Legislature.

The Indiana Senate Health Committee voted 8-2 Wednesday to advance a bill raising from 18 the minimum age to buy cigarettes, other tobacco products or e-liquids. It also would prohibit anyone younger than 18 from buying or possessing vaping liquids even if they didn’t contain nicotine.

Supporters say raising the age could improve the state’s health as fewer people start smoking.

The House Ways and Means Committee endorsed a 4 cents per-milliliter vaping liquid tax. Vaping business officials argue the tax could hurt the industry, but the bill sponsor says it aims to tax the liquids similarly as cigarettes.

The Federal Highway Administration has announced Indiana will receive nearly $6.2 million in emergency relief funds to repair roads and bridges damaged by severe storms and flooding a year ago.

The flooding caused by heavy rainfall and melting snow closed numerous roads across both Indiana’s northern tier of counties and parts of southern Indiana along the Ohio River.

The FHA announced the Indiana funding Tuesday as part of more than $705.7 million in funding to help 34 states and three territories make repairs to roads and bridges damaged by storms, floods, and other unexpected events.

Join in a women’s only event to learn outdoor skills in a relaxed environment on Friday, April 26 through Sunday, April 28.

This event will start at the Patoka Lake Nature Center and include overnight camping for the duration of the weekend. Women ages 16 and older can participate in activities including in-depth archery lessons, kayaking, Dutch oven cooking, survival, wild edibles and medicine, wilderness first aid, basic fishing, firearms safety, trap shooting, rifle, boat operations, self-defense, wildlife tracking, beginner birding and more.

Meals will be provided on Saturday and Sunday. Camping will take place in the modern electric campgrounds.

Pre-registration is required by April 10. There is a registration fee of $65/participant. For more
information or to register, call the Patoka Lake Nature Center at 812-685-2447.

This event is being sponsored by the Dubois County Shooting Sports Instructor Council.

A Jasper man was arrested on felony theft charges after allegedly stealing more than $100,000 from his employer Kimball Electronics.

Police arrested 36-year-old Chad Farley, and he is being held without bond in the Dubois County Security Center.

Farley’s arrest followed an investigation by Jasper Police, the Dubois County Sheriff’s Office, and Prosecutor’s Office.

Jasper Police say all items Farley stole have been located and recovered.

The alleged thefts occurred between July and December of last year.

Three Indiana University centers will receive $45,000 of a $200,000 federal Health Resources and Services Administration planning grant as part of the Indiana Rural Opioid Consortium.

The Indiana Rural Health Association is convening the consortium to collaborate on plans to address opioid abuse in rural Indiana communities. The consortium includes the Center for Rural Engagement at IU Bloomington, the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy at the IU School of Medicine, and the Center for Public Health Practice at the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI.

Naloxone samples are handed out during the IU Grand Challenge naloxone training at IUPUI’s Hine Hall in September 2018.

The consortium supports prevention and treatment for substance use disorder, including opioid use disorder in the rural Indiana counties that are among the 220 counties across the U.S. identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as being at risk for HIV and hepatitis C infections due to injection drug use.

The Indiana Rural Health Association created the consortium composed of experts to develop a comprehensive plan to address four areas:

• Increasing awareness of best practices for opioid use disorder treatment through targeted education efforts.
• Increasing access to available treatment options, including new telehealth options.
• Building additional recovery communities in the targeted counties.
• Creating initiatives and programs to reduce the stigma associated with addiction resulting from the opioid crisis.

The consortium will also identify strengths and gaps in existing programs and additional means to expand continuity of opioid use disorder care that includes medication-assisted treatment and waivers available through the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000, as well as other recovery initiatives.

“Even with increased national attention and the addition of select prevention and treatment facilities throughout Indiana, opioid use disorders remain a chronic, persistent and very serious public health concern in the state, including rural areas,” Indiana Rural Health Association Executive Director Don Kelso said.

Indiana University will identify opportunities and gaps in prevention and treatment, a workforce plan, and a framework for community-based programs to address stigma. Additionally, IU will promote academic programs and activities, develop educational materials and curricula, and facilitate professional development initiatives to connect providers and peer recovery leaders to the training they need to positively impact opioid issues in Indiana.

The Center for Rural Engagement at IU Bloomington improves the lives of Hoosiers through collaborative initiatives that discover and deploy scalable and flexible solutions to common challenges facing rural communities. Working in full-spectrum community innovation through research, community-engaged teaching, and student service, the center builds a vision, harnesses assets and cultivates sustainable leadership structures within the communities with which it engages to ensure long-term success.

The Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy at the Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, serves to advance policies that improve human health and well-being through a commitment to service and research contributions. The Bowen Center is dedicated to advancing this mission through a partnership with the state of Indiana and collaboration with a myriad of stakeholders, including health professional training programs, provider organizations, and nonprofit agencies at local, state and national levels.

The Center for Public Health Practice at the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI helps practitioners by increasing local public health value in Indiana through public health accreditation preparedness; providing technical assistance to local health departments around community-identified public health needs; enhancing workforce capacity building through authentic, community-centered learning opportunities for public health students; and supporting the Indiana Public Health Practice Council, an inclusive, statewide group that brings together representatives from state universities, associations, public health practice and policy-making bodies.

Indiana University has made it a priority to bring IU experts and resources to bear to help combat the devastating effects of addiction. IU’s Responding to the Addictions Crisis Grand Challenge engages a broad array of IU’s world-class faculty, as well as business, nonprofit and government partners, to create a comprehensive plan to reduce deaths from addiction, ease the burden of addiction on Hoosier communities, and improve health and economic outcomes. This collaborative, statewide initiative is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive university-led response to the opioid addiction crisis.