U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) traveled to Noblesville today after a shooting this morning at Noblesville West Middle School. Senator Young met with law enforcement, state and local officials, and first responders to receive an update on the situation, and offer his gratitude to all of those involved in the response. Senator Young issued the following statement: 

“As someone who grew up in this county, who attended public schools here in Indiana, and who still has young students in my own family attending schools here — I’m saddened and deeply troubled by this tragedy. My prayers of course are with the victims and their families, and with all of the students and teachers who witnessed this horrific attack and had their lives turned upside down. My gratitude goes out to the heroic teacher, our community leaders, and our brave first responders for all they have done — and all that they will continue to do in the days and weeks to come. It is unclear what motivates a young person to engage in such senseless violence, but we owe it to our children to find out. We must resolve to work together on this, to better understand this tragedy so that we can take lawful and effective measures to prevent this from happening again. Our children deserve no less.”

The Indiana Department of Transportation plans to chip and fog seal 44 lane-miles of pavement on State Road 56 and S.R. 60 in Washington County—beginning next Tuesday, May 29.   

S.R. 56        On Tuesday and Wednesday, May 29-30, INDOT maintenance crews are scheduled to chip seal S.R. 56 from S.R. 60 at the west side of Salem to S.R. 337 at Livonia. The route will be fog sealed on June 5.

S.R. 60        On Thursday, May 31, and Monday, June 1, maintenance personnel from INDOT’s Salem unit are scheduled to chip seal S.R. 60 from S.R. 56 on the west side of Salem to the  Washington-Orange County line west of Campbellsburg.  The route is slated to be fog sealed on June 6 and 7.

Chip seals coat the highway with liquid asphalt to seal pavement cracks and protecting the roadbed from ultraviolet rays.  The application extends service life of the roadway, lowers maintenance costs and helps prevent potholes.  Limestone chips cover the fresh asphalt—choking its stickiness and restoring a proper coefficient of friction for motorists’ safety.

Fog seals further overcoat the roadway and lock the aggregate chips in place.

Weather delays would push back these application dates.

Chip seal/fog seal surface treatments are cost-effective ways of preserving pavement and extending service life.  

Every $1 spent saves $6 to $14 “down the road.”     

The Indiana Department of Transportation is lifting all lane restrictions on Interstate 64 at its bridge over Captain Frank Road in advance of the Memorial Day weekend (MAY 25).   

Next Tuesday (MAY 29), eastbound I-64’s right lane will close for patching, widening and deck overlay installation—while the center and left lanes remain open to traffic.  Those open lanes—located 0.29 miles east of I-265 near New Albany—will be 11 feet in width. 

Ragle Inc, Indiana’s prime contractor for this $3.9 million 4-bridge project, plans to move operations to I-64’s westbound bridge over Captain Frank Road and the nearby westbound bridge over Quarry Road once eastbound repairs and deck work have been completed. 

As the unofficial start of summer, the Memorial Day holiday weekend is a busy time for Americans.

Each year, the highways fill with families in vehicles, on their way to start their summer vacations.

To help keep drivers and passengers stay safe, the Indiana State Police is reminding motorists to Click It or Ticket.

Aimed at enforcing seat belt use to help keep families safe, the national seat belt campaign will take place May 21 through June 3, concurrent with the busy travel season.

“Buckling up is something that should become second nature,” said Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter. “Besides that. Buckling up is the law. The consequences of not buckling up is real and can include the loss of life. Often, this tragedy could have been prevented with the use of a seat belt. No excuses, buckle up!”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly half (48%) of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2016 were unrestrained. At night from 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., that number soared to 56 percent of those killed. That’s why one focus of the Click It or Ticket campaign is nighttime enforcement. Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night. In Indiana, the maximum penalty for a seat belt violation is $25.00.

“In 2016, almost twice as many males were killed in crashes as compared to females, with lower belt use rates, too. Of the males killed in crashes in 2016, more than half (52%) were unrestrained. For females killed in crashes, 40 percent were not buckled up.

“If you know a friend or a family member who does not buckle up when they drive or ride, please ask them to consider changing their habits,” said Indiana State Police First Sergeant Rich Myers. “Help us spread this life-saving message before a friend or family member is killed as a result of this senseless inaction. Seat belts save lives, and everyone—front seat and back, child and adult—needs to remember to buckle up—every trip, every time.”

For more information on the Click It or Ticket mobilization, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/ciot.  

If you’ve ever considered keeping bees or were just intrigued with our little black and gold friends, this program is for you. An educational program on beekeeping will be presented on Tuesday, at 6 p.m. at Wilson Park Shelter House.

Local beekeepers will share their experiences and information on bees and be happy to answer questions.

The program is the tenth program in the Bedford Park Outdoor Series.

Curtis McBride and other local beekeepers will be on hand to explain what is entailed in this practice that dates back 9,000 years to North Africa. The art and science of beekeeping has come a long way since then, and you can learn from experienced beekeepers the joys and challenges of keeping bees.

This free program at the historic Wilson Park Shelter House. The indoor shelter house is pleasant in any weather. Please RSVP for the program at (812) 275-5692 so we have enough handouts and chairs ready.

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, June 26, when the Outdoor Program Series will feature a program on the geology of Lawrence County, given by Nelson Shaffer. This program, part of Limestone Month, will cover not only limestone but also geodes and other interesting rocks and minerals found in the county