The Indiana State Police is currently investigating a serious injury crash with a possible fatality on I-65 Southbound at the 68 mile marker near Columbus.
Both southbound lanes of I-65 are shut down at this time and will be shut down for an extended period of time.
The Indiana State Police is asking the publiic to seek an alternate route and avoid traveling on I-65 southbound in Bartholomew County. An alternate route includes US 31, which parallels I-65.
This evening, shortly after 5:00 pm, the Indiana State Police responded to a report of a one vehicle crash with injuries on US 50 near the Jennings-Ripley County Line.
Upon arriving on scene, troopers found a male with injuries to his lower extremities. Troopers also located a deceased female in the vehicle, which was located well off the roadway.
Troopers soon determined the two individuals were both listed as missing after the Indiana State Police began a missing person investigation two days earlier.
The investigation by Trooper Jordan Craig began on Sunday September 18th, when family members reported Nikki K. Reed, age 37, Seymour, Indiana as missing.
Family members said that Reed had made a trip to Pennsylvania to pick up her boyfriend, Kevin Bell, age 39, Dover, Pennsylvania. She was last heard from on Saturday while driving back to Indiana with Bell.
During the course of the investigation, Trp. Craig learned that Bell’s family had not been able to contact him either since Saturday.
The investigation determined that at some point during the afternoon of Saturday September 17th, Bell lost control of the 1999 Ford Explorer he was driving and ran off the road in the 8600 block of east US 50. T
he vehicle traveled down an embankment and struck a tree head on.
At this time, it appears that Reed, who was in the front passenger seat, sustained fatal injuries in the crash and died instantly.
Due to Bell’s injuries to his legs, he wasn’t able to leave the vehicle and crawl back to the road until this evening, three days later. Bell was transported to St. Vincent-Jennings Hospital in North Vernon for treatment of his injuries. His injuries are not believed to be life threatening.
It should be noted that the vehicle’s location was well off the roadway and not visible from the road.
Trp. Rick Hewitt is conducting the crash investigation. Trps. Hewitt and Craig were assisted by other troopers with the Indiana State Police, Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, Jennings County Fire, Jennings County EMS, and the Jennings County Coroner’s Office.
35-48-4-1 Dealing in Cocaine or Narcotic
35-48-4-11 Possession Marijuana/Hashish
35-48-4-13 Maintaining a Common Nuisance(Repealed)
35-48-4-7 Possession Controlled Substanc
35-48-4-8.3 Possession of Paraphernalia
National Guard soldiers with Company A, 2/20th Special Forces Group can officially call the Hoosier State their home.
Beginning Sept. 1, 2016, soldiers with Company A, 2/20th Special Forces Group can officially call the Hoosier State their home.
The Indiana National Guardsmen held a ceremony Saturday at Camp Atterbury to mark the move that started last year.
“This ceremony demonstrates the interest and support of the 20th Group and Alpha Company specifically moving to Indiana. There’s a lot of support for you all,” said Maj. Gen. Courtney P. Carr, the Indiana National Guard adjutant general.
With that support Carr offered resources such as the 122nd Fighter Wing’s A-10s, the 181st Intelligence Wing capabilities, world-class training venues and conventional forces throughout the Indiana National Guard as opportunities to create the integrated training environment units such as Company A requires in order to be ready for future conflicts.
“We are honored to have Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group in the Indiana Guard. We are uniquely positioned and structured to support you,” said Carr who spotlighted the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, Camp Atterbury’s cyber range and Indiana’s intelligence assets.
The soldiers will base their operations at the southern Indiana post, which is approximately 35 miles south of Indianapolis and has increased Company A’s operational tempo.
“In the last six months we have executed more training events than we have in the last year all because of the state support we received from both Illinois and Indiana,” said Maj. Colby Broadwater, the Company A commander. “We have a bright future ahead. We strive to be a key piece of the state’s strategic initiatives that develop capability and international partners. We want to honor the state’s amazing military tradition and be an important part of its future. ”
Special Forces units are the primary Army element responsible for nine principle tasks which include unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, counterinsurgency, security force assistance, special reconnaissance, direct action, counterterrorism, counter proliferation, and preparation of the environment.
Previously the unit was stationed in Chicago. The company’s higher headquarters is stationed in Mississippi, but will be operationally controlled by Indiana National Guard Headquarters in Indianapolis.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has issued anand is forecasting high ozone levels for Wednesday, September 21, 2016 in the following areas:
Southeast Indiana – Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Scott, and Washington
Central Indiana – Marion, Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Delaware, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Monroe, Morgan and Shelby
IDEM encourages everyone to help reduce ozone by making simple changes to their daily habits. You can:
Walk, bike, carpool or use public transportation
Avoid using the drive-through and combine errands into one trip
Avoid refueling your vehicle or using gasoline-powered lawn equipment until after 7 p.m.
Turn off your engine when idling for more than 30 seconds
Conserve energy by turning off lights or setting the air conditioner to 75 degrees or above
Anyone sensitive to changes in air quality may be affected when ozone levels are high. Children, the elderly and anyone with heart or lung conditions should reduce or avoid exertion and heavy work outdoors.
IDEM examines weather patterns and current ozone readings to make daily air quality forecasts. To learn more about ozone or sign up for air quality forecasts, visit www.SmogWatch.IN.gov or download our iPhone App:
Ground-level ozone is formed when sunlight and hot weather bake vehicle exhaust, factory emissions and gasoline vapors. Ozone in the upper atmosphere blocks ultraviolet radiation, but ozone near the ground is a lung irritant that can cause coughing and breathing difficulties.
About the ozone standard: On October 1, 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) finalized the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone. The new rule sets more stringent standards, lowering both the primary (health-based) and secondary (welfare-based) standards from 75 parts per billion (ppb) to 70 ppb. Because of the stricter standard, it is possible that Indiana may see an increase in the number of air quality action days (AQAD) due to ozone in 2016. IDEM encourages all Hoosiers to be proactive and help reduce ozone for those who may be sensitive.
ChildCareFinder.IN.gov provides an easy search of licensed centers and homes, registered ministries and other child care providers in Indiana
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) today announced a major step forward in providing a new, online tool to assist families in finding child care and early education providers for their children throughout the state. ChildCareFinder.IN.gov, one of several online enhancements FSSA is making to help people find services in their area, will allow families to perform detailed searches to help them find child care to meet their needs.
“We know that finding convenient, safe and reliable child care is critical in helping parents get to work and perform their jobs effectively,” said FSSA Secretary Dr. John J. Wernert. “We also know that finding resources to identify child cares based on all those factors has not always been easy for parents and guardians in Indiana. That’s why we’ve worked hard to make Child Care Finder as useful to families as possible.”
Child Care Finder allows families to search licensed providers, registered ministries and exempt providers by numerous, important parameters, including location, type of provider, hours, licensing status and whether or not the provider participates in Paths to Quality, Indiana’s voluntary quality rating and improvement system.
In addition, families can find inspection reports and any validated complaints or enforcement actions for each provider they search. Click here to find a short video providing detailed instructions on how to use the new site.
Child Care Finder is also as easy to use from a smart phone or mobile device as it is from a desktop computer.
“Often families will rely solely on their friends’ recommendations or other factors such as location when picking a caregiver for their children without being fully informed, because they haven’t had or haven’t been aware of tools and resources to help provide an in-depth search,” said Nicole Norvell, Director of the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning. “We are hopeful that Child Care Finder provides some confidence to Hoosier families by giving easier access to important information that will help them make a much more informed decision.”
The Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning (OECOSL) oversees early child care, education and out-of-school-time programs. It is one of the six divisions of FSSA. Individuals with complaints against a child care may call 1-877-511-1144. Child Care Finder is one of several enhancements FSSA is making to its online tools to help people find services they need in their area.It is also easier now to find health care providers, FSSA offices specific to the needs of the user and their location. Like Child Care Finder, these new services also use geo-location services to assist users in finding offices, providers and resources closest to their current location.
