Monthly Archives: December 2020

INDOT to Complete I-69 Finish Line Project Early

The Indiana Department of Transportation promises the I-69 Finish Line Project will finish a year earlier than expected.

The project, which began in 2019, is the sixth and final section of the I-69 connection between Evansville and Indianapolis.

The entire project is now expected to finish a year earlier, in 2024, that speed comes at a price: a five mile stretch between State Road 39 and Morgan Street will be shut down in order to expedite construction efforts.

There will be no north-south accessibility on State Road 37 once the closure is in place. There will be however be some east-west connectivity that will cross State Road 37 to help people get to Martinsville.

That closure will begin this coming Saturday, Jan. 2, and will last until late 2021.

The official detour for the closure in Martinsville will follow State Road 39 to State Road 67 and to State Road 144.

For more information about the closure and to plan your route, head to i69finishline.com.

Man Turns Himself In to Johnson County Sheriff’s Dept.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said a man who was wanted for supposedly killing a Vigo County woman on Christmas Eve, turned himself in at the sheriff’s department on Monday evening.

The suspect, Philip Michael Atterson, 29, of Terre Haute, allegedly murdered Sarah Henderson, 38, of Terre Haute, on December 24th. Her body was found in a storage unit on Christmas Day.

Atterson was brought to the Johnson County Jail and is being held until he is extradited to Vigo County.

Fatal Accident in Jackson County

A single-vehicle accident on I-65 in Jackson County Tuesday morning was fatal to a northern Indiana man.

The initial investigation by Indiana State Police indicated that at about 9 a.m., a car being driven by William A. Dudek, 61, of South Bend, was northbound at the 44-mile marker, and for an unknown reason veered off the right side of the expressway. The car then struck a guardrail, became airborne, and crossed all northbound lanes of I-65 before coming to rest in the median.

Dudek was extricated and transported to Schneck Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries.

The northbound lanes of I-65 were closed for nearly two hours for crash investigation and cleanup.

Indiana State Dept. of Health Reports Record High on Covid-19 Deaths

For the second time in the last seven days, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) announced on Tuesday that it had recorded a record high number of coronavirus-related deaths in the 24-hour period ending Monday at midnight.

Last week’s record was 143 daily fatalities, but Monday there were 164 Hoosiers deaths making it the worst day yet. Overall, 7,703 Indiana citizens have died from COVID.

ISDH documented a total of 4,028 new cases of coronavirus on Monday. The state has now confirmed that 500,282 Hoosiers have contracted the disease since the beginning of March.

Covid 19 Community Task Force Latest Report

The Columbus/Bartholomew County COVID-19 Community Task Force announced its latest Spread Metrics Report on Monday.

Although the per capita positive rate is still considered in the “Substantial Spread” category, the overall indicators show that the rate is decreasing.

Virus-related hospitalizations have remained steady at about 50 patients per day for the month of December.

View the complete local report on the task force website.

Our Hospice of South Central Indiana Launches “Transformers”

Our Hospice of South Central Indiana is launching “Transformers,” a new bereavement group for children and families. Officials say they chose the name in the hopes of encouraging children to see themselves as powerful people, capable of positive change.

The ZOOM meetings begin on January 14, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., and continue monthly on the second Thursday.

Our Hospice President Laura Leonard said, “Children do experience grief differently than adults and it is important they have a safe space to be heard while working through their emotions and feelings. This group is open to any child, between the ages of 5 and 12, who has experienced the death of a person near to them whether they received hospice services or not.”

Jennings County H. S. Senior Wins Lilly Endowment Scholarship

Cassidy Mull, a senior at Jennings County High School, is the 2021 Lilly Endowment, Inc. Community Scholar for Jennings County. Cassidy is the daughter of Matthew and Lori Mull of North Vernon.

Mull receives a four-year, full-tuition scholarship at an Indiana college or university and a $900 stipend for books and equipment. She said, “I’m speechless and in total shock receiving this scholarship. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m forever grateful to the Community Foundation and Lilly Endowment Scholarship Program.”

Cassidy has been active in many school activities including Volleyball, Student Council, Key Club, and Spanish Club. She is ranked number two in her graduating class. She has also participated in community involvement programs like the Harmon Food Drive and the United Way.

Since its inception in 1998, the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program has awarded a total of 4,912 students with full-tuition scholarships valued at $424 million.

Holcomb Extends Indiana Small Business Restart Grant Program

Governor Eric Holcomb has extended the application period for the Indiana Small Business Restart Grant program. Holcomb’s office says Hoosier small businesses in all 92 counties can apply for recovery funding through January 22nd.

Eligible businesses can now apply for reimbursement of up to 80% of qualified business expenses that incurred between March through December 2020.

According to Holcomb’s office, eligible businesses must apply by January 22nd at 5:00 p.m.

For more info on these applications visit insideindianabusiness.com.

Long Term Care Facilities to Receive Covid 19 Vaccines from CVS Health

On Monday, CVS Health will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines to nearly a thousand long-term care facilities in Indiana.

Aspen Trace Family-first Senior Living Facility in Bargersville will have 200 people vaccinated, including 100 residents and staff.

Gregg Gormal is the chief operating officer of CarDon and Associates, which operates eight long-term care facilities in central Indiana and 20 across the state.

He says Aspen Trace is one of three CarDon communities beginning vaccinations Monday. 95% of residents have committed to get their first Moderna dose. That’s compared to a 50% commitment a few weeks ago.

Gormal also says the vaccination rollout will continue to the other CarDon communities by mid January.

 

City of Columbus Picking Up Christmas Trees

City of Columbus maintenance crews began picking up residential Christmas trees on Monday.

Trees will be collected on your regular trash day through late January.

Authorities say that call-ins will not be accepted and collections will not be made on private streets.

To be eligible for Christmas tree pickup, Columbus officials say all “recently live” trees need to be placed curbside, must be completely free of ornaments, hooks, stands, or nails, and should not be placed in bags.