A local lawmaker has been sentenced to probation and restitution after being accused of driving under the influence.

Republican State Representative Jim Lucas of Seymour pleaded guilty Monday to drunk driving charges. Early in the morning on May 31st, he drove his truck off the side of an entrance ramp to Interstate 65 and down the steep hill from State Road 11, hit a guardrail, then drove the wrong way back up the ramp and on into Seymour with flattened tires and heavy front end damage to his vehicle.

Under the plea deal, Lucas needs to complete 180 days of supervised probation and pay four-thousand dollars in restitution. Lucas will have his driver’s license suspended for 60 days, but will be permitted to drive on weekdays if the driving is connected to the awning business he owns.

Lucas will be able to retain his seat in the Legislature as state law only prohibits felons from holding office. Lucas joined WIBC’s Hammer & Nigel show to discuss his drunk driving incident publicly for the first time.

Lucas represents parts of Bartholomew, Jackson, Scott and Washington counties.

TTWN Media Networks and Network Indiana contributed to this report

A former worker and current volunteer for Our Hospice of South Central Indiana is being recognized nationally for her social work skills.

According to the local organization, Jessica Curd has received the national award for career achievement from the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network.

Curd was employed by Our Hospice for eight years and continues to serve as a patient volunteer. The hospice says she continues to pursue excellence in the field of social work at the end of life. A patient volunteer provides friendship and companionship to patients as an important part of the care team

For information about volunteering at Our Hospice you call 812-314-8031 or email [email protected].

A fugitive from Columbus was arrested in Jennings County last week after the SWAT team was called in to assist.

According to the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, James Redkey has been listed as a most-wanted fugitive by Columbus police with a Bartholomew County warrant for auto theft, a warrant for not supporting a dependent out of Jefferson County and on Jennings County charges for burglary. Deputies say Redkey has been able to avoid law enforcement for some time with several people allowing him to hide out on their properties.

On Thursday, deputies received information that Redkey was in the area of Country Squire Lakes and obtained a search warrant. Deputies say that in the past he had been violent and resisted law enforcement, so the county SWAT team and a police dog unit were sent to the scene to serve the warrant. Redkey attempted to run from law enforcement but was soon taken into custody.

He was taken to the Jennings County Jail with information about his arrest forwarded to Bartholomew and Jefferson counties.

The South Central Indiana Master Gardener Association will be holding a workshop on decorative containers for flowers this week.

Speaker Darren Collins will be talking about different ways to grow flowers in containers such as pots and hanging baskets. He has been a nursery manager at Frank’s Nursery & Crafts and nursery and greenhouse manager at Wischmeier’s Nursery. He now is the head designer at Fisher’s Flower Basket.

The association is the local chapter of the Purdue Extension Master Gardeners.

The session will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Purdue Extension Office Annex Building, at 783 S. Marr Road in Columbus behind the main office building.

You can get more information at SCIMGA.org.

A Nashville Woman is behind bars after wrecking into a building and killing her passenger.
Last Sunday Night Brown County responders were called to Brown County IGA Building regarding a vehicle that crashed into the building. During the Investigation it was determined that the 2003 Chevy Trailblazer was driven by Amanda Beaver who struck the building. Beaver’s passenger Randal Duncan was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Brown County Coroners Office.
Beaver was transported to IU Health for treatment and released into the custody of police.
She is charged with reckless homicide and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.
Beaver remains in the Brown County Jail under a 100,000 dollar bond.

Legal Aid is holding a Free Legal Aid Phone Clinic from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Legal Aid offers the clinics for low-income residents of its eight-county district including Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings and Johnson counties..

If you take part you will have a brief consultation with a volunteer attorney to answer general questions, to offer legal information or to receive other advice over the phone.

To take part, you must first register between noon and 2 p.m. Tuesday by calling 812-378-0358.

A new program through the Hospital Foundation of Decatur County will help nurses get professional training.

According to the foundation, the Marjorie B. and Robert H. Willer Professional Development Fund for Nursing Staff was established by the couple’s children in memory of the Willer’s commitment to Decatur County Memorial Hospital.

Marj Willer joined the Decatur County Memorial staff in 1980. She retired in 2011, after serving more than 30 years as Director of Nursing, Vice President of Patient Care, and Vice President of Compliance and Quality.

As an administrator, Marj Willer believed in the importance of continuing education. The fund will help support the nursing staff by providing funds for professional development conferences, or to bring development activities to the hospital for the nursing staff. It can also be used to help fund coursework for staff members to enhance their skills.

Photo: Bob and Marj Willer. Photo courtesy of Hospital Foundation of Decatur County.

Ivy Tech Community College students have put in nearly 20,000 hours of volunteer service in Shelby County, and helped cover the cost of their tuition.

According to the school, the students are taking part in a community scholarship program called Advantage Shelby County which provides scholarships, of which a requirement is 10 hours of community service for the semester.

The Advantage Shelby County program started in 2016 and almost a quarter of graduating high school seniors took advantage of the program. Since it started, participants have put in more than 19,700 hours and the program should pass 20,000 later this summer. This spring there were 40 students taking part in the program.

Students begin their service hours the summer prior to starting at Ivy Tech. They must complete 10 hours each fall and spring they are enrolled in school. Those earning an associates degree under the program will put in 50 hours of community service during their time at the school.

The program provides scholarship funding to qualified Shelby County students to pay tuition costs that are not covered by state, federal, or institutional aid. Advantage Shelby County is a collaboration between city and county governments and Ivy Tech Community College.

The goal is to increase educational attainment in the community. Since the start of the program, college attainment levels have increased by 10 percent, the school says.

Our Hospice of South Central Indiana is announcing the lineup for its free Labor Day weekend concert at Mill Race Park.

The not for profit group says that Sister Hazel will be the headliner and Levi Riggs will be the opening act for the show set for Saturday, September 2nd.

Due to COVID, the annual event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021, then rained out last year. The concert is the organization’s largest annual fundraiser through the sale of raffle tickets, T-shirts and sponsorships. There have also been drive-through events added in the weeks leading up to the concert in recent years for baked goods, shirts and raffle tickets. Those will be held at the Our Hospice facility next to Columbus Regional Hospital on 17th Street.

The concert has title sponsors this year of FORVIA Faurecia and Columbus Regional Health.

Sister Hazel is a five-person group performing alternative country. They are best known for their song, “All for You” which was a hit in the summer of 1997. Opening act Levi Riggs is an Indiana country music artist with rock elements.

If you are interested in being a sponsor you can call (812) 371-7973 or for more information go to care.ourhospice.org/concert

IDEM is declaring another Air Quality Action Day for all of Indiana on Friday, as stagnant weather continues to trap smoke and debris from Canadian wildfires over the state.

The agency says that there is a danger of particulates in the air, causing breathing problems for vulnerable populations. The smoke carries microscopic dust, soot, and liquids that settles deep into the lungs and cannot be easily exhaled. People are particularly vulnerable after several days of exposure.

IDEM says you should reduce your time outdoors to reduce unhealthy exposures and avoid exercising near busy roads.