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Office of the Indiana Attorney General awards grant for Jail Chemical Addiction Program in Marshall County

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The Office of the Indiana Attorney General today announced that it has awarded a grant to the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department for the creation of a Jail Chemical Addiction Program (JCAP) in the Marshall County Jail.

The office, in collaboration with the Indiana Drug Enforcement Association, has now awarded grants to help launch JCAP programs that serve Marshall, Shelby, Montgomery, Kosciusko, Fountain, Warren and Scott counties. JCAP programs in Dearborn and Boone counties were implemented before the Office of the Attorney General began its grant process.

A large percentage of offenders in Indiana have substance abuse issues. JCAP allows participating inmates to receive treatment in a secure, therapeutic and drug-free environment that is separate from the general inmate population. The program is voluntary.

“As Sheriff of Marshall County, I am very excited about partnering with the Indiana Attorney General’s Office and creating a JCAP at the Marshall County Jail,” said Marshall County Sheriff Matthew Hassel. “This grant will allow us to provide treatment services to our inmate population in hopes of creating brighter futures for them. It will also help us position them for success when they leave the jail and reduce the rate of recidivism in our county. We are very grateful to the Attorney General’s office for awarding us this grant.”

JCAP is certified through the Indiana Department of Mental Health and Addiction. The two main services participants receive are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and substance abuse counseling. CBT is a psycho-social intervention that is proven to be an effective treatment for substance abuse. It teaches coping skills to those with addictions in an effort to reduce the addict’s dependency on drugs and alcohol.

JCAP substance abuse counseling is conducted by social workers with master’s degrees and is carried out in both an individual and group format. Individual counseling takes place at least every two weeks.

In Dearborn County, JCAP is credited with helping slash the number of repeat drug offenders by more than half. Approximately 43% of general-population inmates in Dearborn County wind up being arrested again upon release. By contrast, only 18% of JCAP graduates are picked up for new offenses upon release, according to Dearborn County’s data.

Indiana University researchers also found the Dearborn County program to be effective, contributing to lower recidivism rates and reduced crime in the county.

“We are very fortunate to have secured this grant to empower the Sheriff to develop a Jail Chemical Addiction Program,” Marshall County Prosecutor E. Nelson Chipman Jr. said. “By providing programs to pretrial detainees voluntarily willing to avail themselves of the opportunity of self-improvement while awaiting resolution of their cases, our local criminal justice system will be able to assist short-term incarcerated persons who otherwise might fall through the cracks of available services and programs.”

Vanderburgh County Arrest Warrants

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Vanderburgh County Arrest Warrants

Trooper Tyler Widner receives “2019 Trooper of the District” Award

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Through his hard work and dedication to public service, Trooper Tyler Widner has been selected as the “2019 Trooper of the District” for the Evansville District. This award is presented to the Trooper at each of the 14 districts throughout the state who has achieved outstanding efforts in the area of traffic and criminal enforcement, case and crash investigation, public information programs and community service.

Widner is a three-year veteran of the Indiana State Police and is currently assigned to the All Crimes Policing squad, which aggressively focuses on illegal drug and criminal activity.

Widner put forth an outstanding effort towards the district’s All Crimes Policing initiative. During 2019, Trooper Widner was involved in 49 criminal investigations, which resulted in the arrest of 87 criminal defendants for a total of 229 criminal offenses. Trooper Widner also initiated over 630 traffic stops, which resulted in 13 impaired drivers being arrested and numerous drug arrests. Traffic violations often led to drug investigations, resulting in the arrest of multiple methamphetamine dealers in and around Evansville. “Trooper Widner and his All Crimes Policing counterparts have made a significant impact in the trafficking of illegal drugs and weapons in the Evansville District and are to be commended for their efforts,” said Lieutenant Brian Bailey, Commander of the Evansville District. Trooper Widner’s investigations also led to the discovery and seizure of more than 20 firearms. Several of those firearms were possessed by serious violent felons.

BREAKING NEWS: COUNTY CLERK REPORTS MISDIRECTED ANGER OVER REJECTED APPLICATIONS

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COUNTY CLERK REPORTS MISDIRECTED ANGER OVER REJECTED APPLICATIONS

 

Press Release re Absentee Ballot Applications – 05-21-20

HEALTH DEPARTMENT UPDATES STATEWIDE COVID-19 CASE COUNTS

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The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today announced that 676 additional Hoosiers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 through testing at ISDH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and private laboratories. That brings to 29,936 the total number of Indiana residents known to have the novel coronavirus following corrections to the previous day’s total.

 Intensive care unit and ventilator capacity remain steady. As of today, more than 39 percent of ICU beds and nearly 81 percent of ventilators were available as of Thursday.

 A total of 1,764 Hoosiers are confirmed to have died from COVID-19, an increase of 48 over the previous day. Another 149 probable deaths have been reported based on clinical diagnoses in patients for whom no positive test is on record. Deaths are reported based on when data are received by ISDH and occurred over multiple days.

                                                        To date, 202,995 tests have been reported to ISDH, up from 195,738 on Wednesday.

                         Marion County had the most new cases, at 162. Other counties with more than 10 new cases were Allen (35), Boone (13), Clinton (22), Delaware (22), Elkhart (67), Hamilton (18), Hendricks (30), Henry (13), Johnson (18), Lake (64), St. Joseph (29), Tippecanoe (11) and White (13). A complete list of cases by county is posted at www.coronavirus.in.gov, which is updated daily at noon. Cases are listed by county of residence.

 Hoosiers who have symptoms of COVID-19 and those who have been exposed and need a test to return to work are encouraged to visit a state-sponsored testing site for free testing. Individuals without symptoms who are at high risk because they are over age 65, have diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure or another underlying condition, as well as those who are pregnant, live with a high-risk individual or are a member of a minority population that is at greater risk for severe illness, also are encouraged to get tested.

 ISDH is holding drive-thru testing clinics today through Saturday in Brazil, Hammond, Shelbyville and Wheatfield. For details about these clinics, or to find other testing locations around the state, visit www.coronavirus.in.gov and click on the COVID-19 testing information link.

EPA Appoints New Members to Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the appointment of 28 members, of which 20 are new and eight are returning members to the Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee (CHPAC).

“Protecting children’s health is a top priority of mine for the agency,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “I appreciate the hard work and invaluable contributions of the CHPAC and after an open and public process, I am glad to appoint this new group of experts from a wide range of disciplines that will further contribute to the committee’s work.”

The CHPAC is a body of external representatives from a cross-section of stakeholder perspectives including research, academia, healthcare, legal, state, environmental organizations and local and tribal governments. CHPAC members reflect the geographic diversity needed to ensure that CHPAC represents all 10 EPA regions and a variety of communities across our country. The CHPAC advises EPA on regulations, research, and communications related to children’s environmental health.

EPA selected new members from a pool of more than 60 highly qualified candidates. Selections for the three-year term were made in accordance with the CHPAC charter to achieve balance and diversity in terms of geographic location, gender, ethnicity, and stakeholder perspective.

The new and returning* CHPAC members and their affiliations are:

  • Leif Albertson, MS – University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK
  • *Rebecca Bratspies, JD – CUNY School of Law, Long Island City, NY
  • *Lori Byron, MD, FAAP – St. Vincent’s Hospital, Billings, MT
  • *José Cordero, MD, MPH – University of Georgia, Atlanta, GA
  • Natasha DeJarnett, PhD – National Environmental Health Association, Denver, CO
  • Diana Felton, MD – Hawaii Department of Health, Honolulu, HI
  • *Julie Froelicher, MEM – The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH
  • Katie Huffling, MS, RN – Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, Mount Rainier, MD
  • Peter Lee, MD, MPH – General Electric Company, Boston, MA
  • *Maureen Little, DrPH – NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY
  • Linda McCauley, PhD – Emory University, Atlanta, GA
  • *Mark Miller, MD, MPH – California Environmental Protection Agency, Chico, CA
  • *Olga Naidenko, PhD –Environmental Working Group, Washington, DC
  • Ruth Ann Norton – Green and Healthy Homes Initiative, Baltimore, MD
  • Daniel Price, PhD – University of Houston, Houston, TX
  • Virginia Rauh, SCD, MSW – Columbia University, New York, NY
  • *Deanna Scher, PhD (Incoming Committee Chair) – Minnesota Department of Health, St. Paul, MN
  • Perry E. Sheffield, MD, MPH – Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
  • Derek Shendell, MPH – Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ
  • Veena Singla, PhD – Natural Resources Defense Council, San Francisco, CA
  • Alicia Smith, PhD – Freshwater Future, Toledo, OH
  • Shirlee Tan, PhD – Public Heath-Seattle & King County, Seattle, WA
  • Joyce Thread, MS – Saint Louis County Department of Public Health, Florissant, MO
  • Kristie Trousdale, MPH – Children’s Environmental Health Network, Washington, DC
  • Carmen M. Velez Vega, PhD, MSW – University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, PR
  • Yolanda Whyte, MD – Taylor Health Care Group Pediatrics Hospital and Clinics, Atlanta, GA
  • Ke Yan, PhD, MS – Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
  • Marya Zlatnik, MD, MMS – University of California, San Francisco, CA

EPA would like to thank the following departing CHPAC members:

  • Ellen Braff-Guajardo, JD, MEd – Sierra Health Foundation, Sacramento, CA
  • Caroline Cox, MS – Center for Environmental Health, Oakland, CA
  • Joel Forman, MD – Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
  • Maeve Howett, PhD – University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA
  • Gredia Huerta-Montanez, MD – Puerto RicoTestsite for Exploring Contamination Threats, Guaynabo, PR
  • Pinar Kodaman, MD, PhD – Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
  • Jennifer Lowry, MD – Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO
  • Barbara Morrissey, MS (Outgoing Committee Chair) – Washington State Department of Health, Olympia, WA
  • Tom Neltner, JD – Environmental Defense Fund, Washington, DC
  • Greg Ornella, MD, MS – Sherwin-Williams Company, Cleveland, OH
  • Stephen Owens, JD – Squire Patton Boggs  LLP, Phoenix, AZ
  • Rubin Patterson, PhD – Howard University, Washington, DC
  • James Roberts, MD, MPH – Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC

VANDERBURGH COUNTY RECENT BOOKING RECORDS

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https://www.vanderburghsheriff.com/jail-recent-booking-records.aspx

“Back On Track Stage 3” Begins Friday, May 22

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“Back On Track Stage 3” Begins Friday, May 22

Governor Eric Holcomb will fast-track most of Indiana — including Evansville — into Stage 3 of the Back on Track Indiana plan starting Friday, May 22.  For a list of Stage 3 guidelines, visit backontrack.in.gov (PDF).

Department of Parks & Recreation staff will start work immediately to reopen our basketball, tennis/pickleball courts, and playgrounds for the weekend holiday.

As City employees return to work at the Civic Center starting Tuesday, May 26, they will notice a number of changes to city offices as a result of the pandemic.

Acrylic sneeze guards have been installed in areas dealing directly with the public, and the Building Authority has installed more hand sanitizing stations and social distancing reminders.

Every administrative employee will be given two cloth masks and a personal supply of hand sanitizer. Each office will have cleaning supplies in stock so that employees can clean their individual work stations.

Face coverings will be required upon entrance to the building and in all common areas.

Each employee will be given a no-contact temperature scan outside the complex.

Early Voting

Although the Civic Center will still be closed to the general public on May 26, voting at the Civic Center will begin at 8 a.m. that day.

Voters will be allowed into the building for voting purposes only.

Access will be limited to a voting location on the first floor near the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard entrance rather than in the Election Office on the second floor as in previous elections.

City offices, including the Civic Center, will re-open to the public on Monday, June 15. At that time, and for a period until at least July 6, all visitors to the Civic Center will be required to have a temperature scan and wear a face covering. Visitors whose temperature registers higher than 100 degrees will not be allowed into the building. Disposable masks will be distributed to those visitors who arrive for city/county business but have no face covering.

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CDC Quietly Releases Detailed Plan For Reopening America

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CDC Quietly Releases Detailed Plan For Reopening America

The guidelines come weeks after many states have ended or partly ended their lockdowns and offer suggestions for reopening schools, businesses, restaurants, and mass transit systems.
By Elizabeth Chuck

Restaurants and bars should consider installing sneeze guards at their registers. Mass transit workers should close every other row of seats on their buses. Students should eat lunch in their classrooms instead of congregating in cafeterias.

These are among the social distancing measures that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed in a document it quietly released on its website this week outlining recommendations for reopening restaurants, mass transit, schools and child care programs across the United States during the coronavirus pandemic.

The detailed 60-page document, which was posted on the CDC’s website with no accompanying announcement from the public health agency, comes weeks after many states have already ended or partly ended their lockdowns.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

It also comes amid reports of strife between the CDC and the White House: While the White House released a plan called Opening Up America Again in April that incorporated some CDC suggestions, it largely left reopening decisions up to governors and local officials.

Meanwhile, the CDC’s coordinated, national approach — with more details and restrictions — had been shelved by Trump administration officials for being too specific, The Associated Press reported last week after obtaining parts of the CDC guidance.

Not all businesses and institutions should reopen yet, depending on the number of coronavirus cases in their local areas, the CDC cautioned. It recommended a three-phase approach for each community, each one more permissive than the last, provided rates of transmission do not spike.

In Step 1 of the plan for schools, for example, schools that are closed should remain closed. In Step 2, they could be open with “enhanced social distancing measures” and attendance should be restricted to those who live in the local area only. In Step 3, they could be open with distancing measures and attendance restricted to areas with the limited transmission of the coronavirus.

“While some communities will progress sequentially through the reopening phases, there is the possibility of recrudescence in some areas,” the CDC acknowledged, referring to the possibility of a new outbreak. “Given the potential for a rebound in the number of cases or level of community transmission, a low threshold for reinstating more stringent mitigation standards will be essential.”

For all institutions, the CDC recommended thorough disinfection for high-traffic areas: door handles of businesses, turnstiles in mass transit stations, playground equipment at schools. It urged face coverings anywhere it would be impossible to practice social distancing, including among staff members in child care settings and among older children in schools. And it encouraged plentiful hand sanitizer in schools, as long as it was safely stored away from children, and on tabletops at restaurants.

Tener Goodwin Veenema, a professor and visiting scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, welcomed the federal guidelines but said she felt that in some cases, the CDC’s wording was too weak — citing examples where the document called the measures “considerations.” (For restaurants and bars, for instance, the document advises, “Consider assigning workers at high risk for severe illness duties that minimize their contact with customers and other employees.”)

“When we have a pandemic of this nature, people need facts, and they need definitive action statements: ‘This is what needs to happen in the presence of an ongoing outbreak,'” Veenema said.

That is especially important, she said, given the mixed messages the federal government has sent about reopening as politicians and public health officials tangle over stay-at-home orders to stop the spread of the disease, which has sent the economy into a free fall.

The tension among agencies “has created a lot of confusion,” Veenema said. “It’s perpetuated fear, and it’s led to some ambiguous decision-making.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the guidelines.

All 50 states have either opened or partly reopened, even though there is no vaccine or cure for the coronavirus. As of Wednesday, there had been more than 1.5 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., with about 93,000 deaths.

Indianapolis Streets To Be Closed To Expand Seating For Restaurants

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Indianapolis Streets To Be Closed To Expand Seating For Restaurants

May 19, 2020    Posted by:

By Victoria Ratliff
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—Indianapolis restaurants will be able to reopen their dine-in services as Marion County slowly lifts some of the city’s restrictions.

Marion County officials announced last week that restaurants will be allowed to offer dine-in services with new guidelines that include outdoor seating only.

But to allow for more outdoor dining options, some road segments in the city will be closed beginning May 22 to allow restaurants to extend tables into sidewalks, streets or even parking lots.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett held a virtual news conference Tuesday to announce a plan to enable local restaurants to open.

“We may not get everything correct right off the bat, and for each business, we may have to work together to find unique solutions for problems that may arise,” Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said at a virtual press conference Tuesday.

The city is following Gov. Eric Holcomb’s statewide reopening plan, just at a slower pace than the rest of the state. Dine-in services at restaurants statewide opened at 50% capacity statewide in every county except Marion, Vas’s, and Lake starting May 11. Hogsett previously said that it is because of the city’s unique needs when attempting to limit the number of COVID-19 cases in the city and county.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in early March, Indianapolis and Marion County have had a larger number of COVID-19 cases and deaths than any other part of the state.

Tuesday, Indiana State Department of Health data showed that of the 481 new cases of the virus reported statewide, 145 were in Marion County. The county now has 8,541 total cases and 497 deaths, more than any other county. Statewide, 28,705 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and 1,678 have died of the disease with another 146 deaths of people who had symptoms but had not been diagnosed.

Hogsett said that his concern is making sure there isn’t a surge in cases by opening too soon, adding that limiting seating to outdoor dining can decrease the likelihood of the spread of COVID-19 as the city moves forward with its reopening plan.

“As we begin to reopen our city, our ongoing commitment to the overall public health of the residents and the citizens of Indianapolis will require that we continue to think creatively about how to help our small business community,” he said.

Portions of Massachusetts Avenue, Broad Ripple Avenue, Georgia Street, South Monument Circle, and Illinois Street will be closed Friday, with crews beginning their work Wednesday. Dan Parker, director of the Department of Public Works, said the roads were chosen based on density, pedestrian traffic, transit lines, and the ability to manage traffic during the closures.

“The road closures that the mayor has mentioned represent the ability to create safe pedestrian corridors in our main dense commercial areas,” Parker said.

Restaurants looking to open dine-in services can apply for a permit on indy.gov/dineout. They can also submit their reopening plans where they can be reviewed to ensure restaurants are following social distancing guidelines.

Hogsett said pedestrians are encouraged to use the closed-off streets as sidewalks don’t offer proper space for social distancing. Because of this, restaurants will be able to extend seating to sidewalks.

As restaurants reopen, workers are encouraged to use personal protective equipment, including gloves and masks, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Because of the additional cost to businesses, Hogsett announced the start of a grant program to reimburse small businesses in the county for PPE.

In partnership with the Indy Chamber of Commerce, the RESTART Grant Program will provide up to $5,000 to businesses with fewer than 150 employees. Businesses can sign up to learn more about the RESTART Grant Program at response.indychamber.com/restart.

FOOTNOTE: Victoria Ratliff is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

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