3 Towers Broadcasting, LLC, has reached a deal to make WTCA (Plymouth) its fifth Indiana-based radio station, joining WSVX (AM 1520 and 96.5 FM) in Shelbyville, WSVX (106.3 FM) in Greenfield, WROI (92.1 FM) in Rochester, and WREB (94.3 FM) in Greencastle.

3 Towers Broadcasting is based in Shelbyville.

“Little did we know when we started with AM 1520 in Shelbyville that our local brand of GIANT fm radio and online services would expand into other Indiana communities with such success,” said Johnny McCrory, co-owner of 3 Towers Broadcasting along with Scott Huber. “Our entire organization is excited to now partner with WTCA as we add to and help grow its longstanding record of service in Plymouth.”

WTCA was founded by Kenneth E. Kunze in 1963 when he was granted a license from the FCC to operate WTCA-AM 1050. In the beginning, all productions were broadcast from its transmitter site on Muckshaw Road in Plymouth with a business office on Water Street.

In 1965, the broadcasting operation was moved to the Water Street location in order to accommodate an ever-growing listening audience.

In 1966, the radio station moved into the old Plymouth Dairy at 112 West Washington St. The building was renovated into a broadcasting studio and remains the base of operations today for WTCA.

“We look forward to becoming part of the Plymouth and Marshall County community and being a vital source of news, sports and entertainment for listeners and readers in the area,” said McCrory.

In addition to the radio stations operated by 3 Towers Broadcasting, there also are digital newspapers operating under the banners Shelby County Post, Fulton County Post and Putnam County Post.

3 Towers Broadcasting will commence operations of Marshall County Post in the near future, according to co-owner Scott Huber.

In its early days, Ken Kunze’s wife, Jeanne, hosted a live public interest program each day called, “This and That.” The Kunzes’ daughter, Kathy Bottorff, continues that tradition with the station’s daily talk show, “What’s Your Opinion?”

The station has since expanded to include FM radio broadcasting in addition to their AM radio operations. WTCA is still operating daily radio programs from the AM transmitter site on Muckshaw Road and FM transmitter site at its Washington St. office in downtown Plymouth.

WTCA proudly provides services to the local communities with unique programming, local news, hit music, and other features geared toward the communities of Marshall County.

“We want to see it continue and flourish,” said Kathy Bottorff, who operates the station today with her husband, Jim Bottorff.

3 Towers Broadcasting owns and operates WSVX in Shelbyville and simulcasts on WSVX (106.3 FM) in Greenfield, Indiana. WROI in Rochester was purchased in 2019 and WREB in Greencastle was added in 2021.

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A downtown entertainment establishment now has a Riverfront District Permit.

Cadillac Jack’s, 29 Public Square, had a resolution approved Monday morning by the Shelbyville Common Council to officially add Sterling Entertainment, LLC, to the list of recipients of a Riverfront District Permit.

Cadillac Jack’s was purchased in August of 2022 by Sterling Entertainment. Ricky Bechtel, one of the owners of Cadillac Jack’s appeared before the common council Monday.

“Since we’ve taken over, we have brought the bar substantial business, which also helps downtown,” said Bechtel.

The Riverfront District Permit is a formal written commitment with the City of Shelbyville and can be submitted to the Indiana Alcoholic Beverage Commission in support of a liquor license permit.

The resolution was approved 4-0. Council members Rob Nolley, Brian Asher and Thurman Adams were not in attendance.

The council also approved moving $500,000 previously assigned to a development project on the city’s west side into a fund to purchase new turnout gear for firefighters in the Shelbyville Fire Department.

The turnout gear currently being used by local firefighters has been deemed dangerous due to the flame retardant used on the turnout gear being related to cancer cases.

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An Indianapolis man and Triton Central graduate will avoid prison time thanks to the testimony of an Indiana State Police trooper.

Mason Durrett, 23, entered a guilty plea to one count of causing serious bodily injury while operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Level 5 felony. His sentence is three years with all the time suspended to probation thanks to the testimony of the state trooper who was injured in the incident in June of 2021.

The trooper testified that he didn’t want to see Durrett’s life ruined by going to prison.

Durrett collided with the back of the state police cruiser in an I-74 construction zone in Shelby County.

Durrett will serve one year of home detention with the three years of probation.

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Senator Mike Braun has introduced legislation to clarify the definition of tipped employee and relieve reporting burdens that are harming the restaurant community.

Representative Steve Womack (R-Ark.) introduced the companion legislation in the House.

“The Biden administration’s confusing compliance rule creates an unnecessary reporting burden for restaurants and servers that are already going through a difficult time due to inflation and rising food costs. This legislation will help streamline regulations for tipped employees so that restaurants and their workers can thrive," said Sen. Mike Braun.

“More financial uncertainty is the last thing restaurant workers want. With crushing inflation and a faltering economy, the Biden administration’s heavy-handed compliance rules only add to the burden being put on hardworking Americans. Servers don’t need the federal government skimming their pay more. Our bill brings much-needed certainty to tipped employees by protecting their income and job opportunities," said Rep. Steve Womack.

“Many servers choose restaurant careers because their skills and knowledge mean high earning potential in a job that’s flexible to their needs. For others, they’re looking for something – extra income, customer interaction, business skills – that make the opportunity ideal. The current system of tipping means that the industry can fit all their needs. We appreciate Sen. Braun and Rep. Womack’s championing of tipped income workers and their ongoing support of restaurant owners and operators," said Sean Kennedy, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs of the National Restaurant Association.

“Senator Braun has traveled the state of Indiana hearing firsthand the stories from those in the restaurant industry and how vital this income is to Hoosiers. We greatly appreciate Senator Braun for listening to our industry and taking action. The support from Representative Womack and Senator Braun will allow our industry to continue to provide opportunities to the communities we serve," said Patrick Tamm, President and CEO of the Indiana Restaurant and Lodging Association.

“We appreciate Representative Womack’s dedication to the tipped workers of Arkansas. His efforts with Senator Braun to introduce this bill shows the hardworking people with careers in the restaurant industry that their dedication is important. Their skills and knowledge are vital to the success of the Arkansas restaurant industry, and they play an integral part in the communities they support. We hope that Congress will consider these essential workers and pass this legislation," said Katie Beck, Chief Executive Officer, Arkansas Hospitality Association.

The Tipped Employee Protection Act of 2023 would:

• Amend the FLSA definition of tipped employee to create a more explicit definition of the term by removing interpretive language (customarily and regularly), providing additional clarity and simplicity in categorizing individuals as tipped employees.
• Restrict the ability of judges or the administration to set arbitrary limits or requirements in classifying the hours or duties that a tipped employee performs. 
• Preserve the tipped wage and the protection in the FLSA that tipped employees that receive at least the minimum wage between the addition of an employer-paid cash wage of $2.13 and tips — and in many cases much more. If an individual’s tips do not reach the applicable minimum wage under that formula, the employer would still be required to pay any difference. 
• Retain the ability of states under the FLSA to set wages higher than the federal statutory minimum, meaning that any state could continue to independently set the wage.

During the early morning hours Wednesday, members of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin Police Department, Greenwood Police Department, and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, with members of the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office served several drug warrants.

These warrants were from joint investigations conducted by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin Police Department, and Greenwood Police Department. These three Johnson County Law Enforcement agencies work together to combat drug issues in our community.

Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess, Chief Kirby Cochran of the Franklin Police Department, Chief James Ison of the Greenwood Police Department and Prosecutor Lance Hamner have formed a partnership with the three investigative agencies to combat drug issues in Johnson County. Each agency has joined together to form a bigger narcotics investigation team to aid in manpower issues and allow officers to work together to be more efficient.

This current roundup began several months ago, and the information obtained has been given to the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office. The information has been reviewed and warrants were issued for 33 people.

Several of these people traveled to Johnson County to sell illegal narcotics. Two thirds of those suspects were  from outside Johnson County, including:

Indianapolis: 18          

Carmel: 1                    

Columbus: 1   

Camby/Martinsville: 2

Franklin: 7                   

Greenwood: 3              

New Whiteland: 1

Sheriff Burgess says members of the narcotics team are working to get those high end dealers off of the streets of Johnson County. With the cooperation of each agency contributing manpower and resources we are able to conduct complex and effective drug investigations without overly disrupting normal law enforcement operations.

The following agencies assisted in locating and arresting the suspect(s) involved in this drug round-up, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin Police Department, Franklin Fire Department, Greenwood Police Department, Greenwood Fire Department, Bargersville Police Department, Bargersville Fire Department, Edinburgh Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Carmel Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the Martinsville Police Department.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office utilized their SWAT Team at 644 Park Drive, Greenwood, when that criminal warrant was served. Two other people were also arrested at that home.

They also utilize the Bargersville Fire Department, Franklin Fire Department and Greenwood Fire Department for safety reason during these type of operations.

Thanks to the watchful eyes of a concerned citizen, The Chicken Inn suffered minimal fire damage early Friday morning.

The Shelbyville Fire Department was dispatched to The Chicken Inn, 541 E. Hendricks St., at approximately 12:50 a.m. and found a small fire on the exterior of the building.

The fire was quickly extinguished, according to a SFD social media post, and ventilation of the interior of the building commenced.

A message posted to The Chicken Inn’s Facebook page Friday morning stated: “The Chicken Inn experienced a fire to the outside of our building last night. The good news is that no one was hurt and the damage appears to be minimal. The bad news is that we must temporarily close while we clean up and work to remove the smoke smell in the dining room. We look forward to seeing you as soon as we are cleared to open.”

SFD was on the scene approximately 40 minutes.

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Earlier this month, Shelby County's IT network was subject to an effort to access information by an overseas third party.

The incident occurred on March 2. In a statement provided by Shelby County Commissioner Jason Abel, the access was detected and stopped by the Shelby County’s network administrator, who after restoring normal operations, began a review of the event and its potential impacts immediately.

Abel emphasized that all indications are that information was not accessed. He noted that had evidence suggested information had been accessed, the county would have immediately reached out to affected individuals as required by Indiana code and best practices. 

Of particular concern to Shelby County are the records of various departments that rely on the Shelby County IT network.  

In the written statement describing the attempted access, according to the county’s network administrator, the data set that was attempted to be controlled is several terabytes in size, and that to acquire the data, the data set had to be downloaded. 

Several factors indicate that information was not accessed. Such as, the limited time of access, the transfer speed of the network, the size of the data set in question, and the network traffic at the time of the incident. Those factors show the unlikelihood that data in question was transferred to an unauthorized third party.

Work has been done to repair concerns related to the network. Since the event, Shelby County’s IT administrator has restored operations to a normal state, using the data backups that are regularly made to protect the county from potential ransomware attacks. The IT administrator also made changes to the network itself, including removing the vulnerability and installing software to better track attempts of unauthorized access to the network.

Commissioner Abel says no ransom demands were expressed regarding the information.

Out of an abundance of caution, and to better ensure state and federal officials were aware of any potential large-scale vulnerabilities, the county IT administrator and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department both contacted state and federal offices tasked with monitoring cybersecurity matters.  

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Following a tense discussion period and the completion of the Shelbyville Central Schools board meeting Wednesday night, school board members and community members frustrated with a perceived increase in bullying within the school system took more than an hour to discuss the issue (photo).

A disgruntled group of more than two dozen people came to the board meeting Wednesday to discuss bullying. They were not afforded the opportunity to speak during the meeting that lasted approximately 25 minutes.

School board president Curt Johnson, a Shelbyville attorney, cited SCS policy on public comments at school board meetings. All comments are limited to agenda items for that particular meeting.

That left many frustrated with the board’s appearance to not want to talk about bullying. Johnson did not think it was appropriate to have the discussion on the same day that Shelbyville Middle School eighth-grader Violet Kreider was laid to rest following her death last week.

Online discussion has linked Kreider’s death to bullying at SMS, but that has not been confirmed publicly. In a statement released by SCS Superintendent Dr. Matt Vance, he affirmed, “SCS takes its anti-bullying obligations very seriously. There were no documented bullying claims brought to the attention of the school in relation to this tragedy. All bullying claims are investigated in accordance with the schools Anti-Bullying Policy.”

Vance confirmed again Wednesday night there were no reports filed on Kreider’s behalf with regard to bullying at SMS.

Johnson reiterated Thursday afternoon, he was only following board policy when limiting public commentary.

“Our policy limits public comments to agenda items,” he said. “We all appreciated the sensitive nature of the situation and emotions are high.”

Johnson confirmed there were inquiries to be placed on Wednesday’s agenda, which must be made public prior to the meeting occurring, but those inquiries did not occur within the stated timeline in the policy.

While not yet official, Johnson wanted to add that a public meeting is being formulated for later this month to discuss the issue. Details are not yet finalized as to the date, time of meeting and venue.

“We are not going to hide and ignore this thing,” said Johnson, who is in his second year as board president.

Following the conclusion of the board meeting Wednesday, board members made themselves available to talk with anyone still at the meeting.

“I thought it was constructive dialogue (after the meeting),” said Johnson.

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A group of local social service organizations is working together to host a hygiene drive.

Brittany Fannin talks about SASS (Shelby Accessing Social Supports).

Fannin says last year's first effort at a hygiene drive went over bigger than expected.

She notes that people who wish to donate can take items to Community Corrections.

The organization will also be collecting donations at Walmart Friday and Saturday. 

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The Shelby County Sheriff’s Department and the Shelbyville Police Department, who make up the Shelby County Traffic Safety Partnership, will be stepping up patrols to help curb dangerous and aggressive driving.

The enforcement campaign will run through April 4.

The safety initiative is designed to reduce crashes and traffic fatalities and to promote safe driving around St. Patrick’s Day and the NCAA Tournament. It also comes at a time when roadway deaths continue to climb across the state and nation.

In response, officers will be conducting high-visibility patrols over the next several weeks, showing zero tolerance for anyone driving aggressively, over the speed limit or under the influence. The extra enforcement is funded through National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) grants administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI).

“Every person that chooses to drive recklessly or impaired represents a serious threat to public safety,” said Sheriff Louie Koch. “Choices behind the wheel matter. One mistake is all it takes for someone to get injured.We’re asking all drivers to take responsibility and make smart decisions. Let’s work together to keep our roads and community safe.”

Nationwide, traffic fatalities continued to rise at a record pace last year, according to newly released federal data. NHTSA projects that an estimated 31,720 people were killed on U.S. roadways in the first nine months of 2021, a 12% increase from the same period in 2020.

In Indiana, preliminary data from ICJI shows that 941 people died in fatal crashes last year. While that’s up 5% from 2020, it’s a 16% increase from pre-pandemic 2019 and represents the highest number of traffic fatalities since 2005.

Alcohol and drug impairment, distracted driving, speeding and not wearing seat belts are some of the leading causes behind the rise in fatalities.

“Last year, Indiana saw more traffic fatalities than we've seen in over a decade, and it doesn’t appear to be improving,” said Devon McDonald, ICJI Executive Director. “So far this year, fatal crashes in Indiana have claimed the lives of 2.5 people every day on average with over 100 lives lost already. It’s going to take an all-hands-on-deck approach to turn this around.”

Throughout the campaign, the department will be encouraging motorists to focus on safe driving and follow the rules of the road. This means wearing a seat belt at all times, driving sober, watching for pedestrians, driving distraction-free and obeying all posted speed limits.

However, some precautions should be taken before getting behind the wheel. For plans that involve alcohol, designate a sober driver ahead of time or plan to use public transportation or a ride service to get home safely.

“We cannot and should not tolerate the continuing crisis on our roadways,” said Jim Bryan, ICJI Traffic Safety Director. “Every driver and vehicle occupant has a responsibility when traveling. We need more people to take this seriously and to drive like their life depends on it – because it does.”

Motorists are encouraged to call 911 if they encounter an impaired or unsafe driver on the road.

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Indiana’s unemployment rate in January stands at 3.1% according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. By comparison, the national unemployment rate for January stands at 3.4%.

In addition, Indiana’s labor force participation rate held at 63.4% for January, remaining above the national rate of 62.4%. Indiana’s total labor force, which includes both Hoosiers employed and those seeking employment, stands at 3,409,096 – a decrease of 973 from the previous month.

Private sector employment in Indiana increased by 12,600 jobs over the last month, translating to a gain of 85,300 jobs from this time last year. Indiana’s January private employment stands at 2,825,700.

Industries that experienced job increases in January included:

• Construction (+6,700)
• Leisure and Hospitality (+4,700)
• Private Educational and Health Services (+2,500)
• Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+1,500)
• Professional and Business Services (+300)

As of March 1, 2023, there were 130,839 open job postings throughout the state. In January, 19,460 unemployment insurance claims were filed in Indiana.

Individuals looking for work, training or career information are encouraged to visit in.gov/dwd/job-seekers.

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Honda announced key next steps in the establishment of its EV Hub in Ohio.

In October 2022, Honda announced that it would invest $700 million to retool several of its existing auto and powertrain plants to establish the new EV Hub in Ohio, to prepare for the production of battery electric vehicles in 2026.

The Marysville Auto Plant (MAP), where Honda began auto production in America in 1982, will be Honda’s first auto plant in the U.S. to transition to making EVs.

As part of the EV Hub in Ohio, Honda will transform its Marysville Auto Plant (MAP), East Liberty Auto Plant (ELP) and Anna Engine Plant (AEP), leading to the start of EV production in North America. This EV Hub will play a key role in developing the company's knowledge and expertise in EV production that will be shared across Honda's entire North American auto production network in the coming years, even as many Honda plants continue production of gasoline-powered vehicles.

With that, Honda is moving production of the Accord sedan to its plant in Greensburg, Indiana, by 2025.

Honda will consolidate two assembly lines at its Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio and retool them for the production of EVs and EV components. The plant currently produces the Accord, in addition to other Honda and Acura models.

The 1.3 million-square-foot plant in Greensburg began production in 2009 and employs about 2,500 people. The Greensburg plant currently manufactures the Civic Hatchback, CR-V and Insight Hybrid models.

Honda did not specify if any additions would be made to the plant or if any new jobs would be created in response to the additional production.

The one constant in life is change. 

And a significant change on the way for the  Shelby County Public Library. Janet Wallace has been a staple at the library for decades. But, she says, that time is drawing to a close. She has announced her retirement for the end of the year.

Wallace explains what’s anticipated for the library board to search for her replacement.

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A veteran Indiana boys basketball coach will not get the opportunity to lead his team in Saturday’s Southport Semistate.

Joseph G. Hart, head coach at Linton-Stockton High School, was remanded into custody of the Shelby County Jail Monday night on the charge of Operating a Vehicle while Intoxicated (OVWI).

Linton-Stockton, the top-ranked team in Class 2A, is scheduled to face Parke Heritage at approximately noon Saturday in the second semifinal of the Southport Semistate.

“Linton-Stockton High School Boys Basketball Coach, Joey Hart, has been suspended indefinitely,” according to a press release by Linton Stockton Schools Superintendent Dr. Kathy Goad. “Assistant Coach Noah Hawkins will take over head coaching duties immediately and until further notice.”

This is the second suspension for Hart (photo) this season. He was suspended in January for public intoxication after being arrested by the Clay County Sheriff’s Department.

On Monday, the Shelbyville Police Department (SPD) was notified of a possible intoxicated driver on West State Road 44 nearing Shelbyville. The vehicle was observed crossing the center line and swerving.

Officers responded to the area, according to a SPD media release, and located the vehicle on W. McKay Road turning into the Clearview subdivision. The vehicle disregarded a stop sign at Swinford and Theobald streets.

Once the vehicle was stopped, officers noticed a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from inside the car. It also was noted there was a restaurant style cup in a cup holder with no lid. The liquid inside the cup smelled like beer.

At that time, Hart was asked for his driver’s license. He fumbled his wallet while attempting to retrieve it.

Hart was asked to exit the vehicle. He had poor balance and his speech was slurred, according to the media release. He was asked where he was going and he advised Clay City.

When asked if he knew where he was, he said, “Clay City.” He was then advised he was in Shelbyville.

Hart refused to perform field sobriety tests and a Portable Breath Test. He was advised there was probable cause to believe he was operating while intoxicated and was offered to take a chemical test at the police department. Hart refused that test as well.

In 13 seasons as head coach at Linton-Stockton, Hart is 275-72 and has led the Miners to nine sectional titles and two appearances in the Class 2A state championship game – losses to Bowman Academy, 86-73, in 2013 and to Andrean, 59-54, in 2019.

In 25 years overall, Hart is 421-200.

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FAIRLAND -- Triton Central High School is preparing to have a boys soccer program starting in the fall of 2023.

Triton Central principal Cary Chandler (photo) and athletic director Bryan Graham delivered a presentation Monday to the Northwestern Consolidated Schools Board detailing the plan to implement boys soccer as a junior varsity program only in 2023. The program then will have its readiness assessed to become a varsity program in 2024 or remain a junior varsity program for another season.

“I have been talking about this for a long time and COVID hit,” said Chandler to the school board. “So were revisiting this idea of possibly looking at a boys soccer team.”

Triton Central already has a middle school boys soccer club in place and is the only member of the Indiana Crossroads Conference (ICC) without a boys soccer program at the high school level.

“This comes down to providing another opportunity for our kids,” said Chandler.

The goal would be to play 8-10 matches in the fall against ICC schools or against other junior varsity teams in the area.

“We have the means. Coach Graham has done a phenomenal job with creating the ability to sustain our athletic programs,” said Chandler. “We have the facilities. And we have the interest.”

Graham confirmed there is enough room for four or five soccer fields to practice on in addition to using the artificial turf at Mendenhall Field where all home girls soccer games are contested.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association has already given its blessing for Triton Central to add boys soccer to its athletic programs.

The next step is to advertise for a head coach and order equipment. Once the coach is in place, summer workouts can be organized and conducted with the first official practice to commence in June.

In other board business Monday:

• The board removed the “interim” tag from Triton Central Elementary School Principal Rhonda Hill. She was an assistant principal at the high school before stepping into the role at TCES in January after former principal Heather Gant resigned to accept a new position.
• The board listened to Superintendent Chris Hoke explain a timeline for updating the school system’s current Strategic Plan, which has not been updated in the last five years.

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A national trend involving street racing, street take-overs and spinning has gotten the attention of the Indiana State Police (ISP) and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD).

Within the past year, ISP and IMPD have conducted several special operations targeting these illegal activities resulting in more than 40 arrests and the recovery of over 80 stolen vehicles. 

The most recent special operation occurred March 4 at three locations in the Indianapolis area and resulted in nine arrests. Investigators are currently pursuing leads on others who were involved. IMPD and ISP investigators received information of a planned spinning event potentially involving over 100 cars.

Spinning is a trend of utilizing a public park, a parking lot, a street, intersections or even an interstate to perform an action commonly referred to as a doughnut in a vehicle. During these events, several vehicles are used to block roads or parking lots and dozens of bystanders put themselves in dangerous positions to try and record or touch the spinning cars.

Often times these events are held without proper permits, or permission from the property owners. Once these cars leave the events it is very common to catch them illegally racing one another on the streets. The Indiana State Police recognizes there are legal and permitted spinning events in Indianapolis, the events being targeted are not those legally occurring. 

One of the three targeted events March 4 involved a private parking lot near 34th and Lafayette Road. The owner of the parking lot did not grant permission for the event and had recently spent over $60,000 to resurface and paint his parking lot, which is now heavily damaged from this event.

Indiana State Police Area Five Investigations Commander, Lieutenant Jeff Hearon said. "The Indiana State Police will continue to commit necessary resources to target these illegal and dangerous events. Legitimate car clubs, concerned citizens and community members have played a vital role in providing information to assist detectives with these investigations. The disregard for public safety and personal property shown by these groups is egregious, and we are committed to holding them accountable for their reckless behavior."

During these special operations, the Indiana State Police Helicopter and Aviation Section have played an important role to bring safe conclusion to those who choose to flee from officers. 

Arrested March 4:

• Eusebio Felipe Moreno Jr. (21) - Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle
• Luis F. Campillo (18) - Criminal Recklessness
• Anthony Henderson (25) - Criminal Recklessness
• John L. Baker (20) - Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle; Criminal Recklessness
• Craig Murry (23) - Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle; Driving While Suspended; Reckless Driving
• Shelby Waugh (21) Resisting Law Enforcement (Misdemeanor)
• Marquis Gibbs (24) Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
• Patrick Gerlach (20) Criminal Recklessness
• Kadryn Williams (21) Criminal Recklessness

These investigations are ongoing and detectives expect more arrests as a result of the March 4 events. All crimes mentioned in this release are alleged and all suspects are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

The charges listed were used as probable cause for arrest, actual charges will be determined by the Marion County Prosecutor's Office upon review of the cases. 

A Hancock County man will serve time in federal prison for his involvement in stealing and selling firearms.

William Campbell, 32, of Greenfield, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to illegally possessing firearms as a convicted felon.

According to court documents, on Feb. 8, 2021, Campbell and another individual broke into a Hancock County residence and stole 25 firearms. Campbell then sold the firearms to another individual. As of today, only eight of the firearms have been recovered by law enforcement officers.

Campbell is prohibited from lawfully possessing any firearm due to his three previous felony convictions for theft and drug offenses.

Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Columbus Field Division made the announcement.

“Trafficking of stolen guns fuels the violence that devastates so many families,” said U.S. Attorney Myers. “Criminals like this defendant are part of the reason why so many firearms end up in the hands of dangerous criminals. The sentence imposed here demonstrates that those who violate our homes and endanger our neighbors will be held accountable.”

ATF investigated this case with valuable assistance provided by the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.

The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge, Chief Tanya Walton Pratt. Judge Pratt also ordered that Campbell be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years following his release from federal prison. 

Twelve Shelbyville High School Latin students earned first place overall in small school Sweepstakes by a substantial margin Friday and Saturday at the IJCL State Latin Convention at Indiana University.

The group had 126 top-10 placings and was awarded second place for delegate spirit (highest in Shelbyville history) and second place in chapter T-shirt design.

Olivia Bowman and Leila Patrick earned the “Fan Favorite” award for their performance of “Patris Ioca” or “Dad jokes” about Latin class.

Those SHS students honored at the convention were:

• Anna Ballast – 58 points including second place in both Constructed Charts and Greek Derivatives
• Ev Barnum – 65 points including third place in both Modern Myth and Jewelry
• Olivia Bowman – 56 points including third place in both Latin Derivatives and Constructed Charts
• Isabella Bradburn – 73 points including first place in Latin Grammar, Pentathlon, and Advance Reading Comprehension
• Sydney Brown – 11 points including fourth place in Roman Life & Customs
• Lilly Conners – 66 points including second place in Dolls
• Cora Flynn – 79 points including second place in Hellenic History
• Leila Patrick – 33 points including first place in Roman Life & Customs
• Sharielis Rodriguez – 62 points including first place in Latin Derivatives
• Andrea Rosales – 80 points including third place in both Geography & Colored Pencil
• Addysyn Wettrick – 74 points including first place in Latin Derivatives
• Madelyn Scott – 151 points overall in a large variety of academic test, graphic arts submissions and creative arts contests. She earned second place in Costume, first place in Greek Derivatives and first place in Impromptu Art.

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Following the tragic death Wednesday of a Shelbyville Middle School eighth grader, a prayer service was organized and conducted Sunday afternoon in front of the school.

Jose Rivera, of Grace Wesleyan Church, helped spearhead the effort with Max Southern of The Ville Church and Andy Lee of Crossroad Community Church to bring healing to a mournful community.

“Due to the recent things that have been happening in the school and the tragedy that happened this week with the young lady no longer with us, I just felt a desire to get the community out and pray for these kids, the faculty, the counselors,” said Rivera after the 20-minute ceremony attended by approximately 100 people. “I just feel like the world is trying to steal our children from us. I think the church has to do a better job of coming out, the leadership of the churches in this community and all over the country, we need to step up and stop preaching to each other in the pews and come out here in the world and lay hands on people, on property, on these issues that are happening.

“Bullying is happening in schools. Racism is still happening. People that don’t know God, kids that don’t know God, kids that are being raised by grandparents, the opioid addiction is getting crazy and we can go on and on. We want to come against that.”

Social media reports of bullying at Shelbyville Middle School were growing before Wednesday’s news of a student’s death. Warren Robison, leader of the middle school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes program was in attendance Sunday.

“The answer is just love,” said Robison when asked if there is an answer to solve bullying. “How do we change the kids so rather than acting out in a harmful way … so kids act out why? To make themselves feel more important. Maybe they aren’t getting something at home and so they look for it here. And, unfortunately, they look for it in unhealthy ways.”

Rivera (photo) and several others led the prayer vigil that included approximately two dozen students of all ages.

“It’s called denial. It’s important that we highlight and bring a light to what is going on,” said Rivera. “This is not an isolated incident. It’s happening everywhere. There are kids feeling hopeless and helpless and we need to tell them that the church is here.”

Rivera, Southern and Lee led prayers for the students, the faculty and the community to help solve the issues affecting them all.

“We prayed directly for them. The counselors, the teachers, this principal who is doing a very good job,” said Rivera. “My daughter goes here and is a classmate of the student that just passed away. We are all feeling this.”

Robison spent several minutes after the vigil talking with students, as he does often during the school week.

“In my days when I was bullied, I was hit and slammed to the ground. It was physically being bullied. We didn’t have all the verbal, well maybe we did and just didn’t notice it,” said Robison. “Now, it comes more subtle. It comes where you can bully somewhat anonymously behind a computer or your phone. It gives us a lot more power.

“What is the answer? The answer has been the same. It’s always God. Until we can get that movement around and start seeing that, (bullying) is not the answer. It still leaves you empty. It still leaves you wanting more.”

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Two 3rd graders were chosen at each Shelby County elementary school to deliver a message as the Voice of SCUFFY.

Their messages are playing on GIANT fm on 96.5, 106.3 giant.fm and the GIANT fm app and are available here on Shelby County Post.

Coulston Elementary:  Lila von Werder and Liam Wagner

Hendricks: Charlotte Cress and Kate Ross

Loper: Sadie Lux and Kamden Johnson

Morristown: Kenzie Moran and Caleb Brock

St. Joseph: Marley Leon-Cruz and Harrison Foltz

Southwestern: Delilah Creek and Wyatt Smith

Triton Central: Lyla Doss and Henry Griffith

Waldron: Morgan Walton and Korbin Thurston

Shelbyville Central Schools has released the following statement in connection with the death of a Shelbyville Middle School student this week....

On Wednesday, Shelbyville Central Schools (SCS) suffered a tragedy with the passing of one of our 8th grade students. Our thoughts and sympathies are with their family at this difficult time. We have and will continue to have grief support available at Shelbyville Middle School for students who may need any type of assistance surrounding this loss. 

SCS takes its anti-bullying obligations very seriously.  There were no documented bullying claims brought to the attention of the school in relation to this tragedy.  All bullying claims are investigated in accordance with the schools Anti-Bullying Policy.  

We are saddened by the loss to our school community and will make every effort to assist our students and staff during this difficult time. 

In a related note, Grace Wesleyan Church of Shelbyville has posted on Facebook that with The Ville Church & others they intend to cover in prayer students, faculty and school property. At 1 p.m. Sunday, they are inviting the public to meet directly in front of the Shelbyville Middle School to extend hands of prayer.

For more info call - (317) 421-0611.

Students from Shelbyville High School will be among 237 high school and college Latin students who will attend the Indiana Junior Classical Convention today and Saturday at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Students will participate in academic, creative arts and graphic arts contests, and will compete in certamen, a quiz-bowl like competition, publicity and membership contests. The top school in both the small-chapter and large-chapter divisions will earn the overall sweepstakes awards while scholarships will be awarded to two students.

The students will participate in general assemblies and attend a Roman banquet dressed in traditional Roman garb.

High school students and sponsors attending will represent the following schools: Bishop Chatard, Fort Wayne Canterbury, Cardinal Ritter, Classical Studies of Indianapolis, Crown Point, Herron, Herron-Riverside, Homestead, North Central, Evansville Reitz, Seven Oaks Classical School, Shelbyville, St. Richard’s Episcopal, Guerin Catholic, Stanley Clark School, Terre Haute South, and The Master’s Study.

Shelbyville won first place overall sweepstakes in the small school division in 2022.

Local students attending are Anna Ballast, Ev(alyn) Barnum, Olivia Bowman, Isabella Bradburn, Sydney Brown, Lilly Conners, Cora Flynn, Leila Patrick, Sharielis Rodriguez, Andrea Rosales, Madelyn Scott and Addysyn Wettrick.

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Starting Friday night, traffic patterns on the southwest side of Indianapolis will change to allow I-69 Finish Line to enter its next phase of construction: widening and rebuilding I-465 eastbound, which will include a new bridge over the White River.

Beginning at 8 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m., traffic on westbound I-465 between I-65 and I-70 on the city’s southwest side will be limited to a single lane. During the weekend restrictions, crews will shift the westbound lanes to the north in preparation for an eastbound switch later in the month.

During the double-lane restriction the speed limit on westbound I-465 will be reduced to 45 miles per hour. The speed limit on eastbound I-465 will remain at 55 miles per hour, and all motorists are encouraged to slow down, pay attention to changing conditions and drive distraction-free.

This short video shows where roadways and ramps are restricted during the weekend work. A graphic representation of the same information can be found here.

To reduce traffic volume and the number of conflict points in the construction zone, several westbound entrance ramps onto I-465 will close during this weekend’s lane restrictions. Starting Friday at 8 p.m. the following ramps will be closed:

I-65 southbound to I-465 westbound

I-65 northbound to I-465 westbound

U.S. 31 southbound to I-465 westbound

U.S. 31 northbound to I-465 westbound

S.R. 37 (Harding Street) southbound to I-465 westbound

The U.S. 31 southbound to I-465 westbound ramp closure will remain in place through 2024.  All other ramps will reopen by 5 a.m. on Monday.

A similar restriction for eastbound I-465 is currently scheduled for March 24-27, but is dependent upon weather and the schedule is subject to change. 

During the weekend of westbound restrictions, I-65 northbound traffic will be detoured north to I-70 westbound at the South Split. The nearest entry point to the I-465 westbound work zone is Emerson Avenue.

Motorists can expect increased congestion during both weekends of restrictions and are encouraged to plan ahead and find alternate routes. 

Fixing a bank erosion problem along the Little Blue River at Blue River Memorial Park (BRMP) could prove costly.

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has inspected the site near the wooden pier (main photo), and not far from the walking bridge, but no determination has been made as to how to solve the situation.

“It is eroding (the bank) out closer to the bridge and we will probably lose the fishing pier,” said Shelbyville Parks and Recreation Board President Gary Bowen at Wednesday’s parks board meeting. “It was never reinforced …  I don’t think.”

Neither the pier nor the walking bridge are in imminent danger confirmed Bowen after the meeting.

DNR has provided city officials with three engineers to contact to put together a plan to fix the problem incrementally.

“We are trying to be proactive rather than reactive,” said Tackett.

The parks department maintenance staff is ramping up work in the city parks to prepare them for warmer weather and more visitors. The goal is to have all park restrooms open the first week of April, according to Tackett.

New shade structures for the Splash Pad at BRMP have arrived and will be installed soon. The structures are replacements for the current structures at the Splash Pad.

The parks department will conduct its annual Easter Egg Hunt at Kennedy Park at noon on April 1.

And the parks department announced the hiring of Triton Central graduate Cierra Jenks (photo) as its new special events coordinator. Jenks is majoring in Hospitality and Event Management at the University of Indianapolis.

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The Shelby Eastern Schools board approved spending nearly $300,000 on used buses, a new lawnmower and door access upgrades for all five school buildings.

With two owner-operators retiring at the end of the school year, the school system needs to build up its fleet of buses. At Wednesday’s school board meeting, approval was received to purchase six used buses which will help offset the need for new routes and expected retirements in the near future.

Shelby Eastern will purchase four 2011 Thomas HDXs from the Brownsburg school district for $20,000 each. And an additional two 2014 Blue Bird buses will be bought from a Fort Wayne school system downsizing its fleet for $16,000 apiece.

“Originally, we were talking about purchasing one 84-passenger bus which was going to be close to the $200,000 mark,” said Shelby Eastern Schools Director of Transportation and Communication Katrina Falk. “But after looking at the playing field and who we thought would be retiring and what the needs were going to be, we decided that money would be better spent purchasing some gently-used buses.”

“The goal is to get all of our spare buses off the road and not on regular routes,” continued Falk. “So Waldron will have two large spare buses and a special (education) spare bus. Morristown will have two large spare buses and a special (education) spare bus.

“We’re coming into a year where we will have four special (education) routes, where we originally started with two. We are growing. We have so many new preschool students coming in. At Morristown, we had to create an additional town route because we are overloaded between Freeport and the south part of Morristown. It’s a great position for a school district but we are having to ramp up our equipment and staffing. This will be an ongoing discussion as we move on four years from now and we have more contractors retiring. We are trying to get to a good position where we have enough equipment to support corporation-owned routes.”

The board also approved the purchase of a new lawnmower for the Waldron campus. Jeff Scott, Director of Facilities for Shelby Eastern Schools, requested to purchase a larger mower for $15,129.81 that would require less maintenance over its lifespan – an issue the school system has dealt with over recent months with its current smaller mower.

School security being a priority, the board also approved spending $142,819.81 to replace aging door access systems at all four school buildings as well as the administration building.

“The new system is more advanced and user-friendly,” said Scott.

Recent heavy rainfall that caused flooding issues exasperated the need to improve the radio signals to buses extending to the furthest reaches of the Waldron school system.

Scott observed the loss of radio signals to buses traveling south of Geneva. The goal is to stay in communication with all buses, especially when inclement weather is a concern.

The solution is to purchase a repeater that will strengthen radio signals to the south, east and west of the Waldron campus. There are no such issues with radio signals around the Morristown campus.

The cost of the repeater approved for purchase is $12,245.

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