Local News: Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Road Closings – 8 a.m. Update ….

he Dubois County Highway Dept. has closed the following roads due to high water.

Please note, traffic officials say they do not believe this list will change for the next 24 hours.  We do expect the list to grow as steady, heavy rain is possible for several days this week.

This may result in flooding across parts of the area.  Stay tuned for updates.

Madison Township

  • CR 875 W –      South of CR 150 N
  • CR 800 W –      North of CR 300 S
  • CR 620 W –      @ Dillon Creek
  • CR 150 S –       West of Old Huntingburg Road
  • Ell Creek Rd. –  North of CR 400 S

Bainbridge Township

  • Old Huntingburg Rd. –  North of CR 400 S

Patoka Township

  • CR 400 S-      West of Ell Creek Rd.
  • CR 400 S –     East of U.S. 231
  • CR 130 W-     North of 400 S
  • 1st St. –          Huntingburg, west of CR 75 W

Stay with WITZ through the day for the latest road conditions.

———————————————————————————————-


SP Names New PIO For Jasper Post

JASPER — The Indiana State Police post in Jasper has a new Public Information Officer (PIO).

Senior Trooper Robbie Lambert was promoted to the post, according to a statement released by state police last night.

He takes over for Phil Hensley who left the post late last year.

Lambert started his career with the Indiana State Police on April 9, 2006 when he graduated from the 65th Indiana State Police Recruit Academy.  He was assigned to the Toll Road Post and worked Zone 1 which is Lake County.

In 2007 Lambert transferred to the Jasper Post and was assigned to Orange County.

During his career Lambert has served on the Tactical Intervention Platoon, Jasper Criminal Interdiction Unit, Jasper District All Crimes Policing Unit, Marijuana Eradication Coordinator and as a K-9 Operator.

Lambert’s new job responsibilities will include issuing news releases on significant events, responding to media inquiries, conducting and facilitating informational programs for the public and monitoring and maintaining the district’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.


ISP Launches Map to Reduce Crashes on Roads

AREA WIDE — State Police have released a new interactive tool aimed at helping reduce the number of crashes on area roads.

State Police recently teamed up with Management Performance Hub, to create an interactive website for the public and media to use to make informed decisions about road travel.

The map shows which roads you’re most likely to crash on at any given time during the day, using a color-coded system.

The map also shows relevant historical crashes, which show up as dots as the user zooms in on a red area.

If you’d like to check the map out, CLICK HERE.


Deaconess Mobile Mammography Event to be Held in Jasper

JASPER — A mobile mammography event is being planned for next month here in Jasper.

TRICAP is joining forces with Deaconess and the Tri-State Komen organization to screen both men and women for breast cancer.

Services are provided on a sliding scale and no doctor referral is required.

Most forms of insurance are accepted.

The event will be held Friday, March 9th at the TRICAP office on 3rd Avenue in Jasper.

To schedule a mammogram, call (812) 450- 6266 or by e-mail at deaconess.com/mobilemammo.


Police & Experts Looking At Security Issues

STATEWIDE — If you have children or grandchildren in school, you may be concerned about their safety after the shooting last Wednesday by a 19-year-old accused of killing at least 17 at a high school in South Florida.

Hoosier gun rights attorney Guy Relford, the host of “The Gun Guy Show” on 93 WIBC, says Indiana’s school leaders must answer three questions to ensure that its students and staff are safe and protected from any possible threats.

Relford says the first is threat identification:

“Are there procedures in place to identify those students or others who are a threat to a school based on things they’ve said based on what they’ve posted on social media?”

Second, Relford says schools must have a system in place to lockout those who may pose a serious threat:

“Are schools hardened? In other words, is it difficult to get in them if you don’t have the authorization or permission to get in that school,” says Relford. “We have look at security systems that keep threats out of the school.

Relford says the third focus for schools should be a reaction plan in case an active shooter or threatening individual enters the school building:

“Does that mean there’s an armed security guard there? Does that mean you’re going to arm staff that are trained and authorized to have guns on school property?

“Do kids know what to do in terms of the run-hide-fight progression? That is, get out of the school if you can, barricade and hide in place if you can’t get out of the school, and if necessary, to fight the threat,” says Relford.

According to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, state grants have been set up to provide matching grants to schools for hiring a school resource officer, conducting a threat assessment or buying equipment to restrict access to the school or expedite the notification of first responders. Those grants provide up to $50,000 a year for schools who have at least 1,000 students, while schools with less than 1,000 students are eligible to receive up to $35,000 for school safety.