• Government
• Road Safty

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Indiana Department of Transportation contractor E&B Paving, Inc. plans to close State Road 56 between Finley Firehouse Road and Zion Road on or after Monday, November 4, to complete a culvert replacement project in Scott County. 

The closure will take place approximately 3.5 miles west of Scottsburg and is expected to take up to one week, weather permitting. Crews will begin to place signage in the area prior to the start of construction. During the closure, motorists should use the official detour route which follows southbound I-65 to Exit 7 to S.R. 60 to S.R. 56.

This project is part of a $2.1 million contract awarded to E&B Paving in January 2023. INDOT reminds drivers to slow down, use extra caution and avoid distractions when traveling in and near work zones. All work is weather-dependent and schedules are subject to change.

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By Philip Hensley, Master Trooper, Indiana State Police Sellersburg District

• Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods.
• Take the extra time to look for children before proceeding through intersections.
• Pull into and out of driveways carefully and slowly.
• Do not be distracted by cell phones or other items in the vehicle, devote your attention to your driving.
• Turn on headlights earlier than normal to not only help with your vision, but to become more visible to children and pedestrians.

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Dec. 1 deadline to sign up for collection

A successful program to collect and properly dispose of PFAS chemicals stored by Indiana fire departments will discontinue operations at the end of the year.

The Indiana Class B PFAS Foam Collection Initiative has gathered nearly 41,000 gallons of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) foam since it first launched more than a year ago as a collaborative project between the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). Fire departments across Indiana can sign up online and then schedule a pickup on site of the dangerous, cancer-causing foam material that was once used widely to combat hazardous materials fires.

Any department hoping to take advantage of this free service must complete the online survey form by December 1 to begin the process. The month of December will be used to complete any backlog, and no pickups will occur after December 30.

Also referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS has been proven in many studies to be cancer causing for firefighters, who are at an exponentially higher risk of several kinds of cancers. The PFAS chemicals can adhere to clothing and enter the bloodstream through continued exposure. In 2020, Indiana passed a law to restrict the use of PFAS foams for any training purposes, with a very defined exception for facilities that have implemented “appropriate measures” to prevent the chemicals from reaching the environment. Groundwater sources are very susceptible to PFAS contamination.

Some departments have been hesitant to turn over PFAS foam stored at their locations, and the program does not replace the PFAS foam with a healthier and more effective option. However, the program eliminates significant disposal costs for departments that rarely need or use this type of material to fight routine fires. Keeping the material on hand only prolongs potential exposure to the firefighting community.

For more information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Wellness
• Law & Justice
• Sheriff's Department

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The Washington County Sheriff’s Department held their quarterly Drive-Thru Drug Drop this past Saturday and collected a total of 51 pounds of expired or unwanted prescription medications. 

Sheriff Brent Miller said he and his deputies are happy to continue their program to give citizens a place where they can properly dispose of expired or unwanted prescription medications. Sheriff Miller said they partner with the City of Salem to incinerate the collected medications. 

Sgt. Matt Hein helps run the program for the Sheriff’s Department. Sgt. Hein said the Sheriff's Department has collected and incinerated a total of 1,199 pounds of prescription medications since the program began, in October of 2019. 

Sgt. Matt Hein, Sgt. Tory Hildreth, Deputy Hailee Lopotosky, Trenton Miller and Sheriff Miller assisted in the Drive-Thru Drug Drop.

Photos by Washington County Sheriff's Department.