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Washington County, Indiana (October 7, 2024) - The Washington County Sheriff’s Department is seeking information about a fatal hit-and-run that occurred over the weekend in Fredericksburg.

A 911 call at 7:45 a.m. Sunday reported a man lying off the roadway in the area of 3946 West U.S. 150, Fredericksburg.

Detective Brad Naugle arrived at 8:01 a.m. and found a man who had sustained blunt force trauma, appearing to have been struck by a vehicle. The Washington County Coroner’s Office declared the man dead at the scene.

The victim has been identified as Shawn Edward Crabtree, 49, a resident of Fredericksburg.

Naugle said there were parts from a vehicle and debris from the impact at the scene. A crime scene technician and a reconstructionist from the Indiana State Police examined and collected evidence at the scene.

A time of death has not been established, but Naugle said the incident occurred sometime after 9:30 p.m. Witnesses saw Crabtree hitchhiking on U.S. 150 in Harrison County around that time.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at 812-883-5999 and request to speak with Detective Brad Naugle. Callers may remain anonymous.

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 The American Red Cross Kentucky Region is issuing an appeal for financial donations, blood donations, and for volunteers who are willing to travel this fall to support emergency shelters for major national disaster relief efforts.

Ways people can help:

• DONATE FINANCIALLY: Financial donations are the quickest and fastest way to get help to people who need it. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED-CROSS or text the word HELENE to 90999 to make a donation to help people affected by disasters like Hurricane Helene. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disaster. 
• BLOOD: Hurricane Helene has caused more than 1,500 blood donations to go uncollected in the Southeast — yet the need for blood remains constant for patients in need. Those outside the affected areas are encouraged to schedule a blood donation appointment now by visiting RedCrossBlood.org or using the Blood Donor App to help restock the shelves.
• VOLUNTEER: Interested volunteers are urged to sign up today at redcross.org/volunteer. All candidates must complete necessary training and be able to commit to a two-week deployment. Applicants who don’t have disaster experience, but have supervision, management or organization skills; a strong desire to help others; and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, are encouraged to apply.

‘THIS IS SAFE’: HELENE FAMILY SHARES WHAT SHELTER MEANS TO THEM In emergency shelters, Red Cross disaster volunteers provide people with a safe place to stay, necessities like food and water, and critical services like mental health support and basic health services such as replacing lost medications or medical equipment. 

Over the weekend in Perry, Florida, Amber Barteau and her family sought refuge at a Red Cross shelter after discovering that Hurricane Helene devastated their home — which marked the third time they’ve survived a hurricane in just over a year. “As soon as I pulled up to the shelter, it made me feel good,” Amber said. “I thought to myself, this is safe, and I’m going to be OK.”

RED CROSS MOBILIZES MASSIVE RESPONSE TO HELENE As of Monday, more than 1,000 Red Cross disasters responders, over a dozen are from Kentucky, are on the ground across 10 states devastated by Hurricane Helene in the Southeast, including hard-hit North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. 

On Sunday night, more than 2,600 people stayed in 69 emergency shelters supported by the Red Cross and other community organizations. That overnight total jumped by some 600 people in just one day — and as storm-ravaged communities like those in North Carolina become more accessible, the Red Cross expects the need will continue to grow. While disaster assessments are still underway in hard-to-reach areas, emergency officials are planning for shelter operations to last at least several weeks, based on the storm’s initial widespread destruction.

In Kentucky severe storms swept through over the weekend. Five trained Red Cross disaster workers are helping close to 100 people across the state whose homes were impacted. The Red Cross worked with community partner, God's Pantry, and assisted with the distribution of no prep meals in Boyle County. In addition, the Red Cross loaned 80 cots and provided toiletry items and blankets to the Pine Knot Job Corps program in Pine Knot, KY (McCreary County), for job corps members evacuating from North Carolina. 

The Red Cross Kentucky Region is grateful to those who have provided financial support for disaster relief, such as Bill and Jill Howard; Commonwealth Credit Union; Dean Dorton, Frost Brown Todd Attorneys; GE Appliances; Samtec; UofL Health; Valvoline Instant Oil Change and to the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Parter, Yum! Brands.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.

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ROI Grant Opportunities

Check back soon for grant opportunities from ROI!

Grant Opportunities Outside of ROI

The following opportunities are offered by organizations other than ROI. ROI is not affiliated with any of these grants. This list is meant to provide our partners with other sources of funding for the great work they do in the Indiana Uplands Region.

T-Mobile Hometown Grants

The Hometown Grants from T-Mobile provide funding for communities with populations of 50,000 or less to implement transformational quality of place projects. Grants are given every quarter to up to 25 small towns.

• Award Range: Up to $50,000
• Timeline: Quarter 4 Grants open October 1, 2024 and close December 31, 2024
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Community Crossings Matching Grant

The Community Crossings Matching Grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation provides funding to cities, towns, and counties across Indiana to make improvements to local roads and bridges. There are two calls for projects each year, one in January and one in July.

• Award Range: Up to $1.5 million per project
• Timeline: Next call for projects opens January 2, 2025 and closes January 31, 2025
• Learn More >>

Cultural and Community Resilience Grants

The Cultural and Community Resilience grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) support community-based efforts to address the impacts of climate change and COVID-19 by safeguarding cultural resources and fostering cultural resilience through identifying, documenting, and/or collecting cultural heritage and community experiences. The program prioritizes projects from disadvantaged communities and NEH encourages applications that employ inclusive methodologies. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with a 501(c)(3) status, institutes of higher education, state and local governments, and federally recognized Native American Tribal Governments.

• Award Range: Up to $150,000
• Timeline: Application opens February 20, 2025 and closes May 20, 2025.
• Learn More >>

Community Economic Development Grants

The Community Economic Development Grants, from the US Administration for Children and Families Office of Community Services is a federal grant program for community development corporations (CDCs) to enhance investment in communities facing persistent poverty and high unemployment through the creation and expansion of businesses and job-opportunities. 

• Award Range: $75,000 – $150,000
• Timeline: Applications due May 1, 2025
• Learn More >>

Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations Grants

The Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities support the expansion of humanities programming currently offered by smaller museums and cultural organizations and to assess the organization’s relationship to their community and surrounding neighborhoods. 

• Award Range: Up to $25,000
• Timeline: Applications open March 11, 2025 and close June 11, 2025
• Learn More >>

Digital Projects for the Public Grants

The Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities support the expansion of humanities programming currently offered by smaller museums and cultural organizations and to assess the organization’s relationship to their community and surrounding neighborhoods. 

• Award Range: Up to $30,000 in Discovery Grants, up to $100,000 in Prototyping Grants, and up to $400,000 in Production Grants
• Timeline: Applications open March 11, 2025 and close June 11, 2025
• Learn More >>

Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program

The purpose of the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program from the US Department of Agriculture is to provide funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. Projects supported through this program must demonstrate substantial community support and facilities must serve the rural area where they are or will be located. Rural areas must have no more than 20,000 residents according the the latest US Census Data. Examples of essential community facilities include:  Health care facilities, including hospitals, nursing homes, or dental clinics; public facilities such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars, or street improvements; community support services such as childcare centers, transitional housing, or community centers; and public safety services such as fire departments and vehicles or police departments and vehicles.

• Award Range: Unspecified, applicants may apply for a loan, a grant, or a combination of both
• Timeline: Applications are available now and accepted on a rolling basis
• Learn More >>

Next Level Jobs – Employer Training Grant

The Employer Training Grant offers employers $5,000 per employee who is trained, hired, and retained for at least 6 months in seven priority sectors: Advanced Manufacturing, Technology and Business Services, Transportation and Logistics, Health and Sciences, Building and Construction, Agriculture, and Early Childhood. 

• Award Range: $5,000 per employee, up to $50,000 per employer
• Timeline: Open now and ongoing
• Learn More >>

Next Level Jobs – Workforce Ready Grant

The Workforce Ready Grant is a grant program for individuals that covers the tuition and fees of qualifying certificate programs across Indiana. Trainings are available in the following industries: Advanced Manufacturing, Building and Construction, Health and Life Sciences, Information Technology and Business Services, Transportation and Logistics, and Early Childhood. 

• Award Range: Cost of qualified training
• Timeline: Open now and ongoing
• Learn More >>

Children’s Book Project Grant

The Children’s Book Project Grant, from the Pilcrow Foundation, is a 2-to-1 match grant for rural libraries to purchase up to $1,200 worth of new, quality, hardcover children’s books. 

• Award Range: Up to $1,200 with a 2-to-1 matching requirement
• Timeline: Applications are due every April 1 and October 1
• Learn More >>

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Derby Dinner Playhouse will open their 2024-2025 Children's Musical Theatre Series with "The True Story of The Three Little Pigs" on Saturday, Oct. 5.

Public performances run Oct. 5, 12, 14, 19, 26, and Nov. 2 and Nov. 9.

For ticket information please call 812-288-8281 or visit www.derbydinner.com.

"The True Story of The Three Little Pigs"allows the audience to be the jury as the Big Bad Wolf is put on trial for his "supposed" crimes against the three pigs. This hilarious rock musical is led by Lillian Magill, a top pig reporter who is covering the courtroom drama. The audience gets to hear both sides and then decides whether the Wolf is guilty or innocent, thereby determining how the play will end.

The musical version of "The True Story of The Three Little Pigs" was adapted from the popular children's book written by Joe Scieszka and Lane Smith. The book and lyrics were written by Robert Kauzlaric, and the music was composed by Paul Gilvary and William Rush.

Derby Dinner's production is under the direction of Tina Jo Wallace.  The cast includes Neill Robertson as Alexander T. Wolf, Ava Whitaker as Magill, Cherrie Pointer, Tasha Hatchett and Embry Thielmeier..

All public performances of "The True Story of The Three Little Pigs" feature a kid-friendly buffet and are one hour in length.

This production is most suitable for ages 3-12.