Full-scale emergency exercise to take place at Ivy Tech Bloomington
Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington will be a host location for Operation Safe Harbor: A Full-Scale Exercise in emergency preparedness on Thursday, October 19. Sponsors of the exercise include the American Red Cross of the Indiana Region, Ivy Tech Bloomington, Monroe County Emergency Management, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, and numerous other community partners and residents.
The exercise will provide participants with an opportunity to assess capabilities, plans, policies, and procedures. It will focus on decision-making, coordination, and integration with other jurisdictions and organizations during a tornado. The exercise will test the agency’s ability to provide mass care services such as sheltering and feeding as well as communicating and coordinating across agencies, and to collaboratively assess damage to impacted homes.
Scenario
The scenario is that a tornado hits several areas in Bloomington and Ellettsville and people are unable to return home due to damage and inaccessibility.
Participants
- American Red Cross Indiana Region
- Bartholomew County Emergency Management Agency
- Bloomington Fire Department/Community EMT – Mobile Integrated Health
- Brown County Emergency Management Agency
- Civil Air Patrol
- Indiana Department of Homeland Security
- Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction
- Indiana State Board of Animal Health
- Indiana University Health
- Indiana University Emergency Management
- Indiana University Health Lifeline EMS South Central Region
- Indiana University
- Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington
- Monroe County Emergency Management Agency
- Monroe Hospital
- Monroe County Fair Board
- Owen County Emergency Management Agency
- Owen County building department
- Orange County Emergency Management Agency
- Salvation Army
For more information, contact Isis Chaverri, regional communications director, American Red Cross of the Indiana Region at isis.chaverri@redcross.org or 317-914-5744.
Indy man sentenced to six months in Federal Prison for falsely identifying robbery suspect in order to claim cash reward
Carl Davis, 25, of Indianapolis, Indiana, has been sentenced to six months in federal prison after pleading guilty to making a false statement or representation in a matter within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the government of the United States. According to court documents, on April 1, 2022, a letter carrier with the United States Post Office was robbed in the 1200 block of South Reisner Street in Indianapolis. Immediately following the armed robbery, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced that it was offering a $50,000 reward to anyone who provided information leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction.
On April 7, 2022, Carl Davis called the tip line and claimed that he witnessed the robbery. In an interview with USPIS agents, under oath, Davis stated that he witnessed a man named M.S. hold a tan knife or gun to the letter carrier, take something from him and knock him down. Further, Davis stated that he and M.S. communicated through Facebook Messenger. During this conversation, M.S. purportedly admitted to robbing the letter carrier. Davis provided investigators with images showing the purported conversation between him and M.S.
These statements were lies. Postal Inspectors discovered that the M.S. Facebook account—the one in which M.S. allegedly admitted to the robbery—was created by the Davis to set M.S. up. Davis admitted that he disliked M.S. for personal reasons and lied in hopes of getting M.S. incarcerated and collecting the $50,000 reward. M.S. did not commit the armed robbery.
Frank Southern Ice Arena opens Oct. 13 for the 2023-24 ice skating season
The Frank Southern Ice Arena, 2100 S. Henderson St., opens to the public Oct. 13 with the first general admission public skating of the 2023-24 season from 12-2:30pm and from 7-9pm. General admission public skating takes place daily only during scheduled times: Monday through Friday from 12-2:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m.; Saturdays from 1:30-3pm., 7-9pm (Lunar Skating), and 9:15-11pm (Night Owl Skating); and Sundays from 3-5pm.
Admission is $6 per person, plus $3 for skate rental. Ages five years and younger are admitted free. For more information about special events, hockey game times, enrolling in ice skating lessons, or scheduled public skating times, visit bloomington.in.gov/ice or call the Ice Information Hotline at 812-349-3741.
According to ice arena manager Dee Tuttle, Bloomington Blades youth hockey teams, as well as Indiana University hockey teams, have held practices and games at the ice arena, known locally as “The Frank,” since late September. The ice arena is open seasonally, and will end operations Feb. 25, 2024.
This Week in Hoosier History
1930 – United States Vice President Charles Curtis was met by enthusiastic crowds as he visited seven Indiana cities all in the same day. Starting from Indianapolis, he traveled to Franklin, where he spoke at the Artcraft Theater. Moving on, he made speeches in Edinburgh, Columbus, Crothersville, Austin, and Scottsburg. At all stops, he encouraged Hoosiers to cooperate with President Herbert Hoover in his efforts in dealing with the nation’s economic problems.
For more local news . . . Check out our archived episodes of What’s Happenin’ and Talkin’ Sports with Nick Jenkinson