The City of Charlestown’s purchase of the Arts and Enrichment Center has offered the Charlestown Senior Citizen Inc. a great opportunity to develop a significant center for senior citizens.
    Bill Resch, the Chairman of the Board of the Center has been very effective in developing the facilities of the Center. They are sponsoring a free luncheon at the Center on May 17 to show people in the area the Center and get suggestions for more activities to sponsor there.
    The city has responded to the "start up" budget with enough money to get them off the ground. However, they are looking for some specific items. If they had a deep fryer, that would help with the monthly senior lunches they plan to schedule. Any event needs an ice machine, and so do they. There are efforts under way to have a van given to them. Then they could transport people from the High Rise, or Pleasant Ridge to and from activities. That would also allow them to take seniors on field trips.
    There is a beginning of paper supplies, but stationary plastic or paper dishes, plastic utensils, cups, napkins, etc. are always needed.
    Behind the conference room is a locked storage room. A significant amount of food is already there from The Answer Center. A chest, or upright freezer will be a huge addition. That way they can store frozen foods for the monthly senior meals.
    They would also like to have a number of board and card games. They plan to have the center open all Tuesdays for general senior use.
    They want to thank Charlestown Mayor Mike Hall, Larry Reis, Lonnie Cooper and The New Washington State Bank for contributions they have already made. Financial contributions are always appreciated.
    The Center is a not-for-profit organization. Membership is $1 per year, but they will not hold anyone to that.
    For more information contact Bill Resch at 502-773-1508 or Bob Overstreet at 502-648-9050. The phone number to the center is 256-0552, please leave a message on the answering machine.

    The City of Louisville has been working to make sure everything is perfect for this weekend. Louisville will be hosting the ‘fastest two minutes in sports’ when a scheduled full field of 20 three-year old thoroughbreds brave the dirt track at Churchill Downs in hopes of crossing the finish line first to be able to travel to the winners circle and show off the beautiful garland of roses. The 133^rd Kentucky Derby will host many celebrities this year including the Queen of England.
    On Friday, the Fillies will tackle the track first as they run their hearts out during the Oaks for the chance at the lilies.
    The Twin Spires at Churchill Downs will be the backdrop for many parties at the Downs and many happy race fans who witness the great event.
    Not everyone will travel to the Derby or the Oaks, but many local residents will host cookouts and gatherings for friends and family. After the winners are decided and the roses cover one talented thoroughbred, many locals will begin heading home.
    The Clark County DUI Taskforce is warning all area motorists they will be out looking for impaired drivers this weekend. The extra patrols in each area will be in force from approximately 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. and will consist of one to two officers each night including Friday and Saturday.
    The Taskforce provides coverage primarily on the weekends operating at night and in the early morning hours. The DUI officers work over time patrolling county-wide paying closer attention to areas frequently traveled by impaired drivers.
    The Clark County DUI Taskforce has been awarded several grants from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. These grants have provided the overtime funding to provide these extra patrols in Clark County. The Clark County DUI Taskforce and its coordinators have been recognized at the state level numerous times by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute for its ability to apprehend so many impaired drivers.
    In addition, the Clark County DUI Taskforce will patrol in its first-ever ‘wolf pack.’ This is where police officers from each department patrol in areas throughout Clark County as one force. The number is expected to be between six and 12 officers.
    According to Sellersburg Deputy Chief and Clark County DUI Coordinator Donald Ross Jr., in addition to the DUI Taskforce’s normal Derby activities, this year the Taskforce officers will work in teams called wolf packs. These wolf packs will patrol in different jurisdictions than they are normally assigned.
    Ross explained, "For example, Sellersburg and Charlestown will provide officers to help patrol in Jeffersonville and Clarksville while officers from Jeffersonville will also work in the Sellersburg, Charlestown and unincorporated areas."
    The DUI Taskforce is comprised of officers from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Jeffersonville Police Department, Charlestown Police Department and Sellersburg Police Department.
    Ross added, "I think that the administrators of our participating agencies are the kind of leaders that, like us, see the need for this kind of operation. We typically don’t have an opportunity for officers from four or more agencies to work in a joint effort to achieve a common goal like we will this weekend. I’m excited about the opportunity our Chiefs have given us."
    "Our coordinators have talked about doing this (wolf pack) for a long time. We wanted to improve the way we were doing things and we feel this offers a greater service to the motoring public of Clark County. I think it will be a great success," Ross stated.
    Each department has an individual coordinator: Lt. Racheal Lee is the coordinator from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
    Lee has been the coordinator for the sheriff’s office for the past three years.
    When asked what advice she would give to motorists she stated, "Our advice is the standard advice, if you plan to enjoy alcohol, get a designated driver. If you do not have a designated driver, get a cab or call a friend who has not been drinking, to get home safely."
    According to Lee the Clark County Sheriff’s Office will be wolf packing in the rural areas of the county.
    "Our wolf packing, we will be working the outlying rural areas. We will have officers during the working week and Derby weekend in the border areas," Lee explained.
    Lee said the DUI Taskforce is not a new idea in Clark County.
    "The DUI Taskforce is not a new thing. During higher function times like the Superbowl, Derby and holidays, the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute has funded for increased DUI patrols cutting down on the fatalities due to the number of intoxicated drivers on the roadway."
    Lee concluded, "We hope everyone enjoys the Derby festival and drinks responsibly by not endangering anybody else."
    The coordinator for the Jeffersonville Police Department is Officer Chris Martin.
    This year is Martin’s first year as coordinator for the Jeffersonville Police Department. Prior to this, Captain Garry Pavey held the responsibility.
    "This is the first year by myself. I helped Captain Pavey before but this is the first time I have had the full responsibility," Martin stated.
    Martin also had the same advice for motorists as Lee.
    "I know drinking goes on. If you do drink be sure to have a designated driver or call for a cab," Martin said.
    Martin is excited about the first wolf pack for Clark County.
    "I think it will be pretty neat with the wolf pack. It will involve other areas and we’ll be able to work with the other agencies. This is the first time for a wolf pack. I think it will be great to work with the other agencies with DUI," Martin added.
    Martin also advised motorists to be aware.
    "I want them to be aware and watch their speed. Be responsible and pay attention," Martin concluded.
    The coordinator for the Sellersburg Police Department is Officer Matt Minich.
    Minich’s advice to motorists was simple "Be safe. Be responsible and have fun," he stated.
    Minich is really looking forward to the opportunity of the wolf pack. "I am looking forward to it (wolf pack). It will be more fun being able to work with the other agencies," Minich explained.
    When asked if he thought the wolf pack might be another tool used by the Clark County DUI Taskforce, Minich stated, "If it is successful I think so. I would love to see it on Memorial Day, Labor Day and definitely the Fourth of July. I see it working with the Blitz with the major holidays."
    Minich had some more advice for local motorists for this weekend, and any time they may be traveling the roadways.
    "Call in any suspicion of drunk driving. If they suspect someone is intoxicated, they need to call it in. They help us and then we can help them by keeping the roadways safe from intoxicated drivers. This goes for this Derby weekend and any time that someone feels there may be an impaired driver on the roadways," Minich concluded.
    Officer Terry Braswell is the coordinator for the Charlestown Police Department.
    Ross explained the difference between the wolf pack and a check point.
    "The wolf pack is more labor-intensive because each officer working is required to find three violations each hour, but the patrols can be more productive than sitting at a checkpoint waiting for impaired drivers to approach the officers. The advantage of the wolf pack is that several officers are patrolling by saturating one area and are not located in one central location," Ross said. "Checkpoints are a visual deterrent, but impaired drivers can be alerted by bar owners or friends and can figure out how to go around a checkpoint."
    Ross continued about checkpoints, "Checkpoints serve a purpose when there is a problem in a certain area, but that the Taskforce coordinators wanted to shift the emphasis toward wolf pack operations."
    This weekend’s wolf pack operation has specific areas that the officers will be targeting.
    "Specific areas have been selected for the wolf pack operation. Our officers will saturate those areas frequently traveled by impaired drivers and they will be stopping vehicles for all kinds of traffic violations. Speeding, failure to signal turns, not wearing seatbelts in vehicles licensed as passenger cars and failing to stop at stop signs or traffic signals to name a few," Ross stated. "Our officers will aggressively patrol these areas, locate impaired drivers and take them off of the street and put them in jail."
    Each of the department coordinators report their monthly statistics to Ross. Ross became the County Taskforce Coordinator in 2005 when Sellersburg Police Sgt. Mark Levesque was promoted to Detective. He relinquished his duties as DUI Taskforce Coordinator due to the workload of being the Sellersburg Police Department’s Detective.
    The Clark County DUI Taskforce is funded by the Governor’s Council on Impaired and Dangerous Driving and DUI Taskforce Indiana, who gets its funding for impaired driving enforcement from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA).
    So far this year the Taskforce has been kept busy making the streets safe for local motorists. They have conducted patrols totaling 145 hours (not including arrest hours), stopping 383 vehicles from October 1, 2006 to March 31 of this year. During this time they issued a total of 151 citations and 362 written warnings. There were 20 misdemeanor DUI arrests and one felony DUI arrest. An additional 14 criminal misdemeanor and two felony arrests were made during this patrol time.
    "Our statistics over the last five years have shown our DUI arrest rate anywhere from eight to 11 percent of drivers stopped were impaired. So far this year, we are averaging just over five percent," Major Ross stated. "The message is out there, the legal limit in the State of Indiana is .08 percent. If you are caught driving and you have a Breath Alcohol Concentration equivalent of .08 percent or higher you will be arrested and taken to jail. Period. People should also know they can be arrested at a level as low as .05 percent if their level of impairment is such that they present a danger to themselves and/or others," he added.
    According to Ross Derby weekend is historically the worst weekend of the year.
    "Typically people think that New Year’s Eve is the worst weekend for law enforcement, but it’s not because people tend to use more common sense during New Year’s Eve," Ross said. "This is the first time of the year when people get to go out and have a good time and it seems like the last thing on their minds is a designated driver."
    According to Ross, there are many other visual clues used by DUI Taskforce officers to find intoxicated drivers. Some of those are drifting, swerving, weaving, straddling on or tires on center lane marker, speed slower than 10 miles per hour below the posted limit, turning with an unusually wide radius, driving on the shoulder or driving on other than designated roadway, following vehicles too closely, braking erratically, signaling inconsistent with driving actions, slow response to traffic signals, stopping without cause or stopping inappropriately, turning abruptly or illegally, accelerating or decelerating rapidly, driving with the headlights off and of course, almost striking an object or another vehicle.
    In addition to traffic violations and visual clues officers are also looking for vehicles with inoperable equipment such as head lights, tail lights, turn signals and license plate lights.
    "Each of our DUI Taskforce officers are highly trained and have completed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s course ‘Detection and Apprehension of Impaired Drivers’ and several are certified as ‘DUI Standardized Field Sobriety Tests Instructors’," Ross stated. "Our officers are experienced and frequently conduct enforcement details and projects to eliminate or reduce reoccurring traffic problems. Most of these officers working in this Taskforce have seen, first hand, the pain, suffering and demise caused by an impaired driver."
    Most of the Taskforce officer’s police vehicles are equipped with in-car radar and an in-car video system. The DUI officers are also equipped with portable breath-testing devices for the purpose of determining on the street preliminary results of suspects that have been drinking.
    Some members of the Clark County DUI Taskforce recently were introduced to Penny Clark and Pat McCollum, who are organizing a Southern Indiana chapter of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).
    "Our Taskforce supports MADD and has recently started a relationship with a local chapter of MADD and members of that chapter will be riding with our officers during the weekend project," Ross added.
    He concluded, "I hope the publicity about the wolf pack helps keep impaired drivers off the road during the Derby Festivities, if not they will face the consequences. Ultimately the safety of the motoring public of Clark County is the Taskforce’s number one priority."

    Indiana’s state parks and reservoirs kick off the recreation season with a special Welcome Back Weekend, May 4 through 6. An array of hikes, volunteer projects, music and kids’ activities will be featured at DNR properties statewide.
    The Falls of the Ohio State Park will be welcoming visitors to the George Rogers Clark Home Site on Harrison Avenue in Clarksville on Saturday May 5. The cabin will be open from 10a.m. to 4p.m. with historical interpreters sharing information about the life and times of General Clark.
    "We look forward to a great recreation season," said Dan Bortner, state parks and reservoirs director. "Our state properties feature great natural resources, ranging from giant sand dunes to deep, rocky canyons. Although we are open all year, we know that many Hoosiers prefer visiting when the temperatures are warm up. We are eager to welcome back all our campers, hikers, boaters and other guests this spring."
    For a listing of more new or improved features at your favorite state park or reservoir, visit www.dnr.IN.gov/parklake.
    For a complete schedule of Welcome Back Weekend events at each site or more details, visit www.interpretiveservices.IN.gov, or call your favorite property.
    Visit www.in.gov/dnr/healthy/ for a list of INShape Walk locations. For camping reservations, go to www.camp.in.gov. For state park inns, go to www.indianainns.com.

   The Indiana State Police Post at Sellersburg in a combined statewide effort is conducting enforcement patrols directed towards motorists who fail to move over or reduce speed for stopped emergency vehicles. These patrols will take place through Saturday, May 5. They began on Friday, April 27.
    April 25, 2007 marked the 10-year anniversary of the death of Indiana State Police Trooper Andrew Winzenread. Trooper Winzenread was struck and killed while assisting a motorist on I-74 near Greensburg. Winzenread is one of seven state trooper, and one civilian motor carrier enforcement officer struck and killed while working along side Indiana roadways.
    The Indiana State Police reminds drivers that Indiana law requires motorists to approach cautiously when an emergency vehicle is stopped on two or four lane roadways with emergency lights flashing.
    Motorists must change lanes away from the emergency vehicle if they can do it safely, if not they must slow down and proceed with caution. ISP is asking motorists not to stop in the roadway, this may cause a chain reaction rear end collision with other vehicles, but slow down and/or move over.
    Indiana emergency vehicles include: police vehicles, ambulances, fire trucks and rescue equipment, highway incident-response vehicles, highway work vehicles and vehicle recovery equipment (tow trucks).
    The intent of this law is to protect the emergency and highway personnel who serve the public. Please be alert when you see emergency lights flashing and give them room to do their job safely. Violating the law can result in a fine and your license will be suspended up to two years if you cause damage to emergency equipment, injury or death to an emergency worker.