An accident near the Dale exit off of Interstate 64 in northern Spencer County left one person injured.

Spencer County Sheriff’s deputies say a tractor trailer was eastbound along I-64 at the 57B mile marker near the Dale exit at about 4 pm yesterday afternoon when the truck’s driver started to feel sick. Deputies say the driver then overcorrected his truck after it started to veer, causing the truck to tip over onto its side and blocking the eastbound lanes of I-64.

The driver of the semi, whose name has not been released, was treated at a regional hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Interstate 64 near the Dale exit at U.S. 231 was blocked for about 2 to 3 hours while the scene was being cleaned up.

The Dale Police Department, the Santa Claus Police Department, the Gentryville Police Department, and Indiana State Police all assisted at the scene.

Last night, the Ferdinand Town Council made its selection for the next police chief for the town.

Ricky Patton, a Virginia native with ten years of experience as a trooper with the Virginia State Police, was the council’s unanimous choice to fill the position. Patton will be hired as an entry level patrolman and will immediately be promoted to chief of police when he accepts the job. Patton also has experience in the military to go along with his state trooper experience as well as having owned a small trucking company.

Town council president Ken Sicard says Patton’s wide variety of experiences made him stand out from the other five finalists for the position, including multiple officers currently working for the Ferdinand Police Department:

Sicard says Patton’s experience in small towns also played a big factor in the decision to pick him as the next chief. He says the job calls for someone who is familiar with the small town environment:

Patton’s offer of the job does have several conditions tied to it. These include a drug screening and meeting the Indiana Law Enforcement Training Academy’s requirements within a year of being hired. Additionally, he must live in Ferdinand or within 2 miles of the town limits by the end of his first year on the job. Patton currently resides in Jasper.

The council approved Patton’s yearly salary at $48,100. Current interim chief Rob Randle has been asked to fill the role of assistant chief of police.

Former police chief Ted Bieker resigned on May 17th, citing conflicts between himself, the town council, and the town manager. Bieker will remain as a captain with the department.

A Perry County child was treated for minor injuries as a result of an accident involving the minivan he was riding and a tri-axle truck early Tuesday afternoon at the Bretzville Junction.

Indiana State Police say 35-year old Deirdre Mundy of Tell City was southbound on State Road 162 approaching the intersection with State Road 64 just after 12:30 pm when police say she failed to stop her minivan at the junction and her minivan was struck by a westbound tri-axle truck driven by 46-year-old Steven Wiseman, of Birdseye.

Police say Wiseman had stopped at the intersection before proceeding. He was not injured in the crash.

Mundy did not appear to be injured but was taken to Memorial Hospital in Jasper for observation. Police say a passenger, 3-year-old Maximillian Mundy, suffered small cuts to his head and also was taken to Memorial Hospital where he was treated and released.

Police say the vehicles’ occupants were wearing restraints that resulted in prevented and reduced injury.

No charges were filed in the accident.

A relative says an Indiana state trooper is up and about after being wounded in a shootout in which he killed a man robbing a gun shop.

Trooper Jarrod Lents’ grandmother says bullets struck his protective vest during the shooting Monday in Montgomery.

Suzanne Lents of Loogootee says more than 100 police officers and others arrived at the Evansville hospital where he was treated before being released that night.

Police say 60-year-old James Jones of Shoals died in the shootout.

Loogootee police chief Kelly Rayhill says Jones had been involved in past domestic disputes but no criminal issues in the last few years.

An accident involving a Moped on Monday night in Jasper resulted in the driver suffering minor injuries.

Jasper Police say 15-year-old Seth Ward of Jasper was northbound on Newton Street near 34th Street at 5:20 pm Monday evening when the accident took place.

Police say the car in front of Ward in the northbound lane, driven by 70-year-old Robert Combs of Loogootee, slowed down for traffic at the intersection of Newton and 36th Streets. Ward was unable to slow in time and ran into the back of Combs’ car.

Ward suffered an abrasion on his right arm and complained of pain in his right leg. No medical treatment was necessary at the scene.

Comb’s car suffered $500 worth of damage in the crash and Ward’s Moped suffered nearly $2,000 in damage. Ward was cited for following too closely and operation of a vehicle without financial responsibility.

The Northeast Dubois school board met last night to discuss an exciting new feature for students this upcoming school year. All students, grades seven through twelve, will receive iPads to use for their classes. Bill Hochgesang, superintendent for Northeast Dubois, says its important not only for the students to start learning about the new technology quickly, but also for their parents as well:

Northeast Dubois will have a brief orientation on the care and handling of the iPads for parents and students during registration which is Wednesday, July 31st, at four, five six and seven pm, and Thursday, august 1st at ten am and one pm. Parents and students must attend this orientation in order to receive their iPads. The orientations will take place in the high school cafeteria. Hochgesang says there will still be traditional textbooks for the students along with the iPads, but eventually textbooks will phase out entirely. He says soon all Northeast Dubois school grades will adopt iPads in the classrooms:

The students will be able to take the iPads home with them during the school year. Hochgesang did mention in the meeting last night that there will be a filter on each iPad, as to ensure that they are protected under the umbrella of the school corporation even at the students’ homes.

A Pike County city was once again edged out in its second consecutive try to gain millions of dollars in grant money for community improvements.

Indiana Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann announced on Monday that Bedford and Richmond were selected as the winners of this year’s Stellar Communities in the state. Petersburg was one of six finalists for the two spots.

The Stellar Communities program, which was established in 2011, allows smaller communities across the state the opportunity to get grant funding for large-scale development projects. Two communities per year are selected from the pool of communities that apply. The program is run in collaboration with the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, and the Indiana Department of Transportation.

24 communities submitted proposals this year and the six finalists were named back in March. Petersburg’s proposal called for projects including a technology center to tie into Pike Central High School and a highway bypass to direct traffic away from the downtown area.

Bedford’s winning proposal centers on improvements to downtown at a cost of $19.8 million. Richmond’s winning proposal centers on 19.9 million dollars to be spent on senior housing, improved sidewalks, and downtown improvements among other things.

Princeton was named as a Stellar Community last year.