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municating through phone calls, text messages and video conference calls. Knowing how hard everyone worked makes this honor even more special," Touvell said. Staff gathered in the Journal Gazette newsroom on July 15 to hear the announcement and cel- ebrate with cake. "We have a terrific group of jour- nalists at The Journal Gazette and I am always proud of their work," said Julie Inskeep, Journal Gazette presi- dent. "But it is especially satisfying to see them recognized during this incredibly challenging year." On July 16, Key visited the Herald Journal newsroom in Monticello to present their Blue Ribbon plaque to editor Michael Johnson and his staff. Johnson's mother, father, brother and aunt came in for the announcement. "I'm still kind of in awe of get- ting that. It felt good," Johnson said. This is the Herald Journal's first Blue Ribbon and it's been a goal for the paper, he said. Johnson noted the excellent work done by other non-dailies in the state. "It makes us getting it even more special because of the competi- tion we were up against," he said. "When (Johnson) came onto the scene with us a few years back, our focus and our philosophy was really about taking this newspaper's coverage to the next level," said Greg Perrotto, Kankekee Valley Publishing group publisher. "Things have changed over the years in the industry and in our communities, but at the end of the day our job and our focus is getting the news and information out to the masses. That's what makes us a suc- cessful newspaper," Perrotto said. From first place recipients, judges select Photo of the Year and Story of the Year winners. Franklin Daily Journal staffers received both this year. Photographer Scott Roberson was awarded Photo of the Year for an image of a daughter visiting her mother through glass during the pandemic. He's kept in contact with the family and photographed them several times. Roberson told the daughter in the photo, Betty Jo Owen, when he learned the image was being hon- ored. "I actually messaged her and told her and she was so excited." Roberson has been a photojour- nalist for more than 20 years and has been at the Daily Journal for more than 16. He grew up in Johnson county and cites his deep ties to the community with his ability to build relationships and cover the stories. Roberson said Daily Journal staff- ers brought lunch in to tune in when the awards' announcement went up online. "I started getting text messag- es before I even got there that I had won Photo of the Year." Roberson said. "I just love what I do." August 2021 Page 9 BNC Continued from Page 1 Steve Key, third from left, executive director of the Hoosier State Press Association, presents the 2021 Blue Ribbon Daily Newspaper Award to Fort Wayne Journal Gazette President Julie Inskeep, Publisher Sherry Skufka, Editor Jim Touvell and Managing Editor Lisa Green. Steve Key, third from left, presents the 2021 Blue Ribbon Non-Daily Newspa- per Award, the highest honor given to newspapers in Indiana, to Herald Journal editor Michael Johnson. Pictured are, from left, Herald Journal staffers Marty VanEe, Greg Perrotto, Key, Johnson, Cyndi Grace, Kellyn Harrison, Lisa Beuerman and Stan Campbell. New Whiteland resident Maribeth Alspach reaches her hand out to her mother, Betty Jo Owen, on Monday, March 23, 2020, as they visit separated by a window at the Compass Park's Skilled Nursing area. Photo by Scott Roberson. This week's highlights ■ State park gets grant, B1 ■ Candidates for offices in 2020 so far, A3 Subscribe Brown County Democrat, P.O. Box 277, Nashville, IN 47448 Contact us Have a story idea? Call 812-988-2221 Brown County Democrat 151st year, Issue No. 5 | bcdemocrat.com Nashville, Indiana | $1.00 January 29, 2020 TR-35032573 Making Doors Great Again at Brown County Schools! 1685 N. Indianapolis Road, Columbus, IN 812-379-2358 | 800-264-0358 | overheaddoorsci.com Overhead Door Company of South Central Indiana™ We service Brown County. PEACE AND QUIET 10 ways to bring more of it into your life, A8 Votes for women Looking back on women's suffrage in Indiana PAGE A4 W I C W I N Brown County girls earn title for first time in 15 years, A6 BY SARA CLIFFORD | THE DEMOCRAT sclifford@bcdemocrat.com At a meeting that was moving along much faster than normal, a conversation at the end slowed it waaaay down. "In my office, I actually have a slug infestation," Nashville Clerk-Treasurer Brenda Young told the Nashville Town Council at its January meeting. "It's been happening for a couple years," she nonchalantly added. Former Town Hall mainte- nance man Lamond Martin had been putting down a natural powder to deter them, but that hasn't kept them away, she said. Apparently, they come out in the dark, she's learned. Often, she'll come in to work in the morning at Town Hall and find slime on her keyboard. Young, the clerk-treasurer for 33 years, cleans it off and gets back to work. Lately, they've been crawling up the walls and eating her cer- tificates right out of the frames. Nobody would think they'd eat paper, but they are, she said. As the town's record keeper, Young draws the line right there. 'It's like a slugfest' Town Hall invaded by invertebrates BY SUZANNAH COUCH | THE DEMOCRAT scouch@bcdemocrat.com In 2018, the Brown County Council voted to take out a $2 million loan to fund a variety of projects. As of Jan. 15, $810,527.86 was left of that money. That evening, the Brown County Commis- sioners approved a plan for how to spend it this year. In the beginning, the plan was to use the loan money to: ■ pay for a new communi- cations tower and radios for emergency personnel; ■ replace light poles at Deer Run Park; ■ replace bleachers at the Brown County Fairgrounds; ■ expand the parking lot at Veterans Hall; ■ restore the bell tower, repair bricks and add security at the courthouse; ■ install security measures at the Emergency Management Agency office; ■ build a new ramp and porch and replace the siding at the Sycamore Valley Community Center; and BY SARA CLIFFORD | THE DEMOCRAT sclifford@bcdemocrat.com I s E. coli found in local waterways coming from humans or from animals? Short answer: We don't know yet. Last spring, Brown County Health Department staff and volunteers visited creeks, ponds and lakes in select locations in Brown County to collect water samples. Those were sent to an Indiana State Department of Health laboratory in Indianapolis to analyze in an attempt to deter- mine what's in the water and where it's coming from. Most of those samples came from the Bean Blossom area, in areas the Brown County Regional Sewer Dis- trict is planning to serve with public sewers to replace individual septic systems. Some samples also were collected from streams in Nashville in areas not currently served by public sewers. Sample collection took place in March and May, 2019. The sewer board had hoped to see results and share them with the public early last summer. How- ever, the process took longer than expected, and when results did start to appear, they were not as clear as board members had hoped. "What we don't have yet is an opportunity to sit down with the state lab director overseeing this and have them explain carefully and thoroughly to us what that tells us," member Clint Studabaker told the sewer board meeting audience in July. "I don't want to make assump- tions at all." Sewer board members believed that this testing — checking for chemi- cals such as caffeine and nicotine, which would logically only come from humans — would help answer the big question: Whether the E. coli bacteria that other tests had found in lakes and streams was coming ON THE WEB On bcdemocrat.com, look for the copies of the pharmaceutical and E. coli reports which we received from the health department, along with guidance on how to read them from the Indiana State Department of Health and Indiana Department of En- vironmental Management. They'll be linked to this story under "local news." BY SARA CLIFFORD | THE DEMOCRAT sclifford@bcdemocrat.com T he Brown County Regional Sewer District has been awarded the grant it applied for last year to do further study of wastewater management in Brown County. In December, the Regional Op- portunity Initiatives announced that the BCRSD's project had been chosen for funding, along with 11 other projects from throughout the 11-county Indiana Uplands region. The cost of the grant-funded project will be $118,000. It required a 10-percent match — $11,800 — which came out the Brown County Rede- velopment Commission's remaining budget at the end of 2019. "The Brown County Regional Sewer District is seeking a grant to fund a wastewater strategic man- agement plan," the approved grant application says. "BCRSD will un- dertake an engineering evaluation of existing onsite septic treatment systems and study the technical and economic feasibility of regional wastewater collection and treatment options throughout Brown County. "Most areas are on individual LEARN MORE ■ Lake Monroe group also studying sources, solutions for contamination, Page B1 Loan report: What's spent, what's left COMING FROM? CONTAMINATION WHERE'S THE Water sample results inconclusive; more advanced testing to be done Grant to fund study of regional treatment options, more water sample analysis Pictured: Brown County Health Department environmental specialist Ernie Reed collects a water sample from a Brown County property in May 2019. The county has been awarded a $118,000 grant to do further testing of water samples from around the county and to inves- tigate regional methods of wastewater disposal. SARA CLIFFORD | THE DEMOCRAT (SEE SAMPLES PAGE A10) (SEE GRANT PAGE A7) (SEE SLUGFEST PAGE A7) (SEE LOAN PAGE A7) FREE TIME Spread the word Want to have your own events added to our week- ly Free Time listing? The best way to get your event publicized is to get the information to us at least three weeks in advance. Make sure to include all pertinent information and a phone number. Email the information to freetime@dailyjournal.net or mail it to Free Time, Daily Journal, P.O. Box 699, Franklin, IN 46131. ON THE WEB DEATHS Join us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter Keep up with the news and happenings in Johnson County area with the Daily Journal's Facebook and Twitter pages. facebook.com/ dailyjournalnews twitter.com/ dailyjournalnet SATURDAY-SUNDAY, JULY 13-14, 2019 $1.50 Johnson County, Indiana | DAILYJOURNAL.NET DAILY JOURNAL WEEKEND WEEKEND DIG INTO THE PAST Need to fill in the gaps on your family tree? Searching for obituaries and learning about your ancestors has never been easier. The Daily Journal's news- paper archives have been digitized, put online and are now available with powerful search features. You'll have a couple of ways to access the archives. One is through a six-month sub- scription at $74.90, or you can purchase digital access for $19.90 per month. Go to dailyjournal.net/ archives to find out more. DJ-35011976 YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER DELIVERED YOUR WAY For 6-Day Print Plus All Digital $21 / month EZ For Thursday & Saturday Print Plus All Digital $11 / month EZ For All Digital $11 / month EZ If you are not currently taking advantage of EZ, or want to make a change in your plan, call 812-379-5602 during normal business hours. EZ A Change for EasyPay Subscribers: EasyPay deductions in July 2019 will refl ect new pricing. *USPS Delivery Rates are Higher BY JAMES VAUGHN | DAILY JOURNAL jvaughn@dailyjournal.net Someone stole a van that is used to transport seniors to and from life- saving treatments and doctor's appointments on Thursday outside a hospital on the south side of Indianapolis, and your help is needed to find it. About 11:30 a.m. Thursday, while a driver delivered a patient to the Franciscan Health Cancer Center at St. Francis Hospital near Emerson Avenue and Stop 11 Road, just north of the Johnson County line, someone drove off with the van, according to an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department report. The 2017 Dodge Caravan is equipped with two handicap ramps, and there are also handicap markings on the front and rear of the van. The keys were left inside, the report said. It is one of just two vans Johnson County Senior Services has that can accommodate large, bariatric wheelchairs, said Leo Rafail, a senior services board member and social worker. "Praise God no one else was on board, and the driver and patient were safe," said Kim Smith, senior services executive director. Special equipment and the driver's purse were still inside the van, and one of the driver's credit cards was used twice be- fore she could notify her bank of the theft. Detec- tives were tracking where exactly those purchases were made, Smith said Friday afternoon. It was possibly used in Ohio, according to the report. The driver's personal and company cell phones were also stolen. A tablet with a special navigational system was also on board the van, which would have al- lowed senior services dispatchers to track the van had the thief not dis- carded it somewhere near the Rosegate nursing home, about a mile north of the hospital, Smith said. Having one vehicle out of commission cuts the organization's services in half, and dispatchers Senior Services vehicle stolen BY MICHELE HOLTKAMP | DAILY JOURNAL mholtkamp@dailyjournal.net J ohnson County Prosecutor Brad Cooper is set to be sentenced next week on three felony charges, but as his removal from office approaches, the public knows little about the specific allegations against him. The state law being cited by a Hancock County judge as reason for keeping some information private could render useless the entire In- diana Open Door Law, which requires that the public's business be done in public, said the top state official whose job it is to make sure public officials follow the state's public ac- cess laws. The criminal pro- ceeding against Cooper is being overseen by Hancock County Supe- rior Court 2 Judge Dan Marshall, who was appointed because no Johnson County judge could take the case due to conflicts of interest. On Thursday, nearly three months after Cooper pleaded guilty to criminal charges, the state stopped Coo- per's pay as prosecutor pending a review by the Indiana Office of Judicial Administra- tion and the Indiana Attorney General's Office. "Your inquiry prompted a question regarding Bradley Cooper's salary," In- diana Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathryn Dolan said, referring to a Daily Journal question regarding Cooper's pay since he faced criminal charges. "Yesterday, OJA THE CRIMINAL CHARGES Here's a look at the charges and sentencing agreement for Brad Cooper. The sentences will be served at the same time, meaning he will have 540 days on supervised probation total. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. Criminal confinement Level 6 felony On March 4, Brad Cooper confined his fiancee without her consent. Sentence: 360 days supervised probation, and the felony conviction can be changed to a Class A misdemeanor under the Alternative Misde- meanor Sentencing program. Domestic battery Class A misdemeanor On March 4, he knowingly or intentionally struck his fiancee that resulted in a bodily injury. Sentencing: 360 days on supervised probation Identity deception Level 6 felony On March 4 to March 5, Cooper knowingly or intentionally used phone information to pretend to be his fiancee while sending messages to another person. Sentencing: 540 days on supervised probation. He can ask the court for the conviction to be changed to a misdemeanor after three years. Official misconduct Level 6 felony On March 4 to March 5, Cooper committed an offense in the performance of his public servant duties as elected prosecutor by committing identity deception during the criminal domestic battery investigation. Sentencing: 540 days on supervised probation. He can ask the court for the conviction to be changed to a misdemeanor immediately upon completing probation. SHROUDED IN Details in prosecutor's criminal case confidential; sentencing set for Wednesday SECRECY Pictured from left: Denial for records pertaining to the Brad Cooper case from Hancock Superior Court No. 2. // Brad Cooper has been Johnson County prosecutor since 2009. SCOTT ROBERSON | DAILY JOURNAL (SEE STOLEN PAGE A5) (SEE SECRECY PAGE A6) QUITE A CATCH Local angler hooks award-winning bass C1 GETTING A Robotic suit helps patients walk again Accent, B1 Edinburgh David Grothkob, 71 Greenwood Glenn Mills, 101 Indianapolis Dorothy Collins, 95 New Whiteland Mable Drake, 90 Left: Sara Clifford received the Nina Mason Pulliam Award for Environmental Journalism for a story examining waste water in Brown County. Right: Michele Holtkamp and James Vaughn received Story of the Year honors. See BNC, page 10

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