• IMPD East District Commander James Waters was recently promoted to Assistant Chief of Police, and Lieutenant Michael Bruin to the rank of Commander. Commander Bruin has been working in East District and is a great replacement for Waters, who has done a remarkable job implementing innovative crime prevention programs on the east side — programs that will likely be introduced city-wide. Congratulations to both!
• At the last IMPD Task Force meeting of the year, Waters noted that $160,000 had been raised from the local community to support youth crime prevention programs like the Juvenile Justice Jeopardy and the Chess Club that brings police and youth together to play friendly games of chess. Violent crime, it was noted, was down about 5 percent last month in the district — much of the credit for the reduction was given to residents who have been calling 911. In fact, he noted that 911 participation had increased dramatically from last year, which helps police.
• A sculpture of former Mayor Bill Hudnut will be installed at the corner of Maryland and Capitol in the Hudnut Commons greenspace. There will be a public dedication ceremony for the stature on Dec. 14 at 10:30 a.m. An Arts Council jury selected Koh-Varilla Guild of Chicago and artists Jeff Varilla and Anna Koh Varilla from about two dozen submissions to create the Hudnut statue.
• The Irvington Green Initiative will have a Green House Party on Nov. 25 at 6 p.m. at Jockamo Upper Crust, 5646 E. Washington St. They will show a few short videos about what’s coming up in the Indiana 2015 legislative session, in partnership with the Hoosier Environmental Council. These are very informative and fun meetings; drop by!
• A three month old Yellow Lab mix is currently being trained by the Indiana Canine Assistance Network (ICAN) to help disabled individuals, and the pup was given the name “Renn” in memory of Officer Perry Renn, who was killed in the line of duty. The Renn family have been very active in animal charities, especially dogs.
• Thank you to all the volunteers who put up the holiday wreaths on the lamp posts on East Washington St. in Irvington. They look great and put everyone in the festive spirit!
• It seems too early to even discuss this, but residents are responsible for clearing snow and ice from sidewalks in front of their homes 24 hours after a snowfall. If you are unable to clear your walks, check out our Home Service ad section — we have advertisers that will be happy to work for you!
• On the evening of Nov. 21 and morning of Nov. 22, State troopers will be conducting check points targeting impaired drivers in Marion, Johnson, Shelby, Hamilton, and Hancock counties. There will be saturation patrols in certain areas. Motorists are encouraged to report suspected impaired driving by calling 911. Give a vehicle description and direction of travel.
