There’s always a lot to talk about in Southern Indiana, and 2025 was a big year.
Local leaders worked toward creation of a fire territory that would have covered Jeffersonville, Utica and Utica township — a sometimes contentious process that ended after a new state law made the plan unworkable.
The town of Clarksville settled a court case with the owner of the former Colgate plant, and Floyd County residents started a local LifeWise Academy — a growing and controversial Bible-based program taught during school hours.
Here are some other highlights:
Charlestown nonprofit making music and art accessible
In the frigid early days of the year, I got to learn more about Ensembles, a nonprofit in Charlestown aimed at breaking down barriers to music and art.
The organization is the dream of longtime music teacher Rebecca Putman, who says these disciplines are integral to the soul.
From offering class scholarships to searching for donated or discounted instruments, Putman and her team want to make Ensembles an opportunity for all.
Severe weather hits, displacing residents in Utica
Early April brought tornadoes and heavy rains to Southern Indiana, damaging homes, displacing residents and leaving parts of the small river town of Utica under water for days.
Utica residents aren’t strangers to Ohio River floods, and some accept it as part of living in the area. People moved belongings to upstairs rooms or packed them into trucks ahead of the flooding, to wait out the water from higher ground. Others took kayaks or waded out to check on their homes.
When the waters receded, residents set about cleaning up and rebuilding, showing the town’s patience, resilience and community spirit in the face of a natural disaster.
Clark County Sheriff’s Office enters agreement with ICE
Early in the year, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office entered an agreement with the federal government to hold people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
The county receives the same daily rate to hold people in ICE custody as federal inmates, which added up to more than $80,000 for the first few weeks of the program.
Protestors have demonstrated regularly outside the courthouse, the first time just ahead of Mother's Day for the initial group of 40 women held there.
Noel cases wrap up
Most of the criminal cases tied to the investigation of former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel were resolved this year, after he pleaded guilty to more than two dozen felonies in 2024.
His now ex-wife, daughter and a former Clark County Council member all pleaded guilty in the first half of this year. The former Scott County sheriff, charged with tax evasion stemming from information in the Noel investigation, pleaded guilty in October.
The only remaining criminal case is that of another former Clark County Council member, who wants to take it to the Indiana Supreme Court.
Multiple civil cases continue.
After four years, low-head dam to come down
A controversial low-head dam in Southern Indiana will come down after years of legal battles, the drowning death of a teenager and untold sums of money.
The city of New Albany and Indiana Department of Natural Resources recently finalized an agreement that includes removal of the Providence Mill Dam, also known as the Glenwood Park Dam, in Silver Creek.
For four years, the city has challenged removal of the dam by a local conservancy overseeing plans for Origin Park. In August 2024, Mayor Jeff Gahan had rocks placed there to stop the recirculating current without proper permitting after the drowning death of 14-year-old A.J. Edwards Jr.
Coverage of Southern Indiana is funded, in part, by Samtec Inc., the Hazel & Walter T. Bales Foundation, and the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County.
