IGA Brand Vanilla and Chocolate Ice Cream

Indiana Department of Transportation Aurora Subdistrict maintenance crews have been scheduled to chip seal State Road 252—from Main Street in Brookville to the Indiana/Ohio state line—beginning Tuesday (MAY 21), weather permitting.  Flaggers will direct traffic around moving worksites.

The schedule calls for three days of chip sealing—and two days of fog sealing—to complete this pavement preservation project along 21.5 lane miles of east-west highway in Franklin County.

Chip seal operations require liquid asphalt to be sprayed on the roadway—to be topped with small chips of limestone aggregate.  The process extends service life by sealing the pavement against moisture and ultraviolet rays.  It also improves safety for the motoring public by restoring surface friction which improves skid resistance.  

Chip seals are extremely cost-effective.  Studies show that every $1 spent on chip seal applications saves $10 in road repairs.

The follow-up fog seal will further seal S.R. 252 from moisture intrusion.  At the same time, the fog seal secures any loose aggregate and dampens dust from fines.

INDOT strongly advises motorists to drive with extra care between Brookville and the state line during next week’s chip seal and fog seal operations.  Slow down.  Help keep tires from spraying newly applied liquid asphalt—and kicking up loose stones that might damage vehicles.

All testimony had been concluded in the Charles R “Steve” Stephenson murder case by mid-afternoon Friday, May 17.

Stephenson, 59, Walton, Ky., is charged with Jennings' March 29, 2012, murder at her Aurora home on Aspen Ridge. The trial is expected to resume at 10 a.m. Monday May 20.

Charles R. “Steve” Stephenson's DNA was found on a swab of a red pepper grinder investigators believe was used to murder Leigh Jennings, forensic scientist Lisa Robbins testified Friday morning, May 17, in Dearborn Circuit Court.

Just after analyses of evidence from the Leigh Jennings murder case were admitted into evidence, Dearborn Circuit Court recessed until 9 a.m. Friday, May 17.

Stephenson, 59, is charged with the March 29, 2012, murder of Aurora resident Jennings, 67.

Jurors in the murder trial of Charles R. “Steve” Stephenson learned Thursday, May 16, roughly 40 items were analyzed by the Indiana State Police Lab. Most were tested for both serology – human fluids – and DNA, testified forensic scientist Lisa Robbins, who's been with the lab for 7 1/2 years.

The results are in the evidence admitted late Thursday afternoon, the seventh day of the trial. But the analyses were not shared with the jury before Judge James Humphrey recessed court for the day.

Defendant Charles “Steve” Stephenson informed detectives his DNA would be in Leigh Jennings’ apartment, testified Indiana State Police Det. Pete Tressler Wednesday, May 15.

Stephenson, 59, is accused of Jennings’ murder in March 2012. ISP detectives interviewed Stephenson Friday, April 6, and Saturday, April 7, finally informing him of Jennings’ murder in the third of three recorded interviews. Afterwards, as ISP Det. Tracy Rohlfing went after a search warrant for the Walton, Ky., man’s apartment, Stephenson made some comments about DNA to ISP Det. Glenn Potts, then to Tressler, said Tressler.

“He said that his DNA would be on the coffeepot, the refrigerator, black plates ... a pepper grinder ... and a large red skillet,” said Tressler. He had used the pepper grinder to put pepper on his pizza the night he’d eaten with her, then washed dishes including the skillet, he’d explained to Tressler. Tressler found the comments very relevant, as both the grinder and skillet are considered to be the murder weapons, and no one but police and others familiar with the crime scene would have known about the two items, he testified.