Volunteer firefighter dies in car, train accident
McCORDSVILLE — A volunteer firefighter en route to an emergency call was killed Christmas Eve morning after his car was struck by a train in McCordsville, officials said.
Richard Rehm, a member of the McCordsville Fire Department, was heading to help a neighbor in need when his car became stuck on a set of train tracks on the county’s northwest side.
The crash happened around 2:30 a.m. in the 6300 block of Broadway Street in McCordsville, where Railroad Street intersects with a set of CSX tracks, officials said.
Funeral services for Rehm will be conducted at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Mt. Vernon High School, 8112 N. County Road 200W, Fortville. The community is invited to attend.
Greenfield announces former deputy as new police chief
GREENFIELD — Jeff Rasche, a longtime member of local law enforcement, will be the Greenfield Police Department’s new chief starting next month, city leaders announced this week.
Rasche, 50, has served the county in the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department for more than three decades, most recently leading the department’s investigations unit.
Now, he’ll oversee the staff of 42 officers who make up the city’s force.
Rasche’s appointment to the police department’s top job comes four months after former Chief John Jester announced his plans to retire at the end of the year following an eight-year stint in office.
Equine therapy facility seeks funding to replace fence
GREENFIELD — Supporters of a horse therapy facility on the city’s southwest side are looking to the community for help updating the nonprofit’s grounds.
Board members and volunteers at Edelweiss Equine-Assisted Therapy Center recently discovered after clearing out brush and rocks in the area, the western edge of the outdoor facility’s fencing had become dilapidated. An anonymous benefactor donated about $10,000 of fencing on behalf of American Legion Post 119, but Edelweiss still needs another $16,000 to purchase the rest of the fencing and pay for installation costs, officials say.
The accidental death of a horse being held at the center sparked discussions about replacing the fencing last summer. A therapy horse in training, Malachi, became tangled attempting to jump the fence along the north side of the property and was struck by a car and killed.
