Three batches of mosquitoes in Lawrence County have tested positive for the West Nile Virus. The Lawrence County Health Department is urging people to take steps to prevent being bitten.

According to Brenda Cummins of the Lawrence County Health Department, the insects were collected by a representative of the Indiana State Department of Health on Aug. 22.

The West Nile virus is transmitted to people by infected mosquitoes. In the United States, most people are infected from June through September, and the number of these infections usually peaks in mid-August.

The best way to prevent West Nile virus is to avoid mosquito bites by:

• Using insect repellents when you go outdoors
• Wearing long sleeves and pants during dawn and dusk
• Installing or repairing screens on windows and doors. Use air conditioning, if you have it
• Draining standing water from outside items such as flowerpots, buckets and kiddie pools

Approximately one in five people who are infected with West Nile virus will develop symptoms. Those symptoms can include fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rashes.

Fewer than 1 percent will develop a serious neurologic illness such as encephalitis or meningitis (inflammation of the brain or surrounding tissues). But about 10 percent of people who develop neurologic infection because of West Nile virus will die.

People older than 50 and those with certain medical conditions — such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and organ transplants — are at greater risk for serious illness.

There are no medications to treat, or vaccines to prevent, West Nile virus infection. People with milder illnesses typically recover on their own, according to Cummins’ report, although symptoms may last for several weeks. In more severe cases, patients often need to be hospitalized to receive supportive treatment, such as intravenous fluids, pain medication, and nursing care.

Anyone who has symptoms that cause concern should contact a health care provider, Cummins advised.

53-year-old Joe Zink, of Salem, who fled from police on a motorcycle at speeds reaching 80 miles per hour, was arrested and charged with resisting law enforcement with a vehicle.

According to Washington County Deputy Wayne Blevins, he spotted Zink on a motorcycle traveling west on State Road 65 near Livonia and clocked him traveling 72 miles per hour.

The police report indicated when Blevins attempted to stop Zink, he accelerated. Zink then turned onto State Road 337 passing several Amish horses and buggies. After about a three mile pursuit Zink stopped.

Blevins approached Zink with his weapon drawn and had to order Zink off the motorcycle several times. He then had to tell Zink three times to get on the ground and had to threaten Zink with a Taser before he complied.

Zink told police he did not want a ticket and had enough bad luck for five years and he was en route to watch his child’s ball game in Paoli when he was stopped.

That is when the officer told Zink he was going to be arrested due to the seriousness of the crime.

On the way to jail, Zink then tried to get the officer to change his account on what happened, which the officer refused.

According to details from an affidavit for probable cause, the investigating Indiana State Trooper states that Casey Crain’s live-in boyfriend admitted beating Leelan Crain to a friend.

Jamie Lykins, 24, who was arrested Monday afternoon for Battery resulting in death and neglect of a dependent, both Class A Felonies, told police the boy had fallen from a bed where he was sleeping and received the injuries that took his life.

Leelan was originally taken to St. Vincent Hospital and was transferred by air ambulance to Kosair Children’s Hospital Saturday evening, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 1:41 a.m. Sunday.

Events unfolded quickly on the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 7 at Casey Crain’s house near Salem.

Leelan was taken into the bedroom for a nap and at some point, was found unresponsive and taken to the local hospital.

That’s where the stories differ.

After Salem Police Officer Tim Miller was called to St. Vincent Hospital to investigate possible abuse on Leelan, Miller questioned Lykins and was told the injuries came from a fall from the bed where the child was sleeping.

The affidavit also states Lykins also told police he had been living with Crain since Leelan was about a month old. He told police he thought of Leelan as his own son.

Leelan’s mother, Casey Crain then told Officer Miller that Leelan had been crying and that Lykins was angry and took the child into the bedroom to put him down for a nap.

Lykins told police Crain put the boy down to sleep and the couple began watching television and heard a thud that they assumed was the child falling out of bed.

Lykins told police that they entered the bedroom and found Leelan on the floor and that he had the injuries described.

Crain advised in the affidavit that she attempted to intervene, but Lykins told her that he would take care of the matter.

The affidavit states that Crain also told police when Lykins took Leelan into the bedroom, he turned a country music radio station on high volume and she could hear Leelan crying continuously for about 45 minutes, followed by silence.

Crain told police she assumed the boy had fallen asleep.

After checking on the baby later, she saw that the baby was severely bruised, not breathing properly and was semiconscious.

According to the affidavit, Lexi Livingston and Gregory Lee had went to Crain’s home because they were all planning to go fishing on Saturday evening, Sept. 7.

Livingston told police that when they arrived, they knew the child needed medical attention.

According to police, Livingston said that Lykins did not want to take Leelan to the hospital because he knew police and child services would be called.

Livingston and Lee convinced Crain and Lykins to take Leelan to the hospital. Livingston and Lee drove them to the hospital because neither Crain nor Lykins had driving privileges.

Police also interviewed Dawn L. Walker, who had been asked to babysit Leelan while the couples went fishing.

Walker advised police that she arrived late, about 7p, and Livinston and Lee were there.

Walker told police that when she entered the house, Lykins spoke to her and said, “We have a problem. I beat the fuck out of baby Lee Lee.”

Circuit Court Judge Larry Medlock was presented with the information contained in the probable cause affidavit, which result in an arrest warrant being issued for Lykins.

Indiana State Troopers located Lykins and arrested him at a convenience store on West State Road 56 at approximately 3:15 p.m. Monday afternoon.

Bail was set at $80,000 full cash with $7,000 cash plus $360,000 surety or $7,000 cash plus $720,000 property.

The Kentucky Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on Leelan indicated varying areas and stages of bruising on the child.

The cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma on the head.

Assisting in the investigation was the Salem City Police Department.

The case is still under investigation.

Funeral services for Leelan, who was born Dec. 8, 2012, will be held Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Weathers Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Crown Hill Cemetery.

Visitation will be Wednesday from 11 a.m. to the time of service.

CheckIN Game, Indiana’s online harvest reporting system for hunters, has been made more user friendly going into the fall deer and turkey hunting seasons.

Several upgrades now allow hunters who previously used CheckIN Game to view past harvest data.
“One real benefit is that you can now look up your confirmation number if you lose it,” said Mitch Marcus, DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife’s wildlife chief. “Last year this was not an option. This makes the process easier for hunters and DNR staff.”

Deer and turkey hunters can report their harvest for free using any device with Internet connectivity at CheckINGame.dnr.IN.gov without having to take the animal to a check station.

“This saves hunters time and money by allowing them to check in their game from the convenience of their home or directly in the field,” said Mark Reiter, DNR Fish & Wildlife director.

Last fall, hunters checked in 53,389 deer and 330 fall turkeys online. DNR officials have said participation in the system will continue to increase as more hunters discover its ease and convenience.

Hunters using CheckIN Game must write the confirmation number they are provided on the temporary tag they place on their harvested deer or turkey. An enhancement to the system allows conservation officers to use a confirmation number to check the validity of harvested game, eliminating the need for hunters to have a printed confirmation receipt.

CheckIN Game will be available on Sept. 15, which is the start of the urban zone deer season. The system will be available for all deer seasons and fall turkey seasons.
Hunters still can report their deer or turkey at any of more than 500 traditional check stations. A list of check stations by county is in the 2013 Indiana Hunting & Trapping Guide at Hunting.IN.gov.

Another scam has recently begun to surface in southeastern Indiana and could very well be occurring statewide. Though not a new scam, it has been successful for the scammers in other areas of the United States. The scam works like this; a person will receive a phone call advising them they have placed second or third in the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes and have won hundreds of thousands of dollars and they are asked to wire money via Western Union cover taxes and processing fees. DON’T FALL FOR THIS SCAM!

If you receive a call such as this, ask yourself this question, “Did I enter the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes?” If you didn’t enter or send anything in, how could you be a winner? If you did enter, check the phone number from which you received the call, particularly the area code. Visit http://www.bennetyee.org/ucsd-pages/area.html to get a listing of area codes. The most recent calls in southeastern Indiana originated from area code “876,” a Jamaican area code. If the area code is from outside the U.S., BEWARE!

The actual Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes winners are never contacted by phone and they do not have to pay any money up front to receive their cash prize. It is important to remember, if you fall for one of these scams and send money to some location within the U.S, it’s nearly impossible for U.S. law enforcement to recover the money and locate the scammers. If the money is sent outside the United States, there is absolutely nothing U.S. law enforcement can do to help you recover your loss. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. DON’T BE A VICTIM!!

According to the Washington County Prosecutors office James Lykins, 24, of Salem,  was arrested this afternoon for causing the death of 8 month old toddler Leelan Crain.

He lived at 602 1/2 Ridgeview Drive in Salem.

Lykins was arrested at 3:15pm today at a convenience store on State Road 56 East in Salem and has been charged with Battery causing death, a Class A Felony and Neglect of a minor, also a Class A Felony.

Lykins was the live-in boyfriend of Leelan Crain’s mother, Casey.

Lykins has been taken into custody at the Washington County Detention Center and awaits his initial hearing.

Leelan was pronounced dead before 2 a.m. Sunday morning after being taken to Kosairs Children’s Hospital in Louisville Saturday evening.

According to the Indiana State Police,  Leelan’s mother,  Casey Crain, discovered her son Saturday evening and was unresponsive.

Crain took her son to St. Vincent Salem Hospital. Leelan was then taken to Kosair by helicopter ambulance.

The Indiana State Police will continue to investigate this.

Stay tuned to WSLM for more on this and other stories.

The Brownstown Central Band of Braves Band Boosters Organization will be having a fish and tenderloin fry this Friday on 09/13/2013 before the Boys Football game between the Braves and Salem Lions.

For the Salem fans coming up to the game, stop by and support the Brownstown Band. All proceeds go to benefit the Brownstown Central Band of Braves.

Serving time is 4:30 to 6:30 PM on Friday 09/13/2013

Serving:  Choice of Fish or Tenderloin Sandwich.  Chips.  Drinks.  Dessert and hot-dogs for kids.

Location: BCHS Cafeteria (located through the main office entrance).

Cost: $5.00

The free Ford Hoosier Outdoor Experience has carved a niche on the state’s September calendar as it enters its fifth year.

On Sept. 21-22, that tradition re-awakens at Fort Harrison State Park in Indianapolis and sets the stage for another.

Traditional Arts Indiana, which debuted last year, will expand its on-site offerings. Drum makers and musicians, a hoop net maker, a plant tradition bearer, and a limestone crafter and gravestone maker will teach participants about their crafts.

TAI is just one of more than 50 outdoor activities offered free. Just about everything from archery and target shooting to mountain biking, horseback riding, fishing and kayaking is offered at no cost to participants. All equipment is provided. All activities, parking and admission are free.

A record 25,500 people attended last year. Room for more awaits in the heavily wooded, spacious, historic 1,700 acres of former Army base. Participants can even bring their own food, although food booths will be available. To view a video of last year’s highlights, see http://youtu.be/knvmmJ8DquQ.

The Ford Hoosier Outdoor Experience runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day that weekend. Made possible by the generosity of Central Indiana Ford dealers, the event is presented by the DNR and the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation. The goal is to introduce people to outdoor activities they may have never tried.

Online advance registration at hoosieroutdoorexperience.IN.gov is requested. Watch there or Facebook.com/HoosierOutdoorExperience for updates and details.

To volunteer help see hoosieroutdoorexperience.IN.gov. For questions about volunteering, contact volunteer coordinator Cheryl Hampton, (317) 233-1002, champton@dnr.IN.gov.

Fort Harrison State Park (stateparks.IN.gov/2982.htm, 5753 Glenn Road, Indianapolis, 46216) is the place to find free fun on Sept. 21-22.

Fun can be found in the rest of the outdoors of Indiana all year long but it probably won’t be free

The Pioneer Village at Spring Mill State Park will come to life with historical re-enactors, crafts, demonstrations and musical entertainment during the annual Tri Kappa Candlelight Tour on Sept. 21.

The tour is from 4-9 p.m. and is sponsored by service sorority Kappa Kappa Kappa’s Gamma Epsilon Chapter of Mitchell.

Dressed in traditional pioneer clothes, Tri Kappa members and their families and Spring Mill employees will re-create life in the mid-1800s in the houses and buildings of the restored Pioneer Village.

Visitors should bring a flashlight. Tri Kappa members will sell concession and food items in the carriage house.

The event is free, although the standard park admission fee of $5 per in-state vehicle and $7 per out-of-state vehicle applies. Buses will shuttle visitors from the campground and inn parking lots to the village.

Tri Kappa is a statewide sorority that supports community and state charities as well as educational and cultural projects. The Mitchell chapter has sponsored the Spring Mill Candlelight Tour since 1967. It has become a popular kick-off event for the week-long Persimmon Festival in Mitchell.

Spring Mill State Park (stateparks.IN.gov/2968.htm) is at 3333 State Road 60 East, Mitchell, 47446.

Steve Warriner, an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist, will be a special guest on Coffee Club in the morning at 8a on WSLM 97.9 FM and AM 1220.

He will be talking about his new record coming out.

Warriner has released eighteen studio albums, including six on MCA Records, and three each on RCA Records, Arista Records and Capitol Records. He has also charted more than fifty singles on the Billboard country singles charts, including ten Number One hits: “All Roads Lead to You“, “Some Fools Never Learn“, “You Can Dream of Me“, “Life’s Highway“, “Small Town Girl“, “The Weekend“, “Lynda“, “Where Did I Go Wrong“, and “I Got Dreams“, and “What If I Said“, a duet with Anita Cochran from her album Back to You. Three of his studio albums have been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping 500,000 copies in the United States.

In addition to writing or co-writing most of his own songs, Wariner holds several writing credits for other artists, including Number One hits for Clint Black and Garth Brooks, as well as singles for Bryan White and Keith Urban. Other artists with whom he has worked include Nicolette Larson, Glen Campbell, Mark O’Connor, Asleep at the Wheel and Brad Paisley. Wariner has also won four Grammy Awards: one for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, and three for Best Country Instrumental, the most recent in 2010 for “Producer’s Medley” from the album Steve Wariner, c.g.p., My Tribute to Chet Atkins. Steve Wariner was one of only four guitar players in the world to be given the “Certified Guitar Player” (CGP) award by Chet Atkins (five including Atkins himself).