The rain held off so it was a very enjoyable Saturday morning at the Washington County Farmers Market. This market is a graceful blend of small town traditions and exalts (17 years) heritage and hospitality! Truly area farmers/gardeners providing home grown freshness to their friends and neighbors. They invite you to take a leisurely stroll along the vendor row, and talk to the farmers. Part of the excitement of the market is seeing what is available and freshest this week.

Thanks to the steady line of customer most of the vendors sold out of fresh vegetables but there was jellies, jams, plants, meat and “Big Brown” eggs. Lettuce and garlic was added to the market last week, greens and onions should be soon and some hints that strawberries will be available (in limited supply) this week. However this could be the last week for landscape plants.

If you are a grower that has fresh vegetables, now would be a great time to join the WCFM. Please call or stop by for information, Washington County Purdue Extension 806 Martinsburg Rd., Suite 104, Salem, IN 47167-5907, Phone: (812) 883-4601 (812) 883-4616 Fax: (812) 883-3988

Rumor has it that this may be the week for the first tomato to be entered and receive a $5.00 ‘recorded setting’ certificate to the market. It was said that the grower might get more than that if they auctioned-off the homegrown jewel. Remember this years winner will be paid $20.00 per pound for the winning tomato.

Nestled in the Washington County Fair grounds Parking lot, we are centrally and conveniently located just a few blocks east of the beautiful Salem Square and will be open 8:30 am to 12; 30 pm Saturday May 25th. Come on by and let’s talk “country”.

President Craig Akers has introduced New FB page for the Washington County Farmers Market.

He says, “ will be updating what is available each Saturday as soon as the market opens”. Check it out!

Every spring, SOAR! coordinates with the schools to carry out Put Your Nose In A Book (PYNIAB). This year the staff planned it around Children’s Book Week (May 13-19).  Volunteer readers from the community helped SOAR! in reading to every first grade classroom in the county.

Volunteers wore big red clown noses and read an age appropriate book to first graders at Bradie Shrum Lower Elementary, East Washington Elementary, and West Washington Elementary.

The mission of SOAR! is to increase literacy by promoting and providing educational resources for adults and families in our community.  To help fulfill the mission, the SOAR! Director, Erica Schmidt and SOAR! volunteers passed out red clown noses to the students, reminding them to put their noses in a book over the summer.  Following the reading, each student received a copy of the book to keep, along with a bookmark acknowledging the sponsors. This year, three hundred and fifteen students received a book, bookmark, and a nose.

“The students get so excited when they see us walk in with big red clown noses and books, especially when we tell them they get to keep the nose and take a book home,” Schmidt said. “Parents of students who have previously participated in the program have indicated that his/her child still wears their nose when they read and talk about how much they loved the program.”

Sponsors for PYNIAB this year were First Harrison Bank, Hoosier Hills PACT, Jeans’ Extrusions, Jerry & Sherry Hammond, Roland & Anita Sturgeon, Salem Barber Shop, Salem Crossings, Salem Lions Club, Salem True Value, and Washington County Prevent Child Abuse Council.

Community volunteer readers at Bradie Shrum Lower Elementary were Eva Warren-Hill, Stephanie Martin, Kristy Purlee, Denise Newkirk, Debbi Hayes, Adrian Brown, and Anita Sturgeon.

East Washington Elementary readers were Shelby-Lain Brown, Holly Mauck, Rita Elliott, Cassie Corp, and Maurice Jones.

At West Washington Elementary readers included Jacqueline Brown, Kristy Purlee, and Stephanie Rockey.

PYNIAB is just one of SOAR’s family and youth literacy programs.  SOAR! recently formed a partnership with Read Aloud 15 Minutes, a non-profit organization that is working to make reading aloud every day for at least fifteen minutes the new standard in child care.  PYNIAB is part of this initiative.  “This is a great program that not only promotes literacy, but parent/child interaction as well.

We are excited to have the opportunity to be a partner,” Schmidt stated.

To find out more about Read Aloud 15 Minutes, SOAR! or Put Your Nose In A Book, contact the SOAR! office at 896-1515 or by email at info@washingtoncountysoar.org.

A 53-year-old Paoli man was struck and killed this afternoon at approximately 2:38 p.m. as the result of a car-motorcycle accident near Little York.

Ricky Cole of Paoli was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cole and another motorcyclist, Terry Miller, 55, of Glasgow, Kentucky, were stopped in the west bound lane of State Road 56 East waiting to turn left at the intersection of State Road 39.

A 1996 Subaru, driven by 24-year-old Ashely Ransom, 24, of Salem, was traveling westbound on State Road 39.

Ransom’s vehicle struck both motorcycles from the rear, ejecting both riders.

Miller was flown from the scene to the University of Louisville hospital.

After a 911 call, both Lt. Jim Strange, Capt Roger Newlon, and Deputy Tim Miller responded to the scene. The motor vehicle crash is still under investigation.

Also working on the accident scene were the Indiana State Police, Gibson Twp Fire Dept. Washington County EMS and the Washington county Coroner’s office.

A fatal accident occurred in Washington County this morning (Wednesday) at 5:58a at the intersection of US 150 and State Road 66 in Washington County.

According to Lt. Ryan Larrimore, Donald R. Harris, 55, of New Salisbury, died at the scene.

Larrimore said William Sizemore, 58, of Paoli was driving east on US 150 when a deer ran into his lane.

Sizemore stated he struck the deer with his 2003 Volkswagen Jetta, knocking it into Harris’ path. Harris was traveling westbound and struck the deer with his 1990 Chevy truck.

Larrimore said the deer entered Harris’ front windshield and killed him instantly.

Harris’s vehicle continued traveling west approx. 650 feet where it left the north side of US 150. It crashed through a woven wire fence and stopped approx. 100 feet north of US 150 in a field.

Sheriff Claude Combs, Chief Deputy Roger Newlon, Deputy Jack Jefferies, Washington County EMS, Posey Township VFD and the Washington County Coroner’s office all responded to the scene.

HARRISON COUNTY PROSECUTOR, OTTO SCHALK, HAS FILED 2 COUNTS OF NEGLECT OF A DEPENDENT, BOTH CLASS D FELONIES AGAINST DEBORAH VANWORMER.

MS. VANWROMER IS ALLEGED TO HAVE LOCKED HER TWO YOUNG CHILDREN IN HER HOME ALL DAY WHILE SHE TRAVELD TO INDIANAPOLIS.

A PROBABLE CAUSE AFFIDAVIT FOR AN ARREST WARRANT STATED THAT HARRISON COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT WAS NOTIFIED ONCE ONE OF THE YOUNG CHILDREN DIALED 911.

THE PROBABLE CAUSE AFFIDAVIT ALLEGED THAT THE CHILDREN WERE LOCKED INSIDE THE HOME AND HAD NO MEANS OF EXITING THE HOME.

UTILIZING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS ABLE TO MAKE ENTRY THROUGH A WINDOW TO GET THE CHILDREN OUT. INSIDE THE HOME WERE ELECTRIC HEATERS THAT PRESENTED A FIRE HAZARD ACCORDING TO THE AFFIDAVIT.  CALLS AND TEXT MESSAGES SENT TO VANWROMER THROUGH A CELL PHONE LEFT WITH THE CHILDREN WENT UNANSWERED.

“ANY TIME THERE IS A CRIME INVOLVING CHILDREN, WE ARE GOING TO MAKE IT AN UTMOST PRIORITY,” SAID OTTO SCHALK.

AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE 5-6-2013, DEBORAH VANWORMER HAS AN ACTIVE ARREST WARRANT WITH A $5,000 BOND.

MS. VAN WROMER IS PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE

The Good Earth Master Gardeners’ 13th Annual Plant Sale will be Saturday May 11th at the Ruler Parking Lot, junctions of US60 and US135.

Chairperson Molly has acquired some very much loved rare plants as well as transplants form many of the wonderful gardens of Washington County. 

The next meeting of the Good Earth Master Gardeners will be Thursday, May 9th, 6:30 p.m. at Terry Cottongim's garden building located on Hwy. 56 East. They will be collecting and pricing plants for this plant sale. If anyone has any plants to donate to the sale, you can mark them at your home and bring them to sale site on Saturday or Cottongim Building Thursday evening at 6:30.

WSLM will air live coverage of the Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup Series race from Talladega Superspeedway beginning at Noon today on WSLM 97.9 FM, with live streaming at wslmradio.com.

Brad Keselowski is the defending winner.

The MRN broadcast from Talladega, Ala., will be anchored by Barney Hall, Joe Moore and Jeff Striegle.

Shortly after 8:00 a.m. this morning, troopers from the Indiana State Police Post at Sellersburg responded to the Love’s Truck Stop in Memphis in reference to an alleged theft at the travel plaza.

When troopers arrived they talked with the travel plaza employees and then with Joshua Cloyd, 21, from Gary, IN. Joshua Cloyd had allegedly stole women’s socks and cupcakes from the travel plaza. After Trooper John Cain investigated further he recognized the alleged thief as a man he arrested on April 7th of this year for an alleged theft of items at the Pilot Travel Plaza, also located in Memphis.

After talking with the arrested it was determined that Joshua Cloyd would get on a travel coach/bus in northern Indiana and travel the Interstate 65 corridor south on the bus. When the bus made stops for refueling, eating meals, etc. he would get off of the bus and allegedly steal items. When he got to a predetermined destination going south, he would then get off of the bus travelling south and then get on another bus travelling north. He would then use the same alleged method of stealing on the way back north to his home in Gary, IN.

Joshua Cloyd was arrested for Theft, D Felony, (Two Counts), and incarcerated at the Clark County Jail.

Schools are now reporting little if any problems with ISTEP testing after State Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz instructed all schools to reduce the number of students testing at anytime by 50-percent. John Newport with Vigo County schools says the district thought there might be problems this year after 2 years of issues.

Vigo County Schools tried to be proactive and had asked the state to postpone the addition of another grade level to their online testing pool for this year. Newport says the school corporation also had concerns about the local Internet connection maintaining the amount of traffic the testing requires. The request for delay was denied and Vigo County suffered problems like man schools around the state.

Newport says the it is somewhat frustrating and concerning to have to deal with the current issues when they tried to be proactive this year. Newport did give a lot of credit to Superintendent Ritz for understanding the issues schools were facing and extending the deadline for testing to be completed by 5 days.