U.S. Senators Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Senators-Elect Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) announced Saturday in a joint statement they will reject electors from disputed states, called for a commission to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in those states, and for those states to convene special legislative sessions to certify their vote in a manner consistent with the findings of the commission’s audit.

“America is a Republic whose leaders are chosen in democratic elections. Those elections, in turn, must comply with the Constitution and with federal and state law.
 
“When the voters fairly decide an election, pursuant to the rule of law, the losing candidate should acknowledge and respect the legitimacy of that election. And, if the voters choose to elect a new office-holder, our Nation should have a peaceful transfer of power.
 
“The election of 2020, like the election of 2016, was hard-fought and, in many swing states, narrowly decided. The 2020 election, however, featured unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations and lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities.
 
“Voter fraud has posed a persistent challenge in our elections, although its breadth and scope are disputed. By any measure, the allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election exceed any in our lifetimes.
 
“And those allegations are not believed just by one individual candidate.  Instead, they are widespread. Reuters/Ipsos polling, tragically, shows that 39% of Americans believe ‘the election was rigged.’  That belief is held by Republicans (67%), Democrats (17%), and Independents (31%).
 
“Some members of Congress disagree with that assessment, as do many members of the media.
 
“But, whether or not our elected officials or journalists believe it, that deep distrust of our democratic processes will not magically disappear.  It should concern us all. And it poses an ongoing threat to the legitimacy of any subsequent administrations.
 
“Ideally, the courts would have hard evidence and resolved these claims of serious election fraud. Twice, the Supreme Court had the opportunity to do so; twice, the Court declined.
 
“On January 6, it is incumbent on Congress to vote on whether to certify the 2020 election results. That vote is the lone constitutional power remaining to consider and force resolution of the multiple allegations of serious voter fraud.
 
“At that quadrennial joint session, there is a long precedent of Democratic Members of Congress raising objections to presidential election results, as they did in 1969, 2001, 2005, and 2017. And, in both 1969 and 2005, a Democratic Senator joined with a Democratic House Member in forcing votes in both houses on whether to accept the presidential electors being challenged.
 
“The most direct precedent on this question arose in 1877, following serious allegations of fraud and illegal conduct in the Hayes-Tilden presidential race. Specifically, the elections in three states — Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina — were alleged to have been conducted illegally.
 
“In 1877, Congress did not ignore those allegations, nor did the media simply dismiss those raising them as radicals trying to undermine democracy.  Instead, Congress appointed an Electoral Commission — consisting of five Senators, five House Members, and five Supreme Court Justices — to consider and resolve the disputed returns.
 
“We should follow that precedent. To wit, Congress should immediately appoint an Electoral Commission, with full investigatory and fact-finding authority, to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states. Once completed, individual states would evaluate the Commission’s findings and could convene a special legislative session to certify a change in their vote, if needed.
 
“Accordingly, we intend to vote on January 6 to reject the electors from disputed states as not ‘regularly given’ and ‘lawfully certified’ (the statutory requisite), unless and until that emergency 10-day audit is completed.
 
“We are not naïve. We fully expect most if not all Democrats, and perhaps more than a few Republicans, to vote otherwise. But the support of election integrity should not be a partisan issue. A fair and credible audit — conducted expeditiously and completed well before January 20 — would dramatically improve Americans’ faith in our electoral process and would significantly enhance the legitimacy of whoever becomes our next President. We owe that to the People.
 
“These are matters worthy of the Congress and entrusted to us to defend.  We do not take this action lightly. We are acting not to thwart the democratic process, but rather to protect it. And every one of us should act together to ensure that the election was lawfully conducted under the Constitution and to do everything we can to restore faith in our Democracy.”

A 22-year-old Paoli man was arrested in the shooting of a Bedford man earlier this week.

Damion Young, 22, was arrested for Attempted Murder Level 1 Felony and Aggravated Battery Level 3 Felony. 

The investigation is ongoing. 

Tuesday night the Paoli Police Department responded to a call of possible shots being fired on Monon Drive. 

Once on scene, officers spoke to the residence of 122 Monon Drive and were told that Thomas Zachary Pemberton, 26, from Bedford had come to the residence and was asked to leave. 

It was reported that while at the residence,  Young, and Pemberton spoke briefly.

Young then asked Pemberton to leave the residence. Pemberton then reportedly left the residence in his vehicle, striking a parked car as he left.

Pemberton then drove by the residence several times. Witnesses then reported that they heard what seemed to be gunshots.

Pemberton then went to a residence in Bedford and was taken to a local hospital where he was found to have suffered a gunshot to his neck.

Pemberton was then flown to a Louisville Hospital for further treatment.

Indiana State Police Detective Shane Staggs then located and spoke to Damion Young.

During the investigation, it was found that Young had shot Pemberton. Young was taken into custody and lodged in the Orange County Jail.

Assisting at the scene was the Paoli Police Department and Orange County Sheriffs Department.

On December 14th, the City of Salem Board of Works announced the waiver for debit and credit card transaction fees will expire
beginning January 1, 2020.

During the height of the pandemic, the Board of Works
temporarily waived the fees with the City of Salem covering the expense to the payment processor on behalf of customers.

“The Board of Works previously voted to suspend debit and credit card payment fees when residents were quarantined and unable to make payments in person,” said Salem Mayor Justin Green. “The City of Salem covered the costs of those fees on behalf of residents during that time.”

Effective January 1st, 2021, the transaction fee will resume for customers paying their bill with a debit or credit card.

The charge is $2.95 per transaction and is remitted to the
payment processor.

As always, residents can avoid paying the transaction fee by paying via check or cash.

If anyone has a question about the fee reinstatement or their utility bill, please contact the City of Salem Utilities office at (812) 883-3937.

American Senior Communities (ASC) is actively preparing our senior care communities following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use and has begun administration of the COVID-19 vaccine.

ASC is partnering with CVS and their long-term care pharmacy, Omnicare, who bring their expertise to serving seniors. 

“We are thankful for all who worked to bring the vaccine safely to us,” according to Sherri Davies, Vice President of Sales, PR & Marketing. 

“The vaccine is being offered free of charge to all residents and staff in two doses, given 28 days apart. Our goal is to have 100% of our residents and staff vaccinated. We have aggressively provided education and counseling to ensure compliance.

Videos and photos were taken on Dec. 28 at Bethany Village, one of several ASC locations where the vaccination process has begun. 

Dixie Spear became ASC’s first resident to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. You can access the photos and video here. 

CVS is actively working on a full schedule for vaccinations, and we expect to have all locations scheduled soon.

As part of ASC’s awareness campaign to achieve victory over COVID through vaccination, named “Gimme a V!”, ASC will launch a new series of commercials in January. The series aims to educate the public by combatting the most common fears surrounding the vaccine. The commercials are fronted by Quinn Buckner, NCAA & NBA Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, Civic leader, Sportscaster, the voice of the Indiana Pacers and American Senior Communities team member. This link previews just one of the commercials in the series. https://youtu.be/cvtu2gHjCmA

ASC continues to be in close contact with local, state, and federal health authorities, following their guidance, mandates, and reporting requirements.

The residents and families we serve are our highest priority, and while this vaccine brings new hope and heightened optimism in the fight against COVID-19, we will continue to provide high-quality care with compassion to those entrusted to us with an overabundance of public health and infection control precautions.