The Indiana Department of Transportation’s project to build a roundabout on Salem’s southside continues to move forward with a Jeffersonville company has been awarded a $2.1 million contract to build the project in 2021.

According to, Natalie Garrett INDOT Public Relations Director, Southeast District, E&B Paving Inc. was awarded the bid for $2,119,869.69 in September.

This is about $300,000 under the $2.4 million estimated by engineers earlier this year. 

Other bids turned in were:

• Dave Omara Contractor Inc., North Vernon, IN – $2,689,327
• Mac Construction and Excavating, New Albany, IN – $2,355,000
• Ragle, Inc, Newburgh, In – $2,396,395.30
• Milestone Contractors LP, Bloomington, IN – $2,413,500

“We will know more about the contractor’s schedule and phasing once a pre-construction conference is held,” she said. “It’s anticipated that the Bypass/SR 135 will close first, then the entire intersection (Bypass and SR 60) will close to construct the central island in the center of the roundabout.”

Garrett said the project is expected to be complete in one construction season.

Phased construction is proposed with detours as follow:

• Salem Bypass / S.R. 135 will be closed first to construct most of the improvements
• Entire intersection will then be closed to complete work on S.R. 60 and central island
• Salem Bypass / S.R. 135 official truck detour will utilize S.R. 150 and S.R. 56 through the Town of Paoli
• Approximately 25 additional miles
• S.R. 135 local traffic will continue to utilize Old S.R. 135 through the City of Salem
• S.R. 60 official detour will utilize I-65 and S.R. 56
• Approximately 11 additional miles
• S.R. 60 local detour will utilize Old S.R. 60, S. Paynter Lane, and E. Botts Lane

The existing two-way stop intersection will be converted to a single-lane roundabout, which aims to enhance safety by reducing the number and severity of crashes at this location. 

The proposed project includes replacing the pavement to full depth (as needed), building new approach legs leading into the roundabout.

Existing guardrails along the south side of the intersection and a portion of the existing guardrail along the north side of S.R. 60 to the east of Salem Bypass will be removed and not replaced.

New guardrail end treatments will be installed. The project proposal also includes intersection lighting.

Closures will be necessary on the Salem Bypass and S.R. 60 next year while work is in progress.

Access will be maintained to all businesses and residences along those routes.

The project was proposed earlier this year at a public hearing held at Salem City Hall where local residents and officials were invited to view plans and documents associated with the project, in addition to sharing comments during an official comment session.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, roundabout intersections have proven to reduce fatal and injury crashes by 82 percent and eliminate vehicle conflict points within a stop-controlled intersection by 75 percent — from 32 conflict points to eight.

Roundabouts also encourage slower vehicle speeds and allow more efficient traffic flow, according to FHA. 

Garrett said INDOT and the contractor will work with local businesses and residents as much as possible during construction.

Specific concerns can be sent to the customer service team at 855-INDOT4U (463-6848) or indot4u.com.

Garrett said any concerns will be relayed to the project team to be addressed.

New guidance was released today from the Indiana High School Athletic Association for winter sports – including girls and boys high school basketball with up to 500 fans in attendance.

The guidance was also presented for gymnastics, swimming and diving as well as wrestling. 

According to the IHSAA guidance, spectators should always observe social distancing and wear mask/face coverings. 

According to Jason Wille, Sports Information Director of the IHSAA, the plan was presented to the Indiana State Health Department and approved. 

The 2019 Class 3A State Runners Up Salem Lady Lions are set to open their season on Nov. 6 at Clarksville. 

Their first conference game would be at Eastern High School on Nov. 20. 

The Lady Musketeers are set to open their season against Borden on Nov. 6. 

The Lady Senators will face Linton-Stockon in their season opener on Nov. 7. 

Locally, boys basketball will open play in the annual Thanksgiving game between Salem and West Washington in Brooks Memorial Gymnasium on Wednesday, Nov. 25. 

The Eastern Musketeers open play with Borden’s boys’ team on Tuesday, Nov. 24. 

WSLM will broadcast the games on 97.9 FM and 1220 AM as well as stream them online. 

The IHSAA said fans at ballgames would be allowed at the discretion of the host school with guidance from local health officials and in accordance with the governor’s stage 5.

IHSAA noted on its website this afternoon that organizers of events with more than 500 people in attendance will be required to submit a plan to the local health department that outlines measures to mitigate COVID-19. 

The National Federation of State High School Associations along with the IHSAA posted recommendations that were listed today at IHSAA.org.

Pre-game Protocol (2019-2021 NFHS Officials Manual, page 16, 1.8)

• Limit attendees to the referee and the head coach from each team with each coach standing on the center circle on each side of the division line.
• All individuals maintain a social distance of 6 feet or greater at the center circle.
• Suspend handshakes prior to and following the Pre-game Conference.

Team Benches (NFHS Rule 1-13-1)

• Limit the number of bench personnel to observe social distancing of 6 feet or greater.
• Place team benches opposite the spectator seating.
• Additional chairs or rows may be added to allow bench personnel to observe social distancing of 6 feet or greater.
• Create separation between the team bench and the spectator seating behind the bench.
• Limit contact between players when substituting.
• Personnel not in the game should adhere to any required local/state face-covering requirements.

Officials Table (NFHS Rule 2-1-3)

• The host should sanitize the table before the game and at half time.
• Place officials table sufficiently away from the sideline to allow for additional space for substitutes.
• Limit seats at the table to essential personnel which includes home team scorer and timer with a recommended distance of 6 feet or greater between individuals. Other
  personnel (visiting scorer, statisticians, media, etc.) may not be deemed essential personnel and consider an alternate location for them.
• Table personnel should adhere to any required local/state face covering requirements.
• Pre and Post Game Ceremony
• Suspend the pre-game introduction handshakes.
• Suspend post-game protocol of shaking hands.

Basketball Rules Interpretations – Equipment and Accessories

• Balls given to officials in the locker room, where it is sanitized as recommended by the ball manufacturer and not used for warm-ups.
• The host school should ensure that the ball is sanitized during time-outs and between quarters.
• Sanitizer should be provided by the host team at the table.
• Cloth face coverings are permissible for players.

Officials Uniform and Equipment

• Long-sleeved shirts are permissible.
• Officials should not be required to wear jackets during pre-game court/player observation.
• Electronic whistles are permissible (supplies are limited).
• Choose a whistle whose tone will carry inside.
• Cloth face coverings are permissible.
• Gloves are permissible.

Other Considerations

• The official may stand 6 feet or greater away from the player making the throw-in and bounce
• the ball to that player on a frontcourt throw-in.
• The lead official shall stand on the end line and bounce the ball to the free-throw shooter

Cloth Face Coverings

Per the State of Indiana’s order, face masks have been mandated for all not engaged in strenuous activity. Participants not competing, Coaching staff members, officials table personnel, and spectators should wear a mask at all times.

Considerations for Coaches

• Communicate guidelines in a clear manner to student-athletes and parents.
• Conduct workouts in “pods” of the same student-athletes always training and rotating together in practice to ensure more limited exposure if someone develops an infection.
• Keep accurate records of those student-athletes and staff who attend each practice in case contact tracing is needed.

Considerations for Parents

Make sure student-athlete and immediate household members are free from illness before participating in practice and competition, if there is doubt stay home!

• Provide personal items for student-athlete and clearly label items.

Friday night at approximately 6:35 PM EST, the Indiana State Police and the Dubois County Sheriff’s Department responded to a vehicle vs. utility tractor crash in northern Dubois County.

The crash occurred on County Road 675 North, west of Portersville Rd near the address of 4288 West 675 North. Preliminary investigation shows that at the time of the crash, Ruth A. Meyer, 60, of Jasper, was operating her lawnmower when she entered the roadway from the south into the path of a black 1996 Chrysler LHS driven by Joann T. Voelkel, 62, who was traveling west on County Road 675 North.

Voelkel was unable to avoid collision and struck the utility tractor. Ruth A. Meyer was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of the crash.

A preliminary investigation shows that alcohol or drugs did not contribute to this crash. The crash is still under investigation by the Indiana State Police.

Global Cup USA 2021 Joins World Finals 2021 in Las Vegas

In the lead-up to the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World Finals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (Nov. 12-15), the bull-riding organization has announced its 2021 schedule, including 24 stops on the elite Unleash The Beast (UTB) tour as well as the plan for Global Cup USA 2021.

PBR will begin the 2021 season on January 9-10 at Infinite Energy Arena in Duluth, Georgia.

“For the first time in almost 15 years, our elite series’ season will start in Georgia. We want to thank our loyal fans who couldn’t attend the event last March for their patience and welcome them back,” said PBR Commissioner Sean Gleason. “We’re excited to bring fans another full season of bull riding with comprehensive protocols in place for safe events.”

Throughout the 2021 season, PBR will continue to commit to providing a safe environment for fans, athletes, employees, and crew by working with its venue partners to implement industry-leading protocols for holding live events while following health guidance from local and state officials for each event.

The premier series tour’s 23 other stops are highlighted by stalwart events such as the sport’s 15^th year returning to New York City in Madison Square Garden, April 30 – May 2.

Other fan favorites return as well, including the 26^th consecutive year in Billings, Montana, on January 22-24, the 17^th consecutive year in Tulsa, Oklahoma, July 31-August 1, and the 18^th year in in Sacramento on August 6-8.

Following the success of PBR Global Cup USA in Arlington in 2018 and 2019, the world’s leading western sports league is bringing its nation vs. nation competition to Las Vegas for the first time, with Global Cup USA 2021 heading to T-Mobile Arena on April 16-17.

The Top 35 riders and rankest bulls in the world will also storm into cities long awaiting the return of “America’s Original Extreme Sport.”

The first visit to New Orleans in over a decade is set for March 6-7 inside Smoothie King Center. Pistol Robinson (Burleson, Texas) was the last rider to strike pay dirt in the Big Easy, in 2010. Indianapolis has been waiting for bulls to buck into town since 2012, when Fabiano Vieira (Perola, Brazil) and Asteroid bested the rest of the competition.

Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis will host the UTB tour February 13-14. Little Caesars Arena – the 2018 Sports Facility of the Year – will host the premier series’ first visit to Detroit since 2012 on September 24-25. Three-time World Champion Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil) used the 2012 stop to pick up a victory on his march to his second-straight World Championship.

PBR World Finals returns to its Las Vegas home in T-Mobile Arena, November 3-7. The 2021 PBR World Champion – the bull rider who earns the most world standings points during the season – will receive the coveted gold World Championship belt buckle and $1 million bonus. 

The complete UTB Beast schedule for 2021 can be found here.  All events are subject to change.

With COVID cases increasing in 38 states, industry leaders call on public health officials to ensure nursing homes have the resources needed and for Congress to pass additional funding 

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), representing more than 14,000 nursing homes and assisted living communities across the country that provide care to approximately five million people each year, released a report today showing nursing homes in the U.S. could see a third spike of increasing new COVID cases due to the community spread among the general population.

Currently, there have been no Covid-19 cases among residents at Salem Crossing and Meadow View Healthcare in Salem. 

Recent data released by John Hopkins and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) show that with the recent spike in new COVID cases in the general U.S. population, weekly nursing home cases rose in late September for the first time in seven weeks after new cases dropped significantly throughout August and early September.

According to John Hopkins, COVID cases in the general U.S. population rose by 62,139 cases per week in late September correlating with an uptick in nursing home cases during the week of September 27.

As experts have repeatedly noted, COVID-19 cases in a surrounding community is a top factor in outbreaks in nursing homes. Dr. David Grabowski, Professor of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School recently stated, “The strongest predictor of whether or not we’ll see cases in [a particular setting] is community spread.”

“The number one factor in keeping COVID out of our nursing homes, so we can protect our vulnerable population is reducing the level of the virus in the surrounding community,” stated Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL.

“While the support we have received from Congress, the Administration and other public health agencies have helped our facilities fight this battle, we could still see another wave of COVID cases caused by the sheer volume of rising cases in communities across the U.S. given the asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic spread of this virus.”

The report showed new COVID cases in nursing homes had declined significantly from 10,125 cases the week of July 26 —when the country experienced a growing number of cases in the Sun Belt states—but saw an uptick in new cases in the final week of September.

The report also showed COVID-related deaths in nursing homes had declined significantly, but industry leaders remain concerned about the recent uptick in new COVID cases in facilities.

With new COVID cases now rising in the general population of 38 states, Parkinson said now more than ever Congress needs to end the partisan logjam and prioritize frontline health care workers and residents, particularly vulnerable elderly populations.

Most of the $175 billion Provider Relief Fund provided by the CARES Act back in April has already been distributed and Parkinson said health care providers, including long term care facilities, will need additional funds to continue its response to the COVID pandemic heading into the cold and flu season, which provides new challenges.

“Without replenishing funds for federal and state agencies, health care facilities, including nursing homes and assisted living communities, could find themselves less than completely prepared for the challenges of the upcoming winter season, which could inevitably result in an uptick in new COVID cases,” stated Parkinson.

“Without adequate funding and resources, the U.S. will repeat the same mistakes made during the initial outbreak last spring and the major spike over the summer. We need Congress to prioritize our vulnerable seniors and their caregivers in nursing homes and assisted living communities, bypassing another COVID funding package before they leave town for the elections.”

For more information, please visit www.ahcancal.org/coronavirus.