Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced that he will extend the state’s face covering mandate and continue Stage 4.5 of the Back On Track Indiana plan until Sept. 25.

Local governments may impose more restrictive guidelines.

Gov. Holcomb has used data to drive decisions since the state’s first case of the novel coronavirus in early March and he continues to do so. The state continues to monitor and respond to these four guiding principles:

• The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients statewide has decreased for 14 days
• The state retains its surge capacity for critical care beds and ventilators
• The state retains its ability to test all Hoosiers who are COVID-19 symptomatic as well as health care workers, first responders, and frontline employees
• Health officials have systems in place to contact all individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and expand contact tracing

The Indiana State Department of Health is updating its color-coded county positivity map to evaluate each county based on three metrics.

The tracker will score counties as blue, yellow, orange or red, more easily allowing local officials to determine the best course of action. A current map is available here. The map will go live on the dashboard next week and be updated weekly.

Scoring does not trigger a state requirement of any action but provides local information and recommendations based on:

• Number of new cases in the past week per 100,000 residents
• Percent positivity as determined by the number of positive tests divided by the total number of tests administered
• The change in percent positivity from the previous week
  The new system is designed to help local and school officials understand and respond to the level of community spread in their county. The map will be available on the ISDH coronavirus dashboard next week.

Details and guidance will be updated at BackOnTrack.in.gov.

The Governor also signed an executive order extending the public health emergency an additional 30 days.

West Washington Superintendent and Head Varsity Football coach Keith Nance is hoping to have a replacement team lined up to play the Senators on Friday night.

The school received word earlier in the week that they would not be allowed to play Crawford County in Marengo on Friday night.

According to Crawford County Athletic Director Jerry Hanger, the Wolfpack won’t be allowing the Senators to play Friday night due to the school being off for the week due to a confirmed case of Covid-19 in the student population.

Nance said they were actively searching for another football team to play Friday night and hope to make an announcement on Thursday. 

This was posted to the Senator Sam Twitter page late Tuesday — 

“After what these young men have been through in the past 9 months they deserve to play this Friday night. We have been scouring to find an opponent in Indiana for week 2. Help us out Twitter.”

While most schools have taken two weeks off, West Washington took five days of online learning before a scheduled return on Monday, August 31.

Hanger said Crawford County Health Officer Devi K Pierce, MD made the decision.

“Pierce said that since WW wasn’t in school due to Covid 19 they couldn’t come here to play sports of any kind,” Hanger said by email. “We have to follow her rules.”

WSLM tried to speak with Dr. Pierce but she was out of town and unavailable for comment.

According to Jason Wille, Sports Information Director of the IHSAA, whether to play a game is at the discretion of each school and in accordance with guidance from local health officials.

“There is no penalty for doing this under the circumstances we all find ourselves in these days,” he said. “We expect to see a lot of this across all sports throughout the fall.”

WSLM 97.9 FM and WSLM 1220 AM will update the situation tonight on Coaches Corner at 7p, which will feature East Washington, Salem, and West Washington Senators, football coaches. 

The next game on the Senators schedule is Mitchell High School who will be playing at Art Sanders Field on Friday, September 4 at 7p. 

Partial Morgan St. closure expected next week at S.R. 39

Drivers should watch for lane closures and nighttime rolling stops on State Road 37 north of Martinsville. Contractors plan to install large structural beams this week for a new bridge at Perry Road. Starting around 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday nights, 20-minute traffic stoppages will allow cranes to lift the large concrete beams into place over the highway. The rolling stops are scheduled to be completed by 6 a.m. each day. Lane and shoulder closures are expected during the day on Wednesday for crane installation and bridge beam delivery and on Friday for crane removal. The S.R. 37 speed limit is reduced to 45 mph from Martinsville to Waverly Road.

Morgan Street partial closure A partial closure of West Morgan Street at S.R. 39 in Martinsville is scheduled for next week. Road crews will be realigning the intersection with the widened S.R. 39. The westbound Morgan Street turn lane onto S.R. 39 northbound will remain open. All other turn movements at this intersection will be prohibited temporarily, including: S.R. 39 southbound left turn onto Morgan Street eastbound, S.R. 39 northbound right turn onto Morgan Street eastbound, and Morgan Street westbound left turn onto S.R. 39 southbound. The partial closure is expected to begin on Monday, Aug. 31 and be completed by the end of the week, dependent on weather and other factors. The detour through downtown follows Morton Avenue and Main Street.

The juvenile recovered from a pond near Nappanee, Indiana, succumbed to his injuries at the hospital and was pronounced deceased.  The official cause of death is pending autopsy results.

This incident is still under investigation and information will be released as it becomes available.

On Saturday at approximately 1:27 p.m., Kosciusko County Dispatch received a call of CPR in progress on an unresponsive juvenile male that was pulled from a pond near the 11000 Block of North 1000 West near Nappanee, Indiana.

The juvenile was transported to Memorial Hospital in critical condition. 

This incident is still under investigation by Indiana Conservation Officers.

Assisting agencies included: Indiana State Police, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department and Nappanee Fire & EMS.

Salem Community Schools has moved to an online school program until Sept. 4 due to Covid-19 cases at all three buildings.

The plan is to return to in-person classes on Sept. 8. 

Until then, to take care of students who are in the virtual learning system, the school will begin providing meals beginning this Wednesday, August 26. 

Salem Schools will be offering meals to be picked up on Wednesday at Bradie Shrum between 11a-1p. 

All pickup will be at the BSE Gym Doors in a drive-thru style. Please stay in your vehicle.

Children are not required to be present, and another person may be designated to pick up meals.

This is for the in-person students who will be remote learning until September 4. 

According to Superintendent Jon Acton, the Online Lions students have a separate meal pick-up program.

This would be for all students grades K-12 enrolled that are normally in-person students. 

Meals are free for ALL elementary students as well as reduced and free eligible students at the middle and high school. 

However, due to USDA regulations, the school must charge for those full-pay students at SMS and SHS.

Signups must be in by noon Tuesday, August 25 here – https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehgfN9_0lfuMsTVBi9OeHicuTj_F4qoNn0IHTFQLqufESAzg/viewform