Due to the number of schools closing after today for an extended period of time, it has become apparent the IHSAA boys basketball tournament series cannot be completed as scheduled.

Subsequently, the boys’ basketball tournament is postponed immediately.

Saturday’s girls’ gymnastics state finals at Worthen Arena in Muncie will continue as scheduled with no spectators in attendance.

The competition will begin at 1 pm ET / 12 pm CT.

Lawrence County Sheriff Mike Branham announced today that only essential visits will be allowed at the Lawrence County Jail.

Effective immediately, all nonessential visits to the Lawrence County Jail will be suspended until further notice.

If you are wanting to visit an inmate you can log onto inmatecanteen.com. You may also add money to an account on this site or as always mail a money order to the jail.

Any questions, contact Lawrence County Jail at 812-275-3316.

Beginning March 16, the New Pekin Town Hall will be closed to walk-in customers. 

According to Sherry Clem, Pekin Clerk, the projected date for resuming normal operation will be April 6.

After receiving information from Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb regarding Covid-19 and out of respect and care for our employees and the community, the town hall will be closed to walk-in customers. 

“We are still operating under normal business hours Monday – Friday, 8a-4p, no through traffic will be allowed”, said Clem. 

The office will be closed for three weeks as well as the park shelter house and the highway garage.

Utility bills can be dropped in the night deposit box on the door (any amount over normal payment will be credited) no change will be given.

Clem said bills can be paid by sending them by US Postage mail, paid over the phone with debit or credit card and online at townofnewpekin.com (click on the PAYGOV button).

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. But again, we must take every precaution to stop this virus,” said Clem. 

All three Washington County School Superintendents met this morning with the Washington County Health Nurse and both Salem and East Washington Schools have decided to close beginning Monday, March 16, 2020.

East Washington School Corporation will be closed through April 10. 

“While our classrooms are empty, our work on behalf of children will continue,” said Dennis Stockdale, Superintendent of East Washington Schools.

Stockdale said EWSC will be utilizing eLearning days during this scheduled closure. 

All Eastern school building activities including school day instruction, child care, preschool, athletics/sports, health services, enrichment, etc. are canceled. 

West Washington School Superintendent Keith Nance sent out a video message through the school’s Facebook page. 

“Myself and the school board have been in constant communication and we have had meetings – I have had meetings with the county superintendents and with local health department officials. We are still in a situation where the virus has been confirmed in Indiana. With the level of concern, we are updating our level of response as a Level 3. We are waiting for further direction from the Governor’s office, the Indiana Department of Education or the local department of health to make the determination of any potential school closures.”

Nance said that could happen anytime – in hours or days. 

“I want you guys to know we will have several different levels of closure. First of those would be closed to students. We would have the staff here. All this information would be communicated with our All Call System, email and social media. At this point, we will be open on Monday. Decisions could change over the weekend.”

“This is a decision we will not make lightly. That’s why we’re waiting on further guidance,” said Nance. 

Salem Park and Recreation Director Brande Abbott announced this afternoon that the Little League Baseball season and all Park and Rec activities would be delayed until further notice.

“In the interest of public health, our kids involved with extracurricular activities,” said Abbott. “Salem Park and Recreation will follow suit of the Salem Communities Schools.”

Salem Schools announced this afternoon the school would be closed beginning this Monday, March 16 until after Spring Break. 

East Washington Schools announced its closure through April 10. 

West Washington School hasn’t made a determination about when or if it will close at this time. 

Many Indiana schools (as well as those around the US) have been closing to help stop the spread of the Coronavirus, which has turned up around the Hoosier State this week. 

Many sporting events have been cancelled or delayed until the situation can be evaluated further. 

Based on the guidance of Governor Holcomb, the Indiana State Department of Health and the Washington County Department of Health, Salem Community Schools will be closed beginning Monday, March 16th.

Schools will open no sooner than the return from Spring Break, which will be Monday, March 30th.

“Please understand that this situation continues to rapidly change and the return date could possibly extend,” said Salem Superintendent Jon Acton. 

Monday, March 16th, all employees will report to school to finalize plans in preparation for this significant change.

Students will NOT report to campus, he said. 

Beginning Tuesday, March 17th daily lessons will begin with students using remote learning.

These assignments will not be returned on a daily basis but rather completed over the course of the closure.

From March 16th until March 30th all school building activities including school day instruction, pre-school, athletics, extra or co-curricular activities are canceled.

“We will continue to monitor the guidance from state and local agencies in regards to when we may lift our closures,” said Acton. “We will provide additional updates on Monday as information is rapidly evolving.”

“We are in unprecedented times. This significant adjustment to all Salem Schools significantly impacts our entire
community,” said Acton. “This decision is made in an effort to protect against the community spread of coronavirus (CoVID-19). Not only is it our responsibility to protect our students and staff, but also the lives of those currently most vulnerable. We encourage everyone to follow the social distancing and health recommendations from the state and local health
agencies.”

For questions please contact the Salem Superintendents Office at 812.883.4437.

Expect traffic delays on S.R. 39 and S.R. 37

 Starting next week, drivers should expect traffic delays on State Road 37 and State Road 39 in and near Martinsville.

S.R. 37 northbound reduced to one lane

Beginning on or after Monday, March 16, the right lane of S.R. 37 northbound will be closed between the Liberty Church Road and S.R. 39 exits. Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) contractors are preparing to rebuild the S.R. 37 southbound lanes from S.R. 39 to the south end of the I-69 Finish Line project, including the southbound S.R. 37 bridge over Indian Creek. This work will reduce S.R. 37 to two lanes – one in each direction – during much of 2020. The first lane closure will affect S.R. 37 northbound traffic only. Contractors will reinforce and widen the right shoulder of S.R. 37 northbound, which is expected to take 3-4 weeks to complete. Dynamic signage is being installed to help traffic on I-69 and State Road 37 anticipate slowing or stopped traffic. Lane closures at Egbert, Grand Valley In addition, drivers should expect 1-2 days of temporary S.R. 37 lane closures at two locations. A crew will be placing temporary concrete barriers and begin building a bridge over S.R. 37 to connect Egbert Road with nearby Old S.R. 37 in northern Morgan County. A separate bridge crew will be delivering material and working over S.R. 37 lanes at the Grand Valley Boulevard overpass near Walmart in Martinsville.

S.R. 39 improvements in Martinsville S.R. 39 is being improved this year to move more traffic during the full closure of S.R. 37 in Martinsville next year. Drivers should expect traffic shifts, flaggers and short delays where crews are working. Beginning on or after Monday, March 16, contractors will be removing raised medians at the S.R. 39 intersections with Morton Avenue and Morgan Street. Once median work is complete, paving crews will be performing patching work on S.R. 39 between S.R. 37 and the White River. Stay Informed For the latest information, follow the project on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit the project website, www.I69FinishLine.com.

Yesterday (3/12) about 9 a.m. the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which includes members of the Indiana State Police and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, served a search warrant on a residence at 1201 So. Hoyt Ave. in Muncie as part of an ongoing investigation.

Indiana State Police SWAT also assisted in the warrant service.

As a result of the search warrant and ongoing investigation, Scott M. Dodd, age 29, was arrested and charged with 5 counts of Level 5 Felony Possession of Child Pornography; five counts of Level 6 Felony Possession of Child Pornography and one count of Level 6 Felony Possession of Methamphetamine.

The Level 5 Felony child pornography charges stem from images and videos found in the home of alleged children under the age of 12.  Dodd was lodged in the Delaware County Jail.

Anyone with information about a missing or exploited child may leave a tip on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children web site at http://www.missingkids.com/gethelpnow/cybertipline  or by calling 1-800-THE-LOST, or 9-1-1.

Tips can be made and kept anonymous.

“While everyone is worried about family, friends, and cases in the community, we ignore a very high risk and vulnerable group,” says Jagdish Khubchandani, a Ball State University health science professor. “Studies have consistently shown that healthcare workers frequently work long hours, don’t practice self-care, lack on hygienic practices, and work while being sick. 

“Today, with coronavirus, there are additional challenges such as changing protocol, the greater number of emergencies, shortage of medical supplies, and lack of preventive testing and protective equipment. Healthcare workers are at the frontline and often neglected during such times.”

 Some key tips for healthcare workers:

1. Practice self-care with a good diet, daily exercise, enough sleep, and adding more protein and vitamins to the diet.
2. Buy your own protective equipment and sanitation supplies if not provided by workplace- masks, and sanitizers.
3. Practice frequent hand washing. Preferably, after each encounter with a client or patient.
4. Hand washing is better than hand sanitizers. Or, practice both. Relying on hand sanitizers where optimum quantity is not used, or quality of sanitizers can be questioned, is not a good practice. Soap and water are highly recommended compared to the casual use of sanitizers.
5. Try to avoid overworking, watch your shifts, and working hours- exhaustion can make you weak and vulnerable to regular flu as well (in addition to the risk of coronavirus).
6. Avoid personal contact with clients or patients as much as possible. Healthcare workers frequently shake hands, exchange greetings and hugs with clients who may do it out of affection or gratitude- a distant thank you is ok at this time.
7. Check your own symptoms and signs for any illness (especially, flu-like illness). Cough, runny nose, fever, headaches and body pains should not be ignored during this season.
8. Ensure that coworkers don’t have these signs and symptoms- stay vigilant and help coworkers get care and rest if they have such symptoms. Be firm with colleagues who don’t practice good hygiene such as regular handwashing.
9. Follow guidelines for clinical practice and personal protection from authentic sources such as CDC.
10. Ensure that your facility is following best practices for infection control. It is appropriate now to educate colleagues and your managers, even if they are superiors or higher in the chain of command (studies also show that most educated in healthcare professions could be least likely to practice personal hygiene).
11. Disinfect your office and personal space- even if it is not being done by facilities and janitors.
12. Call on facilities managers and ensure they are following protocols and daily cleaning and sanitation activities are ramping up.
13. Ensure that clients are not surrounded by too many friends or family members and educate clients on avoiding too many frequent visitors.
14. Pull up your training manuals and best practice guideline notebooks for infection control and review if needed.

Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced additional steps the state will take to reduce the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Indiana. As of noon today, the state has 12 Hoosiers who have tested presumptively positive for COVID-19.

“This is a time when we must do all we can to reduce the spread of COVID-19, protect our most vulnerable populations and reduce their potential to acquire or spread this virus,” said Gov. Holcomb. “While some actions are drastic, now, not later, is the time to act.”

Here are the actions Gov. Holcomb is initiating today.

• Non-essential gatherings must be limited to no more than 250 people. This includes any event or gathering of people who are in one room or a single space at the same time, such as cafeterias, churches, stadiums, meeting and conference rooms, auditoriums and the like. This guidance applies to professional, social, community and similar other gatherings. Detailed guidance will be posted on the Indiana State Department of Health website by the end of the day.
• Effective immediately, school corporations will be provided with a 20-day waiver of the required 180 instructional days for use as needed for the remainder of the academic year. The waived days do not need to be used consecutively and can be leveraged as needed.
  • If a school corporation has evidence of community spread or a confirmed positive test for coronavirus, officials should consult with the Indiana Department of Education and the Indiana State Department of Health for additional steps. Schools should plan now for broader closures, including eLearning and remote classroom options.
  • The Department of Education will release additional guidance detailing the process for submitting waiver requests as early as Friday.
  • Schools should follow the guidelines for non-essential gatherings as they make decisions about non-essential extra-curricular or co-curricular activities.
• Child care and adult day care facilities should institute social distancing and minimize large gatherings. Temporary suspension of operations should be done in consultation with the Family and Social Services and ISDH in the instance of documented community spread.
• Nursing facilities and hospitals should restrict and screen visitors. Any individual who is allowed to visit is restricted to the patient’s room. Visitors are not allowed if they present with any of this criteria:
  • Display signs or symptoms of illness, especially respiratory illness
  • Have traveled internationally or been in contact with someone with a respiratory illness in the past 14 days
  • Reside in a community with a known COVID-19 case
  • Those who are less than 18 years of age
• The Indiana Department of Correction has suspended visitation at all facilities as a precaution for the health and safety of IDOC staff and offenders.
• Individuals over 60 years of age or those with a known underlying health issue such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease should limit their public exposure. Whenever possible, friends and family should arrange to provide food and other essential items.
• Those who run senior centers and congregate meal services should consider suspending congregate meals services and arrange for home delivery
• Encourage businesses to utilize telework policies, if available

Governor Holcomb is also issuing guidance for state employee operations. The state will suspend all non-essential out-of-state and international travel beginning today and for the next 45 days. The state is also providing employees with guidance about the use of leave and remote work options for limited durations while ensuring the delivery of essential state services. The guidance is attached.

“I fully expect there will be additional actions warranted in the coming days,” Gov. Holcomb said. “Just as we have since the beginning of the year, we are working with partners at all levels to secure all necessary resources for any escalation of this virus.”

If you are sick with COVID-19 or suspect you are infected with the virus:

• Stay home unless you need to seek medical care.
• Avoid public areas and public transportation
• Stay away from others as much as possible, especially people who are the most at risk such as older adults with multiple medical problems and those with a weakened immune system
• Don’t shake hands
• Seek prompt medical attention if your illness is worsening such as difficulty breathing and call your doctor or healthcare facility before you seek care.

More information may be found at the ISDH website at https://on.in.gov/COVID19 and the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.