West Washington Class A REGIONAL LIVE STREAM
Catch the LIVE STREAM of the Class A Regional High School Boys Basketball Tournament at Loogootee
Clerk’s Office Now Accepting Credit and Debit Cards
Innovation in the Washington County Clerk’s office continues by expanding payment options to include credit and debit cards.
Previously, the only payment options available in the county clerk’s office was with cash, money orders or cashier’s checks. As of Thursday, March 9th, the office now has the capabilities to accept credit and debit card.
“We are innovating to make our clerk’s office more accessible because it’s what our county deserves,” said Clerk Sarah Milligan. “I’ve always felt government and office holders should continually be working to provide the best, most quality service to the public, and that is what I intend to aspire towards during my time as clerk.”
Clerk Milligan said she is always looking to make utilizing the clerk’s office more convenient for Washington County residents and believes that expanding a person’s ability to pay does just that.
After researching options, Milligan found an opportunity through Gov-Pay, a business which offers premium electronic payment options for government offices.
Using Gov-Pay comes at no cost to the office or to the county. They provide free, state-of-the-art equipment to accept credit/debit card payments at the counter and online.
“In the past, we have had so many individuals come to pay traffic tickets or pay down their court fees and do not have cash on hand,” explains Clerk Deputy Brehanna Wilcoxson. “We would always have to direct them to the nearest ATM across the street, but now that is no longer a limitation for the public and for our office.”
Gov-Pay requires a minimum payment of $3.00 per transaction. Though this vender does not charge any transaction fees to the county for using the equipment, a convenience fee is applied to the “principle” payment amount.
The convenience fee is applied and paid by the cardholder or the check accountholder. Those fees vary depending on your form of payment.
- 1.95% of transaction amount for debit cards with a pin number;
- 2.5% of transaction amount for credit card or debit card;
If you make a payment by cash, money order, or cashier’s checks you will not have a transaction fee or charge added to your end balance.
Community Health Screening Saturday
We all have many important numbers to remember in our everyday lives, but do you know the most important numbers? Your health numbers!
Stop by on Saturday, March 11 from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. for St.Vincent Salem Hospital’s FREE Community Health Screening Day and learn what these numbers mean for your health and well-being.
We will also offer blood draw screenings outside the cafeteria from 6:45 – 7:30 a.m. for those individuals attending the Lenten Breakfast at St.Vincent Salem.
Screenings include:
- Cholesterol
- Blood Pressure
- Triglycerides
- Blood Glucose
In addition to a variety of health screenings, there will be free health information, giveaways and much more! While you are there, stop by booths from several local health-minded organizations.
Screenings are available to the first 150 attendees. Registration is not required, but screenings are provided on a first-come, first served basis. Fasting is highly recommended.
For more information, call 812-883- 5881 ext. 1366.
GIVING FROM THE HEART TEA TICKETS NOW ON SALE
Youth First, of the Washington County Family YMCA, and Creating Avenues for Student Transformation (CAST) will be celebrating the 7th annual Giving from the Heart event on April 8th, 2017 at Southern Hills Church.
Previously hosted by the Women’s Giving Circle of the Washington County Community Foundation, a spring tea is once again planned to support our mission to provide opportunities, services, and education to families in Washington County, Indiana.
CAST and Youth First are local youth serving organizations with the passion to make positive change in our community through various youth enrichment programs. This year’s tea will be hosted by these two organizations, and all proceeds will directly benefit their deserving causes.
CAST is an organization that serves Middle School Students in Washington County.
Currently, CAST offers summer enrichment opportunities for middle school students, and a tutoring and mentoring after school program to Salem students on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school year. Students are bussed from school to the program housed at Southern Hills Church, where they receive homework help from qualified volunteers.
CAST focuses on its mission of encouraging Washington County students to grow into contributing citizens with a lifelong passion for learning. CAST also partners with the Washington County Family YMCA’s Youth First Program to have Rocks Life Skills Curriculum delivered to their participants.
Youth First builds assets in our Youth. Through the many athletic and enrichment programs geared towards youth at the Y, Youth First strives to aid our children in being prepared for bright futures by building their 40 Developmental Assets.
The 40 Developmental Assets, an initiative of the prestigious Search Institute, are a set of skills, experiences, relationships; behaviors that enable our youth to develop into successful and contributing adults.
With the intentions of building assets in Youth, The YMCA and its Youth First initiative strive to fill community voids in these areas to provide youth with the environments, mentors, skills sets, and personal commitment needed to succeed. YMCA Youth First programming has many options to help grow Assets in our youth—from break camps, ROCKs and Jr. Rocks, to the After School Program, Preschool, and Youth Sports and Leagues—there is something for everybody.
“We are so happy to continue offering our important programs thanks to the generous support of our community,” said Cassie Summers-Corp, Executive Director of C.A.S.T. “Every sponsorship and ticket purchase will go to ensure youth in Washington County will receive a safe environment, positive interactions, encouraging relationships, and crucial life skills.”
Tickets are now on sale for the event, which will be held on April 8 th at 2pm at Southern Hills Church. Individual tickets are $50, a couple is $90, table of 4 is $175, table of 8 is $330.
Children 12 and under may attend the Kid’s Tea for $5 each. Reservations may be made at the Washington County Family YMCA and are encouraged by March 17 th , 2017. We are also currently accepting sponsors for this event. Sponsors receive media recognition, program mention, and tickets to the event. Sponsorships should be confirmed by March 3 rd , 2017.
Tea and light refreshments will be served at this very special event.
There will be a youth art show featuring young talent from across Washington County. Beautiful local art from Rosanne Quatroke of Art Gives Back will be available for purchase.
Powerful guest speaker and Washington County local, Courtney Henry, will be sharing about the incredible power of giving to change lives through her story of her son, Coleson. This is a one event you won’t want to miss.
Thomason Promoted to Indianapolis Laboratory Manager
The Indiana State Police recently promoted Paulita Thomason to the position of Indianapolis Regional Laboratory Manager.
Paulita graduated from Rockcastle County High School in Mount Vernon, Kentucky in 1989. She attended Eastern Kentucky University and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Forensic Science in 1994.
She began her career with the Indiana State Police in 1995 in the Trace Evidence Unit and performed casework in Fire Debris and Fiber Analysis. In 1997, she transferred into the Biology Unit where she worked Serology, DNA and Bloodstain Pattern Interpretation cases until her recent promotion.
Thomason now serves as the Laboratory Manager for the Indianapolis Regional Laboratory. She has oversight for maintaining the evidence system within the Laboratory Division which includes evidence submissions from countless law enforcement agencies in central Indiana. She also has managerial responsibility for the evidence clerks and photo technician who are assigned to the Laboratory.
“We look forward to having Paulita serve as our new Laboratory Manager at our Indianapolis facility, stated Indiana State Police Laboratory Division Commander Major Steve Holland. “She has a background in our Biology Section that went beyond casework, to include laboratory related instruction at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy and Crime Scene Investigator training around the state. She maintains interactions with the various components of our Indiana Criminal Justice System and is well respected.”
Paulita resides in Shelby County with her three children, Kennedy, Chandler and Brayden. .
For further information on Forensic Disciplines go to www.in.gov/isp and click on the “ISP Laboratory Division” link.
Crash with Wrong Way Driver on Interstate 64 Kills Virginia Man
A crash late Wednesday evening near Ferdinand on Interstate 64 claimed the life of a Virginia man.
At 9:30 PM Wednesday, 56 year old Sabrina Felton of Roanoke, Virginia was driving eastbound on Interstate 64 near the 60 mile marker, about three miles west of Ferdinand.
Felton was in the passing lane and had just driven around a tractor-trailer when she encountered 89 year old Rueben Boswell of Henderson, Kentucky.
Boswell was driving westbound on I-64 in the eastbound passing lane. Felton attempted to drive her 2010 Toyota Prius into the median to avoid the crash but was unable to avoid colliding with Boswell’s 2005 Toyota Camry.
Felton and Boswell were both transported by ambulance to St. Mary’s Hospital in Evansville for non-life threatening injuries sustained in the crash.
The front seat passenger in Felton’s vehicle, 34 year old Brandon Taylor of Roanoke, VA, had to be extricated from the car and was flown by LifeFlight to St. Mary’s Hospital, where he died due to his injuries.
Interstate 64 was closed for nearly four hours while troopers investigated the crash.
Troopers were assisted at the scene by the Dubois County Sheriff’s Department, Ferdinand and Santa Claus PD, Dubois and Spencer County EMS, and LifeFlight.
New Underground Railroad Display at Steven’s Museum Now Open
The Stevens Museum at the John Hay Center is happy to announce the opening of our new display, said Washington County Historian Jeremy Elliott.
He said the display is in the main gallery and details the county’s involvement with the Underground Railroad.
“Assuredly, soon after the settling of this area, certain factions of our pioneers were assisting runaway slaves on their trek to freedom,” said Elliott. “Large groups of Quakers, Presbyterians and Methodist, along with others who held abolitionist views, migrated to this area expressly to withdrawal from the southern institution of slavery.”
Free black citizens and blacks who had been granted their freedom were also early pioneer settlers of this county and played a fundamental role in facilitating fugitives through the county’s UGRR.
The earliest report of a runaway slave in the area goes back to 1819. Undoubtedly, the little information we have gleaned about the clandestine operation of the UGRR in our county, would have actually went back another generation.
“Most of the information gathered over the operation and its participants was from the descendants of the active members, during its heyday, not the members themselves,” said Elliott.
Additionally, by the time stories/traditions began to publicly come out about the county’s operation, all of our former black citizens had relocated away from here, or were unjustly encouraged to leave the area. Their levels of involvement and activities in the operation were lost at an early date and are therefore poorly represented in the overall scheme.
“So by no means can we give a detailed accurate account of the UGRR operation in this county,” Elliott said. “Nor are we able to explicitly say that these were the only routes/station houses/conductors who participated, but we present everything there is to offer from what we know.”
He encourages everyone to plan to stop by to see the new edition to the museum’s impressive collection.
Tragedy Strikes Borden Family For Second Time
In less than two months, tragedy has struck the same family from Borden.
On January 23, the body of William Roberts, 2, was found in a nearby creek hours after he disappeared from his home near State Route 60 in Borden.
This morning the same family lost their 6-year-old son in an accident that closed State Road 60 near Borden for four hours.
Clark County Police were called to Roy J. Lane near Deam Lake at 8:03a.
According to Clark County Sheriff’s Department Captain Scottie Maples, the child was secured with only a lap belt and not in a car seat.
Witnesses told Maples that they observed a white Chevy Impala swerve off the road, over-correct and drive back on SR60 into the path of two east-bound vehicles.
The impact was so hard it cut the Impala into two pieces.
The boy was in the back seat of the vehicle driven by his father, Peter Roberts, 25, of Borden.
The young child was pronounced dead at Norton’s Children’s Hospital in Louisville.
Roberts was taken to University of Louisville Hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Maples did not have the names of the other two drivers, but said they were taken to Baptist Floyd Hospital where they were also treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Police are waiting to public the victim’s name until the coroner releases that information.
Maples said Indiana State Police worked to recreate the accident this afternoon and as part of the normal investigative procedure, toxicology reports will be ordered as well as interviews with witnesses and drivers of the other vehicles.
6-year-old Killed in Borden Crash
Traffic has been backed up on State Road 60 this morning after an accident involving three vehicles that killed a 6-year-old boy.
Witnesses say one vehicle was split in half.
The crash occurred about 8a near Deam Lake and traffic has been averted since earlier this morning.
According to the Borden Police Department, officers are still on the scene of the accident on SR 60.
At 11a, police said it would be another 30-60 minutes before the site is clear and traffic pattern returns.
