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Creating Avenues For Student Transformation (CAST) in Washington County is offering two wonderful events to raise funds. CAST provides tutoring and mentoring to county students. All proceeds will benefit CAST and Southern Indiana Dyslexia Resource Center.
"The Most Magical Raffle on Earth"
Tickets are on sale now for “The Most Magical Raffle On Earth.”
The grand prize includes $2,000 in Disney gift cards.
The Local Gift Card bundle features gift cards donated by local businesses. They include Raquel’s Restaurant, Born, El Maguey, Nice’s Family Diner, Totally Baked, Lisa’s Farmhouse Market, Poppy Lane Bakery, Tees & Tumblers and more.
A bundle of four Big Splash tickets is also up for grabs.
Tickets are $20 apiece or three tickets for $50. Those wanting tickets may stop by the CAST any weekday in September between 9 a.m. and 12 noon or by appointment. The CAST office is located at 1707 N. Shelby Street, Suite 107, Salem.
Tickets can also be purchased from Kim Scifres, Allison Ezzell, Lorie Campbell, Ashley Hubbard, Cassie Summers-Corp, Micah Gilliam or Steve Corp. Cash, checks, credit cards or Venmo will be accepted.
The drawing for the raffle winners will occur at the CAST office at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 30
Please call 812-620-7907 or email castwashco.org for more information.
"A Night At The Salem Speedway"
CAST is hosting “A Night At The Salem Speedway” on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 5 p.m. that will feature dinner and racing at the historic track. The speedway is located at 2729 W. State Road 56, Salem.
Sponsors are needed, and all proceeds will benefit CAST, a 501c3 non-profit organization.
According to Cassie Corp, CAST director, sponsors’ “tax-deductible contributions for this event will help students in Washington County and beyond!”
“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability related to reading. Studies show up to 20% of the population in the United States is affected at some level with dyslexia. Children who are unable to read by the third grade are more likely to drop out of school.”
“Help our students achieve their full potential by supporting this effort,” she added.
Sponsorship levels include the following: Banner Sponsors—$2,500: Media recognition, event admission, a table for eight, banner recognition. Winner’s Circle—$1,000: Media recognition, event admission, table for eight. Fast Track—$500: Media recognition, event admission, table for four. Rev Your Engine—$250: Media recognition, event admission, table for two. Individual Tickets—$50: Reserved seats for the night’s race, a VIP armband with access to the High Banks Club, and a fully catered dinner (Kids 12 and under are free with the purchase of an adult ticket).
Please email Cassie Corp at
The door to the baby box may be accessed from the outside of the building at the Washington County Ambulance Building.
More photos below story.
By Jerry Curry, Staff Writer
Many have heard of a Safe Haven Baby Box, but few may realize that Salem has its own.
The baby box was the brainchild of Monica Kelsey. She first saw the idea at a church in Cape Town, South Africa. She has made it her mission to get these placed in all 50 states. To date, the baby boxes are in use in 19 states.
Kelsey’s passion is fired by the fact that she was abandoned as a baby. Indiana Safe Haven Law enables a person to give up an unwanted infant anonymously without fear of arrest or prosecution. As long as there are no signs of intentional abuse on the baby, no information is required of the person leaving a baby.
The baby in Indiana must be no older than 30 days. States vary on this maximum age from 72 hours to 90 days old.
The box in Salem is located at the Washington County Ambulance Service (WCAS), 1013 Webb Street, where it is mounted on the outside of the building.
There are 134 Safe Haven Boxes in Indiana. The box is climate controlled and has several alarms, according to Mike Spurgeon, assistant director of WCAS. The director of the ambulance service is Tony Floyd.
The box is tested once a week and cleaned as needed. This is required by Indiana code 1C 31-34-2.5. Emergency custody of certain abandoned children is also covered by this code.
The baby box in Salem was installed in April of 2022. Spurgeon said, “It has not been used”.
The purpose of these boxes is for a mother who may be overwhelmed by her circumstances to place the baby in the box in a safe environment.
An alarm is on a 90-second delay, giving the mother or whoever opened the door of the box time to leave and remain anonymous.
The alarm sounds and dispatch is also notified that a baby is in the box. The child is removed by emergency personnel through the plexiglas door inside the building.
This Safe Haven Box is available 24 hours/7 days a week.
There is an orange plastic bag in the baby box that contains an optional form that the person surrendering the baby can fill it out. There is a line for the mother’s and father’s names. There is also a place to record the child’s birthday and any conditions that rescuers should be aware of. This form can be mailed in.
After the baby is surrendered, he/she is examined and given medical treatment, if needed. The Indiana Department of Child Services will take the baby into custody through Child Protective Services or a Licensed Child Placing Agency (LCPA) where it will be placed with a caregiver.
The box in Salem is dedicated to Cairo Jordan, who’s name was unknown at the time the box was installed.
The national headquarters for Safe Haven Baby Boxes is in Woodburn, Indiana. They are located northwest of Fort Wayne, where the boxes are manufactured.
So far, fifty babies have been placed in these boxes, and a total of 150 babies surrendered in the 19 states that have this program.
The box costs $15,000, plus there is a $500 annual use fee. It may cost in the neighborhood of $5,000 to $7,000 for installations, alarms, permits, and electrical hookups. The box can be picked up at the factory to save shipping fees.
The program is supported completely by private funding.
A national crisis number, 1-886-99BABY1 (1-866-992-2291), is available to distraught mothers. It is available 24/7.
Contributions to the program can be sent to SHBB, P.O. Box 185, Woodburn, IN. 46797.
Staff photos by Jerry Curry.
Instructions for using the box are posted near the entry door to the baby box.
This photo shows the interior of the baby box.
The Washington Co. Ambulance Service is located at 1013 Webb St., Salem.
By Becky Killian, Staff Writer
Officials have approved a $2 million loan to pay for the ongoing work at the new Washington County Highway Garage facility. The vote was made during the Tuesday, Sept. 3, meeting of the Washington County Council.
Representatives from First Savings Bank detailed how the loan will work:
The loan collateral will be $2 million in existing funds the county has and that will be invested in either a treasury bond or a certificate of deposit. The county will earn interest on the investment and the amount earned will depend on which type of investment officials choose.
The seven-year loan will have an estimated annual payment of about $350,000. The county has earmarked about $375,000 in existing County Economic Development Income Tax that will be used for the loan payment.
The loan interest will cost about $439,000 over the seven-year term.
“We’re not going to be raising taxes,” Commissioner Todd Ewen said. “We’re just trying to get this thing built.
Ground has already been broken on the $4.8 million highway garage. The project was undertaken as a Build-Operate-Transfer process (BOT), which Indiana law allows as an alternative to the traditional government building process that requires the government entity to get a design from an engineer, then seek bids, and obtain a bond to pay the costs. With the BOT, the county selects a developer who shoulders all costs until the project is completed to the satisfaction of the county. The developer is then paid a guaranteed pre-determined project cost.
Commissioners have pushed for the project, saying the highway department’s current facility is in a poor location and has insufficient room for supplies and equipment.
By Jerry Curry, Staff Writer
(Photos following story)
There have been many sightings of The Batman on the streets in Salem. Did the Salem Police Department or Washington County Sheriff Department send up the Bat Signal from the top of the police station to call Batman? It’s the light that projects a bat-shaped figure in the sky during a crisis— have you seen it? This is not Gotham City—it’s Salem, correct?
It was time to investigate, so SalemLeader.com put their top hound-dog reporter on the search. After a while, it was discovered it was not Bruce Wayne. Sleuthing skills revealed it was a young Salem man, Scotty Spears.
Spears has added some fun to our city and lots of excitement. He is seventeen years old and a junior at Salem High School.
When asked why he made his costumed appearances, he replied, “At very young age I loved Batman.” Batman is a DC comic creation who lives in Gotham City.
Scotty first made costumes out of cardboard. Then he got a job and gained access to lots of material for his creations. He now works at the Goodwill.
Look for him to show up for events or birthday parties, or just patrolling around the Salem area.
His costumes are outstanding! In addition to Batman, he has done other characters like Superman, Wolverine, Spiderman, Deadpool, Ghost, Green Goblin and Michael Myers, just to name a few.
The costumes Spears creates look like something right off the sets of the latest superhero/horror movies. They look incredibly detailed and professional. This man’s artistic skills are obviously “next level.”
Spears pays so much attention to detail that he can even cite the exact version of clothing from a particular movie. For example, one Batman mask he created is a reproduction of the version that Michael Keeton wore in the 2023 movie “The Flash.” His Green Goblin costume is a replica of the one featured in the 2021 movie, “Spiderman, No Way Home.”
At times Spears will customize an outfit he has purchased. Many times he creates the entire costume from scratch. Some of the high-tech methods he uses in his creations include the use of a 3D printer to create hard surfaces and EDA foam for sleeves.
His proud father is David Spears. His dad said, “He is going to Prosser right now for Criminal Justice.”
“He keeps his grades up enough to keep his scholarships going. Scotty plans to go into law enforcement after school.” His dad and the staff at SalemLeader.com all share the same belief, “He’s gonna go places in life.”
His hobbies, of course, are watching Gotham TV and playing games.
Now we know who to call if the city is in real danger and needs assistance. Da, Da, Da, Da, Da, Da, Da, Da— Batman!
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Latest Washington County Mugshots
The following individuals were arrested recently by local law enforcement agencies. Those listed, in most cases, are just facing charges at this point, and are to be considered innocent of those charges unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. Charges are often dropped or lessened. Mugshots are collected from local law enforcement agencies on Mondays and are public records.
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