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After undergoing extensive renovation, Spring Mill Inn will begin accepting lodging reservations on Dec. 6. The Millstone Dining Room will also open on that date.

The inn and restaurant are located at Spring Mill State Park, 3333 State Rd. 60 E., Mitchell,.

Outfitted with significant mechanical modernizations, accessibility upgrades, and cosmetic room and conference facility improvements, the inn stays true to its original rustic pioneer atmosphere, but with modern conveniences.

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The Salem Public Library will be presenting the film "Christopher The Christmas Tree" this Thursday, Dec. 5, beginning at 5 p.m.

The film is especially dear to area residents since the story, coloring book and eventually the film were all the creation of the late George Bowers.  Bowers was actually born at the Bowers Tree Farm in 1938. 

Bowers wrote and performed songs about Christopher to area children and at regional venues for decades. The story was eventually made into a movie, which premiered 30 years ago on the Fox Family Network in 1994.

Everyone is invited to join Christopher The Christmas Tree, Whooty the Owl and all of their animal friends in the Valley of Hidden Hollow in the showing of this favorite holiday movie. The movie is approximately 30 minutes long and is free to the public.

Seating is very limited. Please call the Salem Public Library at 812-883-5600 to reserve a space.

The library is located at 212 N. Main St., Salem.

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The Washington County 4-H Junior Leaders are hosting their annual Cheese Ball Fundraiser to help cover the costs of trips and activities for the upcoming year. This is a great opportunity to support the future leaders of our community while stocking up on a tasty snack for your holiday table.

Cheese Balls are just $8 each and come in three flavors: Plain, Parsley, and Pecan. Each cheese ball also contains chipped beef and spices.

Place your order by Tuesday,  Dec. 10, and pick them up on Thursday, Dec. 19, from 5:00-7:00  p.m. at the Washington County Extension Office, located at 806 Martinsburg Rd, Suite 104, Salem, IN 47167.

To order, call the Extension Office at 812-883-4601.

A portion of the sales will be used to support Washington County 4-H Jr. Leaders activities and programs. No endorsement of the product by 4-H is implied or intended.

Purdue University is an equal access/equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. 

• City of Salem
• Law & Justice

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By Jerry Curry, Staff Writer

James Moore saw a need and stepped up. Moore is a third shift Sergeant for the Salem Police Department. Budgets are tight and 32-year-old Moore found an opportunity to improve the police department by writing grants. He has been very successful so far, obtaining $163,500 at this point, and he’s not done yet.

In April 2023, Moore applied for a SAVE grant from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and received $6,000. This grant allows his department to have off-duty police officers conduct a highly-visual escort for school buses. Officers will look for drivers committing stop-arm violations and other dangerous driving habits. Illegal school bus passing is a major threat to students as they load and unload the bus. In the past 53 years there have been 1,267 fatalities. Seventy-three percent involved students 9 and younger.

In October 2023, with the help of Lindsey Wade-Swift, the department received $146,000 which will be used to purchase software. Wade-Swift is a member of the Washington County Community Foundation. It is the same software used by the Indiana State Police, making it possible to provide internet access to all police cruisers as well as showing the location of each police car. This was a very competitive grant since it was available to agencies all over the United States.

In a grant from Hoosier Uplands, the police department received a grant for $11,000 for six new in-car police radios. This covers half the fleet with the possibility of another grant serving the rest of the fleet.

Moore is somebody that thoroughly loves his job. When asked about why he is so adamant about the grants, he responded and said, “It provides the department with proper equipment, and it’s a blessing to get the grants.” Moore is currently pursuing equipment such as hand-held radios, AEDs in each car and Flock Safety cameras that read license plates.

Moore works 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. and has two children, 4 and 5 years old, as well as a 10-year-old nephew that he has custody of. He is a 2012 graduate of Salem High School and Prosser where he studied HVAC. However, a ride along with his brother-in-law, a fellow officer, drastically changed his career path. Moore was initially a Reserve Officer to see if the job was a good fit for him in 2016. Then in 2017, he joined the police force. He can be spotted at night driving a Dodge Durango SUV police cruiser.

Sgt. James Moore