The Waldron High School Wall of Honor Program has been established to recognize distinguished alumni/teachers/support staff/administrators whom have made impacts in any of the following areas: Education, Community, Professional, or in Military/Government Service.

This is not an athletic hall of fame, but a Wall of Honor to recognize and honor distinguished Waldron individuals who have made a difference, succeeded, have given unselfishly to make the world a better place. The hope is that the legacies of Wall of Honor honorees will provide positive role models for our students and community.

Nominees must have graduated 5 years or more prior to induction and must meet the following criteria:

• Outstanding success in their career

• Made a significant contribution to the community or society

• Demonstrated significant accomplishments in business or professional life

• Recognized for service above and beyond in the military or government service

• Be a good role-model for students to follow

There is an online form, please indicate the reasons why the individual should be considered for the Wall of Honor and the nominee’s current address, telephone number, biography or resume of the individual being nominated.

The induction ceremony for 2020 is tentatively scheduled during the Waldron High School Alumni Celebration on Friday, June 26 in the Waldron High School Cafeteria.

Please email Mark Shadiow at mshadiow@ses.k12.in.us with any questions. 

Indiana voters can now submit online their requests for a mail-in ballot for the state’s June 2 primary election.

The request form was posted online Tuesday on the state’s voter registration site — www.IndianaVoters.com. The electronic form submits the ballot request to election officials, rather than voters having to mail the ballot application form to their county election office.

Election officials are promoting mail-in voting as a way to protect the safety of voters and polling site workers by reducing the amount of in-person voting. The state election commission voted last month to delay the primary from its original May 5 date and allow any voter to cast a mail-in ballot without having to meet one of the excuses required under state law.

To access the online ballot request form, voters must log in to their registration record on the website, select “Absentee Voting” on the screen’s left side and click on “Vote By Mail.”

State election officials plan to have early voting sites open starting May 26 in each county. In-person voting locations are planned for June 2, although counties could have fewer sites open than usual

Indiana has no challenged races for statewide elected offices in this year’s primary.

To protect all our patients and staff, we have changed our visitor restrictions at the Inpatient Facility. As of Friday, April 17, 2020, until further notice we will no longer allow visitors in the facility.

As the COVID-19 virus continues to spread, it is necessary to take this step. All other health care agencies and extended care facilities discontinued visits many weeks ago and although our hospice center is not a residential facility but a temporary solution for hospice acute cases and family respite, it is now time to implement this protective measure at Our Hospice because we are now admitting pending and confirmed COVID-19 positive hospice patients to the inpatient unit.

We continue our commitment to providing extraordinary care for our patients. In lieu of in-person visits, we are offering visits via a phone or computer or “patio visits,” where two visitors at a time visit the patient through the glass on the patio door.

“We know it is not the same as being in the room, but we are fortunate to have the capability to allow both virtual and patio visits,” said Laura Leonard, President. “We understand how difficult it is to not be able to be with your loved one, but for the health of all other patients and staff in the center, and because of the social responsibility we have to limit the spread of the virus in the community, we will strictly enforce these restrictions.”

We will continue to care for our patients like they are our own family, and ask the community to kindly help us by following the restrictions.

Shelbyville street projects have been bumped to next week.

Robertson Paving will be in the following Shelbyville areas next week:

These areas were delayed due to the weather predictions and will be done on Monday/Tuesday April 20-21.  Area residents have been notified regarding these restrictions:

Knightstown Rd, from Coulston Lane to the overpass at I-74 bridge, and Foxridge Ct. will be restricted on Monday and Tuesday for milling and paving.

.
These areas will be restricted for milling/paving on Wednesday/Thursday/Friday, 4/22-4/24

Tailholt Lane

Van Ave, from Harrison St to Blanchard St

Columbia Ave, from Pike St to Harrison St

Pike St, from Howard St to Van Ave

Weather permitting,

Center St, from Howard to Van

Bud St from Noble to Blanchard

The INDOT contractor, HIS Constructors, Inc. for the bridge deck overlay projects on the Knightstown Rd and the Morris Avenue / Old Rushville Rd overpasses underway on the Knightstown Road job Thursday morning and intend to be finished with it by May 8.

They have scheduled the Morris AV / Old Rushville Rd job to start on May 26 and be open again on June 15.        

Indiana residents who need help feeding their families during the COVID-19 pandemic will have greater access to assistance from food banks and pantries through a Disaster Household Distribution program approved by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).?

The disaster distribution program uses commodity foods from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which is administered by the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), and is effective from today through May 14, 2020. The goal is to increase access to food assistance to those in need. Priority will be given to Hoosiers who are suffering significant economic losses.

During the COVID-19 response, food banks and partner agencies have largely shifted to drive-through distributions. Through the DHD program, current TEFAP food banks will use the network of new and existing mobile pantries to distribute food packages to families in need. It is anticipated a total of 250 sites, including mobile pantries, will assist with food distribution throughout the state, primarily in rural areas. Marion County will use Indianapolis Public School buses, community centers and a drive-through location at Gleaners Food Bank to ensure that families have easy access to food resources.

Each household receiving food through this program can receive one prepackaged 25-pound box that includes a variety of foods, including, but not limited to, canned and packaged fruits, vegetables, soups, sauces, noodles, beans, nuts, juices and meats. If frozen and/or refrigerated storage is available at a site, those items also will be distributed.?

Individuals should contact their local food bank or pantry to determine whether they are participating in the DHD program. For additional information, please visit wic.in.gov or find a food pantry near you by using Indiana’s food assistance map.

Brandtley Miller saw the reaction when he got his classic car out of the garage.  He hopes he can provide more of that this weekend.

Miller says he’s putting together a car show.  Or, for the purposes of dealing with COVID-19, a traveling car show.

The idea for the event was sparked by that drive Miller took a couple weeks ago.

Miller bought his car in Anchorage, Alaska in 2016 and trailered it all the way back to Indiana.  He was active duty Army and Anchorage was his last duty station.

You can see more and make contact with Miller through the event’s Facebook page.  He says they’re still hammering out details.

Agricultural producers now have more time to repay Marketing Assistance Loans (MAL) as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s implementation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020. The loans now mature at 12 months rather than nine, and this flexibility is available for most commodities.

“Spring is the season when most producers have the biggest need for capital, and many may have or are considering putting commodities under loan. Extending the commodity loan maturityaffords farmers more time to market their commodity and repay their loanat a later time,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “We are extremely pleased that USDA can offer these marketing flexibilities at this critical time for the agriculture industry and the nation.”

Effective immediately, producers of eligible commodities now have up to 12 months to repay their commodity loans. The maturity extension applies to nonrecourse loans for crop years 2018, 2019 and 2020.Eligible open loans must in good standing with a maturity date of March 31, 2020, or later or new crop year (2019 or 2020) loans requested by September 30, 2020. All new loans requested by September 30, 2020, will have a maturity date 12 months following the date of approval.

The maturity extension for current, active loans will be automatically extended an additional 3 months. Loans that matured March 31 have already been automatically extended by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). Producers who prefer a nine-month loan will need to contact their local FSA county office. Loans requested after September 30, 2020, will have a term of nine months.

Eligible commodities include barley, chickpeas (small and large), corn, cotton (upland and extra-long staple), dry peas, grain sorghum, honey, lentils, mohair, oats, peanuts, rice (long and medium grain), soybeans, unshorn pelts, wheat, wool (graded and nongraded); and other oilseeds, including canola, crambe, flaxseed, mustard seed, rapeseed, safflower, sunflower seed, and sesame seed. Seed cotton and sugar are not eligible.

About MALs

Placing commodities under loan provides producers interim financing to meet cash flow needs without having to sell their commodities when market prices are low and allows producers to store production for more orderly marketing of commodities throughout the year. 

These loans are considered nonrecourse because the commodity is pledged as loan collateral, and producers have the option of delivering the pledged collateral to the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) for repayment of the outstanding loan at maturity. 

MAL Repayment

Under the new maturity provisions, producers can still repay the loan as they would have before the extension:

• repay the MAL on or before the maturity date;

• upon maturity by delivering or forfeiting the commodity to CCC as loan repayment; or

• after maturity and before CCC acquires the farm-stored commodity by repaying the outstanding MAL principle and interest.

Marketing Loan Gains

A Marketing Loan Gain occurs when a MAL is repaid at less than the loan principal. If market gain is applicable during the now-extended loan period, producers can receive a gain on the repayment made before the loan matures.

For more information on MALs, contact the nearest FSA county office. USDA Service Centers, including FSA county offices, are open for business by phone appointment only, and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. While program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with producers by phone and using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or any other Service Center agency are required to call their Service Center to schedule a phone appointment. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.

Starting Thursday, April 9, Kroger Central Division will temporarily adjust pharmacy hours, encouraging customers to consolidate shopping trips or opt for Kroger prescription delivery services.  Unless otherwise noted, the new schedule will be:

• 9:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M.   - Monday through Friday
• 9:00 A.M.to 5:00 P.M.   - Saturday
• 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. - Sunday

For customers who prefer not to enter a store at this time, many Kroger Pharmacy locations offer drive-thru or walk-up window service.

Pharmacist Greg Fox, Health and Wellness Merchandiser, said, “Kroger pharmacists are living our vision of helping people live healthier lives.  At the same time, we are living our pharmacist’s oath, devoting ourselves to a lifetime of service.  It has never been more important to be here for our patients.”

Kroger stores with The Little Clinic will also have new, temporary hours.  Beginning April 9, they will operate:

• 8:30 A.M.to 6:30 P.M.   - Monday through Friday
• 8:30 A.M.to 4:30 P.M.   - Saturday
• 10:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.- Sunday

Kroger will also adjust its store hours on Easter Sunday.  Stores will be open from 7:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.  The adjustment will allow customers to purchase holiday essentials and associates to enjoy some time off. 

“Our heroic Kroger associates have been working tirelessly since this crisis began,” said Colleen Juergensen, president of Kroger Central Division.  “They’ve been serving shoppers, keeping shelves stocked and stores clean.  By adjusting our Easter hours, we remain available to our friends and neighbors while giving our associates more time to rest and be with their families.”

Kroger pharmacies will be closed on Easter Sunday, as previously announced.

As coronavirus or COVID-19 continues its spread across the globe, Versiti, a national leader in blood health innovation, has begun collecting plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients throughout Indiana to help treat those diagnosed with the virus. 

This blood-related treatment, approved by the FDA as an emergency investigational new drug, could offer hope to the hundreds of patients who continue to be diagnosed. This treatment would be used by hospitals for the most severely affected patients. 

Versiti, among the first in the U.S. to begin collecting convalescent plasma, is working with its partner hospitals to identify recovered patients. As per guidelines, hospitals must request FDA approval and work within the emergency investigational new drug guidelines, or other approved investigational new drug, to treat COVID-19 patients with plasma. Donors will be referred to Versiti through hospitals or the recovered patients’ physicians. 

“The potential donors must first be proven to have had a COVID-19 diagnosis through a positive lab test result and must then have a negative test result 14 days after recovering from symptoms,” said Versiti Vice President of Transfusion Medicine Dr. Dan A. Waxman.

“It’s a very collaborative effort with our hospital partners who will be working to identify and verify donors.”
   
The donated plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients will be provided directly to the hospitals with whom Versiti is partnering. “Many of our hospital partners have already requested the donations,” Dr. Waxman said. “They are anxious to begin the program.”  

The plasma treatment will transfer antibodies the recovered patient created into critically ill patients currently receiving care. Because of the investigational nature of this treatment, it is difficult to know just how many plasma infusions a COVID-19 patient may require, Dr. Waxman said.

Plasma donations, which take 30-40 minutes, will be collected at Versiti donor centers in Indiana and Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin. The donation process is the same as with other plasma donations and will be performed using an apheresis machine, which separates blood components.

Though blood group AB is the universal plasma donor, any blood type donor who has recovered from the virus is eligible to donate as part of the program.

Alecia Gross is back in Shelby County as the new executive director of the Shelby County United Fund.

She talked with GIANT fm about transitioning back and the challenges confronting SCUFFY's 66th annual drive.

Meet the Shelby County 3rd graders who are serving as the 2020 Voice of SCUFFY.

St. Joseph

Jocelyn McFarland

Bram Kolkmeier

Morristown

Grace Doty

Braxton Lenning

Hendricks

Shaelyn Simpson

Jayce Roberts

Waldron

Hannah Rouse

Kingston Hash

Loper

Chloe Boggs

Dillen Canter

Southwestern

Kinley Krise

Owen Shively

Coulston

Cynthia Smith

Gavin Shuppert

Triton Central

Brooklyn Bailey

Cooper Alford

The COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis is forcing people to distance themselves from others, work remotely, and spend time indoors and online. While social distancing is a good health practice to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, it may be helping scammers.

Research from the Better Business Bureau, the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, and the Stanford Center on Longevity found that people are more likely to lose money to a scam when they are socially or physically isolated from others, if they are actively engaging online, and if they are financially vulnerable (BBB.org/ExposedtoScams). ?

“According to our research, social isolation is a key risk factor for susceptibility to scams, as is financial vulnerability,” said Melissa Lanning Trumpower, executive director of the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, BBB’s foundation that conducted the research.

“Add increased time spent online and coronavirus creates the ‘perfect storm’ for scammers, because all three of these factors have increased dramatically.” 

As bricks-and-mortar businesses close or curtail services and the financial markets experience a high level of volatility, many consumers are left to wonder if they will have a job or an immediate way to provide for their loved ones. As people turn to the Internet seeking new or temporary employment, they are also at increased risk of employment scams. BBB research deemed employment scams the riskiest scams of 2019, making up 9.3 percent of all scams reported and a median dollar loss of $1,500.

Despite these factors, there are steps everyone can take to protect themselves and their family from losing money and compromising personal information. 

• Don’t be afraid to contact a friend, or a company or organization you trust for advice. Isolation is a risk factor for scams.?Feelings of loneliness were associated with being more likely to engage with and lose money to scammers. This was especially true when the individual felt he or she lacked companionship and was isolated from loved ones, according?to?Exposed to Scams: What Separates Victims from Non-victims.  Fact: Scammers will try to isolate their victims. 

• Before clicking a link or sharing personal information online, stop, pause, and research the company or person.?People are more likely to lose money to scams perpetrated online. According to the?2019 BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report,?consumers who are approached online (email, website, social media, internet messaging, and online classifieds) are significantly more likely to report losing money. Fact: A staggering 81.2 percent of consumers lost money to online purchase scams in 2019. 

• Beware of job offers that sound too good to be true. Employment scams were the No. 1 riskiest two years in a row, according to the?2019 BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report.?As traditional jobs are cut and workers begin to seek new roles or remote opportunities to fill the void, they must be wary of job offers that sound too good to be true.?Read BBB’s tips for avoiding employment scams. 
  Fact: Scammers prey on jobseekers, particularly those seeking remote jobs. 

• Learn about scammer tactics to help avoid falling prey to scams and be wary of any offer to “get ahead” that seem too good to be true.?Those who are financially vulnerable are more susceptible to scams. Individuals under financial strain and those with lower levels of financial literacy may be more susceptible to scammers, according to the?Exposed to Scams?report. Specific risk-factors include: 

  • Household income of $50,000 per year and below. 
  • Spending more per month than one’s earnings, not saving money, and having significant amounts of debt. 
  • Feeling compelled to “catch up” or “get ahead” financially. 
  • Fact: According to the?Exposed to Scams?report,?those who heard about the scam before they were targeted were significantly less likely to lose money (9 percent vs 34 percent). 

For more consumer information:?BBB.org/coronavirus. 

For more business information:?BBB.org/smallbusiness. 

To report a scam:?BBB.org/scamtracker. 

To report price gauging:?BBB.org/adtruth. 

The Salvation Army’s Indiana Division has received a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support The Salvation Army’s immediate COVID-19 response and to sustain long-term service to the Indiana community. The grant is part of $15 million total that The Salvation Army received for nationwide efforts.

"The Salvation Army is deeply commitment to alleviating human suffering - it's in their DNA," said Ronni Kloth, Lilly Endowment's vice president for community development. "Through outreach to low-income individuals and families in need of food and shelter as well as counseling, mentoring and spiritual support, they care for communities every day. In times of crisis the Salvation Army is able to spring into action to help even more people through difficult times. We're grateful for how the Salvation Army is helping our nation during this pandemic."

Across the country, The Salvation Army has been rapidly evolving services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to meet the unique needs of each community. While service looks different around the country, it includes food delivery and food box provision for individuals, families, and isolated seniors; financial support for those who have been laid off or seen their hours cut; desperately needed childcare services; live-streamed or remote emotional and spiritual care; and more.

In Indiana, The Salvation Army has set up drive-through pantries and takeout-style feeding programs to provide residents with basic yet desperately needed necessities, such as fresh and nonperishable food, personal hygiene items, and cleaning supplies. The organization has also adapted its worship services, and emergency assistance interviews to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

While these services will help Hoosiers who have been immediately impacted by the outbreak, The Salvation Army is also preparing to meet the next phase of need amid layoffs, other job losses, food shortages, and increased childcare needs.

Before the outbreak, one in six Americans was already living in poverty, and more than 70 percent of Americans indicated they would have trouble meeting their financial obligations if they missed a paycheck. A new generation of need is expected to result from the long-term impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. In Indiana, where 7% of the population relies on jobs in the service and hospitality industries, The Salvation Army anticipates an increase in the number of individuals and families seeking financial, rent, utility, and prescription assistance over the coming months, and potentially years.

This expected spike is on top of daily operations in 85 counties, which are being heavily strained as well. Closures due to social distancing amid the COVID-19 outbreak have resulted in the cancellation of important fundraisers that would normally fund The Salvation Army’s programs. The grant from Lilly will help to make up for that loss of funding, so The Salvation Army can continue to serve once the crisis has subsided.

“We are all impacted by the coronavirus, but our brothers and sisters living in poverty are feeling it more significantly, which is causing a strain on our resources,” said Major Robert Webster, divisional commander for The Salvation Army’s Indiana Division. “As our staff and volunteers are called to go above and beyond in service, we have been praying faithfully for a miracle to make it possible for us to continue ministering now and into the future, here in Indiana. May God bless those who will be served today, tomorrow and in the future because of this amazing gift of love.”

The grant will help make it possible for The Salvation Army to sustain vital programming once the crisis ends. These vital year-round programs include emergency assistance, youth sports and character-building programs, older adult ministries, summer camp at The Salvation Army’s Hidden Falls Camp, rehabilitation services at the Harbor Light Center, safe shelter at the Ruth Lilly Women and Children’s Center, and much more.

For more than 70 years, Lilly Endowment has supported various efforts of The Salvation Army to help people in need. In recent years, Lilly Endowment has been a significant funder of The Salvation Army's work to help low-income families throughout the country break the cycle of poverty through The Army's Pathway of Hope Program.

To contribute to The Salvation Army’s COVID-19 relief efforts in Indiana, visit SalvationArmyIndiana.org.