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Jesse Lee Blanton, age 79 of Salem, passed away Sunday, September 7, 2025 at St. Vincent Salem Hospital surrounded by his loved ones. Mr. Blanton was born January 16, 1946 in Louisville, KY the son of William E. Blanton and Ruth Evelyn Moore Blanton.

Harry Porter Jr. age 87 of Salem, passed away on Sunday, September 7, 2025 at Baptist Health Floyd. Mr. Porter was born March 3, 1938 in Corydon, the son of Harry E. Porter and Margaret Jessie Ferber Porter. He was a member of the Pentecostal faith.

Wanda J. Fleenor, 79, of Salem, passed away Friday, September 5, 2025 at Northwood near Salem. Born March 5, 1946 in Harlan, Kentucky, she was the daughter of Ed Craig and Roxie (Hensley) Shoults. On May 2, 1964 she married James R. Fleenor who preceded her in death.

Darrell McGuffey, owner of "Smokin' Hawgs BBQ" came before the Board of Commissioners to request reimbursement for the business he lost during road construction on S Main St.

On September 4 at 8:44 am, Washington County emergency responders were dispatched to W Becks Mill Rd near S Cauble Rd in regard to a single-vehicle wreck with injuries. The dispatch call stated that the driver was experiencing chest pain after the accident.

October is nationally recognized as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, a time to honor and remember the lives of babies gone too soon while supporting families experiencing unimaginable grief. Locally, White Pumpkin Family, a group based in Southern Indiana, is continuing its mission of comfort and care by sponsoring two remembrance carts at Norton Clark Hospital in Jeffersonville.

Mark Anthony Hurst, age 72, of Pekin, passed away Tuesday, September 2, 2025 at his residence. Born on October 11, 1952 in Salem, he was the son of the late Lewis Gene Hurst and Betty J. (Blankenbaker) Hurst. On May 21, 2006, he married Madonna (Anderson) Hurst who survives.

On Wednesday, September 3, the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, EMS and the Pierce-Polk Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) received a dispatch call at 4:58 pm regarding a single-vehicle wreck on SR-135 involving a downed powerline.

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, September 3, a field fire near the area of E Bowsman Rd began to get out of control and spread to a nearby barn. The Salem Fire Department and Washington County EMS received the dispatch at 2:02 am from a third party caller.

A new faith-based recovery residence for women is opening its doors in Washington County, and the community is being invited to take part in a special event to help make it possible.

The Commissioners Meeting on the morning of Tuesday, September 2 provided more updates to the issue of the elimination of the fairgrounds groundskeeper position held by Randy Lee. If you recall from the previous meeting, it was certainly a topic of passionate discussion. Although the board was missing one key member – Commissioner Todd Ewen – business was still conducted.

If you’ve ever opened a bottle of essential oil and thought, “Wow, that’s strong!” — you’re absolutely right. Essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts- powerful enough to soothe stress, ease headaches, or freshen the air. That means just one drop can pack serious therapeutic punch — but also carries risk if used improperly.