• Fundraisers

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The Borden Community Special Olympics Polar Plunge is Saturday, Feb. 17, at the beach of Deam Lake State Recreation Area, 1217 Deam Lake Road, Borden.

• Fundraisers

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For over 120 years, women in Tri Kappa chapters across the great State of Indiana have celebrated Tri Kappa Week annually during the week of the sorority’s founding on February 22 as a way to make the community more aware of Tri Kappa’s efforts as a philanthropic organization.  With nearly 8,000 members, Tri Kappa exists only within the boundaries of Indiana, giving approximately $1.5 million annually on both local and state levels to important projects supporting charity, culture, and education.  Locally, The Beta Tau Chapter awards a $500.00 scholarship annually to a graduating senior at each of the 3 area high schools and supports many other worthwhile causes and organizations through funds made available by our Beer on the Bricks event held in September and through the sale of Terri Lynn nut in the fall.

In celebration of Tri Kappa Week 2024, the Salem Beta Tau Chapter will be hosting a Drive Thru Donation Day on Saturday, February 17, from 11 AM to 1 PM at the Washington County Family YMCA parking lot.

Those wishing to donate will simply proceed to the designated drop area at the back of the parking lot where Tri Kappa members will be on hand and ready to take your donation items from you as you drive by, so there’s no need for you to exit your vehicle….it’s that simple!

Donors should proceed to the designated area and make donations of most needed items to any of the following:

• Washington County Food Bank – Canned soup always hits the spot in the winter months, but any non-perishable food items are welcome!
• Washington County Humane Society - bleach, Pinesol, laundry detergent, paper towels, cat litter, cat toys, dry dog food, and new or gently used bath towels.  Monetary donations are also gladly accepted!
• Domestic Violence Center - personal care and household items.  The Center is always in need of hygiene items of all nature as the door is ever revolving with families of all ages.  Household items are also needed since the Center is a fully functioning residence.
• Choices Life Resource Center – formula, baby shampoo, soap, lotion, diaper rash ointment, sippy cups, baby wipes, size 6 diapers, and all sizes of pull-ups.  Choices is a non-profit pregnancy and parenting center offering parents the opportunity to learn positive parenting skills while earning Baby Bucks to “purchase” these much needed items for their children.
• American Senior Communities (Salem Crossing and Meadow View Health & Rehab Center) - individually wrapped snacks, adult crafting kits, word search and coloring books, crayons and coloring pencils.  Residents love their snacks and activity books!
• Salem Lions Club - used eyeglasses and hearing aids.  The Salem Lions Club collects used eyeglasses and hearing aids where they are taken to a center for cleaning and repair and then distributed world wide to those in need.
• WSLM’s Say Yes to the Dress Event - gently worn prom dresses.  Tri Kappa member Becky White will be collecting gently used prom dresses for her annual event for girls to find that perfect dress…for free!  Now is the time to get rid of those formals hanging in the closet taking up valuable space!
• Washington County Family YMCA – small travel hygiene and toiletry products or new bath towels (no used, please) for their shower ministry.  They also welcome financial donations for the YMCA's annual campaign making Y programs such as Pre-K, sports, day camp, and facility membership possible for all families.
• Washington County Warming Station – Got a backpack lying around?  How about that tent you bought 5 years ago only to use one time?  Backpacks and tents are the current high demand items needed by the Warming Station.  Monetary donations are always acceptable, too!
• Riley Children’s Hospital – The Riley toy room gifts over 8,000 toys, blankets, games, and books EVERY MONTH!  Infant rattles, Legos, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels, art supplies, coloring books, and ear buds are wish list items, but pediatric patients ranging from toddlers to teens enjoy a good UNO card game!  Only new, unused items, please!

With your help, this Drive Thru Donation Day is our way of giving back to the community that we all love.  Every donation will help someone in need.

The drive thru event will be held despite any cold weather; however, in the event of inclement weather, the event will be postponed to a later date.

• Pekin Eastern High School

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Being a senior is a special time for young kids as they are about to embark on the world they knew growing up, and Eastern senior Kaden Temple is no different as he is excited to be able to call himself a high school graduate in a few months.

Photo by Brody Temple“As of right now, my future plans are somewhat vague,” Temple said. “I would like to play basketball in college. I am looking towards getting a degree in finance. Well there is a lot that I would like to say to the underclassmen. First, enjoy the moments because they go by quickly. Never take a game/event for granted. There is no formula for success. It only comes from a peace of mind knowing you did your best.”

Whether you go to a small school or a big school, the education is the same and the friends you make come along with the territory.

“Going to a small school like Eastern was probably like any other high school,” Temple said. “Because we are small, most of the same kids do everything at school (sports, leadership, etc.) I think for a small school, we have good athletes and good students. I’m fairly close with all of my classmates and my teachers.”

It was easier for him to attend Eastern as his family has attended the same school for generations, so I was just a natural fit for him.

“My family has attended Eastern for many generations,” Temple said. “My dad played basketball at Eastern. He has helped make me into the player I am now. My brother is a sophomore. We enjoy getting to play together.”

As a player, you try and win as much as you can and in his case and the Musketeers basketball team they had a successful run in the Washington County Invitational by winning it three straight years from his freshman year to his junior year and this year, they fell in the championship game to Borden.

“Winning that championship the past three years was amazing,” Temple said. “It was definitely a highlight of each season. It meant so much to me because the team had been so bad for so many years, and it was good being able to change that.

“Obviously losing this past one was difficult. I wish I would have been 100 percent healthy. They played a better game than us, and that is usually what it takes to win.”

During his first two years, Chandler Prible was his coach and his last two season Ray Weatherford has been coaching the Musketeers, and Temple things have been different between the two coaches.

“Yea playing for both Coach Prible and Weatherford has been very different,” Temple said. “They both have different philosophies when it comes to offense. The defense has remained similar for the most part. Another difference though is their age.

“Coach Weatherford uses a lot of old school drills and terminology. Whereas, Prible had more modern drills and terms. Overall, I have enjoyed playing under both coaches and they have helped grow me into the man I am today.”

Now, the Musketeers are halfway through their season and they are at 5-7 (1-2) after a recent win over conference foe Austin, but Temple was late joining the team this year.

“Well the holiday tourney games were my first games this season,” Temple said. “I did not play in our first five games because I was recovering from a clavicle break I had during football. I truly think we would be right where we were last year if I would have started off the season at 100 percent. In our first couple games, we were lacking some leadership and a go to scorer. I will be able to bring this to the team as I continue to get more comfortable playing again.”

Scoring has been down this season and they are giving up more points than last year, but with his return those averages could change over the final 10 games of the season.

“Yea our scoring and defensive averages are down but they will get better,” Temple said. “The first couple of games were difficult for the guys because they had to step up and guard some people that they usually don’t. They also had to step up in their scoring too. I think everyone is still adjusting to their roles on the team. As I continue to get back into the groove, the averages will start to look like last years.”

The Musketeers play in a very tough Mid-Southern Conference with several of the teams capable of going far in the tournament, but the thing that holds them all back is the fact they either compete against each other in Class 3A or Class 2A.

“The conference is very tough,” Temple said. “There are so many good teams, and you have to be ready to play your best every night. I’m not sure what we were picked this year. I don’t really get into that because I know most people probably didn’t think we would be good since we lost Cherry and Yancey. In general, I don’t think people believe that we can win in the conference.”

Having goals is something good to shoot for and Temple is no different in the sports he plays.

“My main goals are just to have fun every night and come out with a W,” Temple said. “There were a few records I would like to have, but those aren’t going to be my main focus. I just go into every game looking to win. I usually don’t look forward to any specific game. They each have a similar significance. Some of my favorite wins from the past have come from games that I wasn’t expecting to be excited about. I probably won’t get extra excited about a game until after it is over.”

Temple plays the point guard, but once he gets back into the game he will shift to playing off the ball more. “I just need to start knocking down some shots. I think that will come as I start playing more,” he said. “Obviously, the game comes down to who scores the most points. However, I would say that there is a home court advantage. As a player, I feel more comfortable driving to school and getting ready rather than riding a bus over to the game. But honestly it really doesn’t make a big difference.

“I have been playing the game for as long as I can remember,” Temple said. “My dad has helped me in so many ways. He has been with me through every step. There have been many other individuals in my life that have influenced my game.”

This past fall, Temple played football for the first and he enjoyed his time on the grid iron. As for the Musketeers football team this year they finished 5-7 and played in the sectional championship game.

“Yea Football was a big decision for me this year,” Temple said. “The main reason I decided to play this year was because I was tired of watching the football team lose all of the time. I thought I could help make the team successful. I wanted to change the culture around the football team at school. There were multiple factors that led to the five wins. Honestly, I think we could have and should have won one or two more games. But we got a good draw for sectionals, which helped. Our team had much better athletes than the teams we won against in sectionals.

“We had multiple athletes that made the team well rounded on both sides of the ball. I played on both sides of the ball. Wide receiver on offense and corner on defense. I had a lot of fun making plays. Whether it would be a big catch on offense or a crucial tackle on defense. I will say there were times that were really frustrating. I wish the group would have been less selfish.”

Temple also ran on the cross country and track teams in their respective seasons.

Name: Kaden Temple

Hometown: Salem

Parents: Jason and Laura Temple

GPA: 4.0

Clubs: Student Council, NHS, LeaderInMe, Yearbook, 4-H

Favorite food: Chicken Alfredo

Favorite College Team: Purdue

Favorite Cartoon as a Kid: Young Justice

Favorite book: The Mamba Mentality

Quote: “Acquire peace of mind by making the effort to become the best of which you are capable”

What was it like attending EHS: It’s been a roller coaster ride for sure. I wouldn’t trade it. I value everything that the school has done for me

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Jerry Curry is a new staff writer with Leader Publishing Company of Salem, Inc., providing all kinds of news coverage for www.salemleader.com.

“We are so thrilled to add Jerry to our staff,” said Nancy Grossman, publisher.  "He immediately hit the ground running—making contacts throughout the county and writing stories on all facets of news, from local government, the schools, fires, the YMCA, election information, community outreach groups, service organizations and so much more. He doesn’t hesitate to cover anything that he runs across. He is quite an asset to our company and community.”

Curry may be familiar to many in the community.  For the past couple of years he contributed racing news from Salem Speedway and Thunder Valley Raceway for The Salem Leader and The Salem Democrat. His coverage was appreciated by many racing enthusiasts in Washington County.

He has been a race fan from an early age. “My dad was a race fan, so we attended race tracks like the Sportsdrome in Jeffersonville and Salem Speedway,” Curry said.

He had a desire to share race results in local papers. “I wanted to reestablish the sport of local auto racing in the papers,” Curry said. “Everybody was shorthanded and available space in the newspaper was at a premium.” He established a relationship with the Jeffersonville Evening News before reaching out to The Salem Leader. 

Curry also follows racing on his Facebook group, “Kentucky & Indiana Motorsports,” where he posts results from the Washington County tracks, in addition to the Sportsdrome and Kentucky Motor Speedway.

Curry is retired from Ford Motor Company. He said, “My last job was in preventative maintenance as a thermograph using an infrared camera.  He has been an industrial electrician since 1973 and earned his associate degree in electronics from Ivy Tech College. He attended Ahrens Trade High School in Louisville. He worked at Auto Mechanics for a couple of years before moving to factory work. “Having a background in mechanics was a stepping stone to maintenance,” he said. He also worked at Henry Vogt Machine Company.

His love of racing led him to cover local race tracks, but meeting a lot of interesting people has kept him engaged. He said he enjoys the challenge of conveying a story so others can understand what is happening.

“I used to be quite nervous about public speaking, but as I aged it went away,” Curry said. “I lead the invocation at the Sportsdrome for the drivers’ meeting and again for the spectators. It’s an honor.”

Curry and his wife of 52 years, Jeanette, live in Jeffersonville. She is an R.N. The have three grown children, two daughters and a son.

If he’s not at the racetrack or covering news for the Leader, Curry can be found volunteering for church functions or will soon  be cutting grass at Eastern Cemetery, an over buried cemetery that no one claims. He said, “Yard sales are an activity my wife and I enjoy.  A great day for his is getting up early and finding a successful project in his garage.

The 72 year old relies on this saying, “Always put yourself in a position to win.” He said to him it means preparing yourself with all the personal tools you can. "I always volunteered for just about everything at work, and this leads to some very good opportunities,” he added.

“Jerry is a very interesting man. He is driven to do all he can to help inform local residents about the latest news about individuals, businesses, organizations and events. Jerry may be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 812-883-3281 if anyone wants to discuss news stories or ideas. He is a delight to work with,” said Grossman