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The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) is encouraging parents and caregivers to take the time during Child Passenger Safety Week to make sure their child is properly secured in an appropriate car seat or booster seat.

The annual safety week, which runs this year from September 15-21, ends with a national car seat education event known as National Car Seat Check Saturday. Throughout the week, organizations across the state will be hosting child passenger safety events. During these events, certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will check car seats, let caregivers know if their children are in the right seats for their ages and sizes, and show them how to install the right seats correctly.

"A properly installed car seat is a child's best defense against injury in a crash,” said Devon McDonald, ICJI’s Executive Director. “Let's ensure every child is riding safely."

Statistics show that nearly 1 out of every 5 children aged 4 or younger who died in crashes from 2018-2022 were unrestrained. ICJI wants caregivers to know that it’s never safe to allow a child to ride in a passenger vehicle unrestrained, no matter how short the trip or how big the vehicle is.

When it comes to child passengers, there is a right seat for every age and developmental stage. No matter what the stage is, a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician can put parents’ minds at ease by discussing correct car seat selection and showing them how to correctly install that seat in their vehicle.

"Every child deserves a safe ride,” said Jim Bryan, Traffic Safety Director for ICJI. “We urge parents and caretakers to take advantage of the resources available to help them choose and install the right car seat for their child."

Safety checks are available year-round and typically take 20-30 minutes. Those visits can be conducted at one of Indiana’s many fitting stations, which can be found by visiting: on.in.gov/SafeKids.

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Washington County Relay For Life will be held on September 28th this year at the West Washington School football field from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Volunteer Responsibilities: Help run kids events, serve dinner to survivors, set up and take down the luminaria ceremony. 12 volunteers are needed.

Project Details:

11:30 a.m. Bounce House

1 p.m. Face Painting

1:30 p.m. Clown with balloon animals for the kids

2:00 p.m. Water Balloon Fun Time

Come on down for fun with water balloons

2:30 p.m. Sponge Relay

3 p.m. Coloring for children

3:30 p.m. Mini Olympics

(Disk toss, relay race, long jump)

4 p.m. Hula-hoop contest

4:30 p.m. Western Lap & Costume Contest

Put on your favorite Western costume and strut the track!

5 p.m. Pictionary

5:30 p.m. Musical Chairs

6 p.m. Survivor Dinner

6:30 p.m. Survivor Ceremony

7 p.m. Survivor/Caregiver Laps: Then the survivors will take to the track as we applaud them every step of the way. Following the survivors’ lap and caregiver’s lap, we all complete one final “Fight Back” Victory Lap.

8:30 p.m. Luminaria Ceremony: This touching ceremony includes music, reading of names and the lighting of luminaria bags as each name is called. This is a time of respect, so we ask that there is no talking or walking throughout the ceremony. Thank you for your cooperation.

Location Details:

West Washington School Football Field, 8028 W Batt Rd, Campbellsburg, IN 47108

Group Project Wheelchair accessible Suitable for all ages

Point of Contact if you would like to volunteer:

Judy Harper 812-620-7287 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Volunteer Interests: Children & Youth, Community, Health & Wellness

Helpful Skills: Crafts, Painting, Special Events, Sports & Activities

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The Indiana Department of Transportation is in search of dedicated, qualified individuals who want to help serve their fellow Hoosiers this winter. INDOT will host winter seasonal hiring events on Tuesday, September 24, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. local time at 12 locations across the state.

Winter seasonal positions run from November through early March. Pay starts at $21 per hour for full-time operations and $25 per hour for on-call snowplow-only operations. Job duties for full-time seasonal positions include performing general highway and traffic maintenance, snow and ice removal and other duties related to winter operations. A valid CDL is required to be considered for full-time or on-call positions.

Registration is not required to attend INDOT's hiring events, and interviews will be conducted on-site the same day. INDOT team members will be available to answer questions and provide more information about open positions and careers with the agency. We are in the Seymour District. Those hiring location are:

Aurora Sub District Office 10955 Marsh Rd. Aurora, IN 47001

Bloomington Sub District 2965 Prow Rd. Bloomington, IN 47404

Columbus Sub District Office 3545 Two Mile House Rd, Columbus, IN 47201

Falls City Sub District Office 5701 US-31, Clarksville, IN 47129

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Halloween will be here before you know it!

The Washington County Family YMCA in Salem is planning a trail with booths that hand out candy.

Approximately 600 kids are expected to attend the event on Saturday, Oct. 26, 4-6 p.m., at the YMCA, 1709 North Shelby Street, Salem.

The Y needs a little help with this event and is seeking individuals, businesses and organizations to take part in the walking trail.

If you would like to set up a booth along the trail, contact Gavan Doane at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Wednesday, October 2.

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On Saturday, September 14th, approximately 100 Syria Christian Church adults and young people gathered together to help improve the Paoli community for a Day of Service. Led by Discipleship Minister Michael Pallotto, members worked diligently to paint, clean, and organize.

Some specific projects included painting and cleaning at the Paoli Family Life Center and at Gateway Ministries, and cleaning and beautification at the local homeless shelter, Addie’s House. In addition, Syria Christian Church members also worked to clean gutters and do yard work for elderly persons in the community.

With everyone divided into teams, the projects began at 8 a.m. and finished at approximately 1 p.m., followed by a cookout for all of the workers.