Bartholomew County and all of its surrounding counties remain under travel restrictions this morning.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security says that Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jennings, and Shelby counties are under an orange travel watch alert. Under a travel watch,  conditions are threatening to the safety of the public. During a “watch” local travel advisory, only essential travel, such as to and from work or in emergency situations, is recommended, and emergency action plans should be implemented by businesses, schools, government agencies and other organizations.

Johnson and Jackson counties are under a yellow travel advisory. Under a travel advisory, routine travel or activities may be restricted in areas because of a hazardous situation, and individuals should use caution or avoid those areas.

There is still time to nominate a local educator for the 2025 Edna V. Folger Outstanding Teacher Award.

Any full-time elementary or secondary school teacher or educator working in a public, private, or parochial school in Bartholomew County is eligible to receive the award. SIHO Insurance Services, the Community Education Coalition, and the IU Columbus Center for Teaching and Learning sponsor the award.

The deadline to make a nomination is 4 p.m. in the afternoon on Friday January 24th.

You can find nomination forms at the IU Columbus Center for Teaching and Learning, the Bartholomew Consolidated Schools administrative offices and in the main offices of schools in the county. You can also find the nomination form here: go.iu.edu/columbus-folger-award

An Indianapolis man is under arrest, accused in an armed robbery in Seymour.

According to the Seymour Police Department, officers were called to a motel on Tanger Boulevard at about 11:04 p.m. on November 7th. Witnesses said that two men arrved to purchase watches but after trying them on, they ran away with the merchandise. A victim began chasing after the men, but one of the suspects fell and as the victim caught up, the man displayed a firearm. The victim then backed away while the suspect fled.

After a two month investigation, police arrested 18-year-old Donta Jackson Jr. of Indianapolis Thursday on a felony robbery charge.

The investigation is ongoing.

The city of Columbus will be holding its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast again with a theme of “All-In: It’s Time to be Uncomfortable.”

The keynote address will be delivered by Bishop Johnny Edwards, Sr., Pastor of Abundant Harvest Ministries – Columbus, and President of the Columbus/Bartholomew County Branch of the NAACP. There will also be remarks from Mayor Mary Ferdon and Chad Phillips, superintendent of Bartholomew Consolidated Schools.

During the breakfast, scholarships will be presented including six $1,000 MLK Scholarships awarded to college-bound high school graduates along with Ivy Tech Community College and IU Columbus scholarships for $1,000. Each winner will also receive an extra $1,500 Scholarship from the African American Foundation to assist with sophomore year tuition.

The breakfast is free and a hot buffet breakfast will begin at 7 a.m. at The Commons.

Seymour police have made an arrest in a child molestation investigation.

According to the police department, officers were alerted that an 11 year old child was allegedly molested by an adult last month.

After interviews, assisted by the Indiana Department of Child Services and the child advocate center, Susie’s Place in Bloomington, officers developed a suspect, 21-year-old Enrique Gaspar Miguel of Seymour. He was arrested on Wednesday on a felony charge of child molesting.

Toyota Material Handling is formally absorbing the Raymond Corporation, a company it has owned as a separate entity for more than 24 years.

According to the Columbus-based company, the two companies will completely integrate as of April 1st. The two will combine under the Toyota Material Handling banner however, the company also plans to continue to maintain unique brand identities.

One in three forklifts sold in North America is either a Toyota or Raymond product.

Company officials stressed that the move will not lead to layoffs and the combined company plans to invest in its people to accelerate growth. The company also plans to invest $50 million into improvements at its plants in Iowa and New York.

The combined company will be led by Toyota Material Handling North America President & CEO Brett Wood. Toyota Material Handling President & CEO Bill Finerty will be retiring at the end of March. Michael Field, who is the current President & CEO of The Raymond Corporation, will become the joined company’s Chief Operations Officer.

Toyota acquired The Raymond Corporation in 2001.

Photo courtesy of Toyota Material Handling.

Bartholomew County would have a low-cost spay-neuter program for pets under a contract approved by the county Thursday.

County Commissioners approved various contracts for the year yesterday including the annual agreement with the Bartholomew County Humane Society. Under the agreement, the county uses the not for profit group to house animals that have been taken in by the county animal control department.

New this year is a $10,000 fund being established to set up the spay-neuter program. County Commissioner Tony London explained that other communities have such a program and they are heavily used by residents, but Bartholomew County has not. London said animal control experts say that such a program is a necessity to reduce the number of excess and unwanted animals.

Under the contract, the $10,000 would be the county’s portion of a matching grant to start up the program. The Humane Society will be responsible to raise the other matching funds to get the program started.

London said details of the new program would be available once it is up and running.

Commissioners would normally have approved the annual contracts on Monday but that meeting was canceled due to the snow storm.

Ivy Tech Community College in Columbus will be holding an event next week to answer questions and show off the school’s engineering program.

According to the school, there will be an Engineering Info Session on Jan. 14th, where you can learn about Ivy Tech’s engineering programs, tour the campus, receive assistance with your application and meet with financial aid staff.

Part of the focus will be on the Green2Gold partnership with Purdue University. The initiative allows Ivy Tech graduates who meet specific admissions requirements to seamlessly transfer to any of 15 different Purdue bachelor’s degrees in engineering.

The school will also be touting its Engineering Technology and Mechanical Engineering Technology programs. School officials say that the programs prepare students for well-paying high demand careers or a base for more study at a university.

The event will start at 6 p.m. in the evening at the school on Central Avenue and Poshard Drive. No RSVP is required. For more information you can call 812-900-4659.

Moravec Hall photo courtesy of Ivy Tech Community College.

Six people were arrested early Wednesday morning in Jennings County on drug-related charges after a tip about drug activity at a home.

According to the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, deputies received information about the ongoing activity at the home on Buckingham Drive in Country Square Lakes on Tuesday evening. Deputies received a search warrant for the home and early on Wednesday morning they shouted orders for those inside to come out, then raided the home.

The search uncovered prescription pills, methamphetamine, marijuana, multiple syringes and a large amount of drug paraphernalia.

Six people inside the home at the time were arrested on a variety of charges ranging from felony charges for possession of drugs or a syringe, down to misdemeanors such as visiting a common nuisance.

Among those arrested was 21-year-old Andrew Saenz-Munoz of North Vernon who had outstanding warrants for failing to appear in court on auto theft and leaving the scene of an accident charges. He is facing new charges for visiting a common nuisance and possessing methamphetamine and a syringe.

Also arrested Wednesday:

Sebastion Martin, 24, of North Vernon:

• Possession of Methamphetamine– Level 6 Felony
• Possession of a syringe— Level 6 Felony
• Possession of a Controlled Substance— Level 6 Felony
• Possession of Paraphernalia— A Misdemeanor
• Possession of Marijuana— B Misdemeanor
• Maintaining a Common Nuisance— Level 6 Felony
• Violation of Legend Drug Act— Level 6 Felony

Lindsay Hatton, 30, of North Vernon:

• Possession of Methamphetamine— Level 6 Felony
• Possession of a syringe— Level 6 Felony
• Possession of a Controlled Substance— Level 6 Felony
• Possession of Paraphernalia— A Misdemeanor
• Possession of Marijuana— B Misdemeanor
• Maintaining a Common Nuisance— Level 6 Felony
• Violation of Legend Drug Act— Level 6 Felony

Blake Brashear, 29, of Greendale:

• Visiting a Common Nuisance—A Misdemeanor

Robert Johnson IV, 28, of Anderson:

• Possession of Methamphetamine— Level 6 Felony
• Possession of a syringe— Level 6 Felony
• Visiting a Common Nuisance— A Misdemeanor

Devon McFall, 31) of North Vernon:

• Possession of Methamphetamine— Level 6 Felony Possession of a syringe— Level 6 Felony
• Visiting a Common Nuisance— A Misdemeanor

Indiana State Police are urging you to completely remove snow and ice from your vehicle before you drive and also warning other drivers to stay away from those who do not.

According to Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, spokesman for the Indiana State Police, troopers were called to several incidents in Jackson County this week, where large slabs of snow and ice broke off of a vehicle and smashed into other vehicles on the road. Some of those caused significant damage to other driver’s windshields.

Wheeles said it is a driver’s responsibility to make sure that their vehicle is clear of snow and ice so you are not a hazard to others. But it also a reminder in this winter weather to leave extra space between you and drivers ahead of you on the road, so you don’t have to replace a broken windshield or even worse possible damage.

Photo courtesy of Indiana State Police