North Vernon Mayor Mike Ochs is preparing for his first trip to Japan.

During Monday night’s city council meeting, the Mayor talked a bit about the trip, noting that he was among a group of area mayors making the journey to talk-up their cities in an effort to encourage foreign investment, hopefully leading to American jobs.

Mayor Ochs said that the trip was being paid for out of local tax-Increment Financing dollars. He added that the nearly week-long trip is scheduled to depart on August 27th. Ochs credited Seymour Mayor Craig Luedeman for organizing the Asian jaunt.

Engage Columbus will have an international “tee” tomorrow, as in a golf tee.

The organization will be hosting the putting contest at Greenbelt Golf Course from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday including prizes and refreshments. After the putting contest, participants can play 9 holes of golf for $15, or spend $5 for a small bucket and $7.25 for a large bucket of balls.

Engage Columbus is a program from Heritage Fund: The Bartholomew County Community Foundation that works to connect people to the information and resources to make them feel welcomed and engaged in the Columbus community.

Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers is warning of an IRS scam going on in the area.

He said deputies received a report yesterday of the scam. Scammers will call and claim to be with the Internal Revenue Service. They will say that the resident owes money to the federal government and sometimes threaten that an arrest warrant will be issued if the debt isn’t paid immediately. The callers are even able to spoof your Caller ID, making it appear to be a legitimate phone call.

Myers said that the real IRS does not communicate that way or demand immediate payment over the phone. If you receive a call like that, Myers recommends you immediately hang up.

He also suggested you can find more information at www.tigta.gov

Monday was declared Vicki Amos Retirement Day in Bartholomew County after retiring dispatcher Vicki Amos.

She served more than 23 years in various roles in Bartholomew County, including working with the Hope Police Department, the Sheriff’s Department and mostly on third shifts as a dispatcher in the emergency operations center.

Ed Reuter, director of the emergency operations center for the county, praised Amos for her experience and the calm she brought to the dispatch center. He said people throughout the county were able to sleep better knowing Amos was on duty.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is seeking a $10,000 grant to use for seat belt law and traffic enforcement.

Chief Deputy Chris Lane told the County Commissioners this morning that the state grant would fund efforts such as Operation Pull Over. He said this is a standard annual grant application and it provides money for overtime pay for deputies working outside their normal hours to improve road safety including looking out for speeders and reckless drivers as well as those not wearing seatbelts.

Commissioners approved the grant application.

A Columbus man was arrested on theft and trespassing charges after allegedly stealing items from Walmart.

42-year-old Jimmie Carmer of Columbus was arrested Friday afternoon after workers at the Walmart store on Merchant MIle reported Carmer had allegedly taken items from the store without paying for them and then left the store. Police found Carmer hiding in the woods near the store and arrested him.

Officer Justin Black with the Columbus police says that Carmer had already received a trespassing warning from Walmart earlier this year.

The Columbus Department of Public Works will start street sweeping today, west of Washington Street.

On Tuesday, the department will begin sweeping the big block which stretches from 4th to 25th streets and Central Avenue to Washington Street.

You will see areas posted with no parking signs 24 hours before the scheduled sweeping. City workers ask that you move your vehicles off the street on the day your sweeping is scheduled.

State officials are looking into an incident Friday night that killed fish and other wildlife along more than 9 miles of Little Flatrock River in Rush and Decatur counties, stretching all the way to the start of the Flat Rock River.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management and conservation officers were called to the area near Milroy after a pollutant began wiping out fish, crayfish and other aquatic life on the river.

If you have any information on the source of the pollutant, you should call Indiana Conservation Officers Central Dispatch at 812-837-9536.