The Bartholomew County Republican Party has received a limited supply of Donald Trump and Mike Pence yard signs.
If you are interested in having signs, you can pick them up at the Republican Party headquarters at Pearl and 7th Streets on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. The signs are free but a donation to the county party would be appreciated.
A maximum of two signs will be given to each person.
Parents of children needing their immunizations before the start of school will have some extra time to get that issue taken care of.
A spokesperson with the Bartholomew County Health Department says that it will be extending its hours on Monday, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. for that very issue. The health department says that an appointment must be scheduled in advance and that immunizations will be administered at their new location, 2675 Foxpointe Drive, Suite B.
For more information, call the health department at (812) 379-1555, option 1, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The Bartholomew County School Supply Assistance Program is asking for your help in providing school supplies to over 2,000 children in Bartholomew County. In addition, the BCSSAP is working with local residents and West Virginia natives, Tina O’Dell and Rob Smith, to collect contributions for areas severely affected by the recent disastrous flooding in West Virginia. All contributions will support both efforts.
Diane Doup, the community outreach coordinator for the Lincoln-Central Nighborhood Family Center, says that financial donations are preferred, as they enable the committee to make bulk purchases. She explains that tax-deductible cash, check or money order donations can be made payable and sent to Sans Souci, 1526 13th Street, Columbus, IN 47201. You are asked to please list “School Supplies” in the memo area. You may also donate online at www.bcssap.org.
Doup, who says that Bartholomew County residents know the pain and devastation caused by flood waters. She says that West Virginia is grappling with wide-spread destruction. With that, Doup says that contributions to BCSSAP will help schools in Clay, Greenbrier, Kanawha, and Nicholas counties, which have approximately 3,000 students. She says that the need in these four counties is especially great because many businesses who have provided school supplies to this area’s low-income families have also been destroyed.
Doup says that last year’s effort provided over 2,300 students in Bartholomew County with free school supplies.
The 2016 Bartholomew County School Supply Assistance Program members are: Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation, Columbus Sunrise Rotary, Community Center of Hope, Council for Youth Development, Cummins, Inc., Family Self-Sufficiency, Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center, Sans Souci, Su Casa, United Way, 2-1-1 & Volunteer Action Center.
For more information, visit www.bcssap.org or call the Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center at (812) 379-1630.
Energy companies are urging you to manage your energy use in anticipation of this heat wave.
Officials with Duke Energy, the state’s largest power supplier, says that the hot weather can lead to higher energy bills, while others say that energy conservation is needed to avoid possible blackouts. Tips include:
– Setting your AC to the highest comfortable setting. Duke says that Energy Star says a 78-degree setting is the most efficient.
– Don’t cool an empty house. If you’ll be out and about, program your thermostat to work around your schedule.
– Close the blinds. Shutting drapes and shades during the hottest part of the day can keep the sun’s rays from heating your house.
– Grill outdoors. Cooking in the oven and on the stove-top creates a lot of indoor heat.
– Use fans in occupied rooms. Make sure they are set to operate in a counterclockwise direction.
– Turn off unnecessary lights. And use energy-efficient light bulbs.
– Seal air leaks with caulking and weather stripping. And keep the door closed as much as possible to keep the cool air inside.
The Columbus Police Department is now taking applications for new officers.
If you want to apply, you must be at least 21 years old and less than 35 years old when you are sworn in. You must have a high school diploma and successfully complete all of the department’s training program.
Applications are available in the personnel office in City Hall and they will be accepted until August 31st.
For more information: http://www.columbus.in.gov/police/employment/
The North Vernon Police Department is looking for your help finding suspects in a burglary of the town’s Eagles Lodge earlier this week.
The police department is circulating photos on social media showing a partial view of a suspect and of a maroon colored truck that police say was involved in the incident on Tuesday.
If you have any information, you can contact the North Vernon Police Department at 812-346-1466, through the department’s Facebook page or through the department web site at NVPD.Org
A Heat Advisory will be effect for our area from Friday morning until Saturday night. Temperatures will be in the mid 90s with extremely high humidity, making for possibly dangerous conditions.
The American Red Cross is offering several tips to avoid heat-related illnesses and injuries. Those include:
Bartholomew County deputies are looking for a new most-wanted fugitive this week. 45-year-old Robin Lee Ranson is wanted on a warrant for failing to appear in court.
He is a black man, five feet 10 inches tall, weighing 220 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He has multiple tattoos.
If you have any information on the whereabouts of Robin Lee Ransom, you should contact Capt. Dave Steinkoenig at 812-565-5940, or you can call the sheriff’s department tip line at 812-379-1712.
Tips can be left anonymously.
The Columbus Area Arts Council’s Johnson-Witkemper Insurance Biggest Block Party Ever is Saturday. Organizers say it will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the heart of the Arts District at Fourth and Washington streets downtown.
Fourth Street between Jackson and Franklin streets and Washington Street between Third and Fifth streets will be closed to vehicle traffic beginning 9 a.m. on Saturday morning and will remain closed until 3 a.m. Sunday.
“Although streets will be closed, sidewalks and businesses will remain open,” said Tami Sharp, Program Director of the Arts Council. “We encourage people to shop downtown during the day and return for the Block Party in the evening,” added Sharp.
Johnson-Witkemper Insurance Biggest Block Party Ever is an annual fundraiser for the Arts Council. Organizers say that three stages will feature 12 bands playing a diverse blend of music throughout the evening. A wide range of food options will be available for purchase, as will beer, wine and non-alcoholic drinks. In addition, the Kid’s Zone will provide kid-friendly activities.
Admission is $8 with children 12 and under admitted free. For more information, visit www.artsincolumbus.org.
The discovery of a hazardous material closed the Volunteers in Medicine clinic Wednesday afternoon.
Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department, says that firefighters were dispatched to the clinic, at 940 North Marr Road, after a white powdery substance was found on a dollar bill retrieved from a donation box. He says that Columbus Police were the first to respond. Volunteers in Medicine staff members reportedly told them that a staff member was counting monetary donations from a drop box inside the facility, when the powder fell out of a folded bill and onto the counter-top. CPD then called for the Columbus Fire Department to help identify the substance.
Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters learned that three staff members were in the facility when the white powder was discovered. Capt. Wilson says that the facility was immediately closed to the public. After making sure that no one in the building was hurt, firefighters turned their efforts to identifying the powder.
During the initial response, CFD utilized the department’s hazardous materials response unit, “Haz-Mat 1.” Capt. Wilson says that this specialized unit contains equipment and resources used on a wide range of hazardous materials calls, including the identification of unknown substances. Arriving on the scene, the fire department’s hazardous materials technicians donned protective gear and prepared an infrared spectrometer unit. Wilson explains that this spectrometer has the ability to take a small sample of a substance and identify the makeup of the sample. He says that the resulting analyses revealed that the powder was methamphetamine. Upon determining the identification of the powder, firefighters collected the remaining methamphetamine and placed it in police custody.
Once the issue was resolved, Wilson says that firefighters briefed representatives of Columbus Regional Health. CFD Battalion Chief Mark Ziegler commended the Volunteers in Medicine staff for their handling of the situation, “You all did a great Job! You saw that something wasn’t right and you made the call,” he said.
No injuries were reported and the incident lasted about one hour. Police are unsure as to when the bill containing the meth was deposited in the donation box.