Monthly Archives: December 2017

Area unemployment rate falls to 4th lowest in state

Bartholomew County’s unemployment rate has dropped to the fourth lowest in the state and the lowest in the southeastern area of Indiana, according to figures released by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development yesterday.

The state agency said that the Bartholomew County unemployment rate fell to 2.5 percent in November, down from 2.6 percent in October, when we were the seventh lowest in the state.

The only other southern Indiana county with a lower rate was Dubois County which had 2.4 percent, the lowest unemployment rate in the state.

Over the past year, the workforce in the Columbus metropolitan statistical area has grown by almost 1,000 people with 43,894 people holding jobs out of a total workforce of just over 45,000. That leaves just over 1,100 people unemployed in the area.

The next lowest unemployment rate in area counties was in Decatur County, which had a November rate of 2.6 putting it at fifth on the state list.

Unemployment rates in the area included 3 percent in both Brown and Shelby counties, 2.9 percent in Jackson, 2.8 percent in Johnson and 3.7 percent in Jennings County. Jennings was the only area county to fall above the state rate of 3.4 percent.

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Bedford police seeking Columbus women in check scheme

Photo courtesy of Bedford Police Department.

Bedford police are looking for two women they believe are from Columbus, who are accused of making purchases at stores in that town using stolen checks.

The police department has released photos of the pair, showing the women shopping at a Bedford store on Dec. 14th.

Police say one of the women, who is blonde, was also involved in an October 2016 incident in the community. If you have any information you can contact the Bedford police at 812- 275-3311.

Photo courtesy of Bedford Police Department
Photo courtesy of Bedford Police Department
Photo courtesy of Bedford Police Department
Photo courtesy of Bedford Police Department
Photo courtesy of Bedford Police Department

Coroner works to keep up with overdose deaths

The opioid epidemic has touched many facets of the community. While police and prosecutors have to deal with much of the collateral damage, another government agency does as well… the coroner’s office. Clayton Nolting is the Bartholomew County Coroner. He explains that in 2015, there were six overdose deaths. In 2016, there were 12.

Nolting appeared before the county council a few weeks ago to request additional funds for his department to deal with this increase. He explains more about why his office needed additional funding to get through the rest of the year.

Nolting talks about what he’s learned about the overdose deaths that his office have investigated.

Nolting’s request for additional funds was approved by the county council. He expects overdose deaths will continue to rise, but holds out hope that the much-discussed community plan to tackle the epidemic will produce results.

Job Readiness Workshops set for early January

Bartholomew County Works will be offering its next week-long Job Readiness Training Workshop the week of January 8th and is now accepting applications.

Bartholomew County Works will help motivated and capable people living in poverty achieve economic self-sufficiency.

To take part in the workshop you have to attend an orientation on Jan. 4th, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and then the workshop is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Jan. 8th through the 12th at Yes Cinema.

If you need more information you can contact self sufficiency coach Dawn Bieberle at 812-379-1630 or by email at [email protected]

Fire officials: Time to get rid of that dry Christmas tree

The state fire marshal says it might be time to get rid of that natural Christmas tree in your home and dispose of it safely. Fire Marshal Jim Greeson says the average lifespan of a cut Christmas tree is one month after purchase.

If you have a live tree, you should monitor it for freshness by checking to see when the tree’s needles start to drop. He says that the needles are more than just a nuisance to clean up. They are also an indication that the dry tree is a fire hazard and should be removed from the home.

Columbus trash crews are picking up natural Christmas trees at curbside now. That will continue through January 26th. You should have the tree curbside on your normal trash day. Trees need to be out of any bags and you need to remove any metal such as stands, ornaments or lighting, as they will be mulched.

If you live in Bartholomew County, you can drop your tree off at the Columbus Recycling Center directly.

Firefighters warn of danger of thin ice despite cold

Columbus firefighters are warning you to be careful if you are thinking about going out on new ice on area lakes or ponds. They say that conditions are not yet safe.

Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department, said that the danger is especially great right now when many children are out of school.

Wilson said that you can’t really consider ice safe to be on unless it is six inches thick or more.

 

He said that’s because you don’t know what is happening underneath the ice you can see.

Columbus firefighters do maintain cold-water rescue gear, but it is always a danger both to the victim and the firefighters trying to make such a rescue.

Sheriff says overcrowding in jail would be helped by drug treatment

Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers says that recent discussions about putting a drug treatment center in the county jail are part of a larger discussion about reducing the jail overcrowding.

The sheriff says that the current jail situation does not allow for inmates to be properly separated by the severity of their offenses, nor does it allow for many treatment options for the influx of inmates addicted to drugs or incarcerated for drug related crimes.

While the overcrowding is affected by the drug epidemic, the situation has been made worse by a state mandate to keep level six felons in their home counties after conviction..

 

The old section of the Bartholomew County jail, which could relieve the overcrowding problem with its 100 beds, is unused.

 

Myers said that the priority to law enforcement is to keep the public safe and to make sure laws are obeyed. But that also puts the burden for dealing with the drug problem squarely on law enforcement.

The sheriff says the jail has been operating at or near its capacity for the past year.  Within the last few weeks, the jail has been close to its capacity of 232 prisoners, and is at 209 today. Its high so far this year has been nearly 260 inmates, the sheriff said.

Aviation fuel passes test after fatal plane crash

The Columbus Municipal Airport’s aviation fuel has tested OK, following a plane crash that killed three people earlier this month near Oldenberg.

The plane had fueled up twice on Saturday, Dec. 16th at the self fuel station here at the airport before it took off from Columbus and crashed about 40 minutes later killing everyone onboard. The fuel station was taken off line until the fuel could be tested for any problems.

Columbus airport director Brian Payne says that the fuel has been checked by a company called Intertek of Romeoville, Ill. and passed all tests with no discrepancies.

The fuel has been declared safe for operation and the fuel station has been brought back on line. Payne said the test results have been shared with the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board. The city airport will continue to cooperate with federal authorities during their investigation, Payne said.

Trash routes behind this week; Christmas tree pickup starts

Trash routes in Columbus are running a day behind this week, due to the Christmas holiday. Normal Friday routes will run on Saturday. In Seymour, yesterday’s normal trash collections will be made today.

Columbus city trash crews will begin picking up natural Christmas trees starting today and running through January 26th. You should have the tree curbside on your normal trash day.

Trees have to be out of any bags and you need to remove any ornaments, hooks, stands, or nails.

Christmas tree fire destroys Candlelight Village home

Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department

A fire sparked in a Christmas tree destroyed a home in Candlelight Village in Columbus early in the morning on Christmas Eve but the resident was able to escape due to working smoke alarms in the home.

The resident of the home on Rosedale Drive was painting a bedroom at about 12:45 a.m. that morning when the smoke alarm went off. He opened the bedroom door to see the tree on fire and the home filling with thick black smoke, according to Capt. Mike Wilson with the Columbus FIre Department. The homeowner escaped through a side door.

Wilson said that the fire took about 20 minutes to get under control. The firefighting was complicated  when a firefighter’s foot went through the floor weakened by flames.

The resident said that he had not watered the live tree in several days and that he uses space heaters to heat the home.

The home was a total loss with damages estimated at $30,000. The resident will be staying with family members, Wilson said.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department
Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department
Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department
Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department