The city of Columbus is hosting a meeting with the residents of the State Street area Monday evening. The Director of the Love Chapel, Kelly Daugherty, will be the guest speaker.

City Councilman Dascal Bunch, who represents the area, notes that this meeting is a follow-up to one held last fall. In that meeting, much of the concern among area residents and business owners was how homelessness was impacting those who live and work there. Addiction and discarded needles were also addressed.

While the meeting will focus on the State Street area, all city residents are welcome. It will begin at 6 p.m. in the Cal Brand Meeting Room at city hall.

The Columbus Area Visitors Center has won approval for its $1.4 million budget for next year.

The center is funded out of revenues from a 5 percent tax on hotel rooms called an innkeeper’s tax. The center announced that it has won approval this week for its proposal to the Bartholomew County Recreation, Convention, and Visitor Promotion Commission which oversees the distribution of those funds.

The visitors center also won approval from the commission for two grants to help local tourism efforts. That would include $100,000 for a new kidscommons exhibit and $100,000 for upgrades to the playground at The Commons. Those grants are contingent on other groups providing the rest of the funding for the projects.

The commission contracts with the visitors center to promote and grow local tourism.

North Vernon city officials are alerting residents that Duke Energy will be working in the area over the next few months, replacing customers’ meters with new, digital smart meters.

According to Duke Energy, the technicians drive white vans that have signs on the side identifying them as “Aclara-SGS – a Contractor for Duke Energy.” They will also be carrying ID.

North Vernon Police Department say that if you do suspect suspicious activity in and around your home you can call the police non-emergency number 812-346-1466.

Southern Indiana Rotary clubs are accepting applications for a $40,000 Rotary District Global Grant Scholarship. The scholarship is designed to help a southern Indiana student to study in a graduate program at any qualified university outside the U.S.

Rotary officials say the 2020-21 program is open to students who attend a four-year college in southern Indiana (or who maintain a legal residence in the district) and who plan to pursue graduate-level studies at an overseas university.

Officials say the program “supports exceptional scholars dedicated to pursuing a career in an area of great humanitarian need and who demonstrate a long-term commitment to measurable, sustainable change.” Scholars must present a plan of study and a career commitment that align with one of The Rotary Foundation’s six areas of focus.

For more information and for an application, visit
rotary6580.org/global-grant-scholarship.php. The deadline to apply is December 20, 2019.

Contractors in Jackson County are set to begin work to replace a box culvert on U.S. 31, north of Uniontown, next week. Officials with the Indiana Department of Transportation say the road will close one mile north of State Road 250 for approximately 30 days while work is completed. If the weather cooperates, work is slated to begin June 24th.

INDOT says that the official state detour for all U.S. 31 closures in Jackson County will be I-65 NB to U.S. 50.

Classes may be out of session for the summer, but work continues for the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation. Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts says that 21 facilities have to be maintained and improved. Part of those improvements include energy efficiency efforts.

Roberts says that money is coming from the 2019 general obligation bond. He noted that this bond will not increase the local tax rate, as other debt has been paid-off and energy savings are expected to save the school district around $500,000 per year.

Roberts notes that regular maintenance issues also need to be addressed.

BCSC students return to class August 7th.

Columbus city leaders are being asked to ban vaping in public places and businesses in the same way cigarettes have been banned.

Kylee Jones, tobacco awareness coordinator with Healthy Communities at Columbus Regional Health made a presentation to Columbus City Council this week, asking for the amendment. She says that use of e-cigarettes is skyrocketing among the youth in our community and the devices are possibly as harmful to public health as actual cigarettes.

The request will now go the mayor’s ordinance advisory committee for consideration and could come back to the council soon for a vote. Council members generally seemed in favor of the change when it was presented Tuesday.

A man led Hope police and Bartholomew County deputies on a low-speed chase through the northeastern part of the county yesterday,

A Hope officer tried to pull over an SUV for an unsafe maneuver at about 3:47 p.m.  yesterday afternoon but the driver allegedly refused to stop. He then continued to drive slowly on town streets and roads in the surrounding area, while police pursued him.

Eventually the driver, identified as 42-year-old Randy S. Colburn of Edinburgh, drove into a creek bank on a farm and then tried to run away. After a short chase, he was captured by a deputy.

He is facing charges of resisting law enforcement, criminal mischief (greater than $750 damage), driving while a habitual traffic violator and an outstanding Bartholomew County warrant.

The Bartholomew County Emergency Operations Center reports that several area roads remain closed due to high water. That includes:

• 800S between State Road 11 and South U.S. 31
• 400N between U.S. 31 and River Rd, including Tinkey Bridge
• Tellman Camp Road between Indianapolis Road and 200W
• South Jonesville Road at East 550S
• 900N at 300E

High water is running over Jonesville Road/State Road 11 near Jonathan Moore Pike but it is considered passable.

Dispatchers also say that there is high water at Second and Franklin streets.

Authorities warn that you should never drive onto flooded roadways. They say, Turn around and don’t drown.

A flash flood watch remains in effect in our area through tonight with the potential for heavy rain this morning, according to the National Weather Service. Another 1 to 2 inches of rain is possible in the area. That rain will be falling on already saturated ground, leading to the danger of flash flooding.

Rivers have returned to normal levels in Bartholomew County, but East Fork White River in Seymour is still running in the moderate flood stage.

Brown County State Park and Abe Martin Lodge will remain closed through this weekend.

Officials with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources explain that the sediment level from last weekend’s heavy rainfall still remains too high in Ogle Lake to allow the production of potable water.

Closure beyond the weekend will be evaluated on a day-by-day basis.