The Columbus Museum of Art and Design has announced a new round of grant funding to promote local art and design projects.

CMAD’s spring 2019 round of funding received nine project proposals. Organizers say that four were supported with grants totaling $12,700. CMAD has now made available an additional $7,500 to fund art and design projects or experiences that contribute to the legacy of Columbus.

While no specific parameters are required, successful applications will use the funding for short-term projects that might not be viable without CMAD’s help. Innovative art that engages a broad range of the Columbus community will be preferred.

Applications are available at cmadart.org/grants and responses are due by October 30, 2019.

Traffic switches are planned next week as part of the I-65 reconstruction and added travel lanes project in Bartholomew and Jackson Counties.

The Indiana Department of Transportation says that E&B Paving Inc. will shift traffic on southbound I-65 back to southbound lanes from mile marker 61.2 to mile marker 58.5 the evening of Tuesday, September 3rd. Traffic will shift back to northbound lanes from mile marker 58.5 to mile marker 56, and back to southbound lanes beginning at mile marker 56, north of S.R. 11 at Exit 55 at Jonesville.

Additionally, E&B Paving Inc. will shift traffic on northbound I-65 to southbound lanes from mile marker 58.5 to mile marker 61.2 on the evening of Thursday, September 5th. Traffic will shift back to northbound lanes at mile marker 61.2 using the existing crossover at Exit 64 at Walesboro. All of this work is dependent on the weather.

Drivers should be aware of the 55 mph speed limit in this area. Use extra caution in the ongoing construction zone between Columbus and Seymour. All trucks should use the left lane for travel.

The project is expected to be complete in August of 2020.

A house fire in the 1700 block of Cottage Avenue kept Columbus firefighters busy Friday morning.

Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department, says that three residents were able to escape the blaze, but at least five cats were killed. He says that firefighters were called to the scene at approximately 6:21 a.m.

A resident told investigators that shortly before the fire was discovered, the home’s power went out. A breaker had tripped and was manually reset, allowing the power to return. About 20 minutes later, residents noticed a glowing light behind a closed bedroom door at the rear of the home. When they opened the door, fire was visible inside. They tried to put the fire out with water, but were unsuccessful.

Investigators reported the official cause of the fire as undetermined. Damages to the home were extensive and are estimated to be over $ 50,000 to structure and contents. The family has been displaced and are being helped by The Salvation Army.

Wilson says there were no working smoke detectors in the home.

The Yellow Trail Museum in Hope will be holding the next in its series of Sunday Socials from 2 to 4 this week.

The museum is looking for stories about life in Flatrock and Hawcreek Townships from the 1930s to the present. The stories will be recorded and used in historical presentations and included in projects for museum visitors.

This month’s discussion will talk about the things children in Hope did for fun back in the day. Soda fountains, sock hops, church socials and movies in the square are among the expected topics. Light refreshments will be served.

The Yellow Trail Museum is on the northwest corner of the Hope Town Square.

Hope schools were in a soft lockdown and residents were urged to secure their homes this morning as Bartholomew County deputies searched for a wanted man in the area.

The suspect has been apprehended.

Deputies were searching for a possibly armed man with no shirt on who has a red Mohawk haircut in the vicinity of County Road 500N and East Lake Shore Drive. Deputies urged residents to secure their doors and windows.

Hope Elementary said there were three officers on campus and all doors were secured. Students were not allowed to enter or leave the building. School officials say they had no reason to believe student safety was at risk but they wanted to take all precautions until the suspect was found.

An elderly Columbus woman died yesterday afternoon after crashing into the rear of two other vehicles on U.S. 31 at Eisenhower Drive in Edinburgh.

74-year-old Dorothy Patricia Wagner was pronounced dead at the scene by the Bartholomew County Coroner’s office. Coroner Clayton Nolting says her death was caused by massive blunt force trauma.

Edinburgh Police Deputy Chief Dave Lutz says the crash happened at about 4:45 p.m. yesterday afternoon when Wagner failed to stop at the light and rammed two stopped vehicles. Lutz says a medical emergency may have been involved.

One of the two other drivers is being treated for life-threatening injuries after having to be cut from the wreckage by Edinburgh firefighters and flown by helicopter to an Indianapolis hospital. The names of the other victims in the crash have not yet been released.

An Indiana conservation officer was the first to arrive at the crash and Edinburgh police were assisted by Bartholomew County deputies at the scene.

This weekend is Labor Day and that means the annual free concert at Mill Race Park Saturday benefiting Our Hospice of South Central Indiana.

There will be no parking inside Mill Race Park or at Hotel Indigo during the concert. You should look for parking in the nearby Cummins lot, on downtown streets and in the parking garages. Those with a disability permit can park inside by taking the 8th and Lindsey streets entrance to the park and there will be designated seating for those with disabilities.

Food vendors will start serving at 4:30 p.m. Those will include The Savory Swine, Erica’s Deli, Lorie’s Lemon Shake Up, The Rolling Cone, Snappy Tomato Pizza, Indiana Smokehouse, American Legion and Chris Bickey. Our Hospice will be selling baked goods.

The concert starts at 6:30 p.m. The Woomblies Rock Orchestra will be the opening act starting at 7 p.m. 80s rockers “Survivor” will headline the show at about 8:30 p.m.

The annual concert is the largest annual fundraiser for Our Hospice. There will be $10 raffle tickets for a chance to win $10,000 and Faurecia will be raffling off custom built grills.

You can get more information at the Our Hospice page on Facebook.

Duke Energy is sending crews to assist in restoring power to customers in the Southeast who are affected by Hurricane Dorian.

Crews are leaving from eight different operations centers in Indiana, including:

• Aurora
• Bedford
• Clarksville
• Edinburgh
• Princeton
• Shelbyville
• Sullivan
• Interstate 70 at Cloverdale exit

Departure times will be at approximately 7 a.m., Friday, Aug. 30th. Crews will drive to Macon, Georgia to spend Friday night. They will await further instructions as to where they will be deployed, either in Florida or the Carolinas, depending on the track of hurricane and level of damage.

Duke officials says that it is unknown at this point how long crews will be deployed.

Nearly 30 people were arrested during a Wednesday evening law-enforcement sweep across Jennings County.

Officers from the North Vernon Police Department joined deputies from the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, officers from Indiana State Parole, officers from Jennings County Superior Court Probation and officers from Jennings County Circuit Court Probation in the sweep. The officers aided parole and probation with compliance checks and conducted saturation patrols in high crime areas.

Sgt. Andrew Richmond, spokesman For the North Vernon Police Department, says the sweep yielded a total of 28 arrests. Those arrested face charges ranging from possession of marijuana, possession of methamphetamine, possession of syringes, active warrants served and compliance violations for both probation and parole.

North Vernon Police Chief James Webster said, “these sweeps allow the departments to pool their resources and perform functions no one department could do on their own. They also strengthen the working relationships between the departments. The results speak for themselves. A great amount of planning goes into bringing the elements together to have a successful operation like this one.”

Reports of an extremely slow driver on Highway 50 in Jennings County ended with the arrest of a North Vernon man.

Just before 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, North Vernon Police found the vehicle on the west side of town and stopped it. They say the driver, 27-year-old Christopher M. Ryan, was in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The investigation continued and field sobriety testing led officers to believe Ryan was driving under the influence.

Ryan was arrested on preliminary charges of Operating while under the Influence (controlled substance), OVWI with Endangerment, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Paraphernalia.