Columbus New Tech Signature Academy will be hosting a traveling exhibit meant to help parents recognize potential warning signs in their children’s lives. “Hidden in Plain Sight” is an interactive display designed to help parents of teens recognize unfamiliar hazards that are often in plain sight.

By walking through a makeshift child’s bedroom, parents learn to identify objects that could provide critical insights about risky behavior. Amidst the clutter, organizers say are more than 100 items that can actually be signals that a young person could be involved in harmful or illegal activity.

“Hidden in Plain Sight” will be on display at Columbus New Tech located at 2205 25th Street on September 4th at 5:30 p.m. The exhibit is open to adults only. There is no charge to attend.

If you’ve wanted to get out and enjoy Columbus, you now have an option to get around for free, for a limited time.

The ColumBike bikeshare program is free through the end of October. Organizers explain the idea is to get more people to enjoy the displays put up throughout the city as part of “Exhibit Columbus.” You are encouraged to visit any of the eight bicycle stations and ride free of charge. Simply visit a kiosk station, swipe your credit or debit card, enter the promo code “278.” This code will allow you to ride for two hours free of charge. After that, you’ll be charged $3 per hour. If you don’t want to pay, you can check your bike back into a kiosk and start the checkout process over again.

For more information, visit columbike.bicycle.com/station-map.

Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County recently awarded $372,000 in grants to local nonprofit organizations.

Grant recipients were:

• Developmental Services, Inc. – $40,000 for the construction of a new modular classroom to allow for expanded programming options.
• Kidscommons – $100,000 over two years as a contribution to its $500,000 capital campaign for the build-out and installation of a new exhibit.
• Foundation For Youth – $102,000 to fund new staff positions to help with increased demand for services, space and fundraising.
• Sans Souci – $70,000 over two years to fund the incremental cost of management positions in the areas of Human Resources, Operations, Human Services and Outreach.
• Advocates for Children – $60,000 over two years to create a full-time Director of Development position.

That grant money is coming from the unrestricted Community Fund as part of its third-quarter grants cycle.

Officials say these Community Fund grants help Heritage Fund to meet emerging needs in Bartholomew County in the areas of Youth Development, Substance Abuse, Neighborhood Revitalization, Innovation and Creativity and Welcoming Community.

East Columbus Christian Church is making plans to add 10 to 12 school classrooms to its school.

School officials are asking the city for approval of their plans to build a new addition to allow for an expanding group of students. The church school will appear before the Columbus Board of Zoning Appeals tonight to get approval for the plan. The church is seeking to expand its footprint in an area zoned for single family residences.

In their application for the conditional use for the property, school officials point out that their use will be the same as their neighbor, Columbus East High School, and that the appearance of the church would not change significantly. That would include a similarly sloped roof and the construction would use some of the 100,000 bricks the church held in reserve from their last building project so everything would match.

The school says the overcrowding has reached the point where they are holding classes in Sunday School classrooms on the other side of the property from the school.

Planning staff is recommending approval of the conditional use. The Board of Zoning appeals meets at 6:30 p.m. tonight at Columbus City Hall.

Bartholomew Consolidated schools will be able to continue funding for programs to help kids graduate, to improve STEM classes in elementaries, and to help those with disabilities transition to jobs after school.

That’s after a $750,000 grant from the city of Columbus. Columbus Clerk-Treasurer Luann Welmer presented the school board with the $750 thousand dollar check last night.

Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts explains that the city made the grant of Tax Increment Financing District funds administered by the Columbus Redevelopment Commission. Because of the size of the grant, it also had to win approval from Columbus City Council.

TIF revenue is generated in the city’s tax increment financing districts, which siphon off rising property taxes from new investments, expansions and higher property values in certain zones slated for economic development.

The money will go toward the iGrad program to keep students in school, Science Technology Math and Engineering classes, and transitional assistance programs.

Roberts explains how the money helps improve the iGrad and STEM programs.

This year, the school district is including STEM classes and facilities at every elementary school in the district.

Bartholomew County will see a lot less roadwork getting done, as state funding continues to shrink.

County Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz says that an update about road funding brought bad news for the county.

State funding is down about $800 thousand dollars this year and is expected to be about $1 million dollars less next year.

Kleinhenz said the county will reach out to local legislators and state officials to find out why the road funding is decreasing so dramatically.

Repaving a road costs about $60,000 a mile, Kleinhenz said, which would mean about 13 fewer miles of road work getting done.

After the state instituted a hike in gas taxes in recent years the county saw funding increase to a level that let it start to catch up on road work, Kleinhenz said.

A Jackson County man found two people robbing his home yesterday and held one at gunpoint until deputies arrived. A second suspect was caught after a search of the area by officers.

When the resident returned to the Newford Road home, he found two people inside who had entered through a window, according to police reports. The resident pulled a gun until deputies arrived and arrested 24-year-old Sloane Smith. He was booked into the Jackson County Jail at about 4:27 yesterday afternoon.

State troopers, Seymour police and Jackson county deputies set up a perimeter and found the second suspect, 32-year-old Craig Mettey, after he allegedly tried to take over an occupied vehicle.

Mettey was arrested on preliminary charges of burglary, kidnapping and residential entry.

Smith is facing charges of possession of methamphetamine, residential entry and burglary.

You have the opportunity to enjoy free live music while helping out Our Hospice of South Central Indiana.

The band “Survivor” is headlining this Saturday’s (Aug. 31) show at Mill Race Park. Julie Davis is an organizer for the event. She talks about the entertainment on tap for the evening.

Davis says this event wouldn’t be possible without the help of sponsors.

Davis explains how money is raised for Our Hospice.

In addition, Faurecia will be raffling off four of their specially constructed grills.

For more information, visit facebook.com/OurHospice.

Bartholomew and Jennings counties will be among the beneficiaries after the Southeast Indiana Workforce Board announced that it will receive $1.5 million from a $4.7 million federal Dislocated Worker Grant being awarded to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.

The grant will help to provide services to eligible individuals and businesses impacted by the health and economic effects of widespread opioid use, addiction and overdose. The grant will enable area WorkOne Southeast offices to address the crisis by promoting and subsidizing positions such as community health workers, recovery coaches and peer navigators.

The grant is being awarded to DWD’s Region 9, which also includes Dearborn, Decatur, Franklin, Jackson, Ohio, Ripley and Switzerland counties.

A press conference to discuss the grants is set for Friday, Aug. 30 at Honda Manufacturing of Indiana in Greensburg.

The Columbus Engineering Department says that County Road 350W, from State Road 46 West south to Pine Ridge Drive, will be closed Tuesday, Aug. 27th, to repair a culvert pipe. The work is expected to last two days with reopening on Thursday.

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