It is just over a week away from Election Day.  You can still vote early in Bartholomew County, including new opportunities at a satellite voting center opening today.

Early voting continues this week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays at the voter registration office in the Bartholomew County courthouse. A satellite voting center is opening at Donner Center from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on weekdays this week.

Both locations will be open on Saturday Nov. 2nd from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Columbus voters will be deciding races for all the seats on Columbus City Council, as all of the incumbent council members are opposed this election. Mayor Jim Lienhoop and Clerk-Treasurer Luann Welmer, both Republicans, are running unopposed this year at the top of the ballot.

Early voting wraps up next Monday at noon at the county courthouse.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5th. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. We’ll have live election coverage when polls close right here on News Talk 1010 WCSI and 98-1 FM.

A Friday afternoon fire at a home on Hinman Street in Columbus caused $55,000 in damage, according to firefighters.

Neighbors noticed smoke and flames coming out of the first floor of the two-story home at just before 5 p.m. Friday afternoon. Firefighters found heavy flames when they arrived and they could not verify whether anyone was inside the burning building. They headed inside to search for possibly entrapped victims, but found no one was living there says Capt. Mike Wilson with the department.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. No injuries were reported.

City leaders in Columbus have announced that trick or treat hours locally will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Halloween.

Residents wishing to share treats with trick-or-treaters should leave their outside lights on.

Drivers should use caution when driving during these times. There will be increased pedestrian traffic. Do NOT drive distracted.

Downtown Trick or Treating is set for Monday evening in Seymour. The Seymour Main Street organization says that business owners will be setup handing out candy. In addition, The Seymour Tribune will have a selfie station set up at One Chamber Square, with a costume parade to follow at the Post Office, located at 321 North Chestnut Street.

Residential trick-or-treating in Seymour will be held Halloween night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The Bartholomew County Highway Department wants you to be aware of a pair of projects set to begin in the coming days.

Country Club Road will be closed to all traffic beginning Monday, Oct. 28th, from 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. for asphalt overlay. Officials say that crews will be paving the full width of the road, making vehicular traffic impossible.

County officials add that County Road 525 West, from State Road 46 to Goeller Road, will be closed from 7:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29, for pipe replacement.

Both projects are dependent on the weather. You are asked to avoid these areas.

If you are looking for more traffic information, download the WAZE app for your smartphone and join the WCSI Traffic team powered by Crew Car Wash. You can find updated traffic information on our website, on-air and on the app.

A Columbus family lost their home last night when their camper burst into flames and the fire spread to their house.

The incident started when the residents were woken by a popping sound coming from the camper early this morning and found that it was burning. They tried to put out the fire with a portable extinguisher, but it continued to grow, leaping to the home itself in the 3800 block of Greenbriar Drive. Firefighters were called at about 12:48 a.m. this morning.

When crews arrived the fire had already made it into the attic space of the home and caused a partial collapse of the roof. Firefighters fought the blaze from outside and tried to protect neighboring homes says Capt. Mike Wilson. One of the neighbors had its vinyl siding melted away by the blaze.

Homeowner John Stetter told investigators that he, his wife, and two of their  three children were at home at the time of the fire. He said the camper was being charged from the home with an extension cord. The family had owned the camper since March.

The home and the camper were a total loss and damages are estimated at more than $250,000, Wilson said. The cause of the fire is undetermined. The family is being assisted by Salvation Army and American Red Cross.

A North Vernon man was arrested in Columbus on drug charges after being stopped by police looking for an intoxicated driver.

Witnesses reported a vehicle driving erratically in the 1700 block of North National Road at about 9:40 p.m. last night.

Columbus police stopped the vehicle and while talking with the driver, 33-year-old Michael W. Holt, they noticed he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. He failed several field sobriety tests and was arrested. Police say that a search revealed a small bag of methamphetamine, along with a glass pipe and a set of digital scales with drug residue.

Holt is facing preliminary charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, along with possession charges for the meth and paraphernalia.

A Columbus woman was injured after a crash involving farm equipment in southern Bartholomew County yesterday morning.

Bartholomew County deputies report that 33-year-old Stephanie Brown was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for injuries she sustained in a crash with a tractor being driven by 61-year-old Mark Kiel. Kiel was uninjured.

The crash happened at about 8:40 Thursday morning on U.S. 31 north of County Road 600S. The accident remains under investigation.

Sheriff Matthew A. Myers wants to remind drivers that with the arrival of fall, you are likely to see more farm equipment on area roads. He suggested that you use extra caution, especially on rural county roads.

You will have more chances to vote early in Bartholomew County starting this weekend. Early voting expands to Saturdays and you can cast a ballot from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow at the voter registration office in the Bartholomew County Courthouse.

Early voting continues next week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays at the courthouse. A satellite voting center is opening next week at Donner Center from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Both locations will be open on Saturday Nov. 2nd from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Columbus voters will be choosing City Council representatives across the city. All of the council districts are opposed races this year along with the city-wide at-large races. Neither Mayor Jim Lienhoop nor Clerk Treasurer Luann Welmer, both Republicans, are facing opponents this year.

Early voting wraps up at noon on Monday Nov. 4th at the courthouse. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5th.

Turning Point Domestic Violence Services held its seventh annual “Men Take a Stand” event to combat domestic and dating violence Thursday evening. That event included the presentation of the “Stand Up Award.” This year’s recipient is Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts. He says he was surprised by the award.

Roberts’ award was presented by last year’s Stand Up Award winner, Nick Grams.

About two-dozen people braved the rain and cool temperatures for Thursday evening’s event on Washington Street.