Indy Design Week 2020 is coming up next week and it will include a virtual program dedicated to improving the communities of Columbus, Bloomington and Indianapolis.

The free online program called Homeworks will take place over all five week days with online conversations on social connectivity, public space, home life and food systems, according to the Columbus Design Institute, an offshoot of Landmark Columbus.

Homeworks is presented by the Central Indiana Community Foundation.

Although free, tickets are required for complete access to Indy Design Week’s conference activities. You can get more information at www.indydesignweek.com/

Edinburgh, Brown County and Greensburg are benefiting from a COVID-19 Response Program through the state of Indiana.

Last week, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced almost $2 million dollars in grant funding and yesterday announced another $8.8 million in funds. Crouch explains.

Yesterday, Crouch announced that the Town of Edinburgh was awarded $240,000 to provide grants to small businesses to retain low-to-moderate income employees and to assist with working capital. Brown County was awarded $250,000 to establish a grant program designed to provide economic relief for small businesses to retain jobs.

Last week, The City of Greensburg was awarded $250,000 to provide loans to local small business owners who are low-to-moderate income or to retain low-to-moderate income jobs. The funds will be processed through the local economic development revolving loan program.

Cummins will be taking its upcoming annual meeting digital, to help protect employees and shareholders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company announced this week that the May 12th meeting will be held virtually.

Jon Mills, spokesman for the company, explains the decision:

Cummins shareholders will not be able to physically attend the meeting, but they can participate virtually including asking questions, voting their shares and revoke or change a previously submitted vote. Participating online will count as being present.

Shareholders are entitled to participate in the annual meeting if they were a shareholder of record as of March 10th.

Cummins is encouraging its shareholders to consider voting and submitting proxies in advance of the annual meeting using one of the available methods described in the proxy materials.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department says that female inmates in the jail drug rehab program have been making masks for other inmates, jail staff and employees at Sam’s Club.

The program is patterned after a similar effort in Jackson County.

Corrections Officer Courtney Fisher obtained fabric for the masks and within a week and a half, the inmates have sewn 120 masks for the store and 70 more are nearly ready to be distributed.

Sheriff Matt Myers said that Sams Club has donated much-needed cleaning supplies to the jail during the pandemic.

The sheriff’s office is looking for any donations of materials or the hard-to-find elastic for the project. If you would like to donate you can contact the sheriff’s department at 812-379-1650.

Columbus Regional Health is beginning the gradual return to normal operations, allowing some elective procedures to begin again at the hospital.

Kelsey DeClue, spokeswoman for CRH, explains during a recent video update to the community available below.

The hospital will be expanding its services again through a phased approach focused on the safety of patients and the workforce.

The hospital is in the process of contacting patients who had medical procedures or services delayed under the governor’s orders. Those include surgical services, screening and diagnostic procedures, and other outpatient care.

Patients will notice heightened safety measures, including screening assessments of everyone going into CRH facilities, the limited entrances to the hospital, restrictions on visitors and pre-testing of surgical procedure patients for COVID-19. Those entering the campus will be given a mask to wear if they do not already have one of their own, DeClue said.

If you had a procedure scheduled and have not yet heard from the hospital, you can call the main number at 800-841-4938