The city of Columbus is moving forward with plans for a downtown grocery and apartment complex next to the Bartholomew County Jail.

The city’s redevelopment commission gave its final approval yesterday to a plan to split off the area into its own special taxing unit called a Tax Increment Financing district allocation area . That will be used as a tool to fund the $40 million project. The City Council gave its approval to the change last month.

The property had previously been part of a larger central Tax Increment Financing district encompassing the downtown all the way to Walesboro. A TIF district allows the city redevelopment commission to siphon off increasing property taxes in an area to fund improvements within that zone, essentially allowing development to pay for itself.

In addition to providing the property for the project, the city through the Columbus Redevelopment Commission would guarantee more than $11 million dollars in bonds. The existing Central TIF district would expire before those bonds are paid off, requiring the allocation area change.

The city is partnering with developer Flaherty & Collins of Indianapolis to build 200 apartments and a 12 thousand to 15 thousand square foot grocery at the property. The project would open in about three years.

Authorities have arrested a former North Vernon resident on child-molesting charges after an investigation by the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department.

According to the department, deputies from the Jennings and Jefferson county sheriff’s departments and Indiana State Police troopers served an arrest warrant at a home in Jefferson County early yesterday morning.

36-year-old Michael Waskom was taken into custody at his home on a charge of child molestation. He was also found to be carrying methamphetamine when he was arrested.

Waskom, formerly of North Vernon, was the subject of a lengthy investigation by Jennings County detectives.

41-year-old Amy Trowbridge of Scipio was also at the home and police say she was carrying methamphetamine. She is facing a drug possession charge.

State and local police have kicked off their annual Click-It or Ticket campaign to encourage the use of seat belts.

Last year, more than 800 people were killed on Indiana roads. Of those, 364 were not wearing seat belts.

Starting yesterday and running through June 6th, under the campaign you will see Indiana State Police troopers, Bartholomew County deputies, Columbus police and other agencies across the state, out in greater numbers writing citations and conducting high-visibility patrols. Under Indiana’s primary seat belt law, officers can stop and cite drivers and passengers just for failing to wear a seat belt.

Throughout the campaign, authorities will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt enforcement, which means anyone caught not wearing one will receive a citation.

You can expect to see the patrols during daylight hours, but also at night. That’s when unrestrained driving is at its peak, in the hours between midnight and 4 a.m. in the morning.

Drivers can also be cited for each unbuckled passenger in their vehicle under the age of 16, and children under eight must be properly restrained in a federally approved child or booster seat.

The campaign is being paid for with funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.

Organizers of this fall’s Seymour Oktoberfest say that planning is underway and the festival is tentatively set for Sept. 29th through October 2nd.

However, organizers say that ultimately the decision to hold the festival will come down to the state of the pandemic including the number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Organizers and the Jackson County Health Department suggest that you can help make the festival a reality by maintaining safety guidelines and getting vaccinated.

Jackson County has about 30 percent of its population vaccinated — a long way from the 70 percent or more needed for herd immunity.

For more information, including how to become a vendor you can go to seymouroktoberfest.com.

Our Hospice of South Central Indiana is announcing the 27th annual Decatur Golf Tournament that will be held on June 18th at the Greensburg Country Club.

The entry fee is $90 per player or $360 per team which includes green fees, cart, box lunch and prizes. Teams will be assigned a starting hole prior to the event and will be going directly to their assigned starting hole, after picking up their lunches. A shotgun start will be at 11 in the morning.

Awards will be announced on social media.

There will be no walk up registration on the day of the tournament. Instead, new this year, you can register your team online, sign up to be a sponsor or make a donation at crh.org/hospicegolf.

Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced Monday that Indiana will end its participation in all federally funded pandemic unemployment insurance programs effective June 19th.

“There are help wanted signs posted all over Indiana, and while our economy took a hit last year, it is roaring like an Indy 500 race car engine now. I am hearing from multiple sector employers that they want and need to hire more Hoosiers to grow,” Holcomb announced. “We have a myriad of work options in every region of our state with many more coming online every week.”

The programs that will end are:

• Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation which provides a $300 weekly add-on to recipients of unemployment insurance
• Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation which provides recipients extended benefits after their traditional 26 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits have been exhausted
• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance which provides benefits to individuals who do not normally qualify for unemployment benefits, such as self-employed, gig workers, and independent contractors
• Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation which provides a $100 additional weekly benefit for individuals who are eligible for regular unemployment benefits but also earned at least $5,000 in self-employment income

Indiana’s unemployment rate, which jumped to more than 17 percent at the height of the pandemic, has recovered to 3.9 percent.

Holcomb said that there are about 116,000 available jobs in the state that need filled now. He pointed to recent jobs announcements from companies like Amazon, Apple, Toyota, and Milwaukee Tool.

On May 11th, Gov. Holcomb signed an executive order to reinstate requirements that Hoosiers who are requesting unemployment benefits be actively seeking full-time work beginning on June 1. Work search activities include applying for a job, attending a job fair, participating in WorkOne orientation, or completing an online workshop.

More information may be found at https://www.in.gov/dwd/indiana-unemployment/individuals/work-search/

INDOT is looking for your thoughts on planned improvements on State Road 7 in Jennings County.

The agency will be holding a public hearing on the improvements on Wednesday, May 26th at the North Vernon Education and Training Center on O&M Avenue.

The proposed project includes intersection improvements on State Road 7 at Jennings County Road 275W, Country Squire Boulevard, and Dollar General, as well as a culvert replacement just north of 275W. The goal is to fix roadway deficiencies and reduce the likelihood of crashes at the locations. The project also would improve the functionality of the culvert.

The work would require a short-term closure of State Road 7 in the summer of 2022.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. so you can view displays and talk with project personnel, with the formal presentation starting at 6 p.m.

The agency will be taking your comments at the meeting, but you can also view the materials online and send in your comments by June 10th.

Gleaners Food Bank will be holding a drive-thru food pantry distribution from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Columbus Municipal Airport at 5175 N. Warren Drive.

You will be able to stay in your vehicle and the food will be delivered to you. There will be no early arrivals and there is no parking allowed on River Road or Cunningham Drive.

The Seymour Parks and Recreation Department wants to know why you like to spend time in the city parks and is offering a contest to find out.

City officials say you can enter by recording a 30-second video or taking a photo in a local public outdoor space in Seymour. You will need to explain in the video or in a photo caption why
the space is important and share it to the City of Seymour Parks and Recreation Facebook page. The entries must be tagged with a hashtag #MyParkMyWhy.

The deadline to enter is May 31. A photo and a video winner will be selected and each will receive a Seymour Parks swag bag.

The Columbus Indiana Philharmonic will be performing again on the Bartholomew County Courthouse lawn on Friday, May 28th for the return of the annual SALUTE! concert.

Heidi Kelley, executive director of the orchestra, explains that this year’s concert will include safety precautions both amongst the audience and among the musicians.

Unlike previous years, lawn chairs can not be set up until 5 that Friday night. Color-coded wristbands will be issued, starting at 5, indicating which zone you can sit in.

The orchestra suggests that you remain socially distanced during the performance and keep masks on when you are away from your group.

The orchestra will be smaller than normal and musicians will be spaced out to one per music stand. Conductor David Bowden will also be moved further away from the musicians.

The concert starts at 7 p.m.