The Bartholomew County 4-H Fair continues today with Bartholomew County REMC Day at the fair.

Entertainment today includes the 4-H Best Dressed Rabbit & Rabbit Races at the Gathering Pavilion, a blacksmithing demonstration at the Heritage Building, a frog jumping contest at the Farm Bureau Building, Chordlighters Barbershop Quartet at the David Boll Theatre and All Star Circuit of Champions TQ Midgets at the grandstands to benefit the Tony Stewart Foundation.

Fair board president Rick Trimpe says that a ceremony will be held tonight to dedicate the grandstands in honor of the Columbus racer. However, the ceremony has been delayed. It will now be held at 6:30 this evening.

Trimpe said that Stewart is also going to be giving away tickets for the first 2,000 attendees, for this weekend’s SRX Independence Showdown at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis.

It is Community Day at the Midway starting at 5 p.m.. Wristbands are $25 and you will receive $5 off by bringing in canned goods.

You can get more information at bartholomewcountyfair.com

JCB says none of its customers’ loans, deposits or other banking were affected by a Sunday afternoon fire that closed the Jackson County bank’s Brownstown facility. All the contents inside the banking center are safe and secure, bank officials say.

The fire was reported at about 6:25 Sunday evening. JCB President and CEO Marvin Veatch praised the Brownstown Fire Department and other surrounding volunteer departments for a quick response to the fire that minimized damages. He said that the company was fortunate the fire occurred during non banking hours.

The Brownstown banking center will remain closed until further notice. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the the Indiana State Fire Marshall.

JCB customers can access their accounts online at JCBank.com or at one of the bank’s nine other locations, including three in Seymour. For more information call 800-204-6477

The Bartholomew County 4-H Fair is underway.

Activities today include Lil’ Hands on the Farm at the Community Building, a Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest and clogging at the Farm Bureau Building, Columbus City Band at the David Boll Theatre and Columbus Speedway Go-Karts at the Grandstand. The midway opens at 5 p.m. with Dollar Day, $1 per ride.

The Bartholomew County Health Department will be having a free COVID-19 clinic at the fair. Both the Pfizer and the Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be offered at the clinic which will be held in the sheriff’s department tent at the fairgrounds. The clinic is for those 12 and older and walk-in patients are welcome. A free gift will also be given with each vaccination. The clinic will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m. this evening.

For the complete fair schedule, click here.

The deadline is coming up on Wednesday, for Hope area kids to enter to reign as this year’s Little Miss Sparkler and Mr. Firecracker during the Old-Fashioned Independence Day festivities Friday.

Area children between 3 and 10 years old are invited to take part. To win votes, every penny raised counts as one vote. Participants are urged to decorate cans for donations and place them around town, or to solicit donations from friends and family members.

Participants must turn in their can to the Yellow Trail Museum by Wednesday. All proceeds benefit the Yellow Trail Museum.

The winners will be announced at 6:15 p.m. on Friday on the Hope Town Square. They will then then lead the bike, trike and stroller parade around the square.

United Way of Bartholomew County says that Bartholomew County residents who need assistance paying for health insurance may qualify for help.

According to the agency, residents may qualify for the Premium Link program if their household income is less than 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines and if they have health coverage through the state Marketplace Silver Plan or HIP Plus.

Nearly 100 people received help with their health insurance premiums in 2020 through the program.

To sign up or to get more information, call (812) 314-2960 or email [email protected].

A Columbus teen was hit and killed by a semi after an accident on Interstate 65 early Saturday morning.

15-year-old Ethan Kuniewicz of Columbus was pronounced dead on the scene by Deputy County Coroner Charlie Deweese.

The incident was reported at 5:51 a.m. Saturday morning, about three miles south of Edinburgh on the interstate according to the coroner’s office.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department reports that the teen was traveling north on the Interstate when the minivan ran off the road into the median. Based on witnesses, it appears that Kuniewicz tried to cross the southbound traffic when he was hit by the semi.

The crash is being investigated by the sheriff’s department and Indiana State Police. I-65 was shut down for about three hours.

Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department

A Columbus police officer shot an armed man outside of a home early Sunday morning and Indiana State Police are investigating the incident.

According to police reports, a out-of-town homeowner was alerted through remote security video that an unknown man was on his property. The homeowner called 911 and a Columbus police officer was called to the home in the 3300 block of Woodland Parkway at about 4:12 a.m.

About a minute later, the officer reported shots being fired and called for medical assistance. Columbus police report that the officer encountered the armed man outside of the home and shortly afterwards the officer fired his weapon, striking the suspect.

Officers and medics provided medical aid to the suspect who was first taken to Columbus Municipal Airport and then flown by IU Lifeline medical helicopter to IU Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for treatment. He is in believed to be in critical condition according to troopers but his name has not been released.

Police say a firearm was recovered at the scene.

The officer was uninjured.

Indiana State Police were called in to investigate. Once the investigation is complete, the information will be forwarded to the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office for review and to determine if any charges will be filed.

The Columbus Municipal Airport is offering an alternative to its traditional aviation day, with a whole weekend of airport-related activities today through Sunday.

Airport officials say that due to the pandemic, the annual aviation day has been postponed. Instead activities will be spaced out over several days at an event called the Flying Fords, centered around a 1920s Ford Tri-Motor airplane. also known as the Tin Goose.  Airport Manager Brian Payne says there will be other Ford focused activities including the Mustang Club, Ford tractors and Ford Model-As.

Other activities will include bounce houses, educational events, the Columbus Public Safety Touch-A-Truck and the Smoke Trailer.

Payne said you can also check out the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum and the new C-119 display

Activities will be 9 to 4 today through Sunday.

You can get more information about the schedule and parking at columbus.in.gov/airport. You can register for rides in the Ford Tri-Motor at: flytheford.org

Former Vice President Mike Pence says he’s “proud” Congress certified President Biden’s victory after the Capitol attack.

The Columbus native spoke at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California on Thursday, pointing out that he didn’t have the constitutional authority to stop the count of electoral votes. His boss, former President Donald Trump believed Pence was obligated to reject the votes due to false claims the election was stolen.

Pence, courtesy of CSPAN:

Story courtesy of our news-gathering partners at TTWN Media Networks Inc.

Photo: Video still courtesy of CSPAN

The Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County has chosen a new executive director.

The agency is announcing that Sherri Jewett will be taking over the role as of July 12th. Outgoing executive director Doug Leonard will stay on through the end of July and then take on an advisory role.

Jewett has led psychiatric and substance use hospitals in the area including Hendricks Behavioral Health in Plainfield and Valle Vista Health System in Greenwood. She has previous experience developing psychiatric and substance use services in communities across the Midwest and East Coast.

ASAP is a not-for-profit corporations that operates the ASAP Hub and ASAP Sober Living. It leads local efforts to identify and establish solutions to substance misuse and substance use disorders through advocacy, treatment and education. It was formed in 2017 through joint efforts of Columbus Regional Health, the city of Columbus and Bartholomew County and is funded largely through public safety income tax revenues.

You can find out more about ASAP here.