Afghan refugees have begun arriving at Camp Atterbury, according to the Indiana National Guard.

The first aircraft began arriving in Indiana yesterday. The Department of Defense is providing transportation, temporary housing, medical screening and logistics support for the Afghans’ safe relocation to the United States. About 2,500 Afghans can currently be temporarily housed at Camp Atterbury, one of eight sites across the United States to host the Afghan evacuees.

Brig. Gen. Niave Knell, the commander of Task Force Atterbury, praised the professionalism of the team receiving and aiding the Afghans. She said the multi-agency effort meant the base was ready to receive the refugees with open arms, ensuring dignity and respect to all.

Camp Atterbury has announced that all donations to the refugees and needs for volunteer help are being coordinated through Team Rubicon and the American Red Cross

For more information on how to donate or volunteer, you can go to teamrubiconusa.org/resettlement, or redcross.org. You can find a link to a list of needed items for the refugees here.

Email: [email protected]
Team Rubicon: 310-640-8787
Red Cross: 1-888-684-1441

Photos courtesy of by Sgt. Tackora Farrington.

The next Columbus Bluegrass Jamboree will be Saturday, September 11 at Donner Center.

You can bring your own instrument for an Open Jam starting at 4 p.m.. Group performances will begin at 5 with bands including Straightline, Right Hand, Hoosier Hill, and Indiana Rail.

Masks will be required inside the center.

The event is free and you are invited to attend. Donations are welcome.

The Jamboree is sponsored by Columbus Parks and Recreation and Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center. For more information, you can call 812-614-0955 or visit columbusbluegrassjamboree.com.

The last Cruise-in of the season will be held on the Hope Town Square Friday afternoon.

The event will have a theme of 70s and 80s rock and roll. There will be a costume contest and prizes given for the oldest car, People’s Choice, and the band’s favorite car.

The event starts at 5 and the band Ragtop Deluxe will be performing from 6 to 8 p.m. The Cruise-in to Hope is sponsored by Main Street of Hope and the Town of Hope.

IUPUC will have three new students who are recipients of the Next Generation Hoosier Education Scholarship in classes this fall.

First-year students Maylee Barriger of Hope, Caroline Sheaffer of Waldron, and Shelby Wilson of Scipio all received the scholarship.

In exchange for a renewable $7,500 a year scholarship, the 200 recipients agree to teach for five years at an eligible Indiana school.

While in college, the recipients must pursue a course of study that would enable them to teach at an eligible Indiana school after college graduation.

For more information about the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship, you can click here.

Photo courtesy of IUPUC, from left Caroline Sheaffer, Shelby Wilson, Maylee Barriger.

Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department says a driver was seriously injured in a crash on a rural county road Wednesday.

The sheriff’s department was called to the two-vehicle crash at County Roads East 300S and South 900E at about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. Elizabethtown Volunteer fire fighters were already on scene helping the injured.

According to the investigation, a driver, Brandon Beckman of Scipio failed to yield and pulled into the intersection, where he hit a second driver, Chelsea Turner of Westport.

Beckman was flown by Lifeline helicopter to University of Louisville Hospital. The other driver, Turner and two children in her vehicle were taken to Columbus Regional Hospital by treatment.

Chief Deputy Major Chris Lane says this is the third serious traffic crash in as many days in Bartholomew County.

Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

Seymour police are planning to crack down on drivers who park on the wrong side of the street. Police issued a message on social media that despite a photo of a line of cars parked on the wrong side, the drivers are actually in southern Indiana, not England.

According to the police department, it is illegal to park against the flow of traffic. The state code says if you are parking on the street your right side tires should be within 12 inches of the right side curb. Police say that you are making a dangerous maneuver, crossing the centerline and driving into oncoming traffic twice each time you park going the wrong direction. Parking the wrong direction is unpredictable and dangerous to other drivers, pedestrians and bikers who must navigate around your maneuvers.

Seymour police say a grace period is now in effect where officers will try to educate the public for 30 days. After that grace period ends, you will be issued warnings, but there will be no fines initially. If that doesn’t solve the problem, parking tickets will start being issued.

But police say that they would rather you keep your money and park correctly.

A Whiteland woman died in a crash on U.S. 50 in Jennings County Tuesday.

The Jennings County Sheriff’s Department is reporting that 21-year-old Rachael L. Salter was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash at about 7:20 p.m. Tuesday night on U.S. 50W, just east of County Road 575 West.

According to police reports Salter lost control of her car for unknown reasons, left the south side of the road and then struck a tree. Toxicology results are pending and speed is believed to have been a factor in the crash.

Note: This story has been updated.

Gov. Eric Holcomb and Indiana National Guard Adjutant General Dale Lyles laid out more details of the upcoming Afghan refugees coming to Camp Atterbury at a press conference today.

The Department of Defense announced yesterday that Camp Atterbury would be one of the sites around the country to accept Afghan refugees who are special immigrant visa applicants. Initially, Atterbury will be made ready for 5,000 refugees, Gen. Lyles said, but that could be expanded to 10,000 with the space available, if additional housing was constructed.

Holcomb said that there were probably steps he could have taken to slow the process but ultimately he didn’t want to throw a “temper tantrum” and stand in the way of rescuing Afghans who aided American war efforts over the past 20 years.

Holcomb and Lyles explained that there will have been multiple layers of vetting involving agencies including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI to determine the status of the refugees both before and after their arrival here. Ultimately, if they are cleared by security and medically, they could be allowed access to local communities.

However there will be steps taken to provide for needs such as medical facilities at Atterbury so the local systems are not strained.

Holcomb said the overall response from Hoosiers has been positive, with many groups offering aid and assistance, and employers saying that they are anxious to have access to the possibility of new candidates to fill job vacancies.

Lyles said there has been no indication of any increased terrorism threats in the area related to the refugees arrival.

Camp Atterbury joins Fort Pickett, Marine Corps Base Quantico and Fort Lee in Va.; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort McCoy, Wis.; Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.; and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in N.J. to provide temporary housing and support for up to 50,000 Afghans.

Indiana Department of Transportation says contractors will be closing State Road 58 in Jackson County between County Roads 950N and 1075N beginning on or after Tuesday.

State Road 58 will be closed for a box culvert replacement for about five weeks. Motorists should seek an alternate route. The official detour will follow State Road 258, State Road 11 and I-65.

You should slow down, use extra caution and drive without distractions in all work zones.

Our Hospice of South Central Indiana says that Friday’s fish fry at the American Legion Post in Columbus raised $9,000, a record amount.

Since 2015, the Legion Post 24 has raised more than $27,000 for the hospice. Hospice President Laura Leonard thanked the post and Columbus Silgas, which donated $500 to offset expenses for the fish fry.

The normal Labor Day weekend concert fundraiser held at Mill Race Park by Our Hospice, has been canceled but the hospice will be holding cookie, T-shirt and raffle ticket sales in the former Fair Oaks Mall parking lot over the next few days to support the not-for-profit group.

Today and Thursday, you can purchase fresh baked cookies or T-shirts in the Fair Oaks Mall parking lot from 11 to 1 and from 4 to 6 each day. You get three cookies for a donation or three dozen boxed for a minimum $15 donation. T-shirts are $20.

You can purchase $10 raffle tickets for a chance to win $10,000 at the Fair Oaks Mall events this week, from any employee or on Saturday in front of the hospice center. You can also purchase the tickets online until 5 p.m. Saturday afternoon at www.crh.org/hospiceraffle.

The raffle will be held at 7 in the evening on Saturday. Winners will be notified by phone and results will also be posted on the Our Hospice Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/OurHospice) and Instagram pages (https://www.instagram.com/OurHospice.)

Photo courtesy of Our Hospice of South-Central Indiana.