The Women’s Giving Circle in Bartholomew County is kicking off a social media campaign to highlight inspiring women.

The Women’s Giving Circle is a program of Heritage Fund: The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County. The new campaign is meant to provide a platform to lift up local women and to celebrate the ways women make a positive impact across the community.

If you are on Facebook, you are encouraged to make posts highlighting local women who inspire you. You should include her name, the role she has, why she inspires you and a photo. Also include the hashtag #sheinspiresme) and tag  @WomensGivingCircleBC in your posts.

The posts will be shared and highlighted during an upcoming networking event to be held in May. The Champagne & Cupcakes networking event will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on May 12 at Columbus Indiana Philharmonic’s Helen Haddad Hall at 315 Franklin St.

The National Weather Service says there is a better storm outlook for our area this evening. The danger of severe thunderstorms in most of Indiana have been reduced to a slight risk, while far southwestern Indiana remains under an enhanced risk.

A slight risk means that scattered severe thunderstorms are possible. But they will be short-lived or not widespread. However isolated intense storms are still possible.

You can expect the next wave to pass through the area between 4 and 10 this afternoon and evening.

Locally heavy rain is possible with any thunderstorm according to the agency. Damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes are all possible. Wind gusts of 35 to 40 mph are likely tonight and into Thursday.

The National Weather Service is also reporting that its NOAA All Hazards Weather radio station in Seymour is working again. The station was down earlier today because of a transmitter outage. The station in Seymour that covers Bartholomew, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings, Shelby and Johnson counties.

Two other southern Indiana weather radio stations are also back online.

IUPUC has been approved to join the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The association announced yesterday that membership for the Columbus school will be effective July 1st.

The application of IUPUC and three other schools were voted on and approved unanimously by the NAIA Council of Presidents. To be considered schools have to show financial stability, sports sponsorship, accreditation, and a commitment to character-driven athletics. The council also takes into account athletics facilities, enrollment numbers, retention rates, and overall financial commitment to athletics.

IUPUC plans to launch its athletics program this fall with men’s and women’s cross country. In the spring of 2023, IUPUC plans to add baseball and softball and men’s and women’s soccer and golf for the 2023-24 seasons.

IUPUC is in the process of applying for conference membership. IUPUC is also working secure facilities, additional coaches, and student athletes.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, a Columbus native, isn’t saying yet whether he’ll run for the White House in 2024.

He was asked that last night while speaking to a sold-out crowd at the University of Virginia. But he only answered “I’ll keep you posted.”

Meanwhile, he says Ukraine needs more military aid and Russian President Vladimir Putin needs to face further sanctions.

Pence praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Pence says America’s enemies have been emboldened lately.

Pence also touched on rising inflation, “cancel culture,” and criticized President Biden’s handling of the economy and immigration. Pence has been visiting colleges recently to focus on free speech.

Story courtesy of TTWN Media Networks Inc. 

A runaway was found and a stolen vehicle recovered yesterday in a cooperative effort between Columbus police and the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department.

According to a report from the Jennings County sheriff, the cases were solved within two hours with new technology. Deputies received a report of a 15-year-old runaway from Geneva Township Tuesday and shortly afterwards, received a report of a stolen vehicle in the same area.

Sheriff Kenny Freeman said that deputies used new technology in conjunction with Columbus police and the stolen vehicle, with the runaway inside, was soon located in the city. The juvenile was taken to a juvenile detention center and the vehicle was turned to its rightful owner.

Bartholomew County recently installed a camera system that reads license plates that enter the county and quickly compares those to reports of stolen vehicles or vehicles used in crimes.

Freeman said he will continue to implement modern technology to resolve cases efficiently and to keep the community safe.

Bartholomew County has a new free U.S. flag collection box in the county’s Governmental Office Building on Third Street.

County Treasurer Barb Hackman also serves as treasurer and legislative chair for the Association of Indiana Counties. She says that group and the National Association of Counties have partnered to provide Indiana counties with the collection boxes. The idea is to drop off U.S. flags that are damaged or worn out. They will be periodically collected by the county veterans service officer, Larry Garrity, to be disposed of properly at a local funeral home.

The flag collection box is outside the veterans service office, on the second floor of the Governmental Office Building at 440 Third Street.

Photo: Bartholomew County Treasurer Barb Hackman and Veterans Service Officer Larry Garrity show the location of a new U.S. flag collection box in the Governmental Office building on Third Street. Submitted photo

Contractors for INDOT will begin work on a $5.7 million dollar resurfacing project on U.S. 31 through Columbus starting next week.

Milestone Contractors was chosen for the project and plans to start work on Wednesday, April 20th to patch, mill and repave U.S. 31 between Washington Street and Base Road.

The work is expected to last through October. It will require both daytime and nighttime lane closures, Mondays through Fridays. The resurfacing work will take place between 6 in the evening and 6 in the morning. During the day, crews will be removing and replacing curb ramps starting on Washington Street and working south.

INDOT says you will run into rough pavement and changes to signal timings during the milling operations.

You will see intermittent flagging and restrictions on side streets during the project.

INDOT urges you to slow down, to drive without distractions, and to be aware of worker safety when traveling through construction zones.

The work schedule is dependent on the weather.

Hamilton Community Center and Ice Arena in Columbus will be hosting a visit from two speed skaters from the 2022 Winter Olympics today.

Organized by Full Throttle Speed Skating Team and Toyota, Olympians Andrew Heo and Austin Kleba will be at the center for a meet-and-greet, speed-skating demonstration and a chance for the public to skate with the Olympians. Heo competed as a short track speed-skater and Kleba as a long-track skater for the U.S. team in the recent Olympics.

The event starts at 6:30 p.m. this evening with the meet-and-greet portion.

The event is free. You can get more information at FullThrottleSST.com.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis is warning that several of its NOAA All Hazards Weather radio stations in southern Indiana are not working because of a transmitter outage.

That includes the station in Seymour that covers Bartholomew, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings, Shelby and Johnson counties.

The stations in Putnamville and Edwardsport are also offline.

The agency suggests that you find alternate sources to receive weather alerts until the problem is fixed. You can try other NOAA transmitters or find online transmitters at FEMA.gov or at www.noaaweatherradio.org

The National Weather Service says central and southern Indiana are under an enhanced risk of severe weather starting this evening and lasting through early Thursday morning.

The agency is warning of two rounds of storms, one later this morning and into the early afternoon, and a second round this afternoon and into this evening. The second round is forecast to be the most severe. You can expect scattered severe thunderstorms starting at about 5 p.m. this afternoon through midnight.

Locally heavy rain is possible with any thunderstorm according to the agency. Damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes are all possible. Wind gusts of 35 to 40 mph are likely tonight and into Thursday.

Southwestern Indiana is under a moderate risk of severe weather, the second highest level of risk.

A shortage of new vehicles is causing problems for Bartholomew County government offices that need to purchase transportation.

The Bartholomew County Commissioners accepted bids for two new trucks Monday for the Code Enforcement office, but the bids were less than helpful.

Commissioners President Carl Lienhoop said that normally when you go with checkbook in hand to purchase a truck, dealers are eager to take your money. The county sent out bid requests to six dealerships.

Several normal bidders did not submit bids, another submitted a bid, but then had to retract it, saying that the trucks were not being made this year. The lowest bidder, Country Chevrolet, offered two Chevy trucks for sale at almost $45 thousand dollars, but they could not be delivered until December. The final bidder had trucks for sale now, but at nearly $6 thousand dollars more than the low bidder.

This was the second attempt to get bids for the two code enforcement trucks. Those bids ended up not being for comparable vehicles, Lienhoop said.

County officials took the bids under advisement.