Government offices will be closed Monday for the Memorial Day holiday.

In Columbus, there will be no Monday trash, recycling or yard waste service. Instead, routes will be running a day late all week, with normal Monday routes running on Tuesday. Normal Friday routes will be on Saturday. You should have your trash curbside by 7 a.m. on your delayed schedule.

The Bartholomew County Landfill will be closed due to the holiday, as will the Columbus and Bartholomew County Recycling Center on Mapleton, and the Solid Waste Management District offices..

The Columbus City Utilities offices will be closed Monday. If you have a problem with your water or sewer service on the holiday, you can call 812-372-8861 and follow the prompts.

Seymour Department of Public Works says that its offices and the recycling drop off site will be closed on Monday. Recycling, trash and yard waste for Monday will be picked up with Tuesday’s routes. You should have all the containers to the curb by 7 a.m.

Friday’s Salute! concert is being moved inside due to the chance of heavy rain.

Instead of its outdoor location downtown, the patriotic Columbus Indiana Philharmonic concert will be held at Columbus North High School’s Erne Auditorium. The venue has room for 900 guests and seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. There will be no tickets or reservations.

Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the concert will start at 7 p.m.

Schneck Medical Center in Seymour will be offering Safe Sitter classes starting next week, to teach babysitters how to keep their young charges safe.

There is no cost to participate. For sitters entering grades 6, 7 and 8, the Safe Sitter program is meant to teach babysitters life and safety skills and to equip them with the tools to handle emergencies

Safe Sitters is a one-day class held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Seymour classes will be held at the Schneck Professional Building in Classroom 500 on June 3, 4, 10, 17, 18, and 24. There will be a North Vernon session at the Jennings County Public Library on June 25th. Classes will also be offered in Scottsburg and Salem.

Classes are limited to 12 students each. Several June classes have already filled up.

For more information, you can call 812-523-4773 or register online at SchneckMed.org.

Indiana Department of Natural Resources will be offering free fishing days next weekend at its facilities.

The Free Fishing Weekend is June 4th and 5th. On free fishing days, Indiana residents do not need a fishing license or a trout/salmon stamp to fish the state’s public waters. All other rules such as seasons, bag and size limits apply.

DNR says this is an opportunity to learn how to fish, to take your family fishing, or to introduce a friend to fishing.

Monroe Lake will be holding a Youth Fishing Derby from 8 to 10 on Saturday, June 4th at the Paynetown State Recreation Area. Children, 16 and under, can borrow equipment or bring their own. Bait will be provided. Volunteer instructors will be on hand to assist the young anglers. A prize drawing will be held at 10 a.m.

The next free fishing day on DNR properties is Sept. 24th.

Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers says that there will be extra deputies on patrol over the holiday weekend, cracking down on seat belt violations and drunk driving.

Myers said that if you have consumed alcohol this weekend, you should not get behind the wheel. While a blood alcohol content level of 0.08 percent is legally impaired in Indiana, Myers says that alcohol can start to affect your senses after only one drink. He said it’s not worth the risk of putting yourself and others in danger.

Chief Deputy Major Chris Lane says that seat belts are the number one safety device in your vehicle. And deputies will be out enforcing seat belt laws and educating the public on their importance.

Maintenance crews will be working on bridge repairs on Interstate 65 at U.S. 50 next week in Seymour.

INDOT says you can expect northbound lane and ramp closures at the exit to U.S. 50 at Seymour. Affected ramps will include the northbound off-ramp to westbound U.S. 50 and northbound on-ramp from eastbound U.S. 50. That work will be going on from 8 a.m. in the morning to 2 p.m. in the afternoon, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Similar work on the southbound ramps was completed this week.

INDOT says that the work schedule is dependent on the weather.

INDOT reminds you to slow down, to drive without distractions and to be alert to worker safety in all work zones.

Former Vice President Mike Pence will be making his first appearance of the year in New Hampshire today.

The Columbus native is set to attend the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women’s Lilac Brunch in Bedford. Pence was last in New Hampshire back in December when he was the keynote speaker at a fundraiser in Manchester that served as a benefit for Republicans in the state Senate.

As an early primary state, New Hampshire is traditionally a frequent stop for presidential candidates. While Pence has been mentioned as a possible candidate in the 2024 presidential race, but he’s remained quiet about his political intentions.

Two recent state announcements will mean $2 million in savings for a Columbus City Utilities sewer improvement project.

The state recently announced that the local utility will receive a $470,000 grant from the state’s water infrastructure fund and will receive a $4.33 million loan from the state revolving fund, with a 0 percent interest rate.

The southeast sanitary sewer improvement project is an estimated $3.5 million project on State Road 46 east of Columbus that will include lift station and force main upgrades in the former Eastern Bartholomew Regional Sewer District. The area has significant problems pumping during wet weather.

Graphic courtesy of Columbus City Utilities

Two local elementary school teachers are the recipients of this year’s Bill and Sally Hanley Excellence in Teaching Award.

Heritage Fund: The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County is announcing that Jill Garris and Amy Elsbury are the recipients of this year’s awards.

Elsbury is a fifth grade teacher at Rockcreek Elementary. Garris is a physical education teacher at CSA Lincoln.

The awards were established in 2000 and recognize Bartholomew Consolidated School elementary educators for dedication to their job, initiative and contributions to improve the school and its environment.

Recipients are nominated by their principals and the winners receive a $1,000 stipend.

A 20-year-old driver is facing charges after a March crash that injured three teenagers north of Seymour.

According to the Indiana State Police, 20-year-old Dakota S. Mott of Seymour was found to have THC in her system at the time of the March 15th crash in the 6600 block of North County Road 760E. The state police investigation revealed that she was driving at more than 95 mph on the narrow road just before the crash.

Three teens were ejected from the vehicle and seriously injured when it rolled over —  Isaiah Bogard, 15; Kathryn Roy, 17; and Zackery Stout, age 18

Results of the state police investigation were turned over to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s office and Mott was recently charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated resulting in serious bodily injury and reckless driving resulting in serious bodily injury. She was arrested and taken to the Jackson County Jail.