Rescue workers pulled a man from Clifty Creek in Columbus Wednesday afternoon.

According to reports from the Columbus Fire Department, first responders were called to the 900 block of North National Road near 10th Street at just before 1 p.m. Wednesday about an injured man in the water. Columbus firefighters, along with Columbus police, Columbus Township Fire and Rescue and Bartholomew County deputies worked to rescue the man from the creek.

He was treated by Columbus Regional Health paramedics before being flown by Lifeline helicopter to an Indianapolis trauma center.

Photos courtesy of Columbus Police Department.

Indiana lawmakers have overturned a veto to keep girls sports for biological girls in the state. The House voted 67 to 28 in favor of the override followed by a Senate vote of 32 to 15 also in favor of it yesterday.

Columbus area state Rep. Ryan Lauer, a Republican, says that parents reached out to him with concerns about their girls ability to compete after several high-profile incidents where athletes born as boys dominated girls competition. He said as a dad to three daughters, he knows they will face many challenges in life, but this legislation ensures playing against biological males in sports isn’t one of them.

The ACLU claims the new law is a Title Nine violation in that it discriminates against people based on their gender identity. The ACLU says it will file a lawsuit to try to block the ban from taking effect July 1st. More than a dozen states now have similar laws in place. South Carolina became the latest last week following Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arizona and Utah.

Part of the story courtesy of TTWN Media Networks Inc. 

State Road 11 will be closing in downtown Seymour next week while crews from CSX work on the railroad track.

INDOT says that the work will be closing State Road 11 or Broadway Street, at the railroad crossing north of U.S. 50, between Circle and 2nd Streets on Tuesday, May 31st.

The street is expected to close at 7 a.m. on Tuesday and remain closed until 7 a.m. on Thursday, June 2nd. An official detour will follow U.S. 50 and Interstate 65.

The Better Business Bureau is warning of scams hitting the area involving supposed free trials of CBD products.

One Indianapolis resident lost more than $100 to scammers purportedly selling CBD gummies through a fake website. The scam involves sites that sell the products through on-going monthly subscriptions or through not-so-free trial offers where you are charged high prices for extra products or shipping.

Many of the scams also include a supposed celebrity endorsement but scammers often use fake celebrity endorsements to lure you in.

The Better Business Bureau of Central Indiana warns that once the scammers get you to sign up using your credit card, canceling the subscription or getting a refund is very difficult, with some scammers continuing to charge the victims after supposedly canceling the subscription.

If you paid with a credit card, you can dispute fraudulent charges. Keep an eye on your monthly statements and notify your credit card company of any suspicious charges.

You can get more information here.

Organizers of the Mill Race Marathon races are announcing a training program to get you in shape for this fall’s events.

The free training program starts Saturday. It will include eight weeks of classroom sessions covering topics such as running tips, choosing shoes and running attire, building core strength, preventing injuries and nutrition. Classes will be at 7 a.m. on Saturday mornings at Yes Cinema and will last 30-40 minutes. Following the classroom sessions will be group runs and walks.

While the training is based in Columbus there is also a virtual training schedule available.

Organizers are also looking for volunteers to help the day before, during and after the event.

The marathon, half marathon and 5k are coming up on Sept. 24th. You can get more information at millracemarathon.com or  sign up for the training here.

A full version of the annual Salute! concert is returning to Columbus this weekend for the first time in two years.

The free concert, performed by the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, will be held on Friday starting at 7 p.m. on the lawn of the Bartholomew County Courthouse Memorial for Veterans.

Retired U.S. Air Force General Mark Pillar says the annual event originated with an idea from former Republic columnist Harry McCawley.

Pillar explains that the event will feature the annual recognition of veterans.

Over the last two years of the pandemic, the annual concert has been performed with restrictions on audience size and spacing in 2021, and was canceled in 2020 with only a virtual watch party for discussion with philharmonic members and video clips of past performances.

Pillar said that the organizers unfortunately could not get the normal cannons that fire during the event, or the military displays. However, the Columbus-based Huey helicopter will do a flyover and will then be on display at the event.

This year’s Salute! concert will be the last performance with the philharmonic by conductor David Bowden, who is retiring after 35 years with the orchestra.

Law enforcement agencies across Indiana are looking for drivers who aren’t using their seat belts, in the national “Click It or Ticket” enforcement blitz which runs for the next two weeks.

Organized around Memorial Day weekend, the campaign will have extra officers on overtime patrols making sure drivers and passengers are buckling up and children are properly secure.

According to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, unbuckled motorists make up almost 40% of all passenger vehicle deaths in the state. In 2020, 226 unbuckled drivers and passengers were killed on Indiana roads – the second highest in the past decade. Young drivers, especially males, were the least likely to be buckled during a crash.

Drivers can be cited for lack of seat belt use, but also for each unbuckled passenger under the age of 16.

The overtime patrols are funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with grants administered by ICJI.

Legal Aid is holding a Free Legal Aid Phone Clinic from 3 to 5:30 p.m. today.

Legal Aid offers the clinics for low-income residents of its eight-county district.

If you take part you will have a brief consultation with a volunteer attorney to answer general questions, to offer legal information or to receive other advice over the phone.

To take part, you must first register between noon and 2 p.m. today by calling 812-378-0358.

Seymour Mayor Matt Nicholson is holding a series of Curbside Chats around the community, with the next coming up this evening.

Tonight’s Curbside Chat will include Jeremy Gray, city building commissioner. It will be at 6 p.m. at the Shields Park Shelter House.

Upcoming chats will also be held on June 13th, July 12th, August 18th and September 14th. You can get more information on locations and who will be attending on the city website at seymourin.org. You can also call 812-216-5644.

Brown County officials are warning you about potential scammers trying to take advantage of you under the guise of repairing storm damage.

They warn that dishonest contractors often travel to areas hit by a natural disaster such as Saturday’s tornados.

The Nashville Police Department and Brown County Emergency Management are sharing tips from the National Insurance Crime Bureau. They say you should be leery of contractors who try to pressure you into allowing them to make repairs to your home. You should also never allow a contractor to interpret your insurance policy, instead contact your insurance agent to guide you on your coverage. And don’t trust a contractor who tries to discourage you from contacting your insurer directly.

If you do hire a contractor, get everything in writing including the project costs, the scope of the work, the schedule and payment terms. You should seek out competing estimates for work. And never pay a contractor in full or sign a completion certificate until the work is finished.

You can get more information at NICB.org.