The Indiana Department of Health is partnering with county health departments around the state and other organizations to get kids caught up on their school immunizations through Start Smart immunization clinics.

State Health Commissioner Kris Box says immunization rates for diseases like measles, mumps and chicken pox have fallen 10 percent across Indiana over the past two years. She says that puts children at greater risk of highly contagious, yet highly preventable, diseases.

The state health department is mailing letters to parents of children whose state immunization records show they are behind on a required immunizations.

The clinics will be open to children ages 5 and older. Families will not be charged at the site of the clinic but should provide insurance information if available.

There are upcoming clinics planned in Edinburgh, Columbus, Nashville and North Vernon. To find immunization clinic times in Bartholomew County, you can contact the county health department at 812-379-1555.

You can find a link to the Start Smart map showing upcoming immunization links here.

Landmark Columbus Foundation will be hosting a Progressive Preservation Talk from 5 to 7 p.m. tonight at the Helen Haddad Hall in the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic offices on Franklin Street to talk about how communities can be built through preservation.

Taking part in the discussion will be Marsh Davis, President of Indiana Landmarks, the nation’s largest statewide preservation organization and Tiffany Tolbert, associate director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Landmark Columbus is involved in historic preservation projects including North Christian Church, First Christian Church, the Crump Theatre and the former Irwin Union Bank branch at Eastbrook Plaza, now occupied by Lucabe Coffee.

Space is limited. You can register through eventbrite.com.

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

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. Tuesday by calling 812-378-0358.

This year’s Ethnic Expo will be celebrating the African American community.

The two-day festival is in its 39th year and will be held on October 7th and 8th in downtown Columbus. This year’s event will return to First and Washington Streets around City Hall. Due to the pandemic, last year’s event was split into four separate smaller celebrations held on Fourth Street.

The 2020 festival was originally going to have the African-American community as its Host Partner group, but it was canceled altogether that year due to COVID-19.

Ethnic Expo features authentic food and a variety of entertainment on three stages. There will also be music and cultural programming in the Host Partner area representing the traditions of the African American culture. The festival is meant to foster understanding and an appreciation of Columbus’ diverse population.

It was started in 1984, organized by a committee led by Barbara Stewart, wife of then-mayor Bob Stewart.

Organizers say that there will not be an Ethnic Expo parade this year.

The title sponsor for the event will be First Financial Bank, with other sponsors including Coca-Cola and ERMCO Electric. The Expo also receives support from the Indiana Arts Commission, the Columbus Area Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

You can get more information at ethnicexpo.org

A Bartholomew County deputy was injured early Saturday morning after his patrol car was hit by a drunk driver.

According to reports from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Deputy Billy Bryant had pulled a vehicle over for an equipment violation at about 3:26 a.m. Saturday morning at U.S. 31 near Lowell Road. Bryant had his emergency lights on when he started to get out of his patrol vehicle.

That’s when the patrol car was struck from behind by a southbound vehicle driven by 26-year-old Dai Von Terees Coram of Columbus. The impact pushed the patrol car into the vehicle the deputy had originally stopped.

Bryant checked on both drivers and was soon assisted by Columbus Police and other deputies. He was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital to be checked out where he was later released.

Coram was arrested by Columbus police on a preliminary charge of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.

Photos courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis says our area is under a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms this evening and over night.

Forecasters say that storms will roll through the area from about 7 p.m. tonight until about 3 a.m. Tuesday morning. Threats include damaging winds, large hail, flooding and lightning. A few of the storms may be strong to severe.

The National Weather Service says our area is under a slight risk of severe weather this afternoon and evening.

Forecasters say that the main threats include damaging winds, frequent lightning and heavy rain. Localized flash flooding is likely in the south-central area south of Interstate 70. Tornadoes are also possible.

The southernmost part of Indiana is under an excessive heat warning today with Evansville seeing highs in the upper 90s, with the humidity making it feel even hotter.

Our news-gathering partners at TTWN Media Networks Inc. contributed to this report.

A Jennings County man died in a crash on State Road 3 earlier this week.

73-year-old Elmer Hall of North Vernon was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident Wednesday by the Jennings County coroner’s office .

According to reports from the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were called to a crash on South State Road 3, just south of the Crosley check-in station at about 1:20 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. They found that an SUV driven by Hall had gone off the west side of the roadway, striking a tree.

Investigation revealed that Hall suffered a medical issue prior to the crash.

A passenger in the vehicle was injured and taken to a local medical facility for treatment.

An IUPUC professor has been chosen for the elite Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in chemistry for this academic year.

The school announced this week that IUPUC assistant professor and Division of Science Head, James Mendez has been chosen by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Fulbright Scholars engage in cutting-edge research and often continue research collaborations abroad, laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions.

In February 2023, Mendez will travel to Bratislava, Slovakia to work with a scientist at the Slovak Academy of Sciences, on a system for 3D printing composites made from chitin, a naturally occurring polymer.

In 2017, Mendez received a Fulbright to teach a graduate class in biopolymers in Estonia as well as to continue research with chitin from underutilized sources in that region.

More than 800 U.S. scholars, artists, and professionals from all backgrounds teach or conduct research overseas through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program annually.