The National Weather Service in Indianapolis has issued a freeze warning for our area, with temperatures as low as 27 expected in parts of southern and central Indiana.

The agency says tonight’s conditions will kill crops and other sensitive vegetation. It could also damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.

Forecasters say you should take steps today to protect tender plants from the cold. You would also take care of your outdoor plumbing by wrapping and draining the pipes and allowing them to drip slowly.

There is a slight chance of snow tonight. The freeze warning is in effect from 10 p.m. tonight to 10 a.m. Tuesday morning.

We will see an enhanced danger of wildfires today. The National Weather Service says our area is under an elevated fire risk with low humidity, dry ground conditions and northwesterly wind gusts this afternoon of up to 30 mph.

You should avoid and open burning this afternoon and early evening. Any outdoor fires that start will likely spread rapidly. Also, you should never throw lit cigarettes from your vehicle.

Our area is back under a red flag fire warning today with a critical danger of wildfires.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis says a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures are causing the danger of extreme fire behavior. Forecasters are anticipating humidity as low as 15 percent with temperatures in the mid 60s.

Any outdoor fires that start will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. Also, you should never throw lit cigarettes from your vehicle.

The weather service is also warning about the possibility of strong wind gusts this afternoon. You can expect southwest winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts of up to 40. You should secure any outdoor items that might be blown about. And take extra care if you are driving this afternoon, especially if you have a high-profile vehicle.

A Greensburg man is being sentenced to 30 years in prison, after pleading guilty to sexually exploiting a child.

According to the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, the investigation started in April of 2019, when police spoke to a girl who was younger than 13 about why she was not in school. She told authorities that 53-year-old Anthony L. Thomas had sexually abused her, as well as took naked photos and showed her pornographic photos on his phone.

Thomas was on probation at the time, and and authorities searched Thomas’s home were they found evidence of methamphetamine use. Police seized Thomas’s cell phones where they discovered the explicit photos of the girl, along with photos uploaded to Google.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, Indiana State Police, Greensburg police and assisted by the Decatur County Probation Office and Decatur County Prosecutor’s Office.

U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson ordered that Thomas be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years following his release from federal prison. He was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution to the victim. Thomas must also register as a sex offender.

As he nears the end of his term in office, Bartholomew County Sheriff Matthew A. Myers is thanking local volunteer firefighters for their service to the county.

He and Major Chris Lane recently attended the Bartholomew County Fire Chiefs meeting at the Hope Fire Department to present a plaque to the firefighters for their contributions.

Myers pointed out that many areas in Bartholomew County rely on volunteer fire departments and deputies could not provide the services they do during medical runs, traffic accidents, or house fires without Bartholomew County volunteer firefighters.

Myers said we should all feel greatly indebted to them for their willingness to serve and protect.

Myers is leaving office after eight years, due to term limits.

Johnson County officials are identifying the victims of two fatal accidents recently south of Franklin

According to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department, officers were called to a crash on Mauxferry Road between County Roads 300S and 350S at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday morning to find a dump truck fully engulfed in flames. The driver, 55 year old David J. Timmons of Franklin died in the crash.

There were no witnesses to the crash, but the investigators believe the wheels of the dump truck drifted off the side of the road and the driver overcorrected, causing the crash.

In a separate incident, a moped driver was killed in a crash with a pickup yesterday morning on U.S. 31 in southern Johnson County. According to the sheriff’s department 43-year-old James R. Hall of Indianapolis was pronounced dead in the crash near Johnson County Road 400S at about 5:25 a.m. Thursday.

Deputies say that the pickup driver, 28-year-old Tad M. David of Edinburgh came up behind the moped, which was driving slowly in the fast lane. David tried to pass the bike on the inside lane, but Hall also switched lanes, and David struck the moped.

Our area is under a red flag fire warning today with a critical danger of wildfires heading into the weekend.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis says a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures are causing the danger of extreme fire behavior. Any outdoor fires that start will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended.

The red flag warning is in effect from noon to 7 p.m. today. Tomorrow a fire weather watch is in effect from the morning to the evening.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources wants to remind you that hunters can donate the deer they harvest to help feed the hungry in Indiana.

The Sportsmen’s Benevolence Fund administered by the DNR Division of Law Enforcement provides grants to Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry, the Dubois County Sportsmen Club, and Hunters and Farmers Feeding the Hungry to pay for processing fees when hunters donate legally harvested deer.

You can drop off the field-dressed deer at a local participating processor, where processing fees are paid for by the Sportsmen’s Benevolence Fund.

The meat will be used to create healthy venison burger to distribute to food banks. The food banks distribute venison to soup kitchens and food pantries.

During the 2021 deer hunting seasons, Hoosier hunters donated 879 harvested deer. That made 45,326 pounds of donated venison.

For information on donating your harvested deer and participating processors, please visit sbf.IN.gov.

A collection of rural mail carrier historical artifacts will be unveiled in its new home Sunday in Hope.

In 1896, Hope was one of two locations in the country to test the then-new idea of using mail routes to provide mail to rural homes. The Hope experiment started 127 years ago on Oct. 15th and is the longest continuing location for rural mail delivery in the country.

The Rural Letter Carriers Museum will be holding a grand opening on Sunday Oct. 16th from 2 to 6 p.m. in the afternoon on the northwest corner of the square beside the Yellow Trail Museum.

Trick or treating hours in the city of Columbus will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in the evening on Monday, October 31st.

If you would like to share treats with the trick-or-treaters, you should leave outside lights on at your home.

Officials are urging you to use extra caution if you are driving on Halloween, recognizing that there will be more people than normal walking in the area.

The city of Seymour is applying for a federal program that would provide grants for qualified homeowners to complete home improvement or rehabilitation projects.

The grants are aimed at the elderly, disabled, households headed by a woman, and low income households. Services could include things like roof replacements, ADA accessibility improvements, heating and cooling, lighting and electrical upgrades and water heater replacements.

In order to show the need, the city is now accepting applications for grants. They are available at Seymour City Hall. If you have any questions you can call Mike Bechert at 812-350-0220.