Bartholomew County Works is taking applications for a workshop aimed at providing job market skills for recent high school graduates.

The program is for new graduates interested in immediately entering the workforce. Topics of the weeklong workshop will include professionalism, interview preparation, attitude, building wealth, resumes, cover letters and more.

The week-long workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily starting May 22nd, at YES Cinema. There will be an orientation session on May 19th.

For more information or to register, call Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center at 812-378-2638.

Local legislators are touting state grants that will help repair roads and bridges.

According to State Sen. Greg Walker and Reps. Ryan Lauer, Jennifer Meltzer and Jim Lucas, Bartholomew County will be receiving $1 million and Columbus $927,807. Franklin is also receiving $1 million.

The funds are coming from the Community Crossings Matching Grant Program which is providing $133.4 million to 224 Indiana towns, cities and counties during this grant cycle.

The Indiana Department of Transportation matches up to $1 million annually for local road and bridge repairs. The county match is based on population with smaller communities coming up with a 25 percent match, while larger communities must match 50 percent.

The program has given out more than $1.27 billion dollars since it was started in 2016. Each year, there are two rounds of funding with the next round of applications due in July.

You will see months of overnight lane closures on U.S. 50 in Seymour as crews resurface the stretch of highway.

According to INDOT, the asphalt work will go on through the fall from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly. That will be between between Community Drive and Agrico Lane in Seymour. Crews will also be repairing manholes and gutter grates, and relocating signal housings through the work area.

The roadway will be reduced to one lane where the work is occurring.

The $6.3 million project was awarded to Dave O’ Mara Incorporated.

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

Johnson County and 11 other Indiana counties are disaster zones after recent tornadoes.

Governor Eric Holcomb requested and President Biden has approved a Major Disaster Declaration for Allen, Benton, Clinton, Grant, Howard, Johnson, Lake, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Sullivan, and White counties.

FEMA assistance is available for temporary housing and home repairs along with low-cost loans for uninsured property damage. This comes after tornadoes and severe storms impacted the areas on March 31st and April 1st.

Residents who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling (800) 621-3362.

Story courtesy of TTWN Media Networks

The Commons playground will be closing for a week, starting next weekend.

According to the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department, the regular maintenance will require closing the James A. Henderson playground from the afternoon of Sunday April 23rd with it reopening on Saturday, April 29th at 7 a.m. in the morning.

You can get more information at columbusparksandrec.com

Photo courtesy Carol M. Highsmith, from the Library of Congress collection.

Classes for between 35 and 40 school districts in Central Indiana were affected today by bomb threats.

Indiana State Police say that they were made aware of the threats that were sent via e-mail. The messages threatened the use of explosive devices that had allegedly been planted on various school campuses. Troopers began investigating and communicating with the Department of Education, along with local, county, and federal law enforcement. School corporations worked with their local law enforcement to make the best decision about operations today.

No suspicious or explosive devices have been found in any of the schools. The investigation into the origin of this threat is ongoing.

Among the local school districts to receive the bomb threats were Edinburgh, Shelbyville and Southwestern Consolidated.

The Edinburgh School Corporation announced that the schools were searched last night and again this morning by law enforcement and school administration. The threat was deemed not to be credible and the school district to have classes in session today.

A Jackson County man is being recognized by the U.S. Forest Service for his volunteer work in the Hoosier National Forest.

According to the agency, Butch Stidam, and his horse “Blue”, have received the Forest Service’s Eastern Region Volunteer and Service Award for Enduring Service recognizing more than 1,000 hours of volunteer service over five years in the forest.

Stacy Duke, recreation and wilderness program Manager for the Hoosier National Forest, said Stidam was initially a trail rider, reporting on trail concerns or downed trees. That grew into a role as a Forest Service volunteer helping on trail projects, including having Blue serve as a lead horse for mules on various projects.

The pair were also essential in a rerouting of the East Bass Pond Trail in the Charles C. Deam Wilderness.

Duke said that Stidam is indispensable to the forest’s recreation program and wilderness area.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service.

State Road 58 in Jackson County will be closing for up to three months while a bridge is replaced.

The work is expected to start Thursday at the bridge over Branch Runt Run, which is about 2 and a quarter miles east of State Road 258 near Spraytown. The work is expected to take up to 90 days, depending on the weather. The official detour follows State Road 258 to State Road 11 to Interstate 65.

The work is part of a $2.7 million contract that will also replace two other structures in Bartholomew and Jackson counties. Milestone Contractors are doing the work.

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

Our Hospice of South Central Indiana is partnering with the Columbus American Legion post to host a pork tenderloin fundraiser next week.

According to the hospice, you can buy a tenderloin meal including coleslaw and baked beans in exchange for a donation at the Legion post on 25th Street from 10:30 a.m. in the morning to 8 p.m. in the evening on Friday, April 21st.

Hospice staff and volunteers will work alongside American Legion staff and volunteers to prepare and serve the meal to raise funds for the patients and families cared for by Our Hospice of South Central Indiana.

Our Hospice of South Central Indiana, founded in 1980, is a not-for-profit, community-based hospice providing care in 16 counties with offices in Columbus, North Vernon and Greensburg.

There will be options for dine-in, drive-thru, or delivery for six or more orders. You can get more information or make an order by calling the Legion at 812-376-7036.

A wanted North Vernon man is facing new charges after he struggled with deputies early Thursday morning.

According to the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, a deputy stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation at about 1 a.m. yesterday morning and recognized that the driver was wanted on an outstanding warrant. But rather than get out of the vehicle, the wanted man, identified as 28-year-old Nicholas Barlow, refused to follow police orders, rolled up his windows and locked the doors.

More deputies arrived on the scene and removed Barlow from the vehicle while he fought with officers, including hitting a deputy in the face, breaking the deputy’s eyeglasses.

Barlow was taken into custody on new preliminary charges of battery on a public safety official, resisting law enforcement and criminal mischief. He was originally wanted on a warrant for dealing heroin and possession of a narcotic drug.