Local law enforcement will be out in force around the Fourth of July holiday looking for impaired drivers with a Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement blitz.

According to the Decatur County Sheriff’s Department, the agency will be taking part in the enforcement effort from June 30th through July 8th, with high-visibility patrols aimed at educating motorists about the dangers and consequences of driving impaired.

The enforcement effort is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute .

The patrols will be showing zero tolerance for those driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Of the 949 traffic fatalities last year in Indiana, 110, or 12 percent, were alcohol related. During the weekend around Independence Day alone, there were 11 fatal collisions with two involving a driver over the legal limit.

It is illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher and drivers under 21 with a BAC of eveb .02 or higher are subject to fines and having their license suspended for up to one year.

Police urge you to plan for a safe and sober ride home before you go out to celebrate.

The Bartholomew County 4-H Fair kicks off today with Republican Party Day at the fairgrounds.

The midway opens at 5 p.m. with $30 wristbands.

Entertainment and activities starting at 7 p.m. tonight include: The Night Owl Country Band at the David Boll Theatre; Green Timbe music feature Louis and Teresa Green at the Farm Bureau building and the Woomblies Rock Orchestra at the Grandstand.

The 4-H Watermelon Relay will start at 8 p.m. tonight at the Horse Arena.

The Bartholomew County 4-H Fair runs through July 1st. You can find more information at http://www.bartholomewcountyfair.com

A more than six year long project to better connect the Seymour airport area to the east side of the city and Interstate 65 will be finished when the city officially opens the final leg of the southern Burkhart Boulevard Bypass this afternoon.

According to the city, the bypass was needed due to heavy congestion through downtown Seymour, leading to long traffic delays and slow emergency response times through the city. The bypass connects the industrial park on the east side of the city with the industrial park on the west side, near Freeman Field.

The bypass includes a bridge over the Louisville and Indiana Railroad tracks and several roundabouts to better funnel traffic. The project has been in the works since 2017 when the first public meetings were held outlining the plan. The last leg between South O’Brien Street to Airport Road has been the most recent under construction starting in April 2022.

The total project cost is estimated at just over $30 million.

A Jennings County deputy is being recognized for quick actions that saved an accident victim from serious injury or even death.

According to the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, Deputy Ben Seastrom and other deputies were called to assist the North Vernon Police Department at the scene of a crash with injuries on Wednesday. Seastrom found a crash victim with serious injuries and massive bleeding.

According to the social media posts from the department, Seastrom used a combat application tourniquet that the department carries. The actions of Seastrom and others on the scene stopped the bleeding and the victim was admitted to the hospital in serious but stable condition.

The sheriff’s department says that deputies are supplied with life-saving medical equipment for instances just like this. And recognized Seastrom with the knowledge and ability to take actions in seconds that helped save a life.

Photo: Deputy Ben Seastrom displays a  a combat application tourniquet carried by deputies. Photo courtesy of the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department.

Rides on a Huey helicopter have been added to a weekend event at Camp Atterbury.

According to the Indiana National Guard, the Columbus Indiana Huey helicopter will be offering paid rides on the Vietnam-era airship during Saturday’s Community Day at the base.

The Community Day will be Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the afternoon.

The site for the Huey rides will be at the fire station near the base.

The Community Day will also include tours, live-fire exercises, demonstrations of weapons and rappelling, along with food vendors, displays and children’s activities.

The Camp Atterbury Museum will be open all day for visitors. It is at the Welcome Center just before you get to the Main Gate.

You can enter the base for the Community Day through the Schoolhouse Road Gate on Old Hospital Road.

The new owners of Otter Creek Golf Course will be working with former PGA star and golf course architect Tom Kite to upgrade and modernize the historic Bartholomew County course.

Bob Haddad Jr. made the announcement yesterday that the Kite team will be redesigning the course, purchased from the city of Columbus last year. Haddad said that several exceptional architects travelled to Columbus to be interviewed for the redesign but considered Kite’s team the best for the project.

Kite has completed 10 course designs. His design partner, Billy Fuller, is the former had grounds superintendent at Augusta National.

Kite and his design team will be holding an event Wednesday at the course officially announcing the partnership.

The course was originally gifted to the city of Columbus in 1964 by Cummins executive J. Irwin Miller and Cummins, and served as a destination golfing experience for the Midwest. But substantial improvements are needed to the golf course itself and to the club house. The city decided last year to sell the course.

Kite noted that several areas need modernized including the irrigation system, newer improved grasses, irrigated sand bunkers, forward tees for women’s competition, longer holes and the addition of multiple tees.

Photo: Otter Creek Golf Course. Courtesy of Columbus Area Visitors Center

The governor of Indiana is endorsing Mike Pence for president in 2024.

On Wednesday, Gov. Eric Holcomb became Pence’s highest-profile endorsement, praising the former vice president, governor and Indiana congressman for his honesty and integrity. In a statement, Holcomb said Pence is “experienced, allergic to personal scandal, and prepared to serve as our next President on day one.”

Pence said he was “truly humbled” to have the endorsement.

Pence held a fundraiser for his presidential campaign yesterday in Fort Wayne. He called the growth in the city “inspiring” during his visit. Tickets cost between $1,000 and $6,600. He says he is running for President “because I think this country is in a lot of trouble.”

In recent polls, Pence has been steadily trailing behind former President Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Story courtesy of TTWN Media Networks

The Bartholomew County Council for Youth Development is announcing the 17 students who will serve as this year’s Youth Ambassadors.

The Youth Ambassador program is designed to build leadership skills and to encourage civic engagement among youth. The criteria to become a youth ambassador is to be open to diversity, reliable, empathetic, and excited about change. The program is open to students who will be sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Last year’s ambassadors completed nearly 750 hours of community service learning and the new group plans to surpass that number, with at least 800 service learning hours. Over the course of the year, student ambassadors will participate in peer group meetings, complete a Teen Outreach Program curriculum, plan and coordinate the annual Youth Empowerment Summit, and design a unique community-wide youth service project for April 2024.

Among the students selected to be ambassadors are incoming high school seniors: Brittney Aguilar, Bo Crough, Hannah Michel, Sreepadaarchana Munjuluri and Preetham Yerragudi.

Other students selected include:

• Annabelle Andrus
• Adrianna Bustos
• Lauren Degner
• Eleanor Dickson
• Sara Hobbeheydar
• Eden Knight
• Varshika Loganath
• Brittany Mercado
• Jossalin Resendiz
• Emma Stephen
• Emily Wart
• Lakshmi Vardhan Yepuri

You can find a complete list of all the student ambassadors on our website.

The Bartholomew County Highway Department says that County Road 1100E will be closed today.

According to the county, the road will be overlaid with asphalt between Bartholomew County Roads 200S and 300S.

You should avoid the area if possible or expect to be delayed.

IUPUC is looking for sponsors for a September events which provides scholarships for area college students.

The Bicycle Boogie Bike Ride is planned for Sept. 30th. The Bicycle Boogie is organized by the IU Alumni Association South Central Region. All proceeds benefit the IUPUC Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.

The rides start and ends at the Upland Pump House in downtown Columbus. There will be three routes, with lengths of 13.5, 33 or 48 miles. Routes will take bicyclists though the Columbus People Trails and surrounding areas. The 48-mile route will head into Brown County with a stop at the Story Inn.

Sponsorships range from $250 to $2,500. If you are interested in sponsoring the Boogie you can find more information here:https://www.iupuc.edu/giving/bicycle-boogie/

The cost of the event is $30 for early registration and $35 the day of the event.