State Road 58 will be under restrictions next week as crews work to upgrade the road surface in Bartholomew and Jackson counties.

According to INDOT, state maintenance crews will be chip-sealing the highway starting on Tuesday with the road work going on about half a mile west of Interstate 65 to State Road 135 near Freetown. During the work, the highway will be closed to through traffic from 9 a.m. in the morning to 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon Tuesday through Thursday. Access will be maintained for local residents.

Chip seal work typically lasts three to four days per location depending upon weather.

During chip-sealing operations, pavement is coated with liquid asphalt to seals cracks and provide waterproof protection. Once the asphalt is laid down, loose stone is applied. After the surface cures, crews will fog seal the surface and apply pavement markings.

State officials say that today will continue to be smothering for some Hoosiers.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is declaring another Air Quality Action Day statewide with expected high ground ozone levels to continue to make it hard to breath for vulnerable people.

Children, the elderly, and anyone with heart or lung conditions should reduce or avoid exertion and heavy work outdoors.

To help improve air quality, instead of driving by yourself, you can walk, bike, carpool or use public transportation. You should avoid going through drive-throughs and if your vehicle is going to be idling for more than 30 seconds, shut it off. You should combine your errands into one trip and avoid refueling your vehicle or using gas-powered lawn equipment until after 7 p.m. in the evening.

The advisory is in effect until midnight tonight. You can get more information at SmogWatch.IN.gov.

A heat advisory continues for our area today with temperatures and humidity combining to make it feel like 110 in some places.

The scorching weather can quickly cause heat-related illnesses. And authorities are urging you to learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Heat Exhaustion

If a victim feels faint or dizzy, has excessive sweating, cool, pale or clammy skin, a rapid weak pulse and muscle cramps, they could be suffering from Heat Exhaustion. You should get them to a cool, air-conditioned place, have them drink water if they are conscious and take a cool shower or use cool compresses.

Heat Stroke

Heat Stroke is more serious and you should call 911 if someone is experiencing the symptoms. Those include a throbbing headache and confusion, but no sweating. Their skin could be red, hot and dry. There will be a rapid, strong pulse and a victim could lose consciousness. You should get a heat stroke victim to a cool place and use cool cloths or a bath to cool them down. You should not give liquids to a victim of heat stroke.

To help prevent heat-related illness you should take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. You should reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. You should Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. If you are working outdoors, Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments.

Signs of Heat Stroke graphic courtesy of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

You will see lane and ramp closures starting today as crews wrap up their improvements to the arch bridge at Interstate 65.

According to INDOT, contractors will begin removing the temporary structures underneath the bridge at State Road 46 . Starting at 8:30 a.m. this morning, crews will close the left lanes of State Road 46 and the ramps. The work will be going on until 4:30 p.m. today,  Friday and Monday.

After the structures are removed, the highway will be restored to its normal configuration. However there will be restrictions in place overnights as pavement markings are replaced. That work will be going on around the exit on Interstate 65 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday and Tuesday according to INDOT.

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

Photo courtesy of INDOT

Some customers of Eastern Bartholomew Water Corp. in the Waynesville area are under a boil water advisory.

That comes after another company accidentally cut an Eastern Bartholomew water main in the Waynesville area yesterday.

Affected customers are under a boil water advisory until 2 p.m. on Friday.

Under a boil water advisory, you should bring water to a full boil for three to five minutes before drinking it or using it in food preparation.

If you have any questions you can call the water company at 812-526-9777.

The Columbus Area Visitors Center has a new boss.

The center is announcing that Misty Weisensteiner has started as the new Executive Director.

Weisensteiner previously seved as chief operating officer of Discover Southern Indiana for Radius Indiana. She is originally from Orange County and has worked in hospitality and tourism for more than 20 years. She previously served with the Indiana Destination Development Corporation, the Indiana Office of Tourism Development, Orange County Economic Development Partnership, and Visit French Lick West Baden.

Weisensteiner, said she is looking forward to working with the visitors center in COlumbus and Bartholoew County team “to tell the story of this special place.”

The visitor center’s previous executive director, Karen Niverson, left in May of 2022 after seven years with the organization.

An Indiana State Police master trooper is under arrest after false information was presented in a Shelby County court case.

The State Police say that Master Trooper Jeremy Basso has been arrested on charges of perjury and official misconduct. The charges stem from a March incident where Basso testified about a suspect who crashed into Basso’s parked police cruiser in a construction zone in 2021. The suspect had been found guilty of driving while intoxicated.

However there were allegations that Basso conveyed false information during his testimony. A special prosecutor was requested and Ripley County Prosecutor Richard Hertel began working with State Police to investigate the accusations.

An arrest warrant was issued and served Wednesday night. Basso was arrested and booked into the Shelby County Jail.

Basso has been placed on administrative leave without pay.

File photo of Basso’s wrecked vehicle courtesy of Indiana State Police.

Cummins zero emissions business segment, Accelera, and Blue Bird Corporation are unveiling a next generation electric school bus at a trade show in Reno, Nevada.

The companies premiered the Vision electric school bus at the STN Expo West, a leading technology event for the student transportation industry.

The Vision bus features the Accelera PowerDrive 7000. The upgraded system is equipped with a next-gen battery that has a 25 percent power increase from the previous model. The school buses can now travel up to 130 miles on a single charge.

Brian Wilson, General Manager of Electrified Components at Accelera, said the partnership with Blue Bird is in its fifth year. He said the companies are “driven to provide safe, efficient and sustainable electric school buses across North America…” Their goal of deploying a fleet of 1,000 electric school buses in North America within 12 to 18 months remains on track, he said.

The partnership has already led to school bus adoptions in Colorado and California, where school districts have taken advantage of funding opportunities to electrify their fleets,

Blue Bird Corp. operates nearly 1,000 electric school buses in North America today.

For more information: https://investor.cummins.com/news/detail/617/accelera-and-blue-bird-unveil-next-generation-electric

It will be scorching hot for the next few days and hard to breath for some people.

Our area is under a heat advisory starting at 8 this morning with heat index values of up to 109, according to the National Weather Service.

The high temperatures and high humidity can quickly cause heat illnesses.

The weather service warns that you should drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should not be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances.

The heat advisory is in effect through midnight Friday.

Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency and you should call 9 1 1.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has also declared an Air Quality Action Day statewide for today.

That means that a combination of high temperatures, light winds, and other factors, are expected to produce conditions where high levels of ground-level ozone emissions may exceed federally mandated standards.

High ozone levels near the ground acts a lung irritant. It can cause coughing and breathing difficulties for sensitive populations. Children, the elderly, and anyone with heart or lung conditions should reduce or avoid exertion and heavy work outdoors today.

IDEM says that the state is also going to continue to be affected by the Canadian wildfires.

The alert is in effect until 11:59 p.m. tonight.

You can get more information at SmogWatch.IN.gov.