The Schneck Foundation will be holding seminars next month seeking to simplify the process of Medicare enrollment.

According to organizers, Medicare Simplified will be presented by guest speaker Scott Donahue and will provide information including when and how to enroll in Medicare, the components of Medicare, how to review and make changes to current coverage and what to consider if you have an employer plan.

The seminars will be held on August 10 or August 14th at the Schneck Professional Building in Classroom 500 on West Tipton Street in Seymour. There will be a complimentary dinner at 5 pm. and the seminar will start at 5:30 p.m.

The program is free. The deadline to register is August 4th. You can get more information or sign up at SchneckFoundation.org.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is declaring a statewide Air Quality Action Day for today due to the heavy particulates and smoke in the air from Canadian wildfires. IDEM says the particulate counts are expected to be exceptionally high throughout the state.

The particulate danger comes from microscopic dust, soot, and liquid that settles deep into the lungs and cannot be easily exhaled. Sensitive groups should reduce or avoid exertion and heavy work outdoors during these conditions.

IDEM is encouraging everyone to help reduce the levels by not burning wood in fireplaces, or wood-fired burners and avoiding any unneccesary fires.

There is still time to sign up for the Moonlight Loop bicycle ride to benefit Columbus Animal Care Services.

Registration for the 19-mile bike ride is $35 through July 28th, with $40 registrations available on the day of the Saturday, July 29th event.

The ride begins at 9 p.m. in the evening and starts and finishes at the Bartholomew County Public Library Plaza.

There will be a Light up the Night contest and riders are encourage to decorate themselves and their bikes with lights, glow sticks, glow-in-the-dark paint and other bright objects.

All proceeds from the Moonlight Loop ride go to support Columbus Animal Care Services. The ride has raised more than $81,000 for the city-run animal shelter in years past.

You can find a link to register here: https://secure.getmeregistered.com/get_information.php?event_id=MTY3Nzg2Mjk4NDg2OTWMAVvfLmgagEtu

You can get more information on the ride at https://www.columbus.in.gov/animal-care-services/moonlight-loop/

Photo courtesy of City of Columbus.

A Greensburg street will close for up to four months while a bridge is replaced.

INDOT is announcing that the work will start next week to replace a bridge over Gas Creek, closing Central Avenue. The work is expected to take up to 120 days, through late November. The schedule is dependent upon the weather.

The detour will take traffic to Stewart Street, State Road 46 or Main Street, and Lincoln Street.

The $1.4 million dollar contract also includes replacing sidewalks between Greensburg High School and Greensburg Junior High School.

The project is a partnership between the state agency, Decatur County and the city of Greensburg.

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

A project to provide every Bartholomew County third grader with a dictionary is ending after 19 years.

Heritage Fund: The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County is announcing that the annual Dictionary Project giveaway is ending. Since it started more than 20,000 dictionaries have been distributed including public, private and homeschool classrooms. The project also provided dictionaries to adults in literacy and English language programs.

The organizers have decided that technology improvements in the nearly two decades since the start of the program means there is less need for paperback dictionaries.

The program was funded through annual grants from Heritage Fund and the books were distributed by Bartholomew Retired Teachers Association with support from the IUPUC Center for Teaching and Learning. It was based on a national program investigated by Lyn Morgan, the former grants manager at Heritage Fund.

Heritage Fund will continue to support students in the community as part of its youth development strategic impact goal.

Expected bad weather today is leading organizers of the Woofs and Wheels event to scale back their festivities. But you can still adopt a dog or make a donation to help care for the animals in area shelters.

Columbus Animal Care Services, Columbus Animal Rescue Effort and the Bartholomew County Humane Society are partnering with Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Columbus for a Woofs and Wheels event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  at the lot on National Road.

A Jeep showdown and live music will be rescheduled for August 5th.

Saturday is the last day for the fill the truck beds event for animal care supplies. To help the shelters, you can donate essential pet supplies at any Columbus Auto Group location.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is declaring a statewide Air Quality Action Day for Sunday due to the heavy particulates and smoke in the air from Canadian wildfires.

IDEM says the particulate counts are expected to be exceptionally high throughout the state.

The particulate danger comes from microscopic dust, soot, and liquid that settles deep into the lungs and cannot be easily exhaled. Sensitive groups should reduce or avoid exertion and heavy work outdoors during these conditions.

IDEM is encouraging everyone to help reduce the levels by not burning wood in fireplaces, or wood-fired burners and avoiding any unnecessary fires. You should reduce your time outdoors to reduce unhealthy exposures and avoid exercising near busy roads.

A Columbus man was arrested last week after allegedly threatening to use a firearm during a family argument.

According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were called to the 1300 block of Jonesville Road at just before 7 a.m. Friday after a neighbor heard the threats. Deputies discovered three people had been involved in the argument and all had minor injuries. But they concluded that 35-year-old Braden Kleinhenz was the aggressor, battering the others, pointing a firearm and making a threats.

A firearm was also located at the scene.

After being checked out at Columbus Regional Hospital, Kleinhenz was arrested on preliminary charges including Pointing a Firearm , Intimidation with a Deadly Weapon , Battery with Bodily Injury and Domestic Battery with Bodily Injury.

Crews will start the work next week of adding a new travel lane to U.S. 31 in Jackson County at Farmington Road.

According to INDOT, starting on Monday, crews with Dave O’Mara Contractors will begin removing existing pavement markings and adding new ones at the intersection. Northbound traffic will be shifted to a temporary configurations with barrels from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The barrels will be moved to the shoulder after 5 p.m.

You should be alert that the surface of the northbound lane will be uneven while the work is in progress.

The project is expected to be completed in late September. The work schedule is dependent on the weather.

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