The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Southcentral Indiana will be hosting a walk on Sunday, October 22nd to raise awareness of mental health issues.

The 1 and 2 mile walks will start on-site registration at 2 p.m. at the Donner Park shelterhouse. In addition to the walk, the group will also have information about how the organization supports those whose lives are affected by mental illness, either directly or indirectly.

NAMI is the largest grassroots mental health organization in the country. The local walk will benefit education, support, and advocacy in Bartholomew and Jackson Counties. All donations will stay in those counties.

Registered participants who raise more than $100 will receive a NAMIWalks T-shirt.

The walk is open to everyone and you are invited to attend. You can find a link for more information and to register here: https://www.namiwalks.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=1440

IU Columbus says that the newest edition of its student literary magazine, Talking Leaves, is now available online and on the campus. The 116 page magazine features creative works from 30 students of IU Columbus and Ivy Tech Community College.

Submissions were made through a blind submission process where students submitted original, unpublished works of fiction or nonfiction prose, poetry or artwork. , which can be previous classwork. Lisa Siefker-Bailey, the publication’s advisor encourages students from all majors to consider taking part by submitting their work or by volunteering.

You can find physical copies of the magazine at The Landing in the Columbus Learning Center or find a link to download a copy here: https://www.iupuc.edu/liberal-arts/talking-leaves/

Columbus Regional Hospital will be asking the city to annex about 688 acres of property it owns on the west side of the city.

The property is being called the City View District and broad plans to develop the area were approved last month by Columbus City Council. That plan includes residential neighborhoods, commercial centers, a research & development campus, open spaces, green corridors, and room for other amenities. The property is south of Jonathan Moore Pike between Interstate 65 and Garden City. The intent is to develop the property, formerly know as Garden City Farms, over many years.

As part of the city, after the development completes streets those would be turned over to the city for maintenance. Annexation would also allow for city utilities to be provided to the development. The city parks department estimates that it would need four more staff members along with more equipment such as mowers to maintain the proposed parks and public spaces. And the City Department of Public Works estimated it would need more employees to complete trash, recycling and yard waste routes as well as for street sweeping, sign maintenance and other maintenance.

The hospital is requesting that the Columbus Plan Commission recommend approval of the annexation request when it meets Wednesday. Plan Commission meets at 4 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Columbus City Hall.

The Crump Theatre will be having a Historically Nightmarish Weekend Friday and Saturday with showings of The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Nightmare on Elm Street films as well as a fundraiser for the Bartholomew County Historical Society.

According to organizers, the events will kick off with a free reception at the Historical Society museum on Third Street from 4 to 6 on Friday with local artist Linda Peterson as well as displays of architectural salvage and work by local designers, including Timothy Hittle — an animator who helped create The Nightmare Before Christmas film.

The theatre will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the animated movie starting at 7 p.m. That will include a meet and greet and autograph signings by Hittle followed by a screening of The Nightmare Before Christmas and a question and answer session.

Jess Schnepp with the Crump Theatre explains:

The anniversary event will be $25.

Later Friday evening, from 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. there will be a screening of the original Nightmare on Elm Street film from 1984. Tickets for that show will be $15.

On Saturday, there will be a matinee showing of The Nightmare on Elm Street, including an autograph session with Hittle starting at 1 p.m.

The matinee show is $15.

You can get tickets at eventbrite here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/historically-nightmarish-weekend-tickets-728912325387

Photo courtesy of Crump Theatre

Cummins is unveiling a new prototype drivetrain for military applications, a project that grew from the acquisition of Meritor last year.

According to the Columbus-based engine manufacturer, the drivetrain is being unveiled this week at the annual Association of the United States Army Conference in Washington D.C. The proof of concept design is engineered specifically for wheeled defense vehicles and features the Cummins L9 engine.

The former Meritor Defense, now Cummins-Meritor, has been serving the defense market since the early 1900s, said Jim Keane, Cummins’ executive director of Global Product Solutions for the Cummins-Meritor business unit. He said Meritor offered “the leading drivetrain components available to defense applications.” Those systems are now being combined with Cummins power to offer “customers the most comprehensive portfolio of power generation and power distribution solutions available.”

The Cummins display at the conference also includes the Power Generation business unit’s Tactical Energy Storage System as well as the Advance Combat Engine and V903 engine.

Cummins acquired Meritor, which was formerly based in Columbus as Arvin Meritor, in 2022, in what was reported at the time as a deal worth about $3.7 billion dollars.

There will be an open house on Sunday at the Indiana Rural Letter Carriers Museum in Hope to recognize the start of the ground-breaking service 128 years ago.

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

The museum, which opened last October, is working on its second phase, focusing on the stories of the people involved in the rural mail delivery. The museum’s staff is collecting stories and photos of rural mail carriers from all around Indiana.

The Rural Letter Carriers Museum open house will be from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday at the museum on the northwest corner of the Town Square beside the Yellow Trail Museum.

Photo courtesy of Yellow Trail Museum

Traffic will be restricted on Bartholomew County Road 900E today while crews pave the road.

According to the Bartholomew County Highway Department, the work will be going on between County Road 800N and Stafford Road between 8 and 5 today.

Milestone is the contractor for the project.

You should avoid the area if you can. Otherwise you should expect delays if you are traveling in the area.

A window washer died at Schneck Medical Center on Friday after falling from the building.

According to Lt. C.J. Foster with the Seymour Police department, officers were called to the scene at about 2:05 p.m. Friday afternoon on a report of an accident at the hospital. Hospital staff and medics treated the victim at the hospital before he was flown by Statflight helicopter to an Indianapolis hospital.

41-year-old Adam Farrar of Poseyville was pronounced dead upon arriving in Indianapolis. A cause of death will be determined by the Marion County coroner’s office, Foster said.

Foster said that the man was working for a company contracted to wash the windows at the hospital.

Ivy Tech Community College and Seymour High School are partnering to offer students real-world career preparation through Career Day events.

According to the college, this is the first year for the partnership which is meant to provide additional depth and training for the students.

Seymour High School held two Career Day events earlier this school year, providing students with information on how to build an effective resume, different types of interview styles, practice with professional communication skills and learning what skills today’s employers are looking for.

Ivy Tech provided the students with trained career-preparation professionals through its Ivy+ Career Link program to help them create paths to attain career goals. Ivy+ Career Link is team that provides career development services, talent connection opportunities and employee training for employers.

Seymour High School and Ivy Tech plan to continue offering the Career Day events for seniors at the start of each school year.

The Lincoln Central Neighborhood Homebuyer’s Program is organizing a workshop for first-time homebuyers from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 21st at Yes Cinema.

The workshop will be presented by Apprisen, in partnership with First Financial Bank, the Southern Indiana Housing and Community Development Corporation and Lincoln Central.

Workshop topics will include preparing for homeownership, working with a real estate agent and understanding budgets and credit history. After finishing the workshop, participants will receive a HUD homebuyer certificate of completion.

The workshop is free. Registration is required. For more information or to register, you can call the Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center at 812-379-1630 or email [email protected].

YES Cinema is at 328 Jackson Street in downtown Columbus.