Starting today, Columbus Regional Health will be limiting visitation at the hospital, due to an increase in respiratory infections.

According to the hospital, there has been a steady increase in infections such as as RSV, COVID and influenza both in the community and in the hospital patients. CRH says it is putting limits in place to better protect patients, workers and visitors.

Visitation is being limited to those 18 or older and only two visitors per patient will be allowed. Visitors who have symptoms of an illness should not visit and will be asked to leave. Those symptoms can include cough, fever, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, diarrhea, tiredness, headache, or vomiting. Visitors may also be asked to wear a mask or other personal protective equipment in patient rooms.

Patients in the birthing center and pediatrics must choose only four people who can visit during their stay. Those visitors can only come two at a time.

The hours of visitation have not been changed.

Incoming Columbus Mayor Mary Ferdon is welcoming you to come and celebrate with her and other newly elected officials on Monday.

New council members Josh Burnett, Chris Bartels, Kent Anderson and Jay Foyst, all Republicans, are set to be sworn in as well as incumbent council members Democrats Elaine Hilber, Jerone Wood, Tom Dell and Grace Kestler and Republican Frank Miller.

The city has announced that there will be a quorum of council members present at the ceremonies as well as majorities of other boards and committees, but no official work will be done Monday.

There ceremony will be at 11 a.m. Monday in the Cal Brand meeting room at City Hall

A man was arrested for trying to shoot a police officer during a traffic stop.

Cops say Joshua Burton, was arrested by officers from the Edinburgh Police Department. They say he jumped out of his car after he was stopped for a traffic violation.

Prosecutors say Burton ran at the officer with an AR-style rifle. During the incident, the officer sought cover anticipating a shootout but witnessed Burton lowering the firearm to his waist after his gun jammed.

Burton is in custody at the Johnson County Jail, but charges have not yet been filed.

EPD Chief Doyne Little Jr. says he has reviewed the body camera footage and commended the officer for avoiding a life-threatening situation.

Story courtesy of Network Indiana.

Plans for a giant Kings Hawaiian bakery in northwestern Bartholomew County are formally being announced by the company.

The proposal to bring up to an $180 million investment has been in the works through local economic development efforts and government approvals for months. However Irresistible Foods Group made its official announcement Thursday.

The facility just off of the intersection of Interstate 65 and U.S. 31 in Taylorsville will be the company’s first U.S. Midwest production site. The company plans to employ 150 people with an average wage of nearly $30 an hour.

Initial plans are for an $80 to $90 million investment in a 300,000 square foot facility, but that could expand to a half million square feet with a total of $180 million investment. The 88 acre parcel is at the intersection of U.S. 31 and Interstate 65 just off Hubler Drive.

Bartholomew County has agreed to provide $3.7 million in infrastructure improvements in the area, including water and sewer upgrades, a new traffic signal at U.S. 31 and Bear Drive and reconfiguring Hubler Drive to provide better access. $2.7 million of that money will come from the county’s Rainy Day Fund, with another $646,000 from county economic development income taxes and $400,000 in grants from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.

The company plans to begin construction next year with operations starting in 2026 of 2027.

The city of Seymour is looking for nonprofit organizations to apply for the city’s Quality of Life grants.

The grants, funded through the city’s redevelopment commission, are meant to provide partial funding for projects that improve the quality of life for Seymour residents through downtown/ beautification, education, or industrial projects. The locations affected by the grants must be within Seymour’s designated tax increment financing districts.

Under Indiana law, the grant projects must benefit public health, safety, morals, and welfare; increase economic well-being of the community, and protect and increase property values.

The city is accepting the grant applications through January 10th.

For more information you can call 812-522-4020 or email [email protected].

Local government offices, including Columbus city offices will be closed Friday, and Monday for New Year’s Day. However, normal trash routes will be running today.

Next week, all curbside trash and recycling collections will be delayed by a day with normal Monday routes running on Tuesday. Normal Friday routes will be run on Saturday.

Columbus City Utilities offices will also be closed. If you have a problem with your water or sewer service, please call 812-372-8861.

In Seymour, the city offices will be closed on Monday for the holiday, including the Department of Public Works. Normal trash and recycling routes for Monday will run on Tuesday.

Two school systems in Shelby County will receive a share of $18.1 million in grants for early childhood education from the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning.

The first round of employer-sponsored child care grants went to 64 businesses, community groups and school corporations around the state. The initiative is meant to mobilize employers and communities to create or expand child care offerings to address the needs of working Hoosiers.

Shelby Eastern and Shelbyville school systems will each receive a $200,000 grant.

A second round of grants to a smaller group will be announced next year. The program is a partnership with the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and uses a portion of the state’s remaining federal relief funds from the COVID-19 pandemic.

No locations in Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings or Johnson counties received funding.

Seymour has set up several locations where you can drop off your live Christmas tree so it can be recycled.

You need to remove all decorations from the trees, including stands, lights and ornaments. The trees almost must not be in a bag.

You can drop off you tree in the marked off area at Brown, Emerson, Jackson or Redding elementary schools or at Seymour Middle or Seymour High schools.

The drop off locations will be available until January 8th.

Ivy Tech Community College is offering help next week if you need assistance filling out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

The FAFSA is the starting point for financial aid including federal and state assistance as well as many scholarships.

You will need to bring your tax returns, which are required to complete the FAFSA.

The workshops will be held Jan. 4th at Ivy Tech’s Franklin campus on McClain Drive and on Friday Jan. 5th at Ivy Tech’s campus on Central Avenue in Columbus.

You can drop in any time between 1 and and 7 p.m. during the workshops. No appointment is necessary.

The National Weather Service says light rain and snow has been falling in southern Indiana this morning in a line roughly from Vincennes through Seymour and Madison.

In areas where it is all snow, up to an inch of snow accumulation is expected this morning, mainly on grassy and elevated surfaces mostly west of U.S. 31.

You can expect brief periods of low visibility and isolated slick spots if you are out on the roads.

In our area, you can expect the weather to turn to mostly rain by late this afternoon.

According to the weather service, Indianapolis has not seen measurable snowfall so far this winter. The latest date ever for the first measurable snowfall is January 4th, set in 1941. Normally central Indiana would have already had around six inches of snow.