Emergency officials are offering tips about how to keep your family safe this Christmas weekend.

According to firefighters, holiday lighting can be a danger if it is done incorrectly. You should follow manufacturer’s instruction and never string too many strands of Christmas lights together at a time.

If you are using an artificial tree with pre-installed lights, you should check it before setting it up to make sure there are no obviously frayed wires. And if you are having intermittent light problems, such as flickering or turning off and on, it could be a short in the lights. In that case, it would be better to forgo using the installed lighting and instead use separate strands of lights.

You should also make sure to keep any flammable material away from open flames such as candles. That means keeping a clear area three feet around drapes and other possible fuel sources.

If you are hanging stockings on the mantle of a wood-burning fireplace, you should make sure that the materials aren’t so close that they could ignite. You should also have a spark arrester on the front of the fireplace to prevent popping wood from expelling hot embers.

If you have a live Christmas tree in the house, you should make sure to water it daily. A dry tree can quickly burst into flames.

And it is always a good idea to have working smoke detectors and make sure that that your family has a fire escape plan in place that they have practiced.

Graphic courtesy of U.S. Fire Administration

Two people are dead after a crash this week in Jackson County.

According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, 20-year-old Trawaun Litzlbauer, of Indianapolis and 67-year-old Stanley Baughman Jr of Medora were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash by the Jackson County Coroner’s Office off of U.S. 50.

Deputies were called to the scene of the crash at about noon Wednesday in the 2200 east block of the highway after a collision between a passenger car and a pickup truck. Both Litzlbauer and Baughman were in the car.

The driver of the pickup, 43-year-old Charles Callahan, of Seymour was taken by helicopter to the University of Louisville Hospital for treatment.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing.

A reminder that local government offices, including Columbus city offices will be closed today, and Monday for Christmas. However, normal trash routes will be running today. Next week, all curbside trash and recycling collections will be delayed by a day.

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

A music festival in Nashville earlier this month raised $6,500 for the Mother’s Cupboard Community Kitchen.

This was the first year for the Amplify Nashville music festival, organized by the Brown County Music Association. The Dec. 2nd event featured musicians from south-central Indiana performing folk, blues, roots, and country music at the Brown County Music Center.

The event raised money for the association as well as the Mother’s Cupboard Community Kitchen, which provides food for the hungry in Nashville and Brown County. The music association supports aspiring musicians in their creative pursuits.

Sandy Richardson, president of the Mother’s Cupboard said the center’s number of clients are growing daily. She thanked the Amplify Nashville organizer saying “this wonderful donation will be put to good use in our facility… No one should ever be hungry.”

Bob Blass, president of the Brown County Music Association and an organizer of the festival, called the inaugural event a success, saying more than 600 people attended.

The Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County is hoping to help residents make healthy choices when it comes to alcohol in the new year.

The agency is promoting a community-wide “Dry January” challenge. Organizers say the goal is to enhance community wellness by helping participants explore how shifting their relationship with alcohol can positively impact overall mental and physical wellbeing.

ASAP is partnering with Skye Nicholson of Soul’s Truth Coaching to offer free group coaching during the challenge. The group coaching will be based on the book “The Alcohol Experiment” by Annie Grace. If you sign up you will receive daily emails from Nicholson corresponding to themes in the book. There will also be inspirational videos and a weekly group Zoom meeting.

Nicholson explains:

Nicholson said participants will be able to gain insights, tools, and strategies to navigate their alcohol-free journey.

Viewpoint Books will be offering discounted copies of the book.

The challenge is being offered under ASAP’s Rethinking Wellness initiative which aims to prevent substance misuse in Bartholomew County

You can register for the Dry January Challenge here: https://asapbc.org/dryjanuary 

Toyota Material Handling headquarter in Columbus is partnering with the local Red Cross to provide a new, state-of-the art blood mobile for the region.

According to the company, the vehicle is a one-of-a-kind co-branded bloodmobile which can accommodate four donors simultaneously, is designed to account for COVID requirements and is the first unit in the United States equipped with solar panels. The company says that the vehicle is in line with the company’s Vision 2030 goals to reduce its carbon footprint.

Bill Finerty, Toyota Material Handling President and CEO, said the collaboration reflects the company culture of continuous improvement and its dedication to sustainably serve its communities.

Toyota formalized its relationship with the southern Indiana Red Cross in 2018. Throughout North America, the company aids Red Cross projects providing financial support, forklift safety and operation training, natural disaster relief, equipment donations and more. The company also provides associates with paid volunteer time each year, and a percentage of those hours are earmarked for the Red Cross

The new bloodmobile will serve the entire southern Indiana region and has the capacity to collection about 30,000 units of blood annually.

Photo courtesy of Toyota Material Handling

The Hospital Foundation of Decatur County is making a more than $250 thousand donation to Decatur County Memorial Hospital, proceeds from its yearlong capital campaign.

The $256,932 dollar donation will go to support the new state-of-the-art Rehabilitation & Medical Offices Building. The 26,000 square foot building houses Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Orthopedic providers, and Family Medicine providers on the north side of the hospital campus.

Foundation Director Mandy Jo Lohrum said that community feedback indicated access to expanded resources in physical activity was at the top of the priorities list.

The foundation will continue to transfer donations from the capital campaign to the hospital as they come in.

You can make a donation or get more information at dcmh.net/foundation or by calling 812-663-1220.

The city of Columbus is planning a session next year to educate the public on tax increment financing districts and how they work.

After establishing a tax increment financing district and setting a baseline for property taxes, an Indiana community then siphons off rising property tax revenues in future years, which are held for redevelopment in that particular area of the community. For example, Columbus recently agreed to provide a $5.8 million forgiveable loan to a downtown apartment complex developer from a downtown TIF and will spend more than $11.6 million from redevelopment funds for a riverfront project.

The information session will be from 4 to 5:30 on Wednesday January 10 at Columbus City Hall.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Redevelopment Department.

Camp Atterbury is warning that you may be seeing and hearing some aerial artillery next week.

The base is announcing that there will be training on the range on Dec. 28th with the AC-130J Ghostrider plane. The Air Force platform is a modified C-130 Hercules cargo plane outfitted for ground support. It is armed with a 105mm howitzer and 30 mm minigun. The plane will be seen and heard firing its weapons while it makes a 45 degree bank around its targets.

Versions of the gunship have been in use by the Air Force since the Vietnam War.

The training will be from noon to 6 p.m. on Thursday next week.

Photo courtesy of Camp Atterbury

Some customers of Eastern Bartholomew Water Corporation in the Wayne Township area are under a boil water advisory.

According to the water utility, maintenance was made on a water main in the area and affects customers on County Roads 800S, 850S, Base Road, 100E and 50E. The boil water advisory is in effect until 2 Thursday afternoon.

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 utility at 812-526-9777.