Bartholomew County officials have taken steps to make sure new police vehicles will be on the way.

The County Commissioners yesterday ratified a purchase order made by the Sheriff’s Department for five new patrol vehicles. Earlier this month, the commissioners had approved a bid from through Country Chevrolet in North Vernon to purchase five Chevy Tahoes at a cost of $57,500 each, or just over $253 thousand dollars.

However, Capt. Brandon Slate explained that the order had to be put in immediately because the manufacturer opened a brief window where orders could be made.

Commissioners and Slate said the entire process of purchasing police vehicles has changed in recent years. Companies no longer produce a fleet of police-rated vehicles with departments having the choice to buy. Instead the manufacturers are producing the vehicles on demand in limited numbers.

The county has been struggling in recent years to purchase police vehicles, despite receiving funding from the county and trying to place orders. Slate said that with the order now in place, he was confident that the county would receive these five vehicles.

Signups are underway to have your taxes filed for free through the United Way of Bartholomew County.

Registrations started yesterday for the VITA Volunteer Tax Assistance program. It is available to Bartholomew County residents who make $66,000 or less. Volunteers are certified by the IRS and they provide basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals.

The tax filings will be offered through mid-April at the Doug Otto United Way Center on 13th Street in Columbus.

Reservations are available on a first-come first-served basis. You can sign up by calling 812-375-2216 between 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays or by going online to www.uwbarthco.org/taxes.

The Yellow Trail Museum and Bartholomew County Genealogical Society are launching a new program to recognize the first pioneer settlers of the town of Hope.

The First Families of Hope will feature monthly talks recognizing and researching the early settlers. Those will be in the form of discussions on the first Saturday of each month from February through August of 2025.

In the first group, there will be a focus on the families who attended the first services at Hope Moravian Church in June of 1830. The first discussion will feature the Chitty Family and will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3rd at the Yellow Trail Museum research center on the northwestern corner of the Hope Town Square.

You are asked to bring any photos, genealogy, documents, stories, or anything else you might want to share. The Genealogical Society will scan copies during the sessions to make available to the public and to the museum.

The Hope Moravian Church family series will run through August of this year. A second series will focus on the 124 early landowners who had purchased land in Flat Rock and Hawcreek Townships by 1830.

The program is also part of a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Yellow Trail Museum in 2025.

For more information, contact Kim Ray 812-344-2920

Thrive Alliance will be offering its Powerful Tools for Caregivers virtual sessions again starting next month.

The sessions are an educational program that helps family caregivers.

This program is designed for those who are long-distance caregivers, caregivers to individuals with disabilities, grandparents raising children, caregivers of older adults, and those living with dementia. It is meant to help family caregivers reduce stress, improve self-confidence, communicate feelings better, balance their lives, increase their ability to make tough decisions and locate helpful resources.

Each class consists of six sessions held once a week. They will be held via Zoom from February 21st through March 27th from 2 to 3:30 on Wednesdays.

The program is free but registration is required. The deadline to register is February 14th. To register or get more information you can call 812-418-6690.

Columbus-based Elwood Staffing is announcing that it is acquiring a staffing network based in Cincinnati.

The company announced Monday that it is acquiring BelFlex Staffing Network which provides commercial staffing and flexible workforce solutions. Elwood says BelFlex has been a leader in light industrial commercial staffing for 35 years.

The company will continue to operate under the BelFlex brand but will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Elwood Staffing.

The acquisition will add 26 branch locations in 19 new markets for Elwood primarily throughout the Midwest and Southeast. This is Elwood’s 20th acquisition and the company will have more than 215 offices and operate in 33 states.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for our area

Freezing rain is expected this afternoon and overnight. You can expect a glaze of ice on roads by the time you head into work on Tuesday morning, with up to a tenth of an inch on the ground. Indianapolis is expected to get two tenths of an inch and northern Indiana could see nearly three quarters of an inch of ice. You could see slick patches during your Tuesday morning commute.

The temperatures should rise early Tuesday morning, turning the precipitation back to regular rain according to forecasters.

The winter weather advisory is in effect until 10 a.m Tuesday morning.

Columbus Regional Health is inviting you take a tour of its new space in the former Fair Oaks Mall on Wednesday.

CRH will be holding a grand opening celebration for its side of the new Nexus Park with an open house including a ribbon cutting with the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be at 11:30. After that you can take tours of the hospital portion of the facility until 6 that evening.

Kelsey DeClue with CRH explains:

The former Fair Oaks Mall on 25th Street is being revamped by the hospital and the City of Columbus as a center for health, wellness and recreation. CRH is putting more than $54 million dollars into its side of the project. The CRH portion makes up 125,000 square-feet and will contain 14 medical practices and support services offices which are being relocated there.

You can enter the building from the parking lot on the southwest side of the center.

The event is free and you are invited to attend.

A semi accident Friday night in Bartholomew County could have been a slippery situation.

According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were called to a rollover semi crash on Interstate 65 near the Edinburgh exit at about 7:19 p.m. The semi wreck was blocking a northbound lane of the highway.

Rescue workers found that the truck was carrying 20 tons of fabric softener, however the load did not spill into the media. One lane of the interstate had to remain shut down for several hours while crews from the wrecker service unloaded the truck by hand.

The driver of the semi suffered a head injury in the crash and had to receive medical attention, deputies say.

Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

Authorities are urging you to be safe if you have to be out on the roads this morning.

According to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, several area counties are under travel restrictions this morning. Travel advisories are in effect for both Decatur and Jennings counties. A travel advisory is the lowest level of travel restriction, and means that routine travel or activities may be restricted in areas because of a hazardous situation. You should use extra caution and avoid those areas if you can.

Freezing rain is expected tonight and the National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory goes into effect tonight for parts of our area including Shelby and Johnson counties. You can expect a glaze of ice on roads by the time you head into work on Tuesday morning, with up to a tenth of an inch on the ground. Indianapolis is expected to get two tenths of an inch and northern Indiana could see nearly three quarters of an inch of ice. You could see slick patches during your Tuesday morning commute.

The temperatures should rise later Tuesday morning, turning the precipitation back to regular rain according to forecasters.

Southern Indiana Congresswoman Erin Houchin will be working on issues surrounding artificial intelligence.

The Republican congresswoman’s office has announced that she will serve on the recently created working group through the House Financial Services Committee. The group will be looking at the impact of AI on the financial services and housing industries, including on the workforce. It will also explore the potential benefits and risks associated with AI and how that could lead to regulations.

Houchin said she is committed to keeping Southern Indiana at the forefront of innovation and opportunity while ensuring that AI is used responsibly and ethically. She said she will engage with constituents, industry experts, and local leaders to discuss potential impacts here.

Photo of Rep. Erin Houchin. R-Ind. courtesy of house.gov