The Columbus and Bartholomew County community’s first Diversity Career Fair and Black Business Showcase is being held next week.

According to organizers, the goals of the event are to offer fair hiring opportunities to those who need employment  and to bring awareness to Black-owned businesses operating in Bartholomew County. More than 40 local corporate vendors and Black entrepreneurs will be taking part.

This event is being hosted by the Black History Month Columbus Committee, the United Way of Bartholomew County, and the Community Education Coalition. It is part of local activities taking place for Black History Month.

The event will be free and you are invited to attend. It will be from 1 to 5 p.m. the afternoon of Tuesday, February 20th at Nexus Park on 25th Street.

You can find out more about all of the community’s Black History Month activities at https://www.blackhistorycolumbus.com

Two Columbus firefighters are being promoted in the fire investigation and inspection division.

According to Columbus Fire Department, Troy Todd is being promoted to be the city’s fire marshal. The fire marshal oversees the division. Todd has been with the fire department since 2002 and with the division since 2020 where he served as inspector.

Firefighter Andy Johns is being promoted to inspector which has a rank of administrative captain. Johns has been with the Columbus Fire Department since 2015. The fire inspector conducts building inspections within the City of Columbus along with fire investigations.

Photos courtesy of Columbus Fire Department.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is announcing the conservation officer of the year for two districts in our area.

Conservation Officer Paul Crockett has been selected as officer of the year for District 8, which includes Jackson County in its area.

Crockett is a Floyd County native and has served as a conservation officer since 2012. He serves as a field officer, a public safety diver, swift water rescue instructor, cave rescue team member, and field training officer.

Conservation Officer Travis Wooley has been selected as District 9 Officer of the Year. District 9 includes Jennings and Decatur counties locally.

Wooley has served as a conservation officer for 20 years transferring to Franklin County in 2012. He serves as a field officer, as well as a field training officer, boat accident investigator, and background investigator.

Being chosen as a district officer of the year puts the two in the running for the annual Pitzer Award, which is the top conservation officer in the state, chosen from the officers in the 10 statewide districts.

The city of Columbus is looking for the next host country for this year’s Ethnic Expo.

The October event is a two-day festival that celebrates the city’s diversity and cultural traditions. The festival, held around Columbus City Hall, is family-friendly and features live performances of international music and dancing, authentic cuisine and bazaar market vendors, along with free children’s activities.

The host country’s food and culture is featured in the host country corner of the festival village and is celebrated with entertainment on the main stage.

Potential host country candidates are asked to submit a proposal. The proposals will be reviewed by the Ethnic Expo Selection Committee to choose the next host country.

An application can be found online at www.ethnicexpo.org. The deadline is March 15th.

Two Jefferson County residents were arrested Monday after a traffic stop in Bartholomew County.

According to Indiana State Police, a trooper stopped a vehicle on Interstate 65 in southern Bartholomew County at about 9 a.m. Monday morning after noticing a traffic violation. The trooper found that one of the men, 37-year-old Robert McGaughey, of Dupont was wanted on a Jefferson County warrant for maintaining a common nuisance.

State Police dog Bosco was brought to the scene and alerted to the smell of illegal drugs inside the vehicle. A search found methamphetamine, syringes and drug paraphernalia.

The driver, 26-year-old Dahlia Jester of Madison was taken into custody for the drugs and McGaughey for the outstanding warrant. At the Bartholomew County Jail, a search found Jester was carrying about 10 grams of methamphetamine.

Jester is facing preliminary charges of trafficking with an inmate, and for possessing the drugs and paraphernalia.

Bartholomew County officials are trying to figure out what to do about the county’s youth services center.

Bartholomew County Commissioners asked the County Council this week to fund a study on how best to repair or replace the aging building on Illinois Avenue, but also on what the future of youth services will be in the county. The facility houses juvenile defenders, but also shelters children in need of protection and offers day treatment programs.

Commissioners President Larry Kleinhenz said that the more than 56-year-old building needs major repairs and it was never meant to be a detention facility. He suspects that the cost to repair the facility will be more than to replace it completely. He asked the council to provide funding for the study, which he estimated could cost $150,000 or more.

County Council members have previously said that they are concerned about the cost to provide more programs and services than other counties provide. Council President Jorge Morales said that he has no appetite to continue to increase the services the county provides to the juveniles held in the center.

The officials also said that the statewide trend seems to be fewer counties operating youth detention facilities. Councilwoman Leah Beyer said that if there are fewer options, perhaps the county could raise funds by charging other counties to provide the services. Councilman Matt Miller said that the county needs to decide whether it wants to be in the youth detention business or not and then proceed accordingly.

Sheriff Chris Lane said that if the county was to no longer have a youth center, he would have to staff transportation personnel around the clock just to transport juveniles to wherever they will eventually need to go.

The council agreed to read a recent report on the center and to consider funding further study when the costs are better known.

The Columbus Area Arts Council is accepting grant requests to support art projects in the region, which includes Bartholomew, Dearborn, Decatur, Jackson Jennings, Ohio, Ripley and Switzerland Counties.

These grants through the Indiana Arts Commission are meant to provide nonprofits and public entities with funds to support a specific arts activity. That includes a one-time event, a single production, an exhibition, an educational workshop, or a series of related arts activities such as art classes or training sessions. The Arts Project Support grants can provide up to $4,000 to organizers.

The deadline to apply is March 7th.

You can get more information at https://www.artsincolumbus.org/arts-grants

IU Columbus and the NAACP of Bartholomew County are partnering for a forum next week aimed at biracial families to be held during Black History Month.

“Living in the Middle: Parenting Across Color Lines,” will be an interactive discussion panel on Feb. 21st on the campus. Organizers say the goal is to provide a safe space for parents and caregivers to learn, share, find resources and build networks.

Organizers say that members of biracial families are encouraged to attend, as well as educators, health care workers, public service providers, friends, neighbors or anyone interested in supporting the local biracial community. The event will include information about local support and resources.

The discussion is being hosted by the IU Columbus Division of Liberal Arts and the Women In the NAACP committee.

The event will be from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the evening on February 21st in the Columbus Learning Center’s Summerville Room. It will also be streamed live on Zoom. No registration is required.

Firefighters from Columbus helped control a propane leak in northern Jackson County Monday afternoon.

According to the Columbus Fire Department, help was requested for a reported leak in Reddington at the Crestwood Oil and Natural Gas facility on Jackson County Road 975N at about 12:18 p.m. Monday afternoon. Eight Columbus hazardous materials technicians headed to the scene to assist the Reddington Township Volunteer Fire Department.

Firefighters say that a valve failure caused a release of liquid propane. Firefighters in full gear were able to manually close the valve.

No injuries were reported. The incident shut down roads and led to some evacuations, according to Reddington firefighters.

Other agencies assisting at the scene included Hamilton and Jackson Washington Township fire departments, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, and Jackson County EMS medics.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department