There is still time for you to save money if you want to take part in this weekend’s the Moonlight Loop Bike Ride in Columbus.

The 19-mile scenic bike ride is a fundraiser for Columbus Animal Care Services, the city’s animal shelter to support low-cost spay/neuter initiatives for the Columbus community. This year’s event will start at 9 p.m. on Saturday. The ride starts and ends at the Bartholomew County Public Library.

You can decorate your bike with lights, glow sticks or glow in the dark paint to compete in the Light Up The Night contest.

Pre-registration is $35 and will increase to $40 the night of the event.

To get more information on the ride you can go to the city website at https://www.columbus.in.gov/animal-care-services/moonlight-loop/. you can also register for the ride at getmeregistered.com and search for the Moonlight Loop event.

An area farmer has been chosen to be the face of a U.S. soybean commercial campaign in South Korea.

According to the U.S. Soybean Export Council, Flat Rock farmer Jim Douglas is representing the campaign promoting the production of the crops using environmentally sustainable techniques. Douglas is being featured on billboards, ads on the side of buses, video commercials and other advertisement as an example of a U.S. farmer producing healthy crops.

The council says that Douglas, along with his son James, is the fifth generation of his family to work the farm in southern Shelby County, where they also grow corn. Douglas said that when he started the farm didn’t rely on trade partners, but now that business makes up more than the domestic needs. He recommends farmer work with trade organizations to put a voice to American agriculture.

According to the council, from January through April, more than 67,000 metric tons of soybeans worth more than $57 million were exported to Korea.

Image courtesy of U.S. Soybean Export Council

The National Weather Service warns that we are in for some miserably hot and sticky weather this week.

According to forecasters, hot and humid conditions are expected across central Indiana through the weekend. That’s due to a massive area of high pressure that has settled over Indiana and the rest of the eastern half of the United States.

You can expect daily high temperatures in the low to mid 90s, but the humidity is going to make it feel like it is closer to 100. Conditions during the afternoons could be hazardous to vulnerable populations.

Forecasters say that you should make sure that you stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water or sports drinks. You should wear light clothing, use sunscreen and wear sunglasses if you have to be outside. You should also schedule any outdoor work or activities during cooler parts of the day. And make sure to take frequent breaks.

The Freeman Army Airfield Museum in Seymour will be holding its annual Airplane Ride Day fundraiser from 9 until 4 p.m. on Saturday.

With a $25 donation, you will be able to see Seymour from the air. There will also be airplanes and military vehicles on display, tours of the museum, a glider to view and rides in a 500 hp biplane for an additional cost. There will be food and drinks to purchase.

The airplane rides will depend on the weather. They will not be available to anyone younger than 5 or who weighs more than 250 pounds.

Proceeds will go to benefit the museum. The museum is at 1035 A Avenue on the Freeman Municipal Airport in Seymour.

Photo courtesy of Freeman Army Airfield Museum

A bicycle tour honoring fallen police officers will pass through Columbus as part of its nearly 1,000 mile tour of Indiana next month.

Cops Cycling for Survivors is its 23rd year honoring the fallen officers and their families. 2024 is the 200th anniversary of the first law enforcement officer to die in the line of duty in Indiana. Constable Robert Murphy of the Bath Township Constable’s Office in Franklin County attempted to serve a warrant in November of 1824 and was stabbed repeatedly. He had only been appointed a constable a week earlier.

The tour is a fundraiser to assist the fallen officers families with expenses such as death benefits, scholarships, camps and other support for survivors including costs as they follow cases through the court system.

The tour will start on July 8th in Indianapolis. The tour will stop in Columbus on July 19th coming from Madison and will head out on its last leg on July 20th, going from Columbus to Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.

You can find more information and make a donation at http://www.copscycling4survivors.org

Southeastern Indiana workforce development officials are touting the expansion of a job training program for high school students into Decatur County. The efforts are being funded in part by a grant from Honda.

The Southeast Indiana Workforce Investment Board held an event this week announcing the expansion of the Jobs for America’s Graduates program into Greensburg Community, North Decatur Jr Sr , and South Decatur Jr Sr High Schools. Officials said that Honda’s donation is the state’s largest private investment in the program to date.

The Jobs for America’s Graduates program brings a full-time instructor into a traditional classroom setting, helping students encountering barriers to graduation to learn employability skills, to explore careers and receive coaching experiences. It is meant to provide a bridge to further education and workforce opportunities.

The Southern Indiana Workforce group runs the state’s largest program with 12 school corporations taking part. About 520 students take part and another 200 young adults are in a follow up program. Participants have a 99 percent graduation rate and earned $1.7 million in college scholarships.

The board covers Bartholomew, Dearborn, Decatur, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Ohio, Ripley, and Switzerland counties.

Blood donations are still needed to help fight a critical shortage of blood products, according to the American Red Cross in Indiana, and there are several upcoming opportunities to give blood.

Friday is World Blood Donor Day and organizer stress that now is a great time to make the decision to donate. Due to several factors, there has been a drastic shortfall in needed donations over the past few weeks. They say that when fewer people donate, less blood is available for hospital patients in critical need.

Upcoming blood drives include Monday, June 17th from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., at the Johnson County Public Library on State Street in Franklin, on Tuesday from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Johnson County Library White River Branch, on Library Blvd in Greenwood, on Wednesday from 10 to 4 p.m. at The Commons in downtown Columbus and on Thursday June 20th from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Bartholomew County Public Library.

You can schedule an appointment to give blood by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, or calling 1-800-RED CROSS

Bartholomew County Works is accepting applications for the upcoming July sessions of its job readiness workshops.

Bartholomew County Works helps members improve their lives, gain full-time employment and achieve economic self-sufficiency. It provides resources in areas including transportation, finances and budget setting.

The day-long workshop series will start on July 8th and run through July 12th at Yes Cinema.

An orientation session will be held July 3rd from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the morning.

The deadline to sign up is Tuesday, July 2nd.

To get more information on signing up, you can call Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center at 812-378-2638.

Contractors will be reopening part of State Road 39 in Jackson County for a few days.

According to INDOT, the contractor will be temporarily deactivating temporary traffic signals and reopenign the northbound lane of the highway over Grassy Fork in Tampico starting today. They plan to reactivate the signals and return the highway to one lane on Monday.

Work on the bridge started on June 3rd and is expected to take four weeks, depending on the weather. The work is about four miles north of State Road 256.

Three Star Painting is the contractor for the project.

INDOT asks you to slow down, to drive without distractions, to be extra cautious and to be alert to worker safety in all work zones.

The Bartholomew County Health Department is outfitting all county deputies with emergecy kits to stop bleeding.

According to Sheriff Chris Lane, the deputies went through “Stop the Bleed” training last month, which taught skills on stopping or slowing bleeding in a severely injured victim. The sheriff says that a person who is severely bleeding can die in as few as five minutes.

Yesterday the health department provided all deputies with a Stop the Bleed kit for their patrol vehicles.

The health department is available to provide the training to community organizations. You can sign up by calling the department at 812-379-1555.

Photos courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.