The dangerously high heat will continue into Wednesday. According to the National Weather Service, a heat advisory is in effect until 9 p.m. this evening and again from 11 to 8 on Wednesday.

With actual temperatures in the mid 90s, the heat index is expected to reach up to 104. Forecasters say that you should take extra precautions if you are going to be outside. You should try to limit strenuous activities to the early morning or evening. Drink plenty of fluids and wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing.

You should also check in on relatives and neighbors who might be struggling in the heat.

Bartholomew County emergency officials say that there will be several cooling stations around the community open so you can get out of the heat.

The city of Columbus has a cooling station open from 8 to 5 today through Friday at Donner Center on 22nd Street.

The city says animals will also be allowed to cool off at Donner Center with their owners and crates will be available.

The Bartholomew County Public Library branches can also be used to cool off. The main branch on Fifth Street is open from 9 until 8 today and Wednesday. The Hope branch is open until 7 today and from 10 to 5 on Wednesday.

A cooling station is a place where those who don’t have air conditioning can go to cool off. Food, showers, and sleeping areas are not available.

State Road 58 will be closing for up to 30 days starting next month.

According to the Indiana Department of Transportation, contractors will be closing the road about 2.3 miles north of Waymansville starting on Monday, Sept. 9th to replace a culvert. That will be just south of West County Road 700S.

The work is expected to take up to a month, but the work schedule is dependent on the weather.

The official detour route which take Interstate 65 to State Road 11 to State Road 258 and then back to State Road 58.

This project is part of a $4.5 million contract awarded to Force Construction.

INDOT reminds you to slow down, to drive without distractions and to use extra caution for worker safety in all work zones.

The Bartholomew County government is agreeing to a deal to sell its former county highway garage on State Street to the city of Columbus Redevelopment Commission.

A letter of intent between the two was approved yesterday by the county commissioners. According to the agreement, the city will pay just over $1 million for the property. That was the average of two outside appraisals of the property’s worth.

Commissioners said that the city’s proposal was attractive because it wanted to take the entire property, unlike other potential buyers who only wanted part of the property. And the city has good prospects of finding a use for the property that would be a benefit to the community, they said.

Commissioners Carl Lienhoop said that there have been various spills at the property over the 60+ years it was in use and will likely need some environmental remediation there and the city government would be able to facilitate that.

As part of the agreement the county would continue to be able to use the existing salt barn on State Street through October of next year.

The county moved to its new garage on rural 25th Street in 2022 after State Street location was declared as functionally obsolete. Originally built in the 1950s, county officials said at the time of the move that the State Street property was not big enough to expand the existing building.

Legal Aid will be holding a free walk-in clinic today in Bartholomew County.

Legal Aid offers the clinics for low-income residents of its eight-county district to receive legal advice and assistance. If you take part you will have a brief consultation with a volunteer attorney to answer general questions, to offer legal information or to receive other advice.

The walk-in clinic will be from 3 to 5 p.m. today at the Bartholomew County Public Library.

More mosquitoes infected with the West Nile Virus have been found in southern Indiana. Health authorities say infected mosquitoes have been confirmed in Floyd County yesterday.

Earlier this month, the Bartholomew County Health Department announced that mosquitos here have tested positive. Infected mosquitoes have also been found in Decatur and Jennings counties and one person has been reported infected this year in Johnson County, according to the CDC.

According to health officials, West Nile Virus is transmitted to humans by mosquitos that have bitten infected birds. If you are bitten by an infected mosquito you could show symptoms within 3 to 15 days that include high fever, headache, stiff neck, muscle weakness or paralysis, and confusion.

Health officials say that you should make sure your property is free from any standing water, which could be breeding grounds for mosquitos. That could include flower pots, buckets, animal water bowls or clogged gutters.

Use an insect repellent containing DEET, wear lightweight long-sleeved shirts and pants and avoid the prime time for mosquitoes which is around dawn and dusk.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has declared an Air Quality Alert for parts of our area today.

IDEM says that fine particulates in the air are expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups. Active children and adults, and people with respiratory illnesses such as asthma should limit prolonged outdoor exposure.

IDEM recommends that you take actions to lower those dangerous levels, including:

• Walking, biking, carpooling or using public transportation.
• Avoid going through drive-throughs.
• If your vehicle is going to be idling for more than 30 seconds, shut it off.
• Combine your errands into one trip.
• Avoid refueling your vehicle or using gas-powered lawn equipment until after 7 p.m. tonight.
• Conserve energy by turning off lights or setting the air conditioner to 75 degrees or higher.

Jackson and Jennings counties, along with the rest of southern Indiana are under the alerts. The alerts are in effect until midnight tonight.

It is going to be a hot one today according to forecasters.

The National Weather Servicer in Indianapolis has issued a heat advisory for our area. Temperatures are going to be in the upper 90s but it could feel like more than 101 in our area. Parts of northern Indiana are going to have heat indexes as high as 107 today.

The weather service forecasters point out that Indianapolis has only had 4 days above 95 degrees since 2014.

The heat advisory is in effect from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. today.

Bartholomew County emergency officials say that county libraries will be available today and Wednesday if you need to get out of the heat.

The Bartholomew County Public Library main branch on Fifth Street is open from 9 until 8 today and Wednesday. The Hope branch is open  from 10 to 7 today and from 10 to 5 on Wednesday.

A cooling station is a place where those who don’t have air conditioning can go to cool off. Food, showers, and sleeping areas are not available.

YES Cinema is adding another showing of a film shot in part here in Columbus.

The downtown cinema will be showing “Ice Cream Man” next month. Filming for the movie, took place at Zaharakos in March. The film is about a Jewish ice cream parlor owner in 1941 Amsterdam who helped spur the first and largest anti-Nazi protest during World War II.

The cinema has already sold out a showing on Saturday, Sept. 21st and is adding a second showing that afternoon at 1:30 p.m.

YES Cinema is owned and operated by the Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center, with all proceeds benefitting programming through the center.

You can buy tickets online here: https://www.yescinema.org/movie/The_Ice_Cream_Man or by stopping at the box office of the theater on Jackson Street during normal hours.

The annual Labor Day weekend concert hosted by Our Hospice of South-Central Indiana is coming up on Saturday.

The concert is in its 38th year and will feature Jennie DeVoe, The Rock Show: The Ultimate Tribute to Journey and The Woomblies Rock Orchestra as headliners.

For the first time, the concert will be held indoors and for the first time there will be a cost to attend. The concert will be in the Circle K Fieldhouse at Nexus Park. Tickets for the show are $10.

The annual concert is the largest fundraiser for Our Hospice. The organization, based in Columbus, provides care for more than 300 patients in 22 counties throughout south-central Indiana.

You will need to bring your own seating and outside food and drink will not be allowed.

Dunlap General and Mechanical Contractors is the title sponsor this year and Columbus Regional Health is partner sponsor.

Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets can be purchased at ourhospice.org/concert.

Forecasters say it is going to get hot this week across central Indiana. Really hot.

An excessive heat watch is in effect in central Indiana, including Johnson County. The National Weather Service in Indianapolis says we are going to see temperatures in the low to upper 90s and the humidity is going to make it feel like it is between 100 and 110. The agency is forecasting heat indexes in our area of 101 on Tuesday, with even hotter heat indexes the farther north you go.

Officials say that you will need to keep hydrated, wear light and loose-fitting clothing and avoid out door activities during the hottest parts of the day. If you do have to be outside, plan to take frequent breaks and don’t over-exert yourself.