Emergency officials are warning that with harvest season getting underway you are going to see more farm equipment on area roads and highways.

Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department points out that combines and other farming equipment travel at a slower speed than other traffic and farm equipment can fill the roadway with their width. The large equipment also reduces visibility for those who may want to try to pass the equipment.

The Indiana Department of Agriculture suggests you use caution when you find yourself sharing the road with the equipment. Make sure to slow down, stay a safe distance away and use caution when passing.

The state warns that you should not try to pass in a “No Passing Zone” or within 100 feet of any intersection, railroad grade crossing, bridge, elevated structure or tunnel. You should also be aware that large equipment might pull off on the right side of the road because they are preparing for a wide left turn.

Drivers of slow-moving equipment are required to move to the right if they are able to, but it might be a while until they find a safe place in the road.

Authorities also say that farmers should make sure that all of their equipment’s lighting is working and warning signs in place. They should also avoid moving equipment during the early morning and evening hours.

Bartholomew County Commissioner Carl Lienhoop demonstrates the size of farm equipment moving on local roads and highways. Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

Camp Atterbury was the site yesterday as members of the Indiana National Guard’s 38th Infantry Division began their deployment overseas.

According to the Indiana Guard, about 600 troops will deploy to the Middle East in support of Operation Spartan Shield. The soldier’s overseas deployment will be about nine months, and the soldiers will be mobilized for about a year. The soldiers’ will first head to Texas for about a month for additional training before heading overseas.

The Indiana National Guard’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Dale Lyles, thanked the soldier’s families for their enduring support.

Many of the soldiers deployed for the same mission in 2019 and returned in April 2020.

Photo courtesy of Indiana National Guard. Soldiers with the 38th Infantry Division’s headquarters battalion stand for an invocation during their departure ceremony at Camp Atterbury  Wednesday.

Applications are now open for the next sessions of the Bartholomew County Works job readiness training program’s workshops.

Bartholomew County Works is committed to helping members improve their lives, gain full-time employment and achieve economic self-sufficiency.

The next day-long workshop series will start on Monday November 4th and run through Friday November 8th at Yes Cinema. There will not be October workshops.

An orientation session will be held October 31st from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the morning.

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

You could see lanes closing on State Road 46 in Brown County starting on Monday.

According to the Indiana Department of Transportation, crews will be finalizing work on a project about 6 and a half miles east of Nashville. They will be closing alternating lanes on the highway and flaggers will be in place to direct traffic.

The work is expected to take up to six days.

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

CSA New Tech High School students will be unveiling a new documentary looking at social movements and how they have affected our community on Sunday at The Crump Theater.

CSA Student Flint Foley explained that the documentary grew from an English class project.

The documentary focuses on 10 Columbus residents and the movements they were involved in. Those include Erin Bailey, organizer of the first Columbus Pride Festival, Paulette Roberts who documents local black history and the Rev. Felipe Martinez pastor of First Presbyterian Church.

CSA Student Hunter Beesley explains

Proceeds from the performance will benefit efforts to renovate The Crump.

Agents of Change will have a red carpet reception at 1:30 p.m. and general admission at 2 p.m. The film will be followed by a panel discussion. Tickets are $5 and are available through Eventbrite. You can find a link on our website. Tickets are $5 and are available through Eventbrite here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/documentary-premiere-agents-of-change-tickets-1019597803477

The state of Indiana has honored nearly 300 schools for scoring at least 95-percent on the annual reading exam, IREAD.

Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner says they still have work to do, “but as a state, it’s remarkable to see all the progress.” She says teachers and school staff rallied after scores went down after the COVID-19 pandemic to help get students back on track. About one in five test takers in third grade, however, are still struggling to read.

Among the local schools to hit the 95 percent benchmark were CSA Lincoln Campus in Bartholomew Consolidated Schools and Helmsburg Elementary School in Brown County which both had a perfect 100 percent pass rate and North Decatur Elementary School in Decatur County Community Schools which had a 95 percent pass rate.

Story courtesy of TTWN Media Networks

The Columbus City Cemetery is set for a fall cleanup on Tuesday, Oct. 1st.

The cemetery is just south of Donner Park. If you have a family plot in the cemetery you are asked to pick up any items you wish to save by Monday.

The city parks department workers will remove and discard any worn or out-of-season decorations that remain on the ground during the cleanup.

The next cleanup day is set for April 1st.

For more information you can call 812-376-2599.

The city of Columbus will be starting its fall leaf pickup program in a few weeks.

According to the Department of Public Works, the curbside leaf pickup program will begin on Oct. 14th. You should move your loose, unbagged leaves to the curb by 7 a.m. on the same day as your normal trash route.

You should ensure that leaf piles are clear of all obstructions such as cars and mailboxes. And make sure that there is no debris such as decorative grass trimmings mixed if. If you have sticks or branches, you should create a separate pile to be collected and fed through the chipper.

The city asks you not to put the leaves in the gutter as they clog storm drains and can cause flooding.

The program will run through December, with an end date determined by when the leaves fall.

If you have any questions you can check out the city website at https://www.columbus.in.gov/public-works/.

You can also get more information on the CurbCycle or Columbus Collects apps on your phone.

Heritage Fund has a new incentive if you show how much you Love Where You Live — a chance to win tickets to Taylor Swift’s upcoming show in Indianapolis.

The Love Where You Live campaign kicks off next month and is a fundraising effort for the Bartholomew County community foundation’s Community Fund. More than $800,000 is distributed annually From Heritage Fund’s unrestricted Community Fund to assist local not for profit groups.

The ticket contest is being organized to help promote the campaign and its inaugural downtown festival coming up on October 5th. Two tickets will be given away for Taylor Swift’s November 1st show at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

For a chance to win, you have to complete three tasks: Sign up to receive updates from the Heritage Fund, like Heritage Fun on Facebook and consider making a donation to the Community Fund. To enter you have to be at least 18 years old and a resident of Bartholomew County.

Among the activities going on during the downtown Columbus festival will be a concert by Taylor Swift tribute band the Miss Americanas starting at 4 p.m. that afternoon.

You can sign up in person at the Oct. 5th event, or online at lovewhereyoulivecolumbus.org or at https://heritagefundbc.org/love-where-you-live-the-event/

Bartholomew County is putting new software protection in place as it continues to receive hundreds of hacking attacks a day.

Scott Mayes, IT director for the county government, brought a proposal for new authentication services for county computers before the county commissioners this week.

Mayes said that the state first required the multi-factor authentication for all law enforcement computers in 2016. But since then the volume of cyber attacks has greatly increased and now the state is requiring the service for any person or computer that accesses public safety information.

Mayes said stolen credentials are one of the highest risks to computer security. He said that the county receives several hundred probes a day from intruders trying to get into systems. He said that the attempts are thwarted by the protective software in place.

Mayes said that the authentication addition is being offered as an add-on to the networking software already in use. The proposed contract will cost just over $34,500 dollars for the first three years.

County Commissioners approved the contract at their meeting Monday.