Forecasters say that hot and dry conditions this afternoon are going to make for an elevated outdoor fire risk in our area.

According to the National Weather Service, the elevated fire risk in central Indiana includes Johnson, Shelby and Decatur counties.

We could see temperatures near 80, with wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph and relative humidity values below 30 percent. Combined with drying vegetation, there is a chance for grass and brush fires to spread quickly.

Forecasters say that outdoor burning is discouraged. You should also be careful that you don’t accidentally start a fire with equipment that might spark. And you should not operate vehicles today on or around dry vegetation.

River Valley Legal Aid will be holding a free walk-in clinic Tuesday 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. on Tuesday, October 22nd at the Bartholomew County Public Library on Fifth Street.

Bartholomew County officials say that Hartman Drive will be closing tomorrow for a culvert replacement.

According to the County Highway Department, the work will be going on between U.S. 31 and Willoughby Drive starting at about 7:30 a.m and lasting until about 4. All traffic that needs to access Hartman Drive will have to take Heflin Park Road and Willoughby Drive. No semis will be allowed to turn off of U.S. 31 to get to Hardees, although personal vehicles will be allowed.

You should avoid the area, if you can

Nominations are being accepted for next year’s Edna V. Folger Outstanding Teacher Award.

Organizers say this annual award is designed to raise awareness about the influence educators have on their students, as well as to recognize the image of educators as important community role models.

Full-time elementary or secondary school teachers or educators working in a public, private, or parochial school in Bartholomew County are eligible. That includes classroom, special education, or specials teachers; certified educators; counselors; and administrators. Anyone or a group may nominate an educator to receive the award.

The award is sponsored by SIHO Insurance Services, the Community Education Coalition and the IU Columbus Center for Teaching and Learning. Traditionally, the award is presented at the Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting.

You can find nomination forms at the IU Columbus Center for Teaching and Learning, the Bartholomew Consolidated Schools administrative offices and in the main offices of schools in the county. You can also find the nomination form here: go.iu.edu/columbus-folger-award

The deadline for nominations is January 24th.

Two people were arrested on drug-related charges after a traffic incident last week in Jennings County.

According to the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Kenny Freeman stopped a vehicle Thursday evening after noticing a traffic violation. As he spoke to the people in the car he began to suspect criminal activity and a police dog was brought to the scene to sniff around the vehicle. The police dog, Creed, alerted to the odor of narcotics inside the vehicle.

A search uncovered a large amount of fentanyl inside as well as Ecstasy pills. The driver and passenger were taken into custody and during a search of the passenger, 23-year-old Drew Schrink of Seymour, police discovered methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. They also discovered that Schrink was wanted on an outstanding warrant out of Ohio.

The driver, 61-year-old Gary Stone of North Vernon was arrested on preliminary charges for possessing narcotics, drug paraphernalia and a controlled substance. Schrink is facing new charges for possessing the meth and paraphernalia, in addition to the outstanding warrant.

State officials are warning that some people could find it hard to breathe tonight.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has issued a rare overnight air quality alert, saying that levels of fine particulates in the air tonight are expected to be in the unhealthy range from 8 tonight until 8 Tuesday morning.

According to the agency, this is a short-term, isolated event that should not exceed the normal 24-hour standard for particulates. IDEM says that the alert is due to a very stagnant mass of air if the area that could combine with any smoke such as residents burning leaves of fields, could lead to a build up of the airborne debris. All of central and east central Indiana is included in the advisory.

The fine particulates are composed of microscopic dust, soot, and liquid that settles deep into the lungs and cannot be easily exhaled. Those people at risk are particularly vulnerable after several days of high exposure or at risk shorter-term from a large smoke release.

You can get more information at smog watch dot IN dot gov.

A senior center in Franklin will be the first project in the Central Indiana region to receive funds from the next round of READI 2.0 grants from the state.

According to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, the $5.75 million Active Adult Center development at Payne Park is receiving a $750,000 grant from the state Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative. It will replace an existing building g that dated back to the 1800s, modernizing the space to better serve the community’s senior population, and provide space for residents of all ages to meet and to socialize. There will be two new housing additions, a theater, an outdoor venue including a stage. There will also be large and smaller spaces for groups to use and increased parking.

Demolition of the existing building began this summer, and construction is expected to be complete by the end of next summer.

Governor Eric J. Holcomb established the READI program in 2021 and it grew to $1.25 billion in matching grants. In 2023, the Indiana General Assembly allocated another $500 million to regions around the state. Allocations were announced in April.

Franklin is part of the central region, led by the Central Indiana Regional Development Authority.

Early voting for the November election will expand to Saturday hours starting this week.

In Bartholomew County you can vote early at Donner Center, off of 22nd Street weekdays from 8 to 5 on Mondays through Fridays. The county will add Saturday voting on October 26th and November 2nd, available at both Donner Center and the Bartholomew County Governmental Office Building on Third Street from 8 to 3 on those Saturdays.

In Jennings County, you can vote early at the election office in the Jennings County Courthouse from 8 to 4 Monday through Saturday. In Jackson County, early voting is available at the Jackson County Courthouse in Brownstown, at the Jackson County Learning Center on Dupont Drive in Seymour and the Jackson County Public Library on Second Street.

Early voting wraps up by noon on Monday, Nov. 4th with Election Day on Nov. 5th. In Bartholomew County you will be able to vote at any of 14 vote centers throughout the county from 6 to 6.

If you have any questions, you can call the Bartholomew County voter registration office at 812-379-1604.

Schneck Medical Center in Seymour is announcing its efforts to work around a national shortage of IV fluids.

Hurricane Helene caused flooding at a Baxter manufacturing facility in North Carolina, which produces about 60 percent of the country’s supply of IV fluids.

According to the hospital, Schneck has a fluid conservation plan in place and a team is reviewing and optimizing fluid use for each patient, exploring alternative therapies, and prioritizing the supply for critical needs. Emergency care and urgent surgeries will remain unaffected, but some non-emergency procedures may be rescheduled as part of the hospital’s effort to preserve supplies.

Affected patients are being contacted directly and will be offered the earliest available new dates for procedures.

An investigation into possible child neglect led to the arrest of a Columbus couple last week.

According to the Columbus Police Department, officers were called to Nexus Park on Wednesday about a child with suspicious marks. Investigators noticed red marks and bruises on th boy’s arms, face and torso. A medical exam also revealed broken ribs and the wounds appear to have been cause by the 2-year-old boy being struck with a cord.

The child was taken into protective custody with a family member.

The investigation led to the arrest of the boy’s mother, 25-year-old Hanna McBride and her husband, 22-year-old Juan M. Villeda Gomez Thursday on preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent. Police say that the investigation is ongoing and more charges are possible.

Police commended the witness who reported the abuse, saying that in Indiana everyone has an obligation to make a report when you have a ““reason to believe that a child is a victim of child abuse or neglect.” If you see a situation, you can make a report to the police or to the Indiana Department of Child Services.