River Valley Legal Aid will be holding a free walk-in clinic later this month 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.
Several local communities will see share of $200 thousand dollars in grants from the state’s Building Socially Connected Communities program.
According to the office of Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, the money is part of a pilot program meant to combat isolation and loneliness, by funding projects that to enhance social connections within communities. Crouch said the program has a focus on helping those in rural communities. She called loneliness an epidemic within the larger battle against mental illness and addiction.
The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced that 10 communities around the state will benefit from the funds.
Among the local grant recipients, Vernon will receive $50,000 thousand dollars, Hope just over $44 thousand dollars and the Brown County Art Gallery Foundation will receive $20,000.
According to the state, there were more than $800 thousand dollars in requests for this, the first round of funding for the pilot program.
In July of 2026, a virtual town hall will be held for awardees to present their projects and discuss the impacts the have had.
Authorities say that a series of crashes Wednesday morning in southern Bartholomew County tied up traffic for hours.
According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were called to an accident with injuries at 6:44 a.m. in the morning on Southern Crossing. Deputies found two vehicles had collided, with one flipping over, trapping the driver inside.
68 year old Gerard Morin of Columbus was rescued from the overturned vehicle. He was flown to IU Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis with series injuries. The other driver, 49-year-old Bradley DeWees of Nashville, was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for treatment. Police say that based on their initial investigation, it appears Dewees crossed the centerline and crashed head-on into Morin’s eastbound car.
While the crash scene was investigated and cleaned up, three other crashes in the area, causing extensive backups and for the road to be closed for hours.
Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department
A driver was arrested after fleeing from a traffic stop near Taylorsville.
According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, a deputy was near the area of North U.S. 31 and Market Place Drive at about 11:08 p.m. Tuesday night and noticed a pickup truck flip a U turn, fishtailing and squealing its tires. The deputy attempted to pull the vehicle over but the driver took off, heading south onto North Heflin Park Road.
Authorities say that the driver turned off his lights, speeding and disregarding the traffic signs before sliding off the road into a ditch. Eventually the driver stopped and put his hands out of his truck window, surrendering.
The driver, 22-year-old Jaidyn Dyette of Indianapolis was arrested and is facing preliminary charges of resisting law enforcement, operating a vehicle with a suspended license, operating a vehicle while intoxicated with endangerment and reckless driving.
Jackson County groups are partnering with Indiana University’s Center For Rural Engagement to help promote mental health for adolescents across the state.
The Arts for Youth Project is an ongoing collaboration with the center at IU, the school of social work, as well as Schneck Medical Center and Healthy Jackson County to produce an art-based kit to promote adolescent mental health. It will provide art therapy activities and art supplies to middle school youth in Jackson County and surrounding areas to address the youth mental health crisis.
The art kit and book is being provided free of charge to about 2,000 youth in Jackson County and the surrounding area. Healthy Jackson County will work with partners like local schools, pediatric clinics, after-school providers, and faith communities to distribute the book. It is designed for children 11 to 14 years old, and can be used individually or with support from adult family members, counselors, clinicians, or teachers. The book will focus on mental health issues facing kids including social media pressure, bullying, body image, gender identity and sexuality, and relationships.
Organizers say that the project was inspired by a similar art workbook aimed at veterans.
For more information, you email Healthy Jackson County at [email protected].
Seymour authorities say a woman was struck and injured by a train, after she laid down on the tracks.
According to the Seymour Police Department, the incident happened at about 10:47 p.m. Tuesday night near O’Brien Street and Reliance Avenue. Rescue workers were called on reports that a woman was struck by a CSX locomotive. The victim, 62-year-old Terre Newport of Seymour suffered injures to her head, right arm and right leg. After being treated by Jackson County medics, and Seymour police and firefighters, she was flown to IU Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.
Police say that the train conductor noticed the woman lying on the tracks and the engine sounded its horn as it approached her. The conductor told police that she at first lifted up and then laid back down. But as the train approached closer, she finally got up and tried to get out of the way, but was still struck.
Police say that they have no information on why she was on the tracks and they don’t know her current condition.
Otter Creek Golf Course management has some big plans for upcoming improvements to the more than 60-year-old area course.
Bob Haddad Jr. made announcements on the plans yesterday saying that next year will be the last chance for golfers to play on the unaltered classic Robert Trent Jones designed championship course before several changes are made to update it. Those changes will start following the Epson LPGA event in June.
He also outlined plans for two new short courses aimed at getting children, families and seniors to be able to play together at Otter Creek. They will be called the Pup and Romp courses, after the names for baby otters and a family of the critters. The classic course will be known as the full-grown Otter. Changes will incorporate more elements of the actual local waterway into the designs.
Haddad said that decisions still need to be made on whether to renovate or replace the architecturally significant clubhouse. Owners are working with Landmark Columbus and former local executive Will Miller on a study of what can be done.
The course was originally gifted to the city of Columbus in 1964 by Cummins executive J. Irwin Miller and Cummins, and served as a destination golfing experience for the Midwest. But the course and club house needed substantial improvements and city officials made the decision to sell the facility. Haddad’s group bought it in 2022 and last year announced that renowned golf course designer Tom Kite would be leading the renovation of the aging course.
Applications are now open for 2025 scholarships through Heritage Fund, the Bartholomew County Community Foundation, and organizers say that they are easier than ever to apply for.
After filling out the application form through a new online portal, Bartholomew County students will automatically be applying for any scholarships they may quality for. You should review all information carefully and answer all questions to determine which scholarships you might be qualified for. After applying you will receive a confirmation and be notified of any additional information needed for a particular scholarship.
New and returning applicants will need to create an account through the new site.
Among the scholarships now accepting applications are the Brown Music Awards scholarships. The Anna Newell Brown Award for Vocal Excellence and the Betty F. Brown Award for Instrumental Excellence aim to encourage formal vocal and music education for Bartholomew County students.
New this year is a Columbus Evening Kiwanis Club Scholarship established by W. Calvert Brand and grown over time through the fundraising efforts of the Columbus Evening Kiwanis Club. There is also a Patrick Bowman Memorial Music Fund for students pursuing an education or career in music aimed at guitar players, songwriters or country music performers.
This year, more than $1 million dollars in scholarships were awarded to area students.
Completed applications are due by 4 p.m. Jan. 30 th. You can find the application form along with a list of scholarships and their eligibility requirements at https://heritagefundbc.org/scholarships/
For questions or more information, you can contact scholarship manager Jeanette Marsh at 812-376-7772.
You will be able to sample what life would have been like in pioneer days, as the Muscatatuck Wildlife Society hosts Log Cabin Day Saturday at the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge east of Seymour.
The event will include old-time entertainment, storytelling, pioneer demonstrations, children’s activities, tours of the historic Myers Cabin and shuttle rides to the Refuge’s closed area. There will be a free ham and bean lunch with homemade cornbread cooked on an open fire.
Events will be from 10 to 2 Saturday and will start at the Myers Family Cabin and Barn.
The event celebrates National Wildlife Refuge Week, which starts on Sunday. You are encouraged to explore the Refuge’s hiking trails, birding and fall colors, along with the Nature Center, Bookstore and Gift Shop.
For more information go to: https://fws.gov/refuge/muscatatuck
Photo courtesy of Muscatatuck Wildlife Society
Ethnic Expo gets underway Friday in downtown Columbus. Entertainment this year will include a new third stage for performances over the two day festival and there will be more booths for food and shopping.
Jody Coffman, organizer of the event for the city, explains.
This is the 40th year for the festival which unfolds in the streets around City Hall. Unlike in previous years, there is no host country, instead all of the previous hosts are being celebrated, Coffman said.
Entertainment Friday night will include the Cummins Diversity Choir, Mariachi Sol Jalisciense, belly dancing and belly dancing workshop and Marisa Fullenkamp with headliner Brett Wiscons taking the main stage at 8:30 p.m.
Events kick off with lunch starting at 11 a.m. and run through 10 p.m. each night. The event is free and you are invited to attend.