Columbus Parks and Recreation Department will be offering a free family movie Friday night in the Circle K fieldhouse at Nexus Park.

The Movies in the Park series will be featuring the holiday comedy “Elf” with Will Farrell, starting at 7 p.m. Friday evening.

Jacob Hendricks with the parks department explains the experience:

Doors will open at 6:15 p.m. at the fieldhouse and the movie will run from 7 to 9 p.m. You should bring your own chairs or blankets for seating. Concessions will be open but food is not allowed on the turf at Nexus Park.

The showing is co-sponsored by Samantha Rich of Centra Credit Union.

Ivy Tech Community College and Indiana Wesleyan University are announcing an expanded partnership to benefit online students.

According to Indiana Wesleyan University, Ivy Tech Community College students will be able to effortlessly transfer to Indiana Wesleyan University. Students who complete their associate’s degrees at Ivy Tech will be able to transfer to Indiana Wesleyan to complete the remainder of their bachelor’s degree online. They will also receive a 15% discount on all online bachelor’s and associate-to-master’s degrees.

The goal is to make higher education more accessible and attainable for students who wish to earn their degree at a reputable institution online.

Andy Miller Vice President of Strategic Enrollment and Partnerships for Indiana Wesleyan said that the school is “committed to expanding access to higher education, creating pathways to meaningful careers, and supporting Indiana’s economic and social aspirations.” He said the partnership “reflects our shared dedication to transforming lives through education and strengthening the Hoosier State.”

This partnership only applies to students transferring to online programs through IWU.

Cummins and Toyota Material Handling have presented $5,000 checks to four local organizations making an impact in Bartholomew County.

According to the United Way of Bartholomew County, the companies collaborated raising funds for their seventh annual Give Back event. The $20,000 in donations went to United Way certified agencies including:

• Community Center of Hope
• Su Casa
• Just Friends
• Family School Partners

Mark Stewart, president of the United Way of Bartholomew County, said that the donations are in addition to the companies strong support for United Way’s annual campaign, its member agencies and the community. He said that their support for “every neighbor in Bartholomew County plays a crucial role in ensuring everyone has the resources they need to reach their full potential.”

Death row inmate Joseph Corcoran was executed early this morning, the first execution in Indiana in 15 years.

His execution was carried out despite several attempts by advocates to stop the execution in the last few weeks, including an attempt at a stay of execution that a judge denied on Monday.

Corcoran was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1997 murders of his brother, James Corcoran; his sister’s fiancé, Robert Scott Turner; and two of their friends, Timothy Bricker and Douglass Stillwell.

Corcoran’s execution began shortly after midnight this morning at at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. He was pronounced dead at 12:44 a.m. Before the execution was carried out he asked for Ben and Jerry’s ice cream as his last meal.

His execution is the first execution to be carried out in Indiana since 2009. There had been a pause on all executions in the state due to a lack of the drug cocktail needed to carry out lethal injection.

Story courtesy of Network Indiana

Bartholomew County legislators are announcing the Indiana House committees they will serve on during the upcoming legislative session.

According to the House Republicans press office, State Rep. Ryan Lauer from Columbus was appointed as vice chair of the House Family, Children and Human Affairs Committee. Lauer will also serve as a member of the House Financial Institutions Committee, and the House Veteran Affairs and Public Safety Committee.

State Rep. Jennifer Meltzer, a Shelbyville Republican whose district includes eastern Bartholomew County will serve as vice chair of the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee, and as a member of the House Judiciary Committee and the House Local Government Committee.

Seymour Republican State Rep. Jim Lucas will serve as a member of the House Public Policy Committee, the House Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee, and the House Financial Institutions Committee. His district includes far southern Bartholomew County.

Committees are responsible for vetting bills, including hearing public testimony and considering amendments.

The first day of the 2025 legislative session will be January 8th. If you want to find out more about the upcoming session including proposed legislation, calendars and streaming videos from the session, you can go to iga.in.gov

Indiana Statehouse photo courtesy of iga.in.gov

The Columbus and Bartholomew County Recycling Center and the Bartholomew County Landfill will be closing several days for the upcoming holidays.

According to the Bartholomew County Solid Waste Management District, the district offices as well as the recycling center will be closing on Tuesday Christmas Eve, Wednesday Christmas Day, as well as Dec. 31st for New Year’s Eve and Jan. 1st for New Year’s Day.

The Bartholomew County Landfill will be closing at 1 p.m. on Christmas Eve, all of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

If you want more information you can go to bcswmd.com

The Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge will be conducting an annual bird count on New Year’s Day and you are invited to take part.

According the Muscatatuck Wildlife Society, a non profit group supporting the refuge, the annual Christmas bird count, will be happening on New Year’s Day. Inexperienced birders will be paired with experts and assigned to groups to do the bird inventory. You should expect to be outside for at least half a day.

If you want to take part, you should be at the refuge at 7:30 a.m. on January 1st. Volunteers who take part will be provided a hot lunch from the society.

For more information you can call 812-522-4352 and hit extension 12 or email [email protected]

Photo courtesy of Muscatatuck Wildlife Refuge Facebook page

Downtown Seymour will be celebrating the holidays with a parade of lights on Saturday.

The parade through the community will start at Seymour High School at 5:30 p.m. with a path onto Community Drive, to Fifth Street to Walnut Street, to Second Street, south on Ewing Street ending at the B&O Parking Lot. Cookies and hot chocolate will be available at the end and food trucks will be selling food in the parking lot behind the Knights of Columbus building.

Fireworks will follow at Crossroads Park.

Entrants are still being accepted for the parade with a few rules. Each parade entrant must have lights. There can be no Santa costumes, no throwing of candy and no animals in the parade. Entrants will begin lining up at the school at 5.

You can sign up to take part by stopping by Seymour City Hall, by calling 812-522-6420 or you can signup here: https://seymourin.recdesk.com/community/program

The parade is being sponsored by Seymour Main Street, Seymour Parks and Recreation, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 108 and Freedom Fireworks.

Another new grant will further double donations to the Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign in Columbus and Bartholomew County in the final days leading up to Christmas.

The charity is announcing that donations will be matched, up to a total of $15,000 thanks to a grant from the Elizabeth Ruddick Nugent Foundation. That comes after $5,000 in matching funds were announced earlier this week through the Conover Foundation .

The local organization is working toward its goal of raising $100,000 for the campaign which ends on Christmas eve. The new matching grant amount will start today.

The kettles are outside large local retailers including Walmart, Sam’s Club, Kroger, Hobby Lobby, and Walgreens. You can also find smaller counter kettles inside businesses around the community.

You can donate directly at the Salvation Army’s secure site here: http://salarmy.us/columbuschristmas2024

A grant will double donations to the Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign in Columbus and Bartholomew County in the final days of this year’s campaign.

According to the Salvation Army of Columbus, the Conover Foundation has offered a match on donations up to a total of $5,000.

Volunteers are still needed to help staff the red kettles as the organization works toward its goal of raising $100,000 for the campaign.

They invite individuals, groups, and families to sign up for a shift, saying in just two hours you can raise enough money to feed a family of four for an entire week.

You can sign up to help out at RegisterToRing.com

The kettles are outside large local retailers including Walmart, Sam’s Club, Kroger, Hobby Lobby, and Walgreens. You can also find smaller counter kettles inside businesses around the community. If you are interested in hosting a Red Kettle or counter kettle, you can contact the Salvation Army at 812-372-7118.

To donate directly, you can at the Salvation Army’s secure site here: http://salarmy.us/columbuschristmas2024