Jennings County Sherriff’s Department police dog Axel died on Saturday after a medical emergency.

According to the sheriff’s department, Axel served with the department for seven years, partnered with Chief Deputy Cody Low. He was an 8-year-old Dutch Shepherd and Belgian Malinois.

Axel was a Medal of Valor Award recipient through the North American Police Work Dog Association and received a life-saving award for an incident where he save the life of his handler. The sheriff’s department says Axel was responsible for countless arrests, criminal apprehensions, and narcotics being recovered.

The department will be planning a memorial event later this week following the current snow emergency.

Photo: Axel and Chief Deputy Cody Low. Photo courtesy of Jennings County Sheriff’s Department.

Local government offices are closed in Columbus and Bartholomew County due to the winter storm.

According to the city of Columbus, most city services are closed except for public safety and emergency services. If you have an emergency requiring Columbus Animal Care Services, you can call City 812-376-2505. If you have a problem with your water service you can call Columbus City Utilities at 812-341-7577 or if you have a problem with your sewer line you can call 812-657-2853

Columbus Transit will be running on a delayed service starting at 1 p.m. today on restricted routes. That includes the fixed route bus service and the Call a Bus. Trash and recycling collections are still scheduled to run today.

Donner Center will remain open but only as a warming center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All other parks facilities and programs are closed today including Nexus Park, the AEI Fitness Center, the Circle K Fieldhouse, parks offices, The Commons, Greenbelt and Par 3 Golf Courses, Columbus Gymnastics Center and Hamilton Ice Arena. The retail portion of Nexus Park, restaurants and Columbus Regional Health will be closed until at least noon and then only open based on the discretion of the owners.

All Bartholomew County government buildings are closed today including the Governmental Office Building and the branches of the Bartholomew County Public Library.

Signups are underway for volunteers to take part in the United Way of Bartholomew County’s day of Service on Jan. 20th.

The Day of Service is honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr..

According to the agency, volunteers are needed to take part in projects benefiting United Way’s mission and those of its certified non-profit partners. The agencies are posting their needs for volunteers through the United Way Volunteer Action Center website.

You can find a listing of needed volunteers for the Day of Service, or throughout the year through the Volunteer Action Center link on uwbarthco.org

A winter storm warning remains in effect in our area until 7 p.m. tonight.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis is forecasting that another 1 to 3 inches of snow and a light glaze of ice is possible with winds gusting as high as 35 mph.

Area counties are under red travel warnings this morning, meaning travels is restricted to emergency workers only and you should refrain from all travel. Counties under the red travel warning include Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings and Johnson counties.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security says you should comply with necessary emergency measures, cooperate with public officials and disaster services and comply with directions of officers.

The only area county not under the red level, is Shelby County which remains under an orange watch travel level this morning. That means only essential travel is recommended and conditions are threatening to the public.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security says that all but one of Bartholomew and its surrounding counties have raised their alert level for local travel to the travel warnings, the highest level.

As of 9:45 p.m.,  Bartholomew, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson and Brown counties are now under the warning level. That means travel is restricted to emergency management workers only. During a warning, you should

• Refrain from all travel;
• Comply with necessary emergency measures;
• Cooperate with public officials and disaster services forces in executing emergency operations plans; and
• Obey and comply with the lawful directions of properly identified officers.

In  Shelby County, authorities have declared a travel watch alert. Under a travel watch,  conditions are threatening to the safety of the public. During a “watch” local travel advisory, only essential travel, such as to and from work or in emergency situations, is recommended, and emergency action plans should be implemented by businesses, schools, government agencies and other organizations.

An advisory is the lowest level of travel alert. Under a travel advisory, routine travel or activities may be restricted in areas because of a hazardous situation, and individuals should use caution or avoid those areas.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security says that all of our local counties have raised the alert level for local travel.

Bartholomew, Jackson, Jennings, Decatur, Shelby and Johnson counties are now under a travel advisory, as of 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 5th.

An advisory is the lowest level of travel alert. Under a travel advisory, routine travel or activities may be restricted in areas because of a hazardous situation, and individuals should use caution or avoid those areas.

In Brown County, authorities have declared a travel watch alert. Under a travel watch,  conditions are threatening to the safety of the public. During a “watch” local travel advisory, only essential travel, such as to and from work or in emergency situations, is recommended, and emergency action plans should be implemented by businesses, schools, government agencies and other organizations.

Indiana National Guard Press Release

Indiana National Guard activated to assist first responders in response to winter storm warning

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb activated the Indiana National Guard to provide winter storm support and assistance to state and local responders.

The response package includes Indiana National Guard Highway Assistance Teams that are available to assist stranded motorists and support other types of winter emergencies. These teams comprise 122 Hoosier Guardsmen working across seven Indiana National Guard armories in Bedford, Edinburgh, Evansville, Indianapolis, New Albany, Shelbyville and Washington.

Initial plans are for the Indiana National Guard to work in conjunction with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Indiana State Police and Emergency Operations Center to remain activated through Tuesday, Jan. 7.

Indiana National Guard soldiers and airman are always ready and always there to assist Hoosiers when called.

A winter storm warning is in effect for our area from 7 a.m. Sunday morning to 7 p.m. Monday evening.

According to the National Weather Service in Indianapolis, heavy snow is expected in our area starting around 10 a.m.  Forecasters estimate 3 to 7 inches during the daytime, and another 3 to 5 inches overnight. And another 1 to 3 inches of snow is possible Monday.

However, the snow is expected to begin mixing with freezing rain and sleet early Monday morning, leading to up to a 10th of an inch of ice possible. Road conditions Monday, especially during the morning, are expected to be very difficult.

Temperatures are forecast to be a high near 26 today, a low of around 23 overnight, and high near 28 on Monday. The wind will pick up on Monday with gusts of around 30 mph possible.

The agency warns that the strong winds, weight of snow on tree limbs and ice accumulation on power lines may cause widespread power outages.

There is still uncertainty about the exact details of this weekend’s predicted winter storm. But all forecasts say roads are expected to be a mess.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for our area, with bitter cold, gusty winds and heavy snow expected. The winter storm watch is in effect from 7 Sunday morning to 7 Monday evening.

Although the exact track and timing of the storm is still unknown, forecasters are expecting the bad weather to kick off with a wintry mix of rain and snow by Sunday morning. With conditions deteriorating rapidly, you can expect up to a 10th of an inch of ice on roadways. Up to 12 inches of snow is expected across central Indiana with more southern parts of the state to up to 8 inches of snow, along with sleet and freezing rain mixing with snow. The current estimates puts Columbus and Bartholomew County right on the dividing line between the heavier snow and icy/snow mix.

Real temperatures in the 20s and winds of nearly 30 mph or more by Monday are going to make it feel like it is in the single digits and that cold weather is expected to last through the middle of the month.

According to the Bartholomew County Emergency Management department, the city is opening a warming station at Donner Center off of 22nd Street from 8 to 5 Sunday through Saturday, Jan. 11th. .

You will be able to stop by the shelter to get warm. Pets are welcome at Donner Center, but they must be kept in crates and will be kept in a designated part of the facility. Columbus Animal Care Services will provide crates and service animals do not need crates.

After 5 in the afternoon, the Brighter Days shelter will continue to offer shelter services to those in need.

The Bartholomew County Public Library branches are also open as warming centers.

A community health needs assessment continues to show a strong need for mental health treatment in the area served by Columbus Regional Health.

The health survey is conducted every three years and the most recent wrapped up in the spring with results released this fall. It is used to help the hospital set its health care priorities for the next three years through the Healthy Communities program. Prior surveys have led to the creation of the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County and most recently the Mental Health Matters coalition.

Lisa Crane, director of Healthy Communities at CRH, explains that more than 1,000 people took part in the survey

Cheryl Buffo with Mental Health Matters explains what the next steps are for the coalition.

Other needs identified in the survey include substance abuse, obesity, access to health care, and maternal and infant health.