Local government offices will be closed on Monday due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Columbus City Utilities will also be closed on Monday. If you have a problem with your water or sewer service, you can call 812-372-8861 and follow the prompts.

The Columbus and Bartholomew County Recycling Center will be closed on Monday, as well as the Bartholomew county Solid Waste Management District offices and the Commercial Cardboard routes. The Bartholomew County Landfill will be open normal hours from 7:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday.

An Austin man is under arrest, accused of stealing a car at a Columbus gas station.

According to the Columbus Police Department, officers were called to a gas station in the 4000 block of 25th Street at about 9:25 a.m. Wednesday morning after the owner of an SUV reported that his vehicle had been stolen from the parking lot. The driver said that he had left the vehicle running when he went into the store and there was a handgun inside. That’s when he saw a man jump into the SUV and take off. The owner tried to stop the theft and the driver crashed into a pillar before leaving the scene.

Police found the vehicle in the 3200 block of Flintwood Drive a short time later, and found a man matching the suspect’s description walking in the area. The firearm was also recovered from the stolen vehicle.

27-year-old Brandon McIntosh was taken into custody.

Police also found another car on Lincoln Village Drive that had been reported stolen from the 2100 block of Pennsylvania Avenue after the driver left it running to warm up. Video from that incident also appeared to show McIntosh had been involved.

McIntosh is being held on preliminary charges of theft of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident.

The town of Hope is making plans again to consult with its furry weather prognosticator.

The town will again be holding Groundhog Day festivities on the Town Square on Sunday, Feb. 2nd, featuring the groundhog Hope, a resident of Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators. This is the 12th year for the festivities in the northeastern Bartholomew County community and the fifth year for Hope the groundhog to take part.

Music will begin and the crowd will start gathering at 8 a.m. with the groundhog weather prediction at 8:30 a.m. After Hope’s prediction is divined, warm drinks and snacks will be available at the Yellow Trail Museum on the northwest side of the Town Square.

The Hope Groundhog Day celebration is organized by Main Street of Hope and Utopia Wildlife rehabilitators with help from Indiana Main Street and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.

Photo courtesy Main Street of Hope.

Officials say that despite the current frigid temperatures, it still isn’t safe to go out on ice-covered bodies of water.

According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources conservation officers, you need to test the thickness of ice before trying to use it for recreation. You will need to have at least four inches of ice for ice-fishing and five inches for snowmobiling. Even more ice is needed for heavier vehicles. You should always wear a life jacket and or a flotation coat. And if you don’t know the thickness, don’t go out on the ice.

Also, be aware that ice isn’t always uniformly thick across bodies of water and you can run into areas of thin ice, caused by animals, underground springs, snow cover or even sandy shores. You should also avoid ice over flowing bodies of water such as rivers and streams.

The Columbus Fire Department held ice rescue training earlier this week and warned that while the current conditions make for great training opportunities, they are too dangerous for you to attempt to use.

Authorities say that you should never go on the ice alone and always let a trusted person know where you are going and when you intend to return.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department

Duke Energy is working to improve its power grid in North Vernon.

The power company says it is making upgrades to power line circuits fed through its North Vernon West Substation, which serves more than 2,000 customers. Crews will install modernized equipment and automated technologies that can restore power or reroute power to other power lines to help mitigate outages.

Work on the project will begin this month and is expected to finish in September.

Duke Energy Government and Community Relations Manager Kylie Foster said this is part of a “strategy to help improve electric reliability and resiliency and strengthen the electric grid against severe weather and other impacts….”

The Schneck Foundation is now accepting applications for two healthcare related scholarships.

According to the foundation’s scholarship committee, applications are now available for the Allied Health and Amanda M. Dick Honorary scholarships.

The Allied Health Scholarship is for students pursuing a course of study in a technical/professional allied health career. Allied health careers include speech therapy, respiratory therapy, lab technology, pharmacy, physical therapy, and radiological technology. You must be accepted for enrollment at a school and to a allied health related program to receive the scholarship.

The Allied Health Scholarship program was started in 1992 and since that time has awarded more than$600,000.

The Amanda M. Dick Honorary Scholarship is for women accepted into medical school and is meant to support women pursuing a career in the medical field.. Primary consideration will be given to residents of Jackson, Jennings, Scott and Washington counties. The scholarship was established in 2018 by Dr. Andrew Dick in honor of his wife.

The deadline for applications is March 15th. You can find more information here: https://www.schneckmed.org/foundation

On Monday, River Valley Legal Aid will be holding a free phone in legal clinic for residents of its eight county district in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

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 over the phone.

The phone clinic will be from 3 to 5:30 p.m. To take part, you must first register between noon and 2 p.m. by calling 812-378-0358.

The Columbus and Bartholomew County branch of the NAACP will be holding its largest annual fundraiser with a gala next weekend.

The local organization will be holding its Freedom Fund dinner, gala and dance on Saturday, January 25th. NAACP Freedom Fund events are the largest fund-raising event for each local chapter. Funds are used for projects, such as scholarships and youth-oriented programming.

The featured speaker will be Skye Berger. Berger, a leadership, lifestyle and business coach, is owner and CEO of Skye Wellness Academy.

Tickets are $60 for NAACP members, $65 for non-members and $31 for students under the age of 18. You can also sponsor an entire table for $520.

The gala will be held from 6 to 11 on Saturday, January 25th at Gather Columbus. That is at 2508 25th St.

You can buy tickets here: https://naacp-3071.org/event/naacp-freedom-fund-tickets

A pet food pantry distribution is set for Thursday afternoon at the Columbus Municipal Airport.

Friends of Columbus Animal Care Services will be holding their Furry Friends Food Bank giveaway from 4 to 5:30 p.m. or until the food runs out. The pet food will be distributed in the airport parking lot at 4770 Ray Boll Boulevard in front of the Charlie 119 cargo plane.

The purpose of the pantry is to assist community members in need to keep their pets in their homes and out of area shelters. If you take part you should stay in your vehicle and the food will be brought to you.

Friends of Columbus Animal Care Services is the non-profit partner of the city-operated animal shelter.

SPARK Jackson County is accepting applications for the next session of its SPARK Tank entrepreneurship competition.

According to the competition rules, any Jackson County resident can submit one business proposal or idea for a chance to win $10,000 in funding. Those submitting the top ideas will be lined up with a coach to help them sharpen their proposals. At the live event on March 27th, competitors will have a chance to pitch their project to a panel of judges for five minutes, followed by a five minute long round of questions.

Applications are due by January 31st. You can find  for more information or apply here: https://forms.gle/MwQJQeiNMG25Zynx9