Edinburgh authorities say that a mobile home was a total loss and five pets were killed after a fire Sunday.

According to Police Chief Doyne Little Jr., Edinburgh officers and firefighters were called to the fire in the 400 block of Piatts Trailer Court to find the home on fire but unoccupied. Little says that the renters were not home at the time of the fire.

The trailer is a total loss and five cats were killed in the blaze. One officer had to be treated for smoke inhalation but there were no other injuries reported.

Other agencies assisting at the scene included German Township, Trafalgar, Amity and Nineveh fire departments.

Photo courtesy of Edinburgh Police Department.

A project that will close State Road 9 north of the Bartholomew County line has been delayed until next month.

Work was expected to start on the drainage structure replacement project on Monday

According to INDOT, the highway will now close about five miles north of the Bartholomew/Shelby County line starting on April 21st. It is expected to be closed for about 18 days but the work schedule is dependent on the weather.

INDOT urges you to slow down, to drive without distractions and to use extra caution for worker safety in all work zones.

The rollout of fiber optic internet to Bartholomew County residents has been slowed but is not ending after the bankruptcy of a contractor for the project.

Officials with Hoosier Fiber Networks updated the Bartholomew County Commissioners on the project to provide rural broadband Internet access to the county yesterday, saying that the project continues despite the bankruptcy of the installation contractor working here. Dave Brodin, CEO of Hoosier Fiber said that contractor, Trueline, notified Hoosier Fiber about three weeks ago that it was winding down its Indiana operations and he later found they were shutting down nationwide.

Since then the Bloomington-based Hoosier Fiber has been focused on ensuring the safety and security of all worksites and fixing any issues for homeowners after the stoppage.

Brodin said that the contractor had posted a surety bond towards completion and Hoosier Fiber is now working with the surety company to get work started again as soon as possible with a new contractor.

So far, more than 97 miles of fiber have been installed in rural Bartholomew County offering service to 2,800 residences in the community, Brodin said.

The county government put up $4 million dollars as an incentive to bring a company here to provide fiber to 80 percent of the county’s rural households. That money came from COVID-19 relief funds and must be spent by the end of next year. Brodin said he has stressed with the surety company the importance of hitting that 80 percent completion benchmark in order to meet that funding deadline.

Seniors can get help loading free mulch and compost this week at the Bartholomew County Solid Waste Management District.

According to the city/county recycling program, the annual free loading program continues on Wednesday from 8 to noon. You will need to bring your own truck or trailer for a free scoop of either mulch or compost. The loads are reserved for Bartholomew County residents.

The mulch and compost site is beside the Columbus and Bartholomew County Recycling Center at 720 South Mapleton Street.

There will be no businesses allowed to take advantage of the program. If you are a business interested in acquiring mulch or compost you can call 812-376-2614 for pricing and details.

Note: This story has been updated with other area award winners.

56 longstanding farm families from around Indiana were recognized recently with Hoosier Homestead Awards including 13 from our area.

According to the Indiana Department of Agriculture, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith presented the awards at a ceremony on Friday. The award recognizes Indiana family farms that reach centennial, sesquicentennial or bicentennial milestones.

Bartholomew County legislators Sen. Greg Walker and State Representatives Ryan Lauer and Jennifer Meltzer are announcing that three county farms were recognized last week with the awards including:

The Bonnell farms and The Clouse Family Farm both received Centennial and Sesquicentennial awards while The Kobbe farm in Bartholomew County received a Centennial Award. The Van Nuys farm in Johnson County also received a Sesquicentennial Award.

Other farms in our area to receive the recognition included:

• The Bicentennial Award to the Hamilton Batterton farm in Decatur County.
• The Sesquicentennial & Bicentennial Awards to the McCoy Farm also, in Decatur County.
• Sesquicentennial awards went to the Miller-Han and Miller farms in Decatur County, the Van Nuys and Yoke Farms in Johnson County and the Wright-Bassett Farm in Shelby County.
• And Centennial awards went to Schwering Farm in Decatur County, Everett Duwe Farm in Jackson County and the Haehl Farm in Shelby County.

To qualify for the awards, farms must be owned by the same family for at least 100 consecutive years and consist of more than 20 acres or produce more than $1,000 of agricultural products per year. Since the awards began in 1976 more than 6,000 farms have been recognized.

You can find a link to learn more about the program or apply here: https://www.in.gov/isda/programs-and-initiatives/hoosier-homestead/

The Jackson County Chamber Foundation is announcing the design-build team for the upcoming SPARK Shop Coworking Studio.

The Chamber is renovating the former George’s Tire Shop building at 2nd & Broadway in Seymour to be used for the new space. The goal is to create a co-working studio that supports local entrepreneurs and remote workers with shared resources, support and programming.

According to the organization, Audra Blasdel from the Waypoint Strategies division of Schmidt Associates will be the owner’s representative for the foundation.

The design-build team will be led by a partnership between Goecker Construction Inc. and Hiday Property Group. Design Point Architects will be doing the architecture and design for the space and N-I-Tech, Inc. will be handling the technology side.

Construction and renovation work is expected to start later this spring.

Artist’s rendering courtesy of Jackson County Chamber

An Elizabethtown man was arrested earlier this week after fleeing from North Vernon police.

According to the North Vernon Police Department, the incident started at 4:05 p.m. Tuesday afternoon when officers were called to reports of a driver leaving the scene of a crash into a stop sign near 9th Street and O&M Avenue. While speaking to a witness at the scene, more reports began coming in of a reckless driver headed north on State Street. Witnesses said the driver was swerving into oncoming traffic, driving on the concrete median and striking a curb.

An officer caught up to the vehicle on North State Road 7 and found the driver speeding while straddling the double yellow line, causing other drivers to drive off the road. The driver refused to stop for police and continued to speed away at up to 90mph or more. The driver finally stopped his vehicle in the middle of a curve at Geneva Road and State Road 7.

Despite continuing to refuse officer’s commands, police took the driver, 79 year old Paul T. Humes Jr. of Elizabethtown into custody. Field tests indicted that Humes had a blood alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit. After being taken to the hospital to have his blood tested, Humes was arrested on preliminary charges including:

Operating a vehicle while intoxicated and while intoxicated with endangerment, resisting law enforcement, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

Low-income Bartholomew County residents will have a chance for free legal advice next week.

River Valley Legal Aid will be offering a walk-in legal clinic on Tuesday. 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. at the Bartholomew County Public Library on Fifth Street.

From 3 to 4 p.m. the session will focus on general legal advice on civil matters such as family law, guardianship powers of attorney, protective orders, simple wills and small estates. From 4 to 5 p.m. the clinic will focus on evictions.

The Indiana Region of the American Red Cross is planning a statewide push for blood donors and financial donors this week as part of Red Cross Giving Day.

The giving day will be Wednesday, March 26th. According to the office in Indianapolis, with the start of spring disaster season, families in need will be relying on communities to come together and support them when crises happen.

The agency points to the number of disasters already unfolding in 2025 and to a surge in bad weather that has led to the cancellation of more blood donation drives already tis year, than were canceled in all of 2024.

In addition to the blood donations, the agency says that even as small as a $3 donation can provide a comfort kit with a toothbrush, comb and shampoo, while $11 can provide a nutritious meal, snack and drink to someone in need.

To sign up for a blood donation drive or to make a financial donation you can go to redcross.org

Bartholomew County officials are urging those onlookers and curious residents to keep out of tornado damaged areas of the county while crews continue to work in the area, restoring power and clearing roads.

They say that unless you are a resident of the affected areas, a family member assisting residents or other authorized personnel, you should stay away from the damaged areas.

According to the Bartholomew County Emergency Management office, several roads remain closed:

Those include:

• County Road 525E between State Road 46 and county Road 100S
• County Road 850E AT 100N
• County Road 400S AND 250E
• County Road 625S
• State Road 46 between Base Road and 100N

According to Bartholomew County REMC, as of Friday afternoon, there were still 146 customers without power, with the largest group being in Wayne Township west of Interstate 65 and east of State Road 58. That is down from around 3,800 without power right after Wednesday’s tornado.

Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department drone team.