The registration window closes tomorrow for the 2025 Columbus Police and Fire Youth Camp and Bitty Boot Camps.

According to organizers, due to the popularity of the camps and limited spaces, there will be a lottery system for enrollment. Registration opened on Monday and will and close Friday at noon. The participants will then be drawn and parents notified.

The Bitty Boot Camp will be June 2nd and 3rd for 6 to 8-year-old Bartholomew County children. The Youth Academy will be June 4th, 5th, and 6th for 8 to 12-year-old Bartholomew County children.

You can find more information here: https://www.columbus.in.gov/police/info-documents/columbus-police-fire-youth-academy/

The city of Seymour is looking for your thoughts on how to make streets safer.

The city has started a process that organizers hope will eliminate fatal and serious crashes in the community. A survey and mapping tool have been launched online. The survey asks questions about street safety and the behavior of other drivers you see on the road. The mapping tool lets you identify areas of concern you might have including categories for safety, pedestrians, cyclists and accessibility.

You can take part in the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SaferStreetsForSeymour

You can use the mapping tool here: https://lochgroup.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/reporter/index.html

River Valley Legal Aid is holding a free phone in legal clinic for residents of its eight county district next week.

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. on Tuesday, To take part, you must first register between noon and 2 p.m. by calling 812-378-0358.

Next week, State Road 252 will be closing in Edinburgh for about two months while crews replace a culvert.

According to the Indiana Department of Transportation, contractors will be closing the highway just west of Interstate 65 to Lind Drive or County Road 900W. The work is expected to last through early July. The work schedule is depending on the weather.

While the work is going on, the official detour takes you to the Edinburgh exit on Interstate 65 at U.S. 31.

E&B Paving is the contractor as part of a $15.4 million contract,

INDOT asks you to slow down, to drive without distractions and to be alert to worker safety in all work zones.

The Bartholomew County Highway Department says that County Road 500E will be closing intermittently starting today.

The road between 25th Street and County Road 400N will be closing while crews perform asphalt paving today and again on Friday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. both days.

The work is being done by Milestone Contractors.

You should avoid the area if you can. You should expect delays if you have to drive through that area.

The United Way of Bartholomew County is still looking for about 150 volunteers for next week’s annual Day of Caring.

The annual Day of Caring is a full-day volunteer event that connects local businesses and community members with non-profit agencies and organizations. Volunteer projects will include tasks such as planting flowers, mulching, painting, organizing, and sorting donations.

The Day of Caring is being held on May 16th and registration began last week for the volunteer slots. Overall, more than 500 volunteers are needed to help organizations that make a positive difference in Bartholomew County.

Volunteers of all ages and skill levels can take part. You can sign up with others as a team, or offer to help by yourself.

You can sign up by going to https://uwbarthco.galaxydigital.com/need/

A Columbus man is being counted among those facing federal charges in a nationwide crackdown on people sexually abusing children.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office the Southern District of Indiana says four Hoosier men are among 205 that have been charged nationwide in Operation Restore Justice.

Among those in the district counted is 35-year-old Eric Dicken of Columbus, who was originally arrested last August. According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, the local Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force originally started the investigation after a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Dicken was arrested on felony charges for possession of child pornography and child solicitation.

The U.S. Attorney says that Dicken now faces a federal charge of possession of child pornography.

The coordinated effort was executed over the course of five days by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department’s Criminal Division, and United States Attorney’s Offices around the country.

Men from Evansville, New Albany and Lebanon have also been included in the results of the operation locally, announced yesterday.

Nominations are open for this year’s Jack Cramer Ideals of Athletic Competition Award, according to the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department.

The awards are presented annually to a local male and a female athlete, coach or sports organizer. All nominees must live or work in Bartholomew County and be a senior in high school or older.

The 2024 award winners were Sarah Frasier and Steve Souder.

The award is in honor of Cramer, a former local athlete who died in 1978 at the age of 33.

You can find information and nomination forms at Nexus Park or at https://columbusparksandrec.com The deadline to enter is June 18th.

Utility work is tying up traffic in Edinburgh today.

According to INDOT, crews from CenterPoint Energy have flagging operations going on today on State Road 252 between North Walnut Street and Holland Street in Edinburgh. You can expect up to a 15 minute delay on the highway while utility installation work is in progress.

The utility work is expected to be finished today but the work schedule is dependent on the weather.

This utility work is part of a planned district pavement improvement project and is part of a $15.4 million contract awarded to E&B Paving.

INDOT reminds you to slow down, to drive without distractions and to be alert to worker safety in all work zones.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness of South Central Indiana will be kicking off its annual NAMI Walks fundraising program with an event today in Columbus.

The kickoff event will be from 11 to 1 p.m. at the Dairy Queen on Third Street in Columbus. This event will bring together mental health advocates and supporters to raise awareness, build community, and energize the movement for mental health for all.

The local walk coming up in September is the largest annual fundraiser for the mental health advocacy group. Proceeds will benefit education, support, and advocacy efforts in Bartholomew and Jackson Counties. All donations will stay in these counties.

The walk will be from 2 to 4 p.m. at Donner Park on Sunday, Sept. 14th. Registration is free but if you donate or raise more than $100 you will receive an event T-shirt.

The walk is open to everyone and you are invited to attend. You can find more information and a link to register here: https://www.namiwalks.org/index.cfm

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and the Bartholomew County community’s Mental Health Matters coalition is organizing a full slate of activities. You can find a full schedule of this month’s events here: https://www.mhmbc.org/mentalhealthmonth