The city of Columbus is announcing the expansion of a program to support home ownership for low to moderate income families.

The Columbus Housing Improvement Program (CHIP) 2.0 expands an existing city program for lower income households, to include help for residents whose income is between 80 and 120 percent of the Area Median Income. The program provides financial help to make essential home improvements. Those improvements can include:

• Roof repairs or replacements
• HVAC system repairs or replacements,
• ADA modifications
• Water heater replacements and
• Radon testing and mitigation

The city is providing up to $500,000 to the program and the maximum award will be up to $20,000. Funding will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until all allocated funds have been exhausted.

To take part you must be a Columbus city resident, own your home, have home insurance, not live in a flood plain and agree to live in the home for a minimum of two years after making the improvements.

Applications are now open for the CHIP 2.0 program. You can find a link for more information here: https://www.columbus.in.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/CHIP-2024-application-pkge.pdf

Ivy Tech Community College Columbus campus will be celebrating the graduation of more than 1,300 students from its service area today.

This will be the 55th commencement ceremony for the school.

The school will also be awarding more than 1,900 credentials including associate degrees, technical certificates, and certificates.

Graduating student Tanvi Dandawate will give the student address. Dandawate is earning an associates degree in business administration.

An honorary associate of science degree will be presented to Kathy Oren. Oren retired as president and CEO of the Community Education Coalition and is a former member of the Ivy Tech Columbus Campus Board of Trustees.

The commencement will be begin at 6 p.m. Friday evening in the Columbus North High School Gymnasium.

If you can’t make it you can watch the commencement live on the Ivy Tech Columbus Facebook page.

A traffic stop in North Vernon Tuesday led to a search of a home and the arrest of three people on drug-related charges.

According to the North Vernon Police Department, an officer pulled over a vehicle and during the stop arrested 51-year-old Kimberly Reid of North Vernon on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. That led police to request a search warrant for the home on West Walnut Street, which was raided at about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Inside, officers discovered methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia including glass smoking devices, burnt tin foil, cut straws, and prescription pills packaged in zip-lock bags.

29-year-old Daisy Watkins and 51-year-old Stanley Sawyer were taken into custody on preliminary charges for possession the drugs and paraphernalia, for violating the legend drug act, and for maintaining a common nuisance.

North Vernon Police were assisted at the scene by Jennings County Sheriff’s Department deputies.

Photo courtesy of North Vernon Police Department

The downtown Columbus Farmers’ Market gets underway for the season starting on Saturday.

The market operates under the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department and is meant to provide a venue to purchase locally grown and produced products, while supporting local farmers and artisans.

There is also musical entertainment at the markets with Cottonpatch scheduled to play tomorrow.

The market is held through he summer from 9 to 12:30 each Saturday in the parking lot behind Columbus City Hall. It starts this Saturday through September 20th.

You an get more information at columbusfarmersmarket.org.

As part of National Police Week next week, the annual Law Enforcement Memorial Service in Bartholomew County will be held.

According to the Columbus Police Department, city officers along with Bartholomew County deputies and Indiana State Police will be taking part in the ceremony.

This memorial service recognize 165 law enforcement officers who died in the line
of duty last year, including 2 from Indiana.

The service will be at 9 a.m. Friday, May 16th on the Public Safety Plaza near the intersection of Second and Brown Streets.

You are invited to attend.

Photo: Columbus Police Department honor guard presents the colors at the 2019 memorial service. Photo courtesy of Columbus Police Department.

Law enforcement agencies across Indiana will be looking for drivers who aren’t using their seat belts, in the national “Click It or Ticket” enforcement blitz which starts next weekend and runs through the rest of the month.

Organized around Memorial Day weekend, the campaign will have extra officers including Indiana State Police troopers on overtime patrols making sure drivers and passengers are buckling up and children are properly secure. Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement.

In Indiana, drivers can be stopped and both drivers and passengers can be cited for lack of seat belt use, but also for each unbuckled passenger under the age of 16. Additionally, children under eight must be properly restrained in a federally approved child or booster seat.

The overtime patrols are funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with grants administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.

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.