All posts by John Clark

Bartholomew County 4-H Fair hosting tractor pulls tonight

The Bartholomew County 4-H Fair continues today with Bartholomew County Young Farmers and Ag Professionals Day at the fair.

Entertainment tonight will include the Three Beards Strumming classic rock and country show at the David Boll Theater starting at 6 p.m., the Cupcake Eating Contest at the Farm Bureau Building with registration starting at 6 and the contest starting at 6:30 and the NTPA Tractor Pull and Farm Stock Open at the Grandstands starting at 7 p.m.

The midway will open at 3 p.m. with kids day at the fair. Wristbands will be $25 and will be good all day and all night.

Brown County hosting touch-a-truck event Saturday

The Brown County Touch A Truck event is coming up Saturday and will include a bicycle giveaway sponsored by Rose Acre Farms and a visit by Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders.

According to organizers, the free, family-friendly event allows everyone to see, touch, and explore big trucks and learn what they do, how they work and how they help the Brown County community. It is being hosted by the Brown County Weekend Backpacks and sponsored by Duke Energy and South Central Indiana REMC.

Brown County Pollinators will be giving away native plants. Culver’s is giving away 1,000 free ice cream cone tokens and Brown County Weekend Backpacks is providing fireman or construction hats for the first 400 children.

The 50 bicycles will be given away at noon with the winners chosen by the Colts cheerleaders. Registration for the giveaway is required.

The Touch a Truck event will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Brown County Music Center parking lot in Nashville. There will be a quiet hour from 10 to 11 during which loud noises such as motors, sirens and horns will not be permitted.

You can get more information here: https://www.browncountytouchatruck.com

Photo courtesy of browncountytouchatruck.com

Extreme heat to continue; Cooling locations available

Another day of extreme heat is in the forecast. Forecasters say that we are looking at a high near 93 this afternoon, but the humidity is going to make that feel like 102 or more.

The break in the string of hot days is not expected until Friday, with heat indexes above 100 Thursday and Friday afternoon. The National Weather Service in Indianapolis has issued a heat advisory that is in effect through 8 p.m. Friday evening.

The city of Columbus and Bartholomew County are offering cooling stations to get out of this heat.

According to Bartholomew County Emergency Management, if you need to get out of the heat you can stop at either the downtown Columbus or Hope branches of the Bartholomew County Public Library. The library on Fifth Street in Columbus will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and the branch on the Hope Town Square will be open from 10 to 5 today and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.

You can also cool off at the Community Engagement Center on Second Street in Columbus from 7 to 4 today through Friday.

After 5 p.m., the Brighter Days Shelter on Mapleton Street in Columbus can be used to cool off.

Nearly half of the U.S. is battling an extremely dangerous heat wave with temperatures soaring up to 20 degrees above normal. On Tuesday, Boston, Providence, and Newark all set or tied record highs for June, including 101 degrees in Boston and 103 in Newark. Philadelphia hit 100 degrees and New York City reached 99.

TTWN Media Networks contributed to this report

Scammers continue fake BMV text messages

Local authorities say that they are continuing to get reports of scammers trying to claim you owe tolls, fees or other fines and you could face getting your license suspended if you don’t pay them.

The North Vernon Police Department says that a resident stopped by in the hopes of alerting the community to the scam. The scammers are sending text messages claiming to be with the Indiana BMV and threatening to suspend your license, arrest you or bring other penalties if you don’t pay a fine such as a traffic ticket. It also provides a link, which you should not click on or follow.

Authorities such as the BMV will never contact you by text demanding immediate payment. You should not give out your personal or financial information to anyone who demands it online.

If you are ever concerned about whether such a message is legitimate, you should call your local police at a trusted phone number.

Police: Rescued kitten finds new home with trooper

Indiana State Police say that a kitten has a new home after being thrown out of a moving vehicle last week.

According to the Versailles Post, Trooper Tia Hunt was patrolling on U.S. 31 near Crothersville Friday when she saw a delivery driver for UPS stopped along the road. The driver said that he saw a small kitten thrown out of a vehicle window and he felt he had to stop to check on the kitten. The trooper and driver found the kitten and Hunt took the kitten to Jackson County Animal Clinic in Seymour to be checked out.

After X-rays and an examination, the veterinarian said the kitten had some scrapes from road rash and an injured leg, but is likely to recover. The kitten was named “Crash” and was adopted by the trooper and her family.

State police say that they are looking for any information on the driver who threw the kitten from the vehicle.

Photos courtesy of Indiana State Police

Horseman’s Campground to see repairs after May tornado damage

State legislators say that the funds will be available to repair the tornado damages to the Horseman’s Campground at Brown County State Park.

State Sen. Eric Koch and State Rep. Dave Hall announced recently that the state budget committee had approved the expenditure to repair the damage from the May 16th tornado. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources requested transferring just over $925 thousand in unused repair and rehabilitation funds to the project.

Koch and Hall both supported the request to transfer the funds in a letter to the committee. Koch said that Horseman’s Campground is very important to the park, bringing in $320,000 annually in revenue. The campground allows people to bring their horses to the park, providing support specifically for campers with horses such as tie-ups and trails. Hall called the camp an unique part of Brown County.

Both legislators are Republicans whose districts include Brown County.

May 16th tornado damage photo courtesy of Brown County State Park.

Legal Aid offering walk-in clinic today at library

Low-income area residents will have a chance for free legal advice today.

River Valley Legal Aid will be offering a walk-in legal clinic today in Bartholomew County. 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.

River Valley Legal Aid offers the clinics for low-income residents of its eight-county district to receive legal advice and assistance. Residents of all area counties are invited to attend.

Bartholomew County fair features races at grandstand

The Bartholomew County 4-H Fair continues today with Bartholomew County REMC Day at the fair.

Entertainment tonight will include the Chordlighters at 6 p.m. at the David Boll Theater, the Frog Jumping Contest at 7 at the Farm Bureau Building and the All Star Circuit of Champions TQ Midgets at the grandstands at 7 p.m.

The midway will open at 5 p.m. with Community Day. You can get $5 off of a $30 wristband with a canned food donation Tuesday.

Extreme heat means danger for pets

With this week’s extreme heat, officials are reminding you to keep your pets safe in these dangerous conditions.

Columbus Animal Care Services says that you should make sure to provide your pets plenty of fresh water to drink and to make sure not to exercise your pets when the temperatures and pavement are at their hottest. You can avoid heat related illnesses by bringing your pets indoors.

And they stress that you should never leave a pet in a parked vehicle. With these extreme temperatures, a car can quickly reach more than 100 degrees. Those temperatures can easily become fatal to your pets.

A heat advisory is in effect until Friday evening with heat indexes above 100 forecast for afternoons all week. The National Weather Service is calling this an extreme heat risk event.

Police: Foul play not suspected after man’s body found in park

Columbus police are investigating after a man’s body was found in Mill Race Park.

According to Columbus Police Department, officers were called to the park near Fifth and Lindsay Streets at about 12:43 p.m. Friday and found a man who had died near a picnic table.

The Bartholomew County Coroner’s office has identified the man as 59-year-old Aron Hoy of Columbus.

Authorities say that there are no indications of foul play or injuries found at the scene. An autopsy will be performed.

The investigation remains ongoing.