The Bartholomew County Health Department and Windrose Health’s mobile unit will be offering a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on the Hartsville Town Square from 10 to 1 today.

The clinic will be giving doses of the Pfizer vaccine to those 12 years old or older.

There will be free gifts for those who get vaccinated.

There will also be a clinic from 10 to 2 tomorrow at the Wayne Township Volunteer Fire Department at 849 E. County Road 450S.

Walk-ins are welcome but you can also register by calling Windrose Health at 317-680-9901.

A $3.2 million dollar empty building being planned by Force Construction for the Edinburgh area will be a major tool to help economic development in the northwestern part of Bartholomew County, according to economic development officials.

Jason Hester, head of the Greater Columbus Economic Development Corp. told the Bartholomew County Commissioners yesterday that the county has missed out on more than 50 prospective businesses simply because there were no ready and open buildings to use here. Hester said he has been begging local developers to consider shell buildings as a way to help lure companies. The Force shell building, on County Road 800N, will initially be 50,000 square feet with walls, a high ceiling and unfinished floor. It could be expanded to 400,000 square feet on the 11 acres of property.

Force Holdings was one of two companies to be granted tax abatements last week by the Bartholomew County Council in the newly designated economic development area in the Taylorsville and Edinburgh corner of the county. Hester said because the properties are also in the county’s Tax Increment Financing District, the commissioners also needed to consent to the abatement requests.

County Commissioners voted unanimously to consent to the Force request, as well as a second abatement request from the Georg Utz company.

The National Weather Service says this has been the wettest first half of the summer in parts of central Indiana, since records started being kept. And our area has been especially damp this year.

According to the Indianapolis office, central Indiana normally gets just over 7 inches of rain between June 1st and July 16th. This year however, there has been between 10 and 18 inches of rain across the area. The wettest part has been Owen and Monroe counties which have had between 20 and 22 inches of rain. The site at Indiana University in Bloomington has recorded 16.91″ inches during this period, making it the rainiest first-half of summer in the site’s 126-yr record. That breaks the old record of 14.64″ set in 2008.

That soggy path continues along State Road 46, including Brown, Bartholomew and Decatur counties which have had 15 to 19″ of rain in the past six weeks.

East Fork White River at Seymour remains under a flood warning from the National Weather Service in Indianapolis. The river dropped below the moderate flood stage Monday evening.

As of this morning the river was at 16.2 feet, about four and a half feet above the 12 foot minor flood stage.

Based on forecasts, the river is set to drop out of flooding altogether by Wednesday morning.

Columbus Parks and Recreation Department is announcing that several local facilities are closed due to high water. That includes portions of the People Trail along State Road 46, Mill Race Park and Noblitt Park.

After the water recedes and crews have a chance to clean up the mud and debris left behind, the facilities will reopen.

Many rivers and streams in our area remain under flood warnings from the National Weather Service in Indianapolis.

The agency says that includes East Fork White River at Columbus and Seymour, Flat Rock River and Driftwood River. While most of the rivers have crested, some will have flooding until mid-week.

According to the river gauges, East Fork White River at Columbus has dropped back below the flood stage as of this morning. East Fork White River at Seymour is still in the moderate flood stage at about two tenths of a foot above the 17 foot moderate flood level. It is on its way down and should drop back into minor flooding this evening and leave the minor flood stage by Wednesday afternoon.

You can see many local river levels here.

The Bartholomew County Health Department will be offering a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at 2625 Fox Pointe Drive on Saturday, July 24th.

The clinic will be giving doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to those 18 years old or older. It will take place at the health department offices between 1 and 4 p.m.

There will be free gifts for those who get vaccinated.

Walk-ins are welcome but you can also register by going to ourshot.in.gov.

North Vernon police are looking for information about a driver who may have left the scene of an accident Friday after the crash of a motorcycle.

According to police reports, the crash happened at about 5 p.m. on Friday afternoon on West Walnut Street near the Oak Meadows apartments. Police say that a child who was a passenger on the motorcycle was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the motorcycle was also taken to the hospital with moderate injuries.

Investigators believe the cyclist had to react to a vehicle that cut in front of the bike, leading to the crash.

If you have any information about the crash, you are asked to call the North Vernon Police Department at 812-346-2345 or 812-346-1466

A new book is shedding light on former Vice President Mike Pence’s actions during the January 6th attack on the Capitol.

According to our news-gathering partners at TTWN Media Networks Inc. , The Washington Post reports the book, written by a pair of reporters and called “I Alone Can Fix It,” explains that the Columbus native told his security detail “I’m not leaving the Capitol.”

He reportedly refused to get into an armored car and instead was taken to a secure location in the building along with his family.

Supporters of former President Trump stormed the building in protest of Congress certifying the election results. The book claims Pence didn’t want to leave because he believed it would give those supporters what they wanted.

A Jackson County volunteer firefighter has been arrested, accused of stealing $20,000 from the department through fake invoices.

Indiana State Police say that they arrested 44-year-old Christopher L. McKain of Seymour after a 10 month investigation into the theft of funds.

According to police reports, investigators were called in by the Jackson-Washington Township Fire Department in September. Investigators say that McKain was tasked with various jobs for the department. He allegedly claimed the jobs were finished, submitted fake claims for the work supposedly from area businesses or submitted fake claims that he had purchased items for the work. The fraudulent invoices were then submitted to the fire department treasurer for payment.

McKain was arrested Friday on preliminary felony charges of theft and forgery.

Indiana State Police are investigating the death of an inmate from the Jackson County Jail.

According to troopers, 23-year-old Ta’neasha Chappell of Louisville died at Schneck Medical Center after being brought from the jail by ambulance Friday.

Chappell had originally been arrested by Indiana State Police on May 26th.

On Saturday, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department requested troopers investigate the incident and an autopsy was conducted Sunday. Investigators are still waiting for the autopsy report and toxicology results. The case remains under investigation.