The U.S. Small Business Administration will be closing two outreach centers dedicated to helping those affected by last month’s severe weather.

Friday is the last day of operations for the centers in Bloomington and Madison set up to help people apply for low-interest loans in affected counties, including Brown, Jackson and Jennings counties locally.

Last week the agency declared a disaster area for those affected by the June 18th and 19th severe storms and flooding. That opens up the opportunity for disaster recovery loans for residents, business owners and not for profit groups. The main affected areas were Monroe and Jefferson Counties. Other affected counties include Clark, Greene, Lawrence, Morgan, Owen, Ripley, Scott and Switzerland counties.

The Disaster Loan Outreach Centers are at the Monroe County Convention Center, 302 S. College St., Bloomington, IN 47403 and the Madison Area Chamber of Commerce, 301 E. Main St., Madison, IN 47250. They are open today and tomorrow from 8 to 5 and will be closing permanently on Friday.

You can also apply online. 

Organizers of the Columbus and Bartholomew County bicentennial celebrations note that we are already halfway through this 200th anniversary year with several initiatives underway and events still coming up.

A major initiative is the 1821 Trail extension of the People Trail along First Street in Columbus. The project will come close to completing the loop of the city by building onto the 26 mile trail system. The city recently chose Hitchcock Design Group and American Structurepoint to complete designs for the trail including historical elements.

The Columbus Area Bicentennial Commission encourages you to check out the group’s social media feeds for several initiatives including Moments in History, which details both anecdotes and significant events in county history, and Profiles in Leadership, which looks at influential community members in Columbus and Bartholomew County history.

Columbus Area Bicentennial Commission on Facebook

You can also find links to the film series It Began with Bartholomew, which is now available on YouTube.

Upcoming bicentennial events include Family Fun on the Farm at the Henry Breeding Farm presented by the Bartholomew County Historical Society on July 24th. And Celebration on the River at Upland Columbus Pump House on Aug. 13–14th.

Cummins is announcing a plan to help solve the global water crisis through sustainable, large scale water projects around the world to be called Cummins Water Works.

The company will initially support the project with $8 million in Cummins grants. It will focus on five of the most water-stressed countries: Mexico, Brazil, India, South Africa and the U.S.

The company says that by 2025, Cummins Water Works will bring fresh water to 20 million people. The company will also work to produce net water benefits that exceed Cummins’ annual water use in all Cummins regions by 2030, and in all Cummins communities by 2050.

Cummins plans to work with The Nature Conservancy on projects in Brazil, the U.S. and India focused on improving, repairing, and strengthening primary water sources that communities depend on. Working with Water.org, Cummins will work on projects in Mexico, Brazil, and India focused on improving water cost, quality, and availability in communities.

Submitted photo: Cummins employees work in Indianapolis on Indy Do Day.

The Columbus City Council has canceled its next regular meeting.

The city is announcing that the meeting normally scheduled for July 20th, has been canceled because of a lack of items scheduled on the agenda. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Tuesday, August 3rd.

You will be able to have free checks of your vital signs and reduced rates on other testing at upcoming events being organized through Schneck Medical Center affiliates.

Schneck Foundation, Schneck Primary Care and Schneck Family Care are announcing upcoming Vitals & Vials screenings. Participants can have their blood pressure, pulse, oxygen level, and height and weight checked free. Other tests will include a metabolic profile test for $40, thyroid-stimulating hormone and prostate specific antigens tests for $30 each.

Tests will be offered in our area from 8 to 10 a.m. on August 7th at Schneck Family Care Jennings County on N. State Highway 3 in North Vernon and at Schneck Professional Building in Seymour, from 8 to 10 a.m. on August 21st . There will also be tests in Scott and Washington county Schneck facilities.

You can register by July 31st by calling 812-524-4244.

Ivy Tech Community College will be offering virtual express enrollment days for the upcoming semester Monday, July 26th through Friday, July 30th

During the online appointment, participants will receive assistance with assessment, meeting with an advisor, and registering for classes.

Classes for the August semester will start on August 18th . Hundreds of classes are available in multiple formats.

The virtual appointments can be scheduled from 9 to 6 each day, July 26th through July 30th.

To take part you need to RSVP online at IvyTech.edu/EEDay

The Bartholomew County Health Department and Windrose Health’s mobile unit will be offering a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Candlelight Village on Thursday..

The clinic will be giving doses of the Pfizer vaccine to those 12 years old or older. It will take place in the Candlelight Village Clubhouse from 10 to 2.

There will be free gifts for those who get vaccinated.

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

INDOT says that Skyline Drive in the Jackson-Washington State Forest will be closing for two to three weeks for a paving project.

The work is expected to start on Monday and will include patching, milling and paving in the forest near Brownstown. The road will be closed to thru traffic between the gates at County Road 100 E and County Road 50W.

INDOT asks that you slow down, use extra caution and drive without distractions in all work zones. The work schedule is dependent on the weather.

After more than a year of pandemic-related disruptions, the Jackson Live & Event Center in Seymour will finally be able to offer a slate of nationally touring musicians.

Owner Rodney Burton talks about why he decided to open the 500-seat venue.

Burton explains that the venue opened last year and held its first show almost a year ago. But then quickly had to shut down due to the pandemic. The center began holding smaller events regularly again in April.

There are 8 national acts scheduled at the center through the end of the year. The first nationally touring show will be McBride and the Ride starting at 7 on Friday at the center off of Airport Road and First Avenue in Seymour.

Tickets are $40 and you can get more information on their website at jacksonliveandevents.com.

Columbus Regional Health is relaxing more restrictions on visitors at the hospital.

The hospital is announcing that patients will now be allowed up to two designated visitors or support people at the same time. That includes COVID-positive patients.

The increase in visitor options will still require heightened safety protocols and guidelines, including mask requirements.

Visitors must be 14 years old or older and they must pass a screening. You will be issued a sticker by the screening staff that must be worn at all times. All visitors must wear a mask and patients in double-bed rooms are asked to keep their mask on at all times, even inside the patient room. If you are visiting a COVID-19 patient, you will be advised to wear a powered air-purifying respirator.

The visitation policy for Birthing Center and Mental Health patients remains largely unchanged.

• Two support persons over age 18, such as a spouse, partner, sibling, or another person chosen by the patient (e.g. a Doula) may be allowed while the mother is in labor and delivery only.
• One support person may be with the mother throughout her stay.
• Postpartum, in addition to having one support person throughout her stay, the mother may have one visitor, age 18 or older, per day between the hours of 4 and 8 p.m.
• Two individuals may be designated to visit pediatric patients in the Level II nursery – only one support person may visit at a time each day.

The hospital staff says that the safety of the workforce and of the patients remains their top priority.