The Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce is celebrating Small Business Week with a series of events Tuesday through Friday.

Cindy Frey, President of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce, said that recognizing and financially supporting local small businesses invests in the future of the community. She said that small businesses are the backbone of the local economy, employing half of the community’s workers.

The chamber reports that there are 3,304 small businesses in Bartholomew County and small businesses account for 99.9 percent of all U.S. businesses according to the Small Business Association.

The first event will be held tomorrow, on Creating and Enhancing Your Online Store. That will be from 9 to 10 a.m. via the Zoom app.

Other sessions include:

Wednesday, May 5 — Marketing Your Services/Products to Local, State and Federal Government

Wednesday, May 5 — Pitch Strong with Startup Studio

Thursday, May 6 — Ribbon Cutting at Hog Molly Brewing

Friday, May 7 — Founder’s Friday

You can sign up through the chamber website at ColumbusAreaChamber.com

An IUPUC professor has been chosen as an IUPUI Chancellor’s Professor, the first local educator to receive the honor in the 50-year history of IUPUC.

The announcement was made last week that Dr. Julie Goodspeed-Chadwick, had been chosen for the honor, the most distinguished appointment an individual faculty member can attain at IUPUI. The honor recognizes senior faculty members for their accomplishment and leadership in teaching, research, and campus service.

Goodspeed-Chadwick has been teaching at IUPUC since 2008, specializing in 20th-century American literature, transatlantic modernism, women and literature, women’s and gender studies, and trauma studies.

She is the founding and current director of the Office of Student Research, serves as the campus liaison for the statewide Indiana University Undergraduate Research Conference, is the co-founder of the Office for Women at IUPUC, and serves on the IUPUI Office for Women Advisory Council.

Goodspeed-Chadwick was also recently awarded an Indiana University Bicentennial Medal, recognizing those who broaden the reach of Indiana University through their personal, professional, artistic, or philanthropic efforts.

Columbus firefighters successfully rescued trapped ducklings over the weekend, the third such rescue in the last few weeks.

Rescue workers were called to the Dirt Buster Car Wash on Johnson Boulevard at about 7:04 a.m. Saturday morning after workers found a mother duck and two ducklings loitering outside a floor drain. Trapped inside the drain were other ducklings

Firefighters removed a floor drain covering and removed the four trapped ducklings, turning them over to Columbus Animal Care Services. Staff with animal shelter checked the babies for injuries, cleaned them up and then released them back to their mother duck at a nearby retention pond.

Firefighters report that this is the third time in the past two weeks that they have been called to aid trapped ducklings.

Capt. Mike Wilson said that firefighters also were called to rescue trapped beavers on the west side of the city in March. He said that because of the numerous lakes and ponds on the west side of the city, residents should remain vigilant for possible wildlife encounters while driving or walking.

Photo: Columbus Fire Department Lt. Jim Miller, at left, and Firefighter Derrick Chitwood rescue four ducklings from a westside car wash drain Saturday. Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department.

Most Columbus city and Bartholomew County government buildings are reopening to the public again today.

City officials announced last weeks that buildings will reopen including City Hall and the Columbus Police Department, Donner Center, city utilities, the Department of Public Works, and aviation offices at Columbus Municipal Airport. Buildings that will remain closed to the public include Animal Care Services, fire stations, and The Commons.

Masks will still be required within the city buildings to protect the public and city employees.

If you want to contact city workers remotely, you are encouraged to call or to use email.

The city also plans to continue to conduct government meetings remotely through at least the end of May, streaming them on the city website and via WebEx.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis says southern Indiana is under a slight risk of severe thunderstorms tonight.

We could see storms with large hail, damaging winds, and isolated tornadoes. The severe storms are most likely between 10 tonight and 4 on Tuesday morning.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is touting the success of its in-jail drug treatment program. Since launching in January of last year, there have been 49 graduates from the program, with the most recent class of 22 graduating this week.

The program, called BART for Begin, Accept, Reveal and Transform, provides more than 400 hours of group and individual drug treatment.

Chief Deputy Maj. Chris Lane said that part of the jail has been turned into a drug treatment facility to help treat inmates who have been determined to be open to the benefits of the program.

The most recent treatment group started in January and graduated 13 men and 9 women.

Graduating class photos courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

Ivy Tech Community College and Indiana State University are announcing a new agreement that will allow community college engineering students to easily transfer to the university.

Under the new agreement, any Ivy Tech engineering student meeting the transfer agreement requirements can transfer into Indiana State’s Bachelor of Science in Engineering program as a junior. Requirements include passing 61 credits for their Associate of Science, application for admission to Indiana State University, course grades of “C” or better and an average grade-point average of 2.0 or higher.

According to the schools, Ivy Tech’s engineering program provides a foundation in science, mathematics, and engineering for electrical, mechanical, civil, computer or other engineering. Dr. Russ Baker, Ivy Tech’s vice president of Academic Affairs says the agreement will allow seamless transfers into the engineering degree at ISU.

To learn more about Ivy Tech’s engineering program, you can visit IvyTech.edu/engineering.

Columbus firefighters say that an apartment fire was sparked Wednesday night after charcoal fire remains were dropped into a trash Toter.

A neighbor noticed the blaze outside of an apartment in the 2800 block of Village Drive at about 9:53 p.m. Wednesday night. When firefighters arrived on the scene, the fire had already been extinguished, leaving behind a melted trash Toter at the rear entrance to the apartment.

The apartment’s resident told firefighters that they put what appeared to be cold coals into the Toter, but firefighters believe there was enough heat to ignite materials in the Toter, and then the bin itself, melting it to the ground.

The fire caused about $8,000 in damages, all to the exterior of the building.

Columbus Fire Department suggests you place any coals into a non-combustible container, such as a metal pail and let them cool for up to 24 hours before being placed into your plastic Toter.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department.

Local communities are getting shares of more than $100 million dollars in state grant money to fix their roads.

Gov. Eric Holcomb announced yesterday that 218 Indiana communities had been approved for Community Crossings matching grants through the Next Level Roads program. Applications are evaluated based on the need, the current conditions and the impacts to safety and economic development. To qualify for funding, local governments must provide local matching funds. Larger communities must provide a 50 percent match, or 25 percent for smaller communities.

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch said that infrastructure improvements drive economic development.

Local awards included:

Bartholomew County $ 990,928.50
Columbus $ 689,351.25
Elizabethtown $ 77,969.25

Jackson County $ 1,000,000.00
Seymour $ 108,200.18
Crothersville $ 269,897.25

Jennings County $ 1,000,000.00

Decatur County $ 999,866.58
Greensburg $ 75,373.15

Shelby County $ 824,573.62

Nashville $ 200,745.00

The Yellow Trail Museum in Hope will be restarting its monthly Sunday Social series this weekend.

The history-focused gatherings are held on the first Sundays of the month and generally focus on a specific theme.

Organizers are looking for stories about businesses around the Hope Town Square and information provided will be used for a new walking tour. You are encouraged to bring news articles and photos.

Sunday’s event will be from 2 to 4 at the museum, on the northwest corner of the Hope Town Square. You can get more information by calling 812-343-3798.