A Seymour man was arrested in North Vernon last week after he was found speeding on a moped.

According to the North Vernon Police Department, the incident happened last Thursday when an officer noticed the speeding cycle on West Walnut Street.

The driver was pulled over on Middle School Road and police found that he is listed as a habitual traffic violator. 50-year-old Michael E. Wimberly Jr. was taken into custody. A search also revealed he was carrying a digital scale with suspected methamphetamine residue and a baggie that tested positive for meth.

A woman was arrested last week in North Vernon after a fight in a restaurant parking lot.

According to the North Vernon Police Department, officers were called to a reported domestic disturbance in the parking lot of the restaurant on Hurley Drive. As officers arrived, they saw a woman inside of a vehicle striking a man several times.

Police talked to those involved and noticed that the woman appeared to be intoxicated and she admitted to driving after drinking. A breath test revealed a blood-alcohol content of .18 percent, more than twice the legal limit.

Rachel Goins was arrested on charges of domestic battery, operating a vehicle while intoxicated with endangerment and operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .15 percent or more.

The North Vernon Police Department said yesterday that the incident happened on Tuesday, June 10th.

A reminder that there will be a celebration today to recognize the new Black Heritage Trail in downtown Columbus.

The bronze markers at 10 locations downtown recognize the history of African American businesses in downtown Columbus.

Opening festivities will be from 5 to 7 p.m.. at the Sixth Street Arts Alley with a ribbon cutting at 5:30. There will be comments from the mayor, and local historians, as well as family members of those long-ago business owners. There will also be food from Stunna’s Meal Prep and Jack Rabbits, music by DJ Smooth G and drinks from Lemonade Bros and Elev8.

Funding for the project came from grants from the African American Foundation of Bartholomew County, the Benjamin R. (Mickey) King Endowed Fund and Heritage Fund with the assistance of the Landmark Columbus Foundation.

Photo courtesy of Landmark Columbus Foundation

Ivy Tech Community College will be holding an “Explore your Future” event on Tuesday at the Columbus campus.

Prospective students and community members are invited to attend the open house to learn more about the school’s programs. There will be opportunities to tour the campus and to meet with faculty and to get help from financial aid experts on tuition assistance options.

Ivy Tech offers academic programs in areas including advanced manufacturing, business, education, healthcare, information technology and more.

The event will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Moravec Hall at 4475 Central Avenue in Columbus. No registration is necessary.

Note: This story has been updated

Many people in our area remain without power after strong winds and heavy rains swept through the area with last night’s storms.

As of this afternoon, Duke Energy is reporting nearly 7,000 customers without power in our area. That includes nearly 5 thousand in Columbus, more than 200 in the Nashville area, nearly 1000 towards Hope and 730 around Grandview Lake

Bartholomew County REMC is reporting 136 customers without power this afternoon, with most of those in Clay Township east of Columbus.

Jackson County REMC is reporting just over 100 customers without power with most in the Heltonville and Freetown areas.

More than 2,100 customers are without power this afternoon in Brown County, according to South Central Indiana REMC.

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for 39 counties in Indiana.

In our area, those include Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson and Shelby Counties.

Widespread thunderstorms are expected this afternoon into this evening, with potential for severe storms in the 2 to 10 p.m. time frame. Damaging winds will be the primary threat, though large hail, isolated tornadoes, and localized flash flooding will also be possible.

The tornado watch is in effect until 8 p.m. tonight.

Government offices are closing Thursday in observance of Juneteenth.

In Columbus, city trash, recycling and yard waste routes will be running on their normal schedule.

The Columbus and Bartholomew County Recycling Center will be closed Thursday along with the cardboard route and the Solid Waste Management district offices. The Bartholomew County Landfill will be open normal hours.

Columbus City Utilities offices will be closed. If you have a problem with your water or sewer service, you can call 812-372-8861 and follow the prompts.

In Seymour, Thursday’s trash, recycling and yard waste routes will be collected on Friday along with the normal Friday routes.

Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S., marking the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston, Texas, more than two and a half years after it was issued by President Abraham Lincoln. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.

With the approaching Fourth of July holiday, local firefighters want to remind you of the ordinances surrounding fireworks and offer fireworks safety tips.

According to the Columbus Fire Department, city ordinances regulate when you can set off fireworks and are in line with state laws.

That means June 29th through July 3rd, you can set off your fireworks between 5 p.m. and two hours after sunset, or no later than 11 p.m. in the evening. On the Fourth of July you can set them off between 10 a.m. in the morning and midnight. From July 5th through the 9th, you can again only set off fireworks between 5 and 9.

Fireworks are not allowed to be set off in the city limits except for certain holidays for the rest of the year,.

You should not put hot fireworks in your trash Toter and never put those into your recycling or yard waste Toters.

Lowell Road in Columbus will be closing for two months or more starting on Monday.

According to the Columbus city engineer’s office, the final phase of reconstruction project is starting that will close the road from County Road 200W to Interstate 65 for an expected eight weeks. Access will remain open to Drummond Drive and the roundabout at Lowell Road and County Road 200W will remain open during the work.

Officials say you should avoid the area and find an alternate route during the closure. You are urged to use caution when driving near construction zones.

You can find a link to more information and updates on the city engineering Facebook page here:  https://www.facebook.com/columbusengineering

We could see some bad weather this afternoon and evening as a storm system moves through the area.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis has upgraded all of Indiana to an enhanced risk of severe weather today.

The main threats will be this afternoon through late evening with the possibility of damaging winds with gusts of more than 60 mph. Large hail along with isolated flooding and tornadoes are also possible.

Emergency officials say that you can prepare by identifying a safe spot at home and at work, should the weather turn severe. A basement or storm shelter is best, but an interior room, stairway or hall without a window or door to the outside is also acceptable.

Heading into the weekend, our current warm and muggy conditions are expected to turn to possibly dangerous heat. High temperatures in the mid 90s are possible and the humidity could make that feel like more than 100 degrees outside.