Due to Monday’s total solar eclipse, Columbus trash and recycling routes will be running a day behind all week with normal Monday routes running today. Normal Friday routes will be picked up on Saturday.

Legal Aid is holding a Free Legal Aid Phone Clinic today.

Legal Aid offers the clinics for low-income residents of its eight-county district.

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 over the phone. The clinic will be from from 3 to 5:30 p.m.

To take part, you must first register between noon and 2 p.m. by calling 812-378-0358.

INDOT says that traffic on State Road 11 will be restricted between Jonesville and Seymour starting today due to bridge work.

According to the agency, crews will be rehabilitating a bridge in Jackson County over East Fork White River overflow, about two miles north of Seymour and just north of the blue bridge. You can expect temporary traffic signals to be in place while the work is going on.

The work is scheduled to wrap up in July, but the work schedule is dependent on the weather.

After the project is done, contractor crews will begin work on another bridge on State Road 11 in Jackson County.

This is part of a $6.9 million contract awarded to Milestone Contractors that includes three district bridge projects and one guardrail project.

INDOT urges you to slow down, to drive without distractions, to use extra caution and to be alert to worker safety in all work zones.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is warning about a scam in our area, where a scammer is pretending to be a sheriff’s deputy to get you to give up information or to swindle money.

According to the Sheriff’s Department, someone is claiming to be Capt. Chris Roberts who heads up the criminal investigations division.

Scammers frequently impersonate law enforcement officials over the phone. They try to get you to give up your personal information or make payments to them to supposedly satisfy fake warrants or other schemes. Scammers are able to spoof your Caller ID so that the number appears to be legitimate.

Authorities warn you not to give out your personal or financial information to a caller. Law enforcement officers will never ask for you to make a payment over the phone to avoid arrest.

If you have any questions you should hang up and call your local authorities directly at an official number you can find online or in a phone book.

The Bartholomew County Republican ladies League is planning a candidate forum this week for those running in the primary election.

The forum will be moderated by White River Broadcasting’s own John Foster. Foster will be asking questions of the candidates in contested primary races. Candidates in non-contested races will have 1 minute to introduce themselves at the beginning of the forum.

Candidates in the Bartholomew County Commissioner District 1 and County Council At-Large races have been asked to participate.

The forum will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Red Room at the Bartholomew County Public Library. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and you are invited to attend.

Early voting is starting today in Bartholomew County ahead of the May primary elections.

There will be no early voting this election at Nexus Park or at the Bartholomew County Courthouse. Instead, you can vote early from 8 to 5 on weekdays at Donner Center.

There will be early voting on Saturdays April 7th and May 4th. You can vote on those Saturdays at Donner Center and at the Bartholomew County Governmental office Building on Third Street from 8 to 3.

Early voting wraps up at noon on May 6th with election day from 6 to 6 on Tuesday, May 7th at 14 voting centers around Bartholomew County.

Bartholomew County Republican voters will be making choices in the race for County Commissioner District 1 and in the at-large seats for the Bartholomew County Council. In the commissioners races, long-time County Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz has a challenge from Rick Miller in the Republican primary.

None of the three current at-large members of the County Council filed for re-election. Four new Republicans did file for the County Council seats: Michael R. Bell, Kim Bennett, John Prohaska and Marcus D. Speer.

Democrats have no local contested races on the ballot in this primary election.

A motorcyclist died Monday afternoon in a crash in Jackson County.

According to the Indiana State Police, the single vehicle crash happened at about 3:45 p.m. on Jackson County Road 700E near County Road 725N just north of Seymour. 40-year-old Timothy Kerkhof of Seymour was pronounced dead at the scene by the Jackson County Coroner’s Office.

According to investigators, Kerkhof lost control on a sharp curve and went off the road. Kerhkof was thrown from the bike and suffered fatal injuries.

A state police crash reconstructionist was called to the scene. The crash remains under investigation.

State police were assisted at the scene by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Seymour Police Department, Jackson County EMS, Redding Township Fire Department, and 31 Wrecker Service.

Photo courtesy of Indiana State Police