Low-income area residents will have a chance for free legal advice today.

River Valley Legal Aid will be offering a walk-in legal clinic on Tuesday in Bartholomew County. 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.

The session will focus on general legal advice on civil matters such as family law, guardianship powers of attorney, protective orders, simple wills and small estates.

The walk-in clinic will be from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Bartholomew County Public Library on Fifth Street.

River Valley Legal Aid offers the clinics for low-income residents of its eight-county district to receive legal advice and assistance. Residents of all area counties are invited to attend.

Thrive Alliance, Fairlawn Presbyterian Church and Dementia Friendly Communities of Indiana are teaming up to offer social gatherings for those living with memory loss and for their caregivers.

According to Thrive Alliance, the programs are called the Memory Cafe, and are meant to offer a informal and supportive setting for participants. The first session will feature a flower planting program on Friday, June 13th. Participants will be able to share a snack, decorate flower pots, plant a flower to take home and learn gardening tips.

Other upcoming sessions will include Pet Therapy on Friday, July 11 and an Exercise Class on Friday, August 8.

The Memory Cafe program will be open the second Friday of every month from 1 to 2 at the church, on Fairlawn Drive.

To register or get more information, you can contact Jeni Moffatt with Thrive Alliance at 812-372-6918

Columbus officials will consider approvals tonight to move forward with a new affordable housing complex on 14th Street.

The developers of the planned Flats on 14th Street project. TWG Development, are requesting approval for several variances to Columbus zoning ordinances from the Columbus Board of Zoning Appeals. The project, to be built at 14th Street and Michigan Avenue would bring 110 housing units to the city.

The developers are asking the city board to approve the 110 units, 30 more than the normally allowed 80 units. They are also asking to only build 124 parking spaces, instead of the required 165, and to provide less than the normally require buffer space on the east and southwest property lines.

The city planning staff is recommending approval of all the variances. The property is already zoned Residential: Multi-family.

The board meets at 6:30 p.m. tonight at Columbus City Hall.

The smell of methamphetamine in the air led to the arrest of a North Vernon man last week, police say.

According to the North Vernon Police Department, officers were called to the Pine View Apartments on Henry Street last Tuesday after a suspicious odor was detected. Police talked with a resident, 63 year old Gordon C. Challies III and police say he agreed to let them search his backpack, where they discovered marijuana and drug paraphernalia. After getting a search warrant, officers discovered more drugs including methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Challies was arrested on preliminary charges for possessing the drugs and paraphernalia.

The head of Heritage Fund: The Bartholomew County Community Foundation is retiring.

Tracy Souza is announcing that she is stepping down effective in July. She has led the community foundation since 2011, taking over after Sherry Stark retired. She is only the fourth president and CEO of the organization, since it began in the 1970s.

Souza retired from Cummins after 32 years, serving most recently as president of the Cummins Foundation. She has served on various boards at the local, state and national levels.

Heritage Fund says that under Souza’s leadership the foundation’s charitable assets have grown from $50 million to $111 million and the foundation has awarded nearly $9 million in grants and scholarships.

The most recent Heritage Fund initiative to launch under Souza’s leadership, is Project Encore, meant to finish renovations and upgrades to the Crump Theatre, turning it into a state-of-the art performing arts center.

Heritage Fund’s Board of Directors has created an unrestricted grant fund to support her key areas of interest. Tracy’s Fund to Celebrate Diversity and the Performing Arts is being created through the Lilly Endowment’s Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow program.

A reminder that tonight’s Salute! concert in Columbus is moving indoors. The Columbus Indiana Philharmonic show will now be held at Columbus North High School’s Erne Auditorium.

The doors will open at 6 p.m. at the auditorium and the program will begin at 7 p.m. Seating will be available on a first come first served basis.

The show is free and you are invited to attend.

The city of North Vernon is starting work on a new police station.

According to city officials a ground-breaking ceremony was held Wednesday for the new location. Mayor Shawn Gerkin says that the police station will be a source of pride for the officers and the community. It is meant to serve the needs of the department for at least 50 years.

Gerkin also noted that the existing police department building was never constructed to be used as a police station. He said it was outdated and could not meet current regulations on evidence storage.

Gerkin also said that the new building will not require a tax increase. He said the building is being funded through strategic budgeting, ensuring safety for the community without a financial burden.

Photo courtesy of City of North Vernon

Columbus and Greenwood have made it onto a list of best places to live in the United States.

The list was compiled by U.S. News and World Report, which looked at value, quality of life, the job market and whether the city is a desirable place to live. The magazine evaluated 859 communities.

Greenwood placed 91st on the list and Columbus came in 92nd of the top 250 places to live.

According to the listings, Columbus has a median home value of $221,501, rent of $843 a month and median household income of $76, 265.

Carmel came in 2nd in the nationwide study. Fishers and Noblesville also made the list, ranking higher than Greenwood and Columbus. Fishers came in 4th and Noblesville 50th.

You can find  more information on the listings here: https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/best-places-to-live

State Road 7 in Jennings County will be closing in early June and won’t reopen until early August while crews upgrade an intersection.

According to INDOT, contractors will be closing the highway between Jennings County Road 275W and Country Squire Boulevard starting on Tuesday, June 3rd. That is about a mile northwest of U.S. 50. While the road is closed you won’t be able to access either County Road 275W or Country Squire Boulevard from S.R. 7.

You will see signs going up before construction starts. The official detour will take U.S. 50 to Interstate 65 and then to State Road 46.

State Road 7 is expected to reopen in early August. The work schedule is dependent on the weather.

After the road reopens more work will be happening on State Road 7. INDOT plans to release more details closer to the project.

Dave O’Mara is the contractor for the project, part of a $5.7 million dollar contract.

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

A Columbus man has been arrested on felony charges after a police chase through the city.

According to Columbus Police Department, the incident started Tuesday night at about 8:10 p.m. when an officer noticed a driver make a traffic violation near North National Road and Washington Street. The officer tried to pull the vehicle over but the driver continued south of Washington Street, at 40 to 50 mph, running the stoplight at 25th and Washington, police say. The driver also appeared to be throwing items out the window.

The driver stopped near 11th and Washington Streets and was taken into custody. A police dog alerted to the smell of drugs within the vehicle and a search recovered methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Police also recovered an open bag along the route that appeared to contain fentanyl.

43-year-old Jeremy Vanantwerp is facing felony charges of resisting law enforcement and obstructing justice, as well as for possessing the drugs and a misdemeanor charge for the paraphernalia.