The Bartholomew County Soil and Water Conservation District will be holding its 13th annual tree giveaway on Friday at the Bartholomew County Fairgrounds in celebration of Arbor Day.

There will be 1,200 trees to be given away including red pine, persimmon, cherrybark oak, redbud and buttonbush. They will be available on a first come first served basis and there is a limit of five trees per person.

The event will be accepting donations to help Turning Point Domestic Violence Services. The shelter’s top needs are tissues, toothbrush covers and trash bags. There are also constant needs for personal hygiene supplies, journals and pens, twin or full sized blankets and sheets, bath towels, baby monitors, baby wipes and diapers, collapsible laundry baskets and laundry detergent pods.

The event will start at 5 p.m. at the fairgrounds off of County Road 200S and Jonesville Road.

You can get more information by calling 812-378-1280.

You are going to see parts of Marr Road closed this week as contractors work on the Columbus street between 25th Street and Brent Cross.

According to the city engineer’s office, crews will be patching in the area today and tomorrow. The road will be restricted to one lane in those areas and flaggers will be in place to direct traffic.

On Wednesday, Marr Road will be closed from about 9 to 2 as crews cut into the roadway to install new infrastructure to manage storm water.

Also, INDOT has lane restrictions north of 25th Street on US 31 during an overlay project on the bridge deck there.

The city’s work is being done by Milestone Contractors and funding for the work is part of the city’s Community Crossings Matching Grant with the state.

You are urged to seek alternate routes, to slow down and use caution in work zones and don’t drive while distracted.

The final medical practices to move into the Columbus Regional Health portion of Nexus Park will be reopening today.

According to the hospital, Columbus Pediatrics and Imaging Services are making their moves to the former Fair Oaks Mall and are both set to open today.

Patients are receiving information on visiting the new office locations and will also receive reminders for any upcoming appointments that take place at the new location.

Nexus Park on 25th Street is a joint project between the city of Columbus and CRH as a center for health, wellness and recreation. Columbus Regional Health is putting more than $54 million dollars into its side of the project and moving more than 15 offices from around the city to the facility.

If you are coming to the CRH portion of Nexus Park as a patient or a visitor, you should enter the facility through Entrance 3, which is on the southwest side of the facility. Pregnant mothers and their support partners attending appointments at OBGYN Associates, may use Entrance 4 on the north side of the facility.

For more information, visit www.crh.org/nexuspark.

The Bartholomew County Solid Waste Management District will be celebrating Earth Day Friday with events at the Bartholomew County and Columbus Recycling Center on Mapleton.

Earth Day events will be happening from 8 to 3 on April 26th.

There will be an amnesty day to get rid of hard-to-dispose-of waste. You can turn in up to two refrigerant containing appliances, up to two propane tanks, up to four tires from personal vehicles, with the rims removed. All of those are at no cost.

If you need to get rid of an old television set or monitor, you can also drop those off but they will cost $20 each.

There will be educational displays including the Bartholomew County Public Library Book Express, the Bartholomew County RC Flyers, Sans Souci and the Columbus Department of Public Works.

Bartholomew County residents can pick up a free pickup load of mulch or compost from 8 to 12. Purdue Extension 4-H Education will be organizing children’s activities from 8 to 3 including creating a Reuse craft. There will be residential document-shredding from 9 to 11 a.m..

There will also be plant swap and a tree giveaway. Toyota Material Handling is sponsoring the tree event and there will be Norway Spruce and Persimmon trees given away.

You can get more information at bcswmd.com.

Milestone Contractors LP, as part of the City’s 2023 Community Crossings Matching Grant Project will be working on Marr Road at 25th Street north to Brent Cross.

On Monday 4/22 and Tuesday 4/23 crews will be patching in this area. Marr Road will be restricted to one lane, flaggers will direct traffic in both directions.

Wednesday 4/24 9AM – 2PM, Marr Road will be closed, as crews open cut the roadway to install new storm water infrastructure. Please seek alternate routes on Wednesday.

Reminder: INDOT has implemented lane restrictions north of 25th Street on US 31 for bridge deck overlay.

Please use caution in these areas. Slow down, obey flaggers, and don’t drive distracted.

Indiana Department of Transportation contractor Milestone Contractors plans to temporarily close State Road 11 at the bridge over East Fork White River Overflow as soon as Saturday, April 20, to complete pavement repairs in Jackson County.

The bridge is located approximately two miles north of Seymour between the White River and the I-65 interchange near Jonesville. The temporary closure is expected to begin at approximately 7 a.m. and remain in place for up to 12 hours, weather permitting. The bridge is currently under construction utilizing temporary traffic signals. The signals will reactivate following the closure.

The bridge rehabilitation project is part of a $6.9 million contract awarded to Milestone in December 2023. The contract includes a total of three district bridge projects and one guardrail project. INDOT reminds drivers to slow down, use extra caution and avoid distractions when traveling in and near work zones. All work is weather-dependent and schedules are subject to change.

Bartholomew County’s Mental Health Matters Coalition will be updating the public later this month on its first year of efforts to improve the mental health network in the community. That includes a new program of mental health ambassadors.

The Coalition came together just over a year ago and involves partners ranging from local governments and mental health organizations to other non-profit groups and community organizations.

Cheryl Buffo with the Columbus Regional Health’s Healthy Communities initiative explains the April 30th update is meant to inform the public on the current state of the mental health care system, the barriers to receiving care and the level of the crisis.

Buffo said that there have been several efforts started in the first year to address the crisis. That includes a group of ambassadors from various corners of the community, who have been trained in mental health, mental health first aid and then enlisted to steer those in their smaller communities to mental health resources.

The network of ambassadors are also being tapped to evaluate new efforts to make sure they effectively reach those smaller community groups.

The Better Together Mental Health Initiative community update will be April 30th from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at The Commons. The event is free and you are invited to attend.

The Indiana Department of Transportation says that construction season is officially underway as orange cones and barrels sprout up on area highways and roads.

According to the agency, INDOT will be taking part in just over 1,000 construction projects this year. The state is investing more than $2.8 billion in infrastructure improvements including preventative maintenance. That includes 623 bridges being replaced or rehabilitated, nearly 6,000 lane miles of pavement being resurfaced or replaced and 189 projects to improve traffic flow and safety.

INDOT announced a new initiative related to safety, renewing the agency’s focus on safer roadways and work zones in Indiana. Starting this fall, INDOT will be implementing a speed control pilot program in work zones. The goal is to improve safety both for motorists and workers in the work zones.

INDOT Commissioner Mike Smith said the agency’s larger goal is to reduce fatalities and incapacitating injuries on Indiana roadways by 25 percent in the next decade. That includes reducing work zone incidents by 5 percent.

He urges drivers to slow down in work zones, to wear seatbelts and to put your phone down.

Bartholomew Consolidated Schools will be holding signing ceremonies, to celebrate students who are dedicating themseves to a career as educators.

Organizer say this event will honor seniors who intend to pursue a career in education, acknowledging their commitment to positively influence the lives of children.

The first Future Educator’s Day will be held on May 1st, with events at both Columbus North and Columbus East high schools. Columbus North will be recognizing nine students and fourteen from Columbus East who are future educator prospects

The event at North will be at 8:30 in the morning and at East at 10:15 a.m.

A wanted man was arrested by Columbus police early yesterday morning after running through yards in east Columbus.

According to the Columbus Police Department, officers were called to South Mapleton Street at about 12:40 a.m. Thursday morning after reports of a suspicious person in the area. Police spotted a man running away and caught up to him in the 2700 block of Clifty Drive. They discovered that the man, identified as 34-year-old James M. Kapetanios of Columbus was wanted on a felony warrant for burglary.

He was taken into custody on the outstanding warrant.