The Columbus Parks and Recreation department is looking for local businesses to take part in the second annual Halloween Fall Fest on the trails of Donner Park.

According to the city, the event will be from 4 to 7 on Saturday, Oct. 23rd. Businesses can decorate a booth and hand out prepackaged candy as well as promotional materials.

There is no fee to participate but each business is asked to provide enough candy for up to 750 children.

The parks department is also looking for businesses interested in donating gift cards as prizes for various age groups of children.

If you are interested, you can contact Jacob Hendricks at the parks department by email at  [email protected] to reserve a spot.

A reminder, that Columbus police have joined in efforts to aid Afghan refugees at Camp Atterbury. The police department is organizing a Pack-a-Patrol-Car donation drive through Friday.

The police department is accepting new and gently used fall and winter clothing including coats and jackets, as well as new and unopened healthcare and hygiene products. You can drop the items off at a police patrol vehicle parked in front of the department between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.  through Friday.

Bartholomew County’s Youth Camp Road will be closed to all traffic from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. today for a pipe replacement, according to the county highway department.

That will be between Evergreen Drive and County Road 750W. You should avoid the area if you can.

Several local communities are announcing their trick-or-treating hours for Halloween.

In Columbus, trick or treat hours will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, October 31.

In Seymour, trick or treating will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30th. That’s due to a 1991 declaration from the city’s Board of Public Works and Safety that moves the trick or treating hours to the Saturday prior to Halloween if the holiday falls on a Sunday.

Edinburgh trick or treating will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on October 31st and Prince’s Lake will be from 5 to 8 p.m. The rest of Johnson County and its cities and towns will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

North Vernon’s Sweet Street at Stellar Plaza and Madison Ave and city trick-or-treating will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 31st.

If you want to share treats with trick-or-treaters you should leave your outside lights on.

Operation Allies Welcome announced yesterday that it has finished vaccinating more than 6,100 Afghan refugees at Camp Atterbury against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox.

According to authorities, the vaccination campaign began Sept. 6 and wrapped up on Sept. 17th. Arriving Afghans are required to receive vaccinations for measles, COVID-19, and other diseases as a condition of their humanitarian parole. A medical provider can determine, on a case-by-case basis, that a vaccine is not medically appropriate.

The Department of Defense is temporarily providing medical screening, transportation, lodging and general support at eight installations for Afghan special immigrant visa applicants, their families, and other Afghan personnel.

Ivy Tech Columbus is announcing that two of its engineering technology programs have earned accreditation.

The associate degree programs in Engineering Technology and in Mechanical Engineering Technology have been accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET. That’s the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.

ABET accreditation assures that programs meet standards to produce graduates ready to enter critical technical fields.

An Elizabethtown man was arrested on drug-related charges after trying to walk away from a traffic stop, police say.

According to Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department reports, deputies began to pull over a vehicle at about 7:36 p.m. Saturday evening near Shady Lane and U.S. 31. The driver stopped in front of a Shady Lane residence. When the deputy turned on his emergency lights, a passenger began walking away.

The passenger, 25-year-old Triston Barlow was wanted on several outstanding Bartholomew County warrants. A search revealed Barlow was carrying 12.4 grams of fentanyl, 2 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. A police dog alerted to drugs in the vehicle. A search uncovered paraphernalia, white powder, narcotics packaging material and a sale ledger.

In addition to the warrants, Barlow is facing new charges of dealing in a narcotic drug, as well as for possessing the drugs and paraphernalia.

R&L Carriers of Ohio is planning a $30 million investment in a new shipping terminal in the Edinburgh area.

Bartholomew County Commissioners gave their approval for a company tax abatement request yesterday.

Jason Hester, with the Greater Columbus Economic Development Corp. presented the request from the company yesterday. He said the project would involve construction of a 90,000 square foot cross-dock terminal, five-bay maintenance shop, offices and a fuel island. He said the 71-acre property is along U.S. 31 in the Meadowlawn Industrial Park and the company already bought it at a cost of $3.2 million.

Hester said the facility would create 79 full time jobs, with average wages of $53,000 a year.

Under state rules, the commissioners have to sign off on tax abatements, agreeing that the abatement will not be a financial burden on a tax increment financing district, and that the company’s estimates are reasonable, Hester said.

The company is requesting a 10-year abatement on real property and a 5-year abatement on personal property. Under a tax abatement, property taxes are phased in over the life of the abatement rather than being increased immediately.

The County Council is expected to hear the abatement request when it meets next week.

A combined virtual and in-person Walk to End Alzheimer’s raised more than $68,000 thousand dollars over the weekend in Columbus, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

The event included more than 250 participants, including those who were present at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds and those who watched the opening ceremonies virtually and then walked at home.

The money raised goes to support the care, support and research programs of the association. This year’s local goal was $75,000. Fundraising will continue through the end of the year, and even if you didn’t participate you can still donate to the Walk at act.alz.org/Columbus.

In Indiana alone, there are more than 110,000 people living with the disease and 215,000 caregivers.

Photo courtesy of Alzheimer’s Association.

A Columbus man was arrested last week after a short standoff with police.

According to Columbus police reports, officers received information that a man had poured gasoline on another person and pointed a gun at a victim in the 200 block of Pence Street.

Police arrived at shortly before 3 p.m. Friday and found 29-year-old Martin L. Keels in the backyard of the residence but he went back inside. Hearing that Keels might still be armed, police called for the SWAT team. But Keels left the home before the SWAT team arrived. He was subdued by a Taser and arrested.

He is facing charges of domestic battery and intimidation, as well as two outstanding Jennings County warrants.