A driver died on Interstate 65 in Indianapolis after a crash sent a car through the cable barriers and into the oncoming lanes this morning.

According to Indiana State Police reports, the crash happed at about 5:20 a.m. Monday morning near 86th Street. Troopers arrived and found two heavily damaged vehicles, one with a man trapped inside. Firefighters rescued the man and he was taken to an area hospital where he died.

An investigation revealed that the driver ran off the road into the grass median, through the cables and came to a stop in the northbound lanes of the Interstate, where the car was hit by an SUV. The northbound lanes were shut down for about five hours and the crash is still under investigation. Investigators do not suspect drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash.

The names of the drivers have not yet been released.

Indiana State Department of Health’s COVID Strike Team and the Indiana National Guard will be offering another testing and vaccination clinic in Bartholomew County this week according to the county health department.

The clinic will be from 12 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds in the midway area, off of County Road 200S.

Rapid antigen and PCR tests will be available. You can choose either the Pfizer or Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Both vaccines are fully tested and effective at preventing serious illnesses from COVID-19 according to the agency. The Pfizer vaccine is the only vaccine available to children ages 12 to 17.

No appointment is necessary.

The Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce will be holding a sneak peek of the new Propeller Community Innovation Center on October 7th.

The tour will be for innovators, entrepreneurs, members of the Chamber and the community. Propeller features machining and woodworking shops, robotics, electronics and programs to help start and accelerate new business ventures.

The tour will be from 5 to 7 on Thursday, Oct. 7th at the facility at 4750 Ray Boll Boulevard.

Columbus Regional Health’s Healthy Communities will be sponsoring a drive-up vaccine and testing clinic Wednesday at the former Fair Oaks Mall.

The event at Nexus Park will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the former JC Penney parking lot. The Johnson and Johnson one-dose vaccine will be available for those 18 and older and doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be available for children 12-18.

You can get more information at crh.org.

The Columbus Engineering Department says that crews will be paving portions of 8th and 10 Streets, between Central Avenue and McClure Road starting today and lasting through Friday. The work is being done as part of the Community Crossing Matching Grant program.

Contractors are also working on resurfacing streets in neighborhoods near Deaver Road this week as part of the city overlay project

You should use caution while traveling in the areas and plan to obey flaggers and traffic control signs.

Tonight will be the first BCSC school board meeting to be held virtually, in efforts to prevent out-of-order commentary and the ignoring of COVID-19 restrictions by some members of the public.

The school board made the decision to go virtual last week after members of the public opposed to COVID-19 restrictions repeatedly attended meetings and made personal attacks, interrupted and heckled speakers, exhibited threatening behavior and refused to wear masks and to social distance.

Indiana law does not require a public comment period during most public meetings. The meeting will be live streamed on the BCSC YouTube channel starting at 6:30.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is warning of fake pills circulating in the community that could lead to overdoses and deaths.

The department announced last week that the pills, meant to look like prescription medications such as Oxycodone, actually contain fentanyl. The unexpected powerful synthetic pain killer can easily kill a person, with even a single pill says Sheriff Matt Myers.

If you have any information, regarding the illegal possession, distribution, or production of illegal substances, you can contact the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office at 812-379-1650.

Two people were injured in a Friday afternoon home fire in Columbus.

According to Columbus firefighters, homeowners discovered a fire in the 700 block of California Street at about 4:05 p.m. Friday afternoon. A man at the home said he and a woman were napping when they noticed the fire near a space heater on the floor of the bedroom. He attempted to put the fire out, but burned his hands. He was later treated by medics at the scene. Both occupants escaped the fire but the woman suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for treatment.

Firefighters entered the home and extinguished the fire. They also removed a window to ventilate the space. The fire damage was confined to a bedroom and damages are estimated at about $5,000.

There were no working smoke alarms in the home, according to firefighters. If you need assistance installing smoke alarms, you can contact the fire department at (812) 376-2679.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department.

A man has been arrested after a murder in Seymour early Sunday morning.

According to Seymour police reports, officers were called to the 700 block of Miller Lane on a report of an injured person at about 6:34 a.m. Sunday morning. Police and medics were unable to save the person’s life and the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

62-year-old Daniel L. Baldwin of Seymour was arrested on a preliminary charge of murder.

Additional details have not yet been released until the victim’s family is notified.

Seymour police say that this was an isolated incident and there is no further risk to the public. The investigation is ongoing.

With harvest season arriving, Hoosiers can expect to see more slow-moving agricultural equipment on the roadways. As the roads become more crowded, Indiana State Police (ISP) troopers are asking drivers to be cautious, and share the road this autumn.

Lt. Governor Susanne Crouch encouraged drivers in a statement to slow down and be patient with tractors and combines during the harvest season.Slow Down on the Roads

ISP says the agricultural vehicles are not only wide, but can take up most of the road while traveling at speeds no greater than 25 mph. Drivers are asked to be patient to avoid any unsafe or serious accidents.