A not-for-profit group will be holding a virtual seminar Thursday on how to install solar panels. Solarize Indiana will be holding the workshop starting at 7p.m. Thursday evening.

The workshop will include how to install solar panels on homes, businesses and farm buildings and will discuss how solar can save money and increase your energy independence.

You can get more information at solarizeindiana.org/events or by email at [email protected].

INDOT says a project on State Road 58 in Jackson County has been delayed until October.

Work on the highway between Jackson County Roads 950N and 1075N was set to begin on or after Tuesday. But now it is expected to start on Oct. 4th.

State Road 58 will be closed for a box culvert replacement for about five weeks.

Brown County Health Department is having a COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinic today and Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. both days at the Brown County Music Center. That’s at 200 Maple Leaf Boulevard in Nashville.

The Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccine is free and no appointment is necessary. The Pfizer vaccine is the only vaccine for children and may be taken by those 12 and older.

The Columbus Human Rights Commission is launching a series of virtual films and seminars on topics including diversity, inclusion, and belonging starting today.

The video series will start with The Unafraid, which follows the lives of three students in Georgia who have been part of the DACA, or Dreamers, program. Georgia has banned DACA participants from attending its top public universities, and from qualifying for in-state tuition at any other public college. The Unafraid will be available to watch through Sept. 16th.

Registration to the film is available through Eventbrite. The videos are free.

Columbus police are suggesting you lock up your vehicle and secure your valuables, after a string of vehicle break-ins recently.

Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the police department, said there were 35 reports of thefts from vehicles in August. of those, 22 involved vehicles that were unlocked. The thefts included three firearms stolen from unlocked vehicles last month, Harris said.

Harris said you can help police reduce crime in the city by locking your vehicle doors, securing your valuables and making sure your firearms are secured so they do not end up on the street, in the hands of criminals.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is cracking down on those who violate school bus stop arm laws.

That comes on the heels of a 16-year-old girl getting killed while trying to cross to her bus on rural Gladstone Avenue this week.

Sheriff Matt Myers says more deputies will be on the road looking for violators. This is all part of the state’s Stop Arm Violation Enforcement program, or SAVE blitz, which is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.

The department joins more than 200 across the state that will be participating in this year’s SAVE blitz. Myers said deputies will have zero tolerance for those endangering children in school zones and when school buses are stopped.

In Indiana, it’s against the law for you to pass a bus that’s stopped and has its red lights flashing and stop-arm extended. That applies to all roads, except those divided by a barrier. In those cases, only drivers going the same direction as the bus must stop.

According to the safety agency, the greatest risk to a student isn’t riding a bus but approaching or leaving one, so drivers are encouraged to slow down, put away the distractions and watch for buses at all times.

Afghan refugees have begun arriving at Camp Atterbury, according to the Indiana National Guard.

The first aircraft began arriving in Indiana yesterday. The Department of Defense is providing transportation, temporary housing, medical screening and logistics support for the Afghans’ safe relocation to the United States. About 2,500 Afghans can currently be temporarily housed at Camp Atterbury, one of eight sites across the United States to host the Afghan evacuees.

Brig. Gen. Niave Knell, the commander of Task Force Atterbury, praised the professionalism of the team receiving and aiding the Afghans. She said the multi-agency effort meant the base was ready to receive the refugees with open arms, ensuring dignity and respect to all.

Camp Atterbury has announced that all donations to the refugees and needs for volunteer help are being coordinated through Team Rubicon and the American Red Cross

For more information on how to donate or volunteer, you can go to teamrubiconusa.org/resettlement, or redcross.org. You can find a link to a list of needed items for the refugees here.

Email: [email protected]
Team Rubicon: 310-640-8787
Red Cross: 1-888-684-1441

Photos courtesy of by Sgt. Tackora Farrington.

The next Columbus Bluegrass Jamboree will be Saturday, September 11 at Donner Center.

You can bring your own instrument for an Open Jam starting at 4 p.m.. Group performances will begin at 5 with bands including Straightline, Right Hand, Hoosier Hill, and Indiana Rail.

Masks will be required inside the center.

The event is free and you are invited to attend. Donations are welcome.

The Jamboree is sponsored by Columbus Parks and Recreation and Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center. For more information, you can call 812-614-0955 or visit columbusbluegrassjamboree.com.

The last Cruise-in of the season will be held on the Hope Town Square Friday afternoon.

The event will have a theme of 70s and 80s rock and roll. There will be a costume contest and prizes given for the oldest car, People’s Choice, and the band’s favorite car.

The event starts at 5 and the band Ragtop Deluxe will be performing from 6 to 8 p.m. The Cruise-in to Hope is sponsored by Main Street of Hope and the Town of Hope.