The Bartholomew County commissioners issued an order on Monday that all visitors and employees inside all county buildings must wear a mask while conducting any business.

Virtual meetings will continue until the end of August and are available to the public via Zoom.

If Gov. Eric Holcomb’s emergency orders continue through September, the virtual Zoom meetings will continue through the month.

Employees will continue to work and meet with members of the public in county buildings.

Two wanted individuals were arrested Thursday, after The Seymour Police Department and Jackson County Sheriff Office received a tip. The information relayed to police said that on Thursday that Brian Willman, Of Seymour, and Lindsey Grigsby  of Anderson,  were staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Seymour. Brian Willman, 37, of Seymour, Both wanted on Jackson County warrants for drug charges.

SPD patrol officers located the suspects behind the motel and they were taken into custody.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for the motel room and a K-9 alerted officers to narcotics in the room. Meth, mushrooms, a stolen handgun, and other drug paraphernalia was found in the room. Both were arrested on their outstanding warrants and taken to Jackson County Jail also facing several new charges.

INDOT says work on Interstate 65 between Columbus and Walesboro is entering a new phase in the next few days.

Starting last night and going through the end of next week, the left lane of southbound Interstate 65 will be closing from 9 at night to 6 in the morning while crews pour concrete between mile markers 68 and 64. Lanes won’t need to be closed every night but motorists should be prepared anyway, as the schedule depends on the weather and available equipment.

INDOT also plans to close the northbound lane near the Walesboro exit Saturday night to repair a piece of construction equipment that was struck and damaged by a vehicle. That should happen at around 3 in the morning and last for about two hours.

Starting on about August 21st, the lane configuration will be switched to move to the next phase of construction. Going forward, northbound traffic will be crossing over the median and sharing the southbound side of the interstate.

The $65 million project to add travel lanes is expected to be complete in 2023. INDOT asks you to slow down, to use extra caution and to drive without distractions in all work zones.

A motorcyclist was seriously injured in crash last night in Jennings County.

According to police reports, deputes were called the scene of a crash at County Roads 500E and 200N in Butlerville at about 11:36 Thursday night.

Police say that a motorcycle driven by 25-year-old Zachery Box of Westport was headed west on County Road 200N, when he left the road and crashed. Box was flown by Stat-Flight helicopter to an Indianapolis hospital for his injuries.

Deputies say that speed and alcohol were contributing factors in the crash.

Assisting at the scene were Jennings County EMS medics and Campbell Township Fire Department.

Photo courtesy of Jennings County Sheriff’s Department.

A Columbus police officer shot a dog twice Thursday morning, after the dog bit the officer in the leg.

According to police reports, an officer was alerted to juveniles riding a motorcycle in the 2700 block of Hawcreek Avenue at about 10 a.m. in the morning. After locating the kids, the officer went to a home to talk to a parent.

But when the parent opened the door, a dog ran out, charging the officer. The officer kicked at the dog repeatedly to scare it away, however the dog bit the officer. The officer then fired his duty weapon once, hitting the dog. The dog briefly ran away, then charged again and the officer shot the animal a second time.

Columbus Animal Care Services came to the scene and the dog was taken to a local veterinarian to be treated.

The officer was treated and released at a local medical facility for the dog wound.

A reminder, that state legislators will be holding an informational session on redistricting from 4 to 6 p.m. this afternoon at Ivy Tech Community College campus in Columbus.

The redistricting process happens every 10 years after the completion of the U.S. Census and affects the maps for the U.S. House, Indiana House and Indiana Senate.

Legislators are expected to return to the Statehouse in mid-to-late September to redraw the district boundaries.

A 1950s themed Cruise-in will be held on the Hope Town Square this evening.

Organizers say that there will be cars, a competition for the best dressed, a dance contest and a chance to learn how to hit a puck with the Columbus Icemen hockey team. Music will be provided by Midnight Express Entertainment.

The Cruise-in is from 5 to 8 p.m on the town square. They are held monthly on the first Friday of the month and are organized by the town of Hope and Main Street of Hope.

Cummins and Daimler Truck AG have finalized a partnership that will see Cummins provide engines for Daimler medium duty trucks and buses worldwide.

The framework was first announced in February, and the Columbus based engine company announced the finished agreement yesterday.

Under the plan, Cummins will set up an engine production facility on the site of the Mercedes-Benz plant in Mannheim, Germany to produce engines that meet Euro VII emissions standards starting in the second half of the decade.

Daimler Truck AG will no longer invest its own funds in the further development of its medium-duty engines to meet the emissions standard.

Tom Linebarger, Cummins Chairman and CEO, called the partnership a terrific opportunity for both companies to be more competitive, to drive global innovation, to expand offerings to customers and to reduce emissions.

A Warsaw man and ride operator at the Jackson County Fair is charged with murder after a fight at the fairgrounds last week.

The sheriff’s department was called to the fairgrounds just after 1 a.m. on July 28th about an unresponsive male on the grounds. Reports are that 32-year-old Zachariah Konkle and Michael Steele were involved in an altercation over an accusation from Steele that someone made fun of his special needs child. Konkle told police that Steele punched him first, then witnesses say Konkle knocked Steele to the ground and punched him five or six times in the back of the head. Steele later died at an Indianapolis hospital.

Story courtesy of our news-gathering partners at TTWN Media Networks Inc.

Former Vice President Mike Pence is urging everyone to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, if you haven’t already according to Network Indiana.

Our news-gathering partners are reporting that Pence spoke to a group of conservatives at the Young America’s Foundation in Houston, Texas Wednesday night.

“Let me say this about the vaccine. I got the shot. My family got the shot. I want to encourage anyone here who is eligible to get the shot to go get it,” said Pence. “And if you’re not sure about it, go ask your doctor and get the very best advice that you can.”

Pence argued the vaccines should help prevent the U.S. from imposing economic restrictions like the ones that happened last year.

“As we do our part, each and every one of us, to put this pandemic in the past, we need to also stand firm on the principle that we can defeat this virus without lockdowns and mandates,” Pence said to applause. “We can protect the vulnerable and get our kids back to school. And we can keep America open without forfeiting our freedoms.”

Pence received his first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine on camera in December. He was joined at the time by his wife and then-Surgeon General Jerome Adams. Pence was the governor of Indiana from 2013-2017. Adams was Indiana’s Health Commissioner from October 2014 until September 2017.

Pence led the White House coronavirus task force last year. He also talked about the success of Operation Warp Speed, the initiative under the Trump administration that cut regulatory red tape to rapidly develop and test the COVID-19 vaccines last year before they received emergency authorization from the FDA.