Bartholomew County and most of the surrounding counties are now showing a high spread of COVID-19, according to the CDC.

Bartholomew, Jennings, Jackson, Johnson and Shelby counties all show high spread of the disease according to the CDC. Decatur County has a substantial spread of the disease and Brown County is showing a moderate spread.

High transmission means there are over 100 cases per 100-thousand people over a 7-day period, while substantial is 50 to 100 cases per 100-thousand. Bartholomew County had 103.8 cases per 100-thousand people over the last 7 days.

The CDC recommends you wear a mask indoors in areas of high or substantial spread of the disease, even if you are fully vaccinated. The Bartholomew County COVID-19 Task Force recommended this week that you practice social distancing, wear masks and wash and sanitize your hands whenever possible. And the task force is encouraging all eligible members of the community to get vaccinated.

According to CDC vaccination figures, 48.3 percent of the people in Bartholomew County are fully vaccinated. That remains the highest percentage in the area, with 42.2 percent in Brown County, 41.7 percent in Jackson, 39.6 in Decatur, 46.3 in Shelby and 47.6 percent in Johnson County. The lowest rate of those fully vaccinated in our area is Jennings County with 31.9 percent.

Bartholomew County officials are not forcing you to wear a mask or to get vaccinated for COVID-19, but they are encouraging you to take those precautions.

The COVID-19 Community Task Force met yesterday to review the spread of the disease locally and to consider measures to stop the spread.

Positive cases have had a 25 percent increase in recent weeks and the CDC has moved Bartholomew County into the group of counties with significant spread of the disease. Where there was one person hospitalized with COVID-19 two weeks ago, there are now 10 people hospitalized.

And the Delta variant is now the overwhelmingly predominant strain in our community, according to the task force.

Dr. Tom Sonderman, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Columbus Regional Health, says the new variant is very easily spread among those who are are unvaccinated and vaccinated people can transmit the disease.

The task force recommends that you practice social distancing, wear masks and wash and sanitize your hands whenever possible. And the task force is encouraging all eligible members of the community to get vaccinated.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb yesterday ordered everyone who works or visits a state building to wear a mask. The governor says he’s not going to re-impose a statewide mask mandate, but that local leaders are more than welcome to institute mask rules of their own.

You can get more information at covid19communitytaskforce.org.

Columbus City Council has approved a tax break for a Seymour company, planning to move its business to Bartholomew County.

The company, Thormax Enterprises LLC, manufactures galvanized steel tube and has looked at several counties to expand its business. It has decided to rent 83,000 square feet of space in the long-empty CCG building on 15th Street in Columbus.

The City Council approved the request from Thormax for a tax abatement on the company’s $668,000 purchase of new equipment. Under an abatement, taxes are phased in over 10 years.

City officials estimate that the abatement will save the company about $38,000 dollars in property taxes over the life of the tax break. However, while the property is currently paying about $7,200 a year in property taxes now, they would be paying almost 10 times that amount annually at the end of the 10 years.

The Columbus Area Arts Council will be holding its major fundraising gala this weekend at Harrison Lake Country Club.

Uncommon Cause will be from 7 to 11 at the club on Saturday with the theme of Propelling the Arts Forward. Kathryn Armstrong, executive director of the Arts Council, explains the purpose of Uncommon Cause.

The event will include a raffle, live auction and arts auction featuring the work of local artists and designers. Flat Earth will be performing.

Tickets are $125 each and are available at  artsincolumbus.org/ucc.

An Elizabethtown man is being accused of crashing a stolen SUV multiple times on State Road 7.

Bartholomew County deputies say that 29-year-old Brandon Dye of Elizabethtown was driving a Jeep that had been reported stolen from Jennings County Tuesday afternoon, when he struck two vehicles and a motorcycle on State Road 7. Deputies were called to the motorcycle crash at about 5:16 p.m. near the intersection of State Road 7 and County Road 525E.

Dye then pulled into a gas station on State Road 7 and U.S. 31, striking a parked vehicle before running from the scene into a field, according to police reports.

A sheriff’s department police dog tracked Dye down, finding him in a nearby home.

Two motorists were taken to Columbus Regional Hospital to be treated for their injuries.

Dye was arrested on preliminary charges including three counts of leaving the scene of an accident, two counts of leaving the scene of an accident with injury, intimidation with a deadly weapon, possession of stolen property, possession of paraphernalia, intimidation of law enforcement and resisting law enforcement.

Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

You will see a trail closure if you are headed to Hoosier National Forest in Jackson County as crews work to maintain powerlines in the area.

The U.S. Forest Service says the work in Jackson County is being done by American Electric Power, which maintains power transmission lines for Indiana Michigan Electric Company. The company will be using a helicopter to spray herbicides in the right of way of those lines and the forest service says the closure is needed to ensure public safety in the work areas.

Hickory Ridge Trail 21 will be closed beginning at the intersection of North County Road 1200W.

Cummins is bouncing back from last year’s pandemic-caused financial slump. The company is announcing second-quarter sales this year of $6.1 billion, a 59 percent increase from last year.

The Columbus based engine manufacturer reports sales in North America were up 74 percent quarter over quarter and 42 percent in global markets. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization were $974 million in the second quarter compared to $549 million in 2020. Net income was $600 million.

Cummins still expects revenue growth of 20 to 24 percent year-over-year and expects to return 75 percent of its operating cash flow to shareholders.

Cummins is also announcing that it is exploring options for its filtration business, including breaking it off into a separate company. Cummins Filtration was founded in 1958 and the company says splitting it off as a standalone company could allow accelerated growth as the business diversifies into new products and markets. The business had sales of about $1.2 billion last year.

For more information go to investor.cummins.com

The Columbus Police Department will be holding its annual DARE Charity Golf Tournament on Friday.

Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the police department, explains the success of the DARE program here.

Harris says the winning team will receive free steak dinners for a year from Texas Roadhouse. The hole-in-one prize is a new Chevy Equinox. Other prizes will include $10,000 cash or a Big Green Egg grill.

Participants will receive lunch from Chick-Fil-A and there will be post-tournament pizza courtesy of Mancino’s Pizza and Grinders. Soda and water will be provided while you play.

The event is scheduled from 12:30 to 5 p.m. at Otter Creek Golf Course.

You can sign up or get more information at 812-376-2600.

Otter Creek Golf Course photo courtesy of Columbus Area Visitors Center

Indiana State Police troopers are reminding you to be alert on roads and streets, as children return to class.

Troopers say you should pay special attention to the posted reduced speed limits for School Zones and for school buses regularly stopping to load or unload students.

When approaching a stopped school bus from any direction, if it has its red lights flashing and stop arm extended, motorists are required to STOP, even on multiple lane highways where there is no barrier or median separating lanes of traffic.

Motorists on highways that are divided by a barrier are required to stop only if they are traveling in the same direction as the school bus.

Troopers warn that children are often unpredictable and may dart out in front of vehicles unexpectedly.

Bartholomew Consolidated School parents can now get information on their students’ bus routes online.

The school district reports that over the summer they have moved to the new routing software that offers better capabilities for tracking a bus route and pick-up time. If you haven’t received an email urging you to sign up for an account, you can go online to www.ezrouting.com/bcscin