Heritage Fund — The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County is announcing $60,000 in grants to local nonprofit groups.

That includes $25,000 for the Columbus Area Arts Council to support the Sixth Street Arts Alley project, and $22,000 to Love Chapel for strategic organizational planning. Servants at Work are receiving $9,000 to support building ramps for low-income, disabled Bartholomew County residents and $4,000 to Family School Partners for strategic organizational planning

The grants are coming from Heritage Fund’s Community Fund. Heritage Fund annually distributes between $600,000 to $700,000 in grants to local nonprofits from the unrestricted Community Fund. It supports projects in the areas of Youth Development, Substance Abuse, Neighborhood Revitalization, Innovation and Creativity and making a Welcoming Community.

The Arc of Bartholomew County has chosen Kathy Auberry as its professional of the year.

The agency held its annual meeting virtually last week and chose Auberry, an IUPUC professor, for the award which recognizes a person serving those with developmental disabilities, and whose work has improved supports and services for those with disabilities and their families.

Auberry is a registered nurse with certification in developmental disabilities and has been practicing in the field of intellectual and developmental disability for 26 years. Since 2012, she has served as an Assistant Professor of Nursing in the Division of Health Sciences at IUPUC.

For more information about the Arc of Bartholomew County go to The Arc BC dot org. (www.thearcbc.org.)

The Columbus roundabout will be getting a facelift as part of the city’s bicentennial efforts.

Robin Hilber, with the city’s community development department, says that the city is landscaping the roundabout at the intersection of 11th, Brown and Lindsey streets. The roundabout is seen as one of the main entrances to the city’s downtown Arts and Entertainment District.

The city’s departments of Public Works, Parks and Recreation and Community Development have been working with the volunteer Columbus in Bloom group to redesign the entryway without compromising sight lines for traffic.

The landscaping will include portions of the old train trestle from Noblitt Park. It will include stone, grass, perennials and bushes and will be funded by Columbus in Bloom. Becky Church, who maintains the downtown flowers and foliage for the city, designed the project and is overseeing its installation.

A motorcyclist was slightly injured after a crash Thursday afternoon on U.S. 31 near Heflen Park Road in Bartholomew County.

According to reports from the sheriff’s department, a minivan being driven by a 76-year-old Edinburgh woman pulled out in front of the motorcycle being driven by a 24-year-old Columbus man.

The motorcyclist was wearing the appropriate safety gear and suffered an injury to his wrist, according to police reports. He was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for treatment. The minivan’s driver was uninjured.

Chief Deputy Maj. Chris Lane said that warmer weather means more cyclists on the road and drivers of larger vehicles should remain alert. He also stressed that motorcyclists need to follow the rules of the road as well.

May is National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.

Parts of southeastern Indiana will be under an Air Quality Alert starting at midnight tonight and running through midnight Sunday.

The Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management issued the warning because of expected high levels of ozone in the air.

Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects including trouble breathing. Those groups include the elderly, children, those with asthma or other breathing problems and those with lung and heart disease. If you are in those groups you should limit your outdoor activities Saturday to limit your exposure.

IDEM recommends that you take actions to lower ozone levels, including walking, biking, carpooling or using public transportation; avoid going through drive-throughs, if your vehicle is going to be idling for more than 30 seconds, shut it off; combine your errands into one trip; avoid refueling your vehicle or using gas-powered lawn equipment until after 7 p.m. Saturday night.

The warning includes Jefferson, Washington, Scott, Floyd, Clark, and Harrison counties in Indiana, along with Bullitt and Oldham counties in Kentucky.

Legal Aid is holding a Free Legal Aid Phone Clinic from 3 to 5:30 Tuesday.

Legal Aid offers the clinics for low-income residents of its eight-county district which includes Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson, Rush, and Shelby Counties.

If you take part you will have a brief consultation with a volunteer attorney to answer general questions, to offer legal information or to receive other advice over the phone.

To take part, you must first register between noon and 2 Tuesday afternoon by calling 812-378-0358.

A project is underway to plant more than 5,000 trees around the railroad overpass into downtown Columbus.

Mayor Jim Lienhoop explains that mitigation rules by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, require replacing trees when you disturb an area, such as the trees that were moved to make way for the overpass.

The mayor said only a small portion of the trees will even be visible to the driving public, as most will be off of the roadway in the wetlands area closer to the river.

Seymour police will be hosting a Cover the Cruiser event on Sunday to raise money for Special Olympics Indiana.

A parked police cruiser will have its flashing lights on between 12:30 and 4:30 near the Taco Bell at Tipton Street and Burkhart Boulevard.

If you make a donation to Special Olympics, you will be able to write your name or a special message on a sticky donation card to decorate the cruiser. Police say they hope to get the cruiser completely covered.

This is the weekend for the Great U.S. 50 yard sale, the 22nd annual event which encourages sales across the country on the highway, stretching from Maryland to California.

The sales will be taking place today through Sunday.

Indiana State Police are asking you to be careful if you are running a sale or just visiting them.

Sgt. Stephen Wheeles with the state police says there is potential for serious crashes, resulting in injuries.

He says drivers should keep their speeds down and be alert to hazards, such as pedestrians crossing the highway or walking along the route. If you are searching for a sale, he says you should make sure not to stop suddenly and keep a safe distance from vehicles ahead of you, as they may suddenly stop. And make sure you park in a safe spot, if you do find a sale you want to visit.

For those walking along the highway, Wheeles says that you should avoid crossing the road if you can. And he reminds you that vehicles going highway speeds can’t stop suddenly.

All of the sales are individually organized. If you are planning a sale, promoters remind you not to set up in the state right of way and don’t set up on private property without permission. Sites should allow for off-road parking. You should also make sure you follow all local laws.

Centerpoint Energy will be conducting maintenance work today at the intersection of 19th Street and Home Avenue in Columbus, according to the city engineer’s office.

The westbound lane of 19th Street and the southbound lane of Home Avenue will be restricted during the work. You should find an alternate route if you can. If you have to travel on the streets, you should use extra caution and be ready to obey all traffic controls. The work is expected from 9 to 3 today.