Power outages continue throughout our area, with more than 3,600 outages in and around Columbus according to Duke Energy.

More than 1,000 customers are without power in Jennings County and more than 600 around Seymour.

Bartholomew County REMC is reporting 135 customers without power.

Crews have placed stop signs at busy intersections in Columbus as power outages continue. As of 5 p.m. those intersections included National Road and Washington Street, 25th Street and Central Avenue and the streets around Columbus North High School.

Chip Orben, with Duke Energy, says crews are still assessing damages in areas including Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson and Jennings counties. No restoration time has been established for those areas.

He says crews are working as quickly and safely as they can to restore power. Reports earlier in the day put the number of outages at more than 10,000 in our area. But the freezing rain is causing the conditions to continue to worsen.

“Freezing rain causes more damage to our electrical system than any other form of precipitation,” Orben said. “It clings to tree limbs, causing them to lean or fall on power lines. This has caused extensive damage to power lines in certain areas.”

Orben suggested that people with special needs or medical concerns may want to to make alternative arrangements in the vent of an extended power outage. He also urged people to check in on family members, friends and neighbors to ensure they are safe and have necessary supplies.

At about 3:15 p.m., a large tree fell into power lines taking out the power in the area around Columbus North High School, Northside Middle School, Schmitt Elementary and St. Bartholomew’s Catholic School and affecting about 700 other customers. Orben said a contractor has been called in to clear the damage but there is no estimate yet on when that might happen.

Two Columbus residents are in custody on felony charges after officers served a search warrant at their home, which led to the recovery of a large amount of stolen property, including guns, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and chainsaws.

Columbus Police Officers responded to the home at 1275 Jonesville Road on Tuesday evening after receiving a complaint of stolen property at the property. The arriving officers observed a stolen motorcycle and a large amount of additional suspected stolen property at the residence.

The officers secured a search warrant for the two acre property. Lt. Matt Harris, CPD spokesman, says that over a dozen officers and detectives from the Columbus Police Department and Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department spent two days checking the serial numbers on hundreds of different items. During the investigation, the officers were able to track the stolen property back to thefts reported in Indiana and Kentucky.

The investigators also determined that several of the vehicles in question had false identification numbers. The officers recovered a number of guns, one of which was reported stolen and second that had the serial number scraped off. The officers also located part of a methamphetamine lab on the property as well as drug paraphernalia, marijuana and methamphetamine.

Arrested were:

Shawn K. Miller, 40, of Columbus;
Theft, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of a Syringe, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Manufacturing Methamphetamine, Possession of a Vehicle with an Altered VIN, Maintaining a Common Nuisance, Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number

Amie S. Chapman, 31, of Columbus;
Maintaining a Common Nuisance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

CPD says that both Miller and Chapman remain in custody on a 72 hour hold.

A group of local hair stylists are banding together to help a friend in need.

The stylists at Salon Independence will be holding a cut-a-thon from 2 to 5 pm. Sunday afternoon to help the Ogle family. Danny Ogle, who was already disabled, suffered what Cassie Gilpin, a suite owner at the salon, calls a “widowmaker” heart attack. And while he survived there are new costs.

One medication alone costs more than his entire disability check, Gilpin said.

During the event, haircuts at Salon Independence will be $12, and other services will also be discounted.

Gilpin said this is a great time to get your entire family’s hair cuts before the holidays, and you will help a great cause.

Salon Independence is in the Clifty Crossing shopping center off of Taylor and National roads in Columbus.

It will be Christmas on the Hope Town Square tomorrow.

The Yellow Trail museum is hosting its annual Christmas of Yesteryear starting at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow afternoon and running to 8:30 p.m.

The event features carriage rides, carolers, a nativity scene, Santa Claus and reenactors of local history. Most activities are free but the carriage rides are $2, while cookie decorating is $1. The musical Christmas lights on the bandstand will also be activated for the season.

This is the 16th year for the event.

The National Weather Service has issued an ice storm warning for our area this morning. You are going to see slippery road conditions out there for your drive with downed trees and power lines.

Ice and snow are expected to continue with up to quarter of an inch of ice and an inch of snow this morning. The ice storm warning expires at noon and a winter weather advisory remains in effect until 7 p.m. tonight.

Thousands of homes are without power in our area this morning.

Duke Energy is reporting more than 8,000 customers without power this morning around Bartholomew County, including about 4,500 between Columbus and Newbern and another 2,500 on the west side of the city. Bartholomew County REMC is reporting just over 1,000 customers without power.

You can see the Duke Energy outages map here.

You can see the Bartholomew Count REMC outages map here.

Duke Energy is also reporting about 2,500 customers without power around North Vernon and another 600 around Seymour.

Columbus Fire Department is reporting many calls this morning about downed trees and power lines. Firefighters urge you to use extreme caution around downed trees and branches while you are out this morning.

There is a long list of school closings and delays this morning. You can check them out here.

Columbus Regional Health is offering help with open enrollment for plans within the Affordable Care Act.

CRH is offering free enrollment services via Connection Specialists at WellConnect. Officials say that certified insurance navigators can help provide advice on ACA plans available, as well as enrollment services. WellConnect also offers a certified State Health Insurance and Assistance Programs (SHIP) navigator to assist with Medicare Open Enrollment.

Appointments for enrollment services are required and are available by calling WellConnect at 812-343-9840.

The Indiana Department of Education released the 2017-2018 School Accountability Grades. IDOE officials say that roughly 22-percent of schools improved one or more letter grades, with nearly nine-percent improving their letter grade to an A. Overall, close to 64 percent of schools received an A or B.

In Bartholomew County, school grades are as follows:

Clifty Creek Elementary – C
CSA Lincoln – A
Mt. Healthy Elementary – B
Parkside Elementary – B
Richards Elementary – A
Rockcreek Elementary – A
Schmitt Elementary – C
Smith Elementary – B
CSA Fodrea – B
Taylorsville Elementary – C
Central Middle School – C
Southside Elementary – B
Northside Middle – B
Columbus North – B
Columbus East – B

In Flat Rock-Hawcreek Schools, both Hope Elementary and Hauser scored “B’s.”

You can find other Indiana school grades here: http://bit.ly/2DEl9Mq.

“Our current accountability grades are an indication of the great education Indiana students are receiving,” said Dr. Jennifer McCormick, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction.“Our work is paying off and as a Department we will continue to partner with dedicated stakeholders to ensure every school and every student is successful.”

As snow, ice and cold temperatures become more commonplace, people will start doing more to heat their homes. Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department says it is important to be safe.

Wilson reminds us that we’re also in the holiday season.

Fire officials urge you to remember one rule of thumb…

Other safety tips include never using an extension cord on your heaters and never using an oven to heat the inside of your home.

An Edinburgh man was arrested after he reportedly broke into a home early Saturday morning. The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department says that deputies were called shortly after 5 a.m. to the 7900 block of North Harvest Lane in reference to a possible break-in. On arrival, deputies found an open side garage door with damage to the lock and items strewn across the floor.

The homeowner reported that he had also heard noises in an upstairs bedroom. While checking the bedroom, deputies found 34-year-old Jose Manuel Irizarry Rivera asleep on the floor. Irizzary Rivera was wanted on six Bartholomew County warrants. He is facing a new charge of Residential Entry.