Bartholomew Consolidated Schools are updating the social media policy governing how staff members use those services.

The members of the school board got their first look at the new policy this week. Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts explains that the existing policies were lacking.

Roberts says that the existing policies were out of date and inadequate for current social media use.

Roberts said that the policy update discourages the use of school district logos, graphics and other materials on private social media accounts and suggests that staff members ensure that their own opinions are not mistaken as the schools’.

The changes are not meant to limit the staff’s First Amendment rights.

The proposed policy would also regulate and prohibit staff members private communications between staff and students. It also encourages staff to consider the public nature of their social media posts.

While the policy does not specifically outline any morality guidelines for activities portrayed on social media, Roberts said the district already has ethics policies in place that govern staff members off-duty activities.

Seymour Mayor Craig Luedeman is recommending to his city’s department of public works and safety that it put Police Chief Bill Abbott on leave. The mayor made the announcement Tuesday at the request of Indiana State Police investigators.

This action comes on the heels of another investigation by Indiana State Police into the activities of Capt. Carl Lamb. The 32-year department veteran is facing accusations of official misconduct, including ghost employment. Results will be forwarded to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s office for consideration.

Specifics of the allegations have not been released and there has been no indication that the Abbott and Lamb cases are related.

A long-awaited public training facility in Columbus is set to open next week. Jamie Brinegar is the city’s director of finance. During an appearance on ‘AM Columbus” on WCSI, he explained that a special meeting of the Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety will be held at the Evolution training facility Tuesday, Oct. 29th at 10 a.m. After the meeting…

Brinegar explains the “Evolution” name.

You are invited to Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting and open house.

You can listen to John Foster’s complete interview with Brinegar at 1010wcsi.com. Click on “Shows,” then “AM Columbus.”

Cummins Inc. is being honored with the 2019 Centennial Business Award from the Indiana Historical Society. The award recognizes the Columbus-based business for its long history of service. IHS will present the award during the annual Founders Day dinner on Nov. 4, at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center in downtown Indianapolis.

The Centennial Business Award is part of the Historic Business Register, founded in 1992 by trustees and members of IHS. It provides special recognition to Indiana companies continually in business for a century or more, encourages the preservation of historically significant business-related archival materials and develops increased awareness of Indiana’s rich business and industrial heritage.

Cummins’ roots date back to 1919 when Clessie Cummins and William G. Irwin built a company focused on the diesel engine.

To learn more about the Centennial Business Award, visit indianahistory.org.

Jennings County will be home to the nation’s fifth National Guard cyber battalion. Gov. Eric Holcomb made the announcement Tuesday.

“With our National Guard’s current cyber resources and Indiana’s top notch academic institutions, our state is a natural fit for one of the country’s first cyber battalions,” Gov. Holcomb said. “Warfare is becoming increasingly digital and it’s an honor for Indiana to be home to those who protect our country from computer-generated threats.”

Holcomb says the 127th Cyber Protection Battalion will be made up of nearly 100 soldiers focused on cyber security and cyber warfare.

The soldiers will have access to the U.S. Department of Defense’s only live, full-scale cyber range at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Jennings County. The center is unique with its realistic simulations with live environments for cyber and electronic warfare testing and training.

“I am excited about the opportunity of stationing a cyber battalion in the Indiana National Guard. Indiana is well suited to build and generate mission readiness with this critical force structure,” said Indiana’s Adjutant General, Brig. Gen. R. Dale Lyles.

The initial four battalions are located on the east coast. Two are in Virginia, one is in South Carolina and another is in Massachusetts.

A Monday afternoon semi crash closed the northbound lanes of Interstate 65 for about four hours Monday.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department says that at about 3 p.m., deputies were dispatched to the 71.7-mile marker. Authorities say a semi-tractor trailer left the roadway and struck a tree. The driver, 25-year-old Wilburn Jackson of Missouri, was pinned inside the cab. He was ultimately extracted by fire department personnel.

Jackson was life-lined to a trauma center in Indianapolis. His condition is unknown.

Yes Cinema is announcing the jury winners for this weekend’s film festival.

The best narrative category was a tie between “The Land” and “The Rainbow Experiment.” Best documentary went to “Cooked: Survival by Zip Code” and “Grateful” was chosen as the best short film.

The winners were chosen by a nine-person jury made up of filmmakers, actors, producers, directors and media from across the United States. Audience awards will also be given during the festival, chosen by those in attendance.

The film festival runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the theater in downtown Columbus. You can get more information on showtimes and on each of he films at yesfilmfestival.com.

A local man has been arrested in the hit and run crash that killed a bicyclist Sunday night in downtown Columbus.

Columbus police say that they arrested 27-year-old Eric Michael Winship at his northern Bartholomew County home Monday evening.

He is facing charges of failing to stop after an accident resulting in a death and possession of a legend drug injection device.

Columbus police detective Lt. Jay Frederick thanked the public for all of the calls, tips and other information police received in this case.

Bicyclist Kyla M. Ortlieb died in the crash at about 11:15 p.m. Sunday night at 11th and Chestnut streets. A red GMC Jimmy with heavy damage was found nearby.

The case remains under investigation. That investigation is being handled by the Bartholomew County Death Investigation Team which consists of members of the Columbus Police Department, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office and the Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office.

Bartholomew Consolidated Schools have approved a plan to borrow over $900,000  to provide for the technology needs of students and staff next year.

Chad Phillips, the assistant superintendent for financial services, said that the loan maximum will be just over $995 thousand dollars but the expected costs are closer to $900 thousand dollars.

According to numbers provided at last month’s school board meeting, the district plans to spend just over $586,000 to purchase laptops for next year’s estimated 997 incoming freshmen. The district also plans to purchase 373 devices for teachers and staff at a cost of almost $314,000. Those devices will include a mix of desktops, laptops and Chrome books according to district officials.

The bond would be paid off in a single year and Phillips estimates that because of rising assessed property values, taxpayers will not see any impact from the new bond.

Because of state funding changes, Phillips estimated that the district will have to make similar loans going forward to fund capital projects.

The school board approved the bond last night.

In other business, Bartholomew Consolidated Schools nailed down their 2020 budget during last night’s school board meeting. At a total of $117 million, it would be an increase of just under 2 percent of this year’s $115 million dollar budget.

Phillips talks about next steps for the approval process

During earlier budget discussions, Phillips briefed school board members on the impact that skyrocketing health care costs were having on budgets. He said last month that there were cuts across the budget to cover the costs. Current spending had gotten so bad that the district was unable to pay all of its outstanding claims in September, having to make payment arrangements and prioritizing the claims.

At last night’s meeting, Phillips said there is some good news. As of late September, The health trust fund is again in the black and the district has had three weeks in a row, where it was able to pay all of its claims on time.

The school board approved the 2020 budget last night.

The Seymour Mainstreet organization is inviting you to take part in their Downtown Trick or Treat event on Monday, Oct. 28, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. That will be followed by the Seymour Evening Lions Costume Parade, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Post Office, located at 321 North Chestnut Street.

Residential trick-or-treating will be held Halloween night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.