The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced lane closures this Wednesday and Thursday (Oct. 23-24) on the eastbound State Road 46 bridge over the East Fork White River in Columbus for a routine bridge inspection.

Schedule is as follows:

• Wednesday, October 23 (9 a.m. to approximately 7 p.m.): Two right lanes closed
• Thursday, October 24 (9 a.m. to approximately 7 p.m.): Two left lanes closed

Two lanes of traffic will be maintained at all times during the inspection.

Friday, October 25, will be utilized as an alternate date in case of inclement weather.

You are reminded to slow down, use caution and eliminate distractions when you drive through work zones.

You are invited to stop by Chick-Fil-A this Wednesday, Oct. 23, to chat with Columbus Police.

Officers will be on hand from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to speak with the community over a free cup of coffee at the Columbus Chick-Fil-A. The Columbus Police Department began participating in this program in 2016 to have the opportunity to speak to the public away from the police station and in a more relaxed atmosphere.

CPD officers will also be available to answer questions about the department’s hiring process that concludes in November.

A local man was arrested after he allegedly fled from Columbus police officers during a traffic stop on Saturday afternoon. Shortly after 2 p.m., officers attempted to stop a vehicle for an expired license plate near Seventh and Chestnut streets.

Police say the driver, 43-year-old Marlon Cowan Jr., of Columbus, refused to stop and quickly turned into the nearby north/south alley. Cowan continued driving in the alley and later exited his vehicle near the 500 block of Eighth Street and began running on foot.

Cowan ran into a nearby home where he was located a short time later and taken into custody. He’s facing two preliminary charges of Resisting Law Enforcement and one for Driving While Suspended with a Prior Conviction.

Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center will be hosting the annual Columbus Indiana Yes Cinema Film Festival this weekend at the cinema and cafe in downtown Columbus.

Diane Doup, with the center, explains:

This is the 9th year for the festival and there will be 22 films Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They will range from documentaries and dramas to the popular short film category.

The free Saturday workshop, called “20 Easy Ways to Ruin Your Great Indie Film,” will be hosted by Stephen and Mary Pruitt and will start at 6 that evening. The Pruitts are Kansas City based independent filmmakers and their film ‘The Land” is part of this year’s Yes Film Festival.

Tickets for the entire weekend of shows are $35. Individual shows are $7. Doup says that beer and wine will be available for sale and the cinema cafe will be open for dining.

You can get more information at yescinema.org or yesfilmfestival.com.

Two Indiana documentaries will be shown for free on Thursday afternoon and evening at Yes Cinema.

The first will be about the recently completed Pearl Street home that was part of the Lincoln Central Neighborhood Family Center’s home ownership program. That work was done by C4 students in Bartholomew Consolidated Schools and the home was purchased by a low-income first-time home buyer. That film starts at 5:15 p.m.

Later in the evening will be Right to Harm, a documentary about factory farms. That starts with a discussion at 6:45 p.m. and the film starts at 7:15 p.m..

Both films are free. Yes Cinema is on Jackson Street in downtown Columbus.

Indiana State Police have issued a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Holton man who hasn’t been seen since last week.

Authorities are investigating the disappearance of 51 year old Bryan Eugene Smith. He is a white male, 5 feet 6 inches tall, 230 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a black ball cap with “SECURITY” written in white letters, a black and orange jacket, black khaki style pants, and black Adidas shoes with “ADIDAS” in white letters.

Smith is missing from Holton in Ripley County and was last seen on Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the afternoon. He is believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance.

If you have any information on Bryan Eugene Smith, contact the Indiana State Police at 812-689-5000 or 911.

10:30 a.m. update: Bicyclist identified by Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office.

Columbus police are looking for information on a driver in a hit-and-run crash that killed a bicyclist last night.

21-year-old Kyla Merri Ortlieb of Columbus was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash near 11th & Chestnut Streets Sunday night by deputy county coroner Charlie Deweese.

Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus police, says the crash happened at about 11:15 p.m. Sunday night. Officers found a GMC Jimmy abandoned about a block away, in the middle of the 1200 block of Union Street. It was heavily damaged.

The crash remains under investigation. Harris says that 11th Street between Chestnut  and California streets was shut down for about 3 and a half hours.

If you have any information about this case, you are urged to contact the Columbus Police Department at 812-376-2600.  Tips and information can be left anonymously.

The Division of Liberal Arts at IUPUC, in conjunction with the Liberal Arts Department at Ivy Tech Community College in Columbus, and the University Library will be hosting a series of events at the Columbus Learning Center during the week of October 28 – November 1 to celebrate Media Literacy Week.

Tables will be staffed throughout the week on Main Street of the Columbus Learning Center, providing students, faculty and staff with information about media literacy education, as well as answer questions about media and education.

Events include:

— Tuesday, October 29, 12–1 p.m. in the Summerville Room at the Columbus Learning Center – “Talkback: Digital Natives Talk Media with Educators.” A panel of students will tell the audience what they want us to know about their generation’s media use both inside and outside the classroom, and field questions from the audience.

— Thursday, October 31, 12–1 p.m. in the Lecture Hall at the Columbus Learning Center – “What the Internet Knows about You.” Dr. Pamela Morris, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at IUPUC will present areas of online privacy concern, show you how to see what data is known about you, and where possible, how to stop data collection.

Media Literacy Week is sponsored nationally by the National Association for Media Literacy Education with a mission to highlight the power of media literacy education and its essential role in education today.

All events are free and you are invited.

The Bartholomew County Health Department is inviting you to take part their next drive-thru flu clinic.

That’s set for Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the parking lot of the Fair Oaks Mall where the farmers market is usually held. Cash price is $20 or $50 for the high-dose version. Cash, credit cards and debit cards will be accepted.

If are uninsured or if your insurance doesn’t cover the flu-shot, you are eligible to receive a flu-shot at no charge.

The Columbus Park Foundation held its annual Community Meeting Thursday night at the Fair Oaks Mall. Discussions about the mall property dominated the evening.

The city bought the mall property at the end of last year. Parks department offices now located in the aging Donner Center would be relocated to the mall property under preliminary plans. City officials also want to to develop sports and recreation opportunities there and to use the facility for community wellness purposes.

Mark Jones, director of Columbus Parks and Rec., says the work the foundation does is immeasurable.

{10-18 MARK JONES-1} :19.0 Q: we are.

Jones gives his thoughts on how the Fair Oaks project is coming along.

{10-18 MARK JONES-2} :19.0 Q: your community.

City officials expect to have a better idea on how to implement community suggestions at the next public meeting on November 12.

{10-18 MARK JONES-3} :06.6 Q: around it.

You can keep up to date on the Fair Oaks Mall project at reimaginefairoaksmall.com.

For more information on Columbus Park Foundation, go to columbusparkfoundation.org.