Ivy Tech Community College will unveil its Mobile Agriculture Classroom at a special event next week.

The Ivy Tech Mobile Agriculture Classroom, known as Ivy MAC, is a self-contained mobile classroom with interactive workstations for students, community members, and employer partners to conduct activities related to agriculture. Officials at the college say the 38-foot-long trailer is packed with ag-related labs, tools, and experiences to reach students and the community beyond the classroom and provide engaging, hands-on agriculture lessons. More than 40 donors contributed to the goal of $170,000 to establish the lab.

You are invited to check out the lab Thursday, Oct. 10th at 4:30 p.m. at the Ivy Tech Columbus Agriculture and Industrial Technology Center, located at 2565 Grissom Street.

The Jolie Crider Memorial Skate Park at Clifty Park will be closing down Friday afternoon while crews work on the improvements, turning the park into Skate Park 2.0

The Columbus Parks and Recreation Department says the Skate Park will be closing at 3pm on Friday. It will reopen on Saturday morning. You can learn more about the project to improve the park at columbusparkfoundation.org.

The first reading of the proposed 2020 Columbus city budget was approved Tuesday night.

The total budget is $63,493,880 with an adopted tax rate of 1.4317 percent. Jamie Brinegar, the city’s director of finance, explained that the actual certified tax rate won’t be known until the state authors certified figures. The actual tax rate is expected to be lower than the adopted rate. City officials are expected to have that figure shortly after the start of the new year.

Brinegar says that “people costs” of salaries and benefits for city employees account for the most spending in the budget.

For employees at, or above, their mid-point, a two-percent cost of living adjustment is being budgeted. City officials say that actual raises will be merit-based and can be more or less than two-percent.

The city is also taking measures to shore-up the health insurance plan.

The total budget is $63,493,880 with an adopted tax rate of 1.4317 percent. Brinegar explained that the actual certified tax rate won’t be known until the state authors certified figures. The actual tax rate is expected to be lower than the adopted rate. City officials are expected to have that figure shortly after the start of the new year.

Council approved the measure unanimously. The second reading is scheduled for October 15.

A report of a suspicious vehicle led to the arrest of a wanted Johnson County man.

Shortly after 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, a Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputy was dispatched to Heritage Heights Mobile Home Park. After locating the vehicle, police spoke with 27-year-old Cody Morris, of Franklin. He was found to have an outstanding Shelby County warrant. During the arrest, Morris was found to be in possession of methamphetamine, a syringe, marijuana and another controlled substance.

Due to medical issues associated with recent drug use, authorities took Morris to Columbus Regional Hospital for clearance before he was transported to the Bartholomew County Jail. He is facing preliminary charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Methamphetamine Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Legend Drug Injection Device, in addition to the outstanding warrant.

Morris remains behind bars on $123,500 bond.

An opportunity coming this weekend to check out a pair of historic homes in Jennings County. Greg Sekula is the Southern Indiana Regional Director for Indiana Landmarks.

As for the second home on the tour…

Both homes are open to tourists on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Tickets are free for Indiana Landmarks members. They are $10 for everyone else.

For more information, including a link for tickets, visit jenningscolandmarklook.eventbrite.com.

A plastic injection molding company in Edinburgh is planning a $3.4 million investment in new equipment.

Company spokeswoman Penny Grubbs with the George Utz company joined Jason Hester of the Greater Columbus Economic Development Corporation at Monday evening’s Bartholomew County Council work session. She explained that the investment will retain 87 jobs and create 14 new ones.

The new positions in production are expected to pay $16.75 per hour.

The company is asking for a 10-year tax abatement on the investment.
County Council is set to consider the request at their regular meeting Tuesday.

A Columbus woman was arrested overnight after she was seen trespassing in a department store. Columbus Police say she later tore open a bag of drugs contaminating a patrol vehicle with fentanyl.

The incident began at approximately 2:50 a.m. Tuesday, when officers were dispatched to the Walmart on Whitfield Drive in regards to a woman acting suspiciously inside of the store.

The officers made contact with 20-year-old Alexis R. Daniels and confirmed that she had been trespassing on the property. Daniels was placed under arrest and patted down for weapons and contraband prior to being transported to the Bartholomew County Jail. Upon arriving at the jail, officers observed a white substance on Daniels’ hands and in the floorboard beneath where she was seated. The white substance later tested positive as mixture of heroin and fentanyl.

The CPD patrol car was quarantined and the interior was later cleaned by members of the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team and Indiana State Police Clandestine Lab Team.

Daniels is facing preliminary charges of Trespassing, Obstruction of Justice and Possession of a Narcotic Drug.

A Columbus Police officer received a Letter of Commendation for his life-saving efforts. In May of this year, Officer Andrew Plank, a five year veteran of the department, was dispatched to a home in regards to a suicide attempt. When Plank arrived, he noted that the juvenile had barricaded a bedroom door and was attempting to hang herself.

Plank made entry into the bedroom and witnessed the juvenile losing consciousness. He then provided life-saving care to the juvenile who survived the incident.

Chief Jon Rohde stated “We enter this profession to serve others and keep them safe, and Officer Plank did just that. While we are thankful that this life was saved, we also know that there is a healing process after such an event and want to continue to be available as a community resource to help with that recovery.”

Officer Plank received the commendation during Tuesday’s meeting of the Board of Public Works and Safety at City Hall.

More than a dozen homes in Columbus were impacted by a gas leak.

Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department, says that at about 2:20 p.m. on Monday, firefighters and Vectren Energy crews responded to a gas leak in the 3400 block of Marilyn Street after an REMC service crew struck a 2 inch gas line with an auger. As a precaution, traffic was restricted on both Marilyn Street and Carolina Street.

Authorities say no evacuation of homes took place. Repairs to the gas line are ongoing.

The final enforcement blitz for this fiscal year is in the books for the Seymour Police Department.

SPD recently participated in Operation Pullover Blitz 99. Capt. Carl Lamb, department spokesman, says that officers worked overtime attempting to locate impaired drivers. During this blitz, he says that 21 traffic stops were initiated, and one arrest was made. That arrest was for operating while never receiving a license. SPD did not locate any impaired drivers during this blitz.

The Seymour Police Department’s first traffic safety activity for fiscal year 2020 will be the department’s seventh consecutive “Rule the Road” teen age driving program. In this program, approximately 35 students from Seymour High School will drive Seymour Police cars on five driving courses specially set up for this event.

Capt. Lamb says this event is set up to supplement drivers’ education and have police instructors teach young drivers techniques not often instructed during drivers’ education. This event is scheduled for October 10th at Freeman Field.

This event is a team effort between the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and the Indiana donor network. Lamb says that registration for this event is currently closed, however, other events will be conducted in 2020.