All posts by Kevin Kelley

Local Man Arrested for Auto Theft

Local News, Top Story

Columbus Police arrested a local man who is accused of auto theft from a Columbus gas station on Wednesday Afternoon.

CPD officers responded to the marathon Gas station on Washington Street after receiving a report of a theft of a vehicle that was left running at the gas station.

Later that afternoon, police located the suspect, who was later identified as Timothy E. Wilder Jr., walking around in the 1900 block of Union Street. The stolen vehicle  was found nearby at Donner Park. Wilder was placed under arrest and brought to the Bartholomew County jail and held on a preliminary charge of auto theft.

 

Portion of State Road 58 Closed Through September

Local News, Top Story

Our news gathering partners at The Republic are reporting that  a portion of State Road 58 will be closed through late September. The road will close west of I-65 between County road 400 W and County Road 500 W in Bartholomew County. The official detour will follow County Road 450 South/ Southern Crossing/ County Road 400 South to US 31 to US 50 to State Road 11 to State Road 258. The work is expected to be complete by September 30th.

Free Legal Aid Phone Clinic

Local News

Legal Aid is holding a Free Legal Aid Phone Clinic for residents of  Bartholomew and its surrounding counties on Tuesday, August 4th,. The phone clinic will be conducted from 3 pm – 5:30 pm although registration is required between 12 pm to 1:30 pm.

The Legal Aid Clinic and Pro Bono Program utilizes local volunteer attorneys, offering free legal consultations to low-income individuals for the provision of legal advice and assistance in furtherance of equal access to justice within our communities whom might not otherwise be able to afford the counsel of an attorney.

Individuals calling to the Legal Aid Phone Clinic can expect to receive a brief consultation to answer general questions, offer legal information, or to receive other limited pro se assistance or advice, over the phone. Individuals seeking legal consultation must register by calling Legal Aid at 812-378-0358 on Tuesday, August 4th, between 12 pm and 1:30 pm. A volunteer attorney will return calls to registered individuals between 3 pm and 5:30 pm. Individuals must be available between 3 pm and 5:30 pm to answer a call from an attorney.

Legal Aid will be offering additional Phone clinics throughout the service region. The next Legal Aid Phone Clinic is on Tuesday, August 18, 2020 with the same registration requirements and time frame.

Hoosier Homestead Awards

Local News, Top Story

Over 150 Hoosier farm families have been awarded the Hoosier Homestead Award in recognition of their commitment to Indiana agriculture by Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Bruce Kettler.

To be named a Hoosier Homestead, the farm must be kept in the same family for at least 100 consecutive years and consist of more than 20 acres or produce more than $1,000 in agricultural products per year.

Since the program was established in 1976, more than 5,800 families have received the award.

Families were eligible for three different award distinctions. Based on the age of their farm, they received the Centennial Award for 100 years, Sesquicentennial Award for 150 years or Bicentennial Award for 200 years of ownership.

This year, two families are being recognized with the Bicentennial Award; the Paul E. Henry farm from Fayette county was established in 1819 and the Ferguson farm from Lawrence county was established in 1820.

Due to the current ongoing pandemic, Lt. Governor Crouch and ISDA Director Kettler were unable to host a traditional Hoosier Homestead Award Ceremony. Individual family ceremonies were held at the Statehouse today and more families are set to be recognized on August 7, all following Governor Holcomb’s ordinances, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett’s orders and the CDC guidelines.

To find the Hoosier Homestead Award recipients for your county or to learn more about the reward visit https://www.in.gov/isda/

Bar Restrictions Staying the Same

Local News, Top Story

Governor Holcomb isn’t loosening restrictions on bars — but he isn’t tightening them either.

Capacity limits on bars and entertainment venues had been scheduled to expire Friday. With seven-percent of Hoosiers still testing positive, Governor Holcomb’s extending those limits for a third time, to August 27. Bars, nightclubs, bowling alleys and other venues are still capped at half capacity.

Holcomb says the administration is releasing as much local data on the virus’s spread as it can, so cities and counties can decide whether their local situations warrant a rollback of reopening.

Backpacks with School Supplies Distributed

Local News

The Bartholomew County School Supply Assistance Program volunteers spent two days in the hot parking lot at Fair Oaks Mall distributing backpacks full of supplies to families in need.

One bright spot in yesterday’s heat was a family that came equipped with water spray bottles to spritz the volunteers and help them cool off.

In recent years, families would walk into the mall to pick up the backpacks, but because of the pandemic organizers decided to make this a drive-in, touch-free event.

Doup said there were some difficulties, as traffic backed up around the mall. Officials worked with organizers to address the backup and at one point had to cut the line to ensure safety and access to the mall, she said.

Families who signed up but who haven’t picked up their backpacks yet will be able to pick them up at their child’s school, next week, Doup said.

Warning on Covid-19 Related Scams

Local News

There is another warning about Coronavirus-related scams in Indiana.

The state’s Department of Health has warned that their contact tracers will not send you a link to submit any personal information.

Real contact tracers will only give you a phone call.

The state says texts or emails with links are most likely phishing scams designed to steal your personal information.

Green Light to Reopen Gyms & Pools Across Indiana

Local News, Top Story

Gyms, pools, rec sports leagues, and a lot more places across most of Indiana can reopen today.

Governor Eric Holcomb said everywhere but Lake, Marion, and Cass counties will move to Stage Three as of today.

In addition to the new openings, Stage Three means bars and restaurants can open to more customers.

Social distancing and common courtesy are still in effect when it comes to hand washing and wearing masks.

Indianapolis and the rest of Marion County are set to jump to Stage Three on June 1st.

Covid-19 Takes a Toll on Hoosier Workers

Local News, Top Story

More Hoosiers are out of work because of the Coronavirus.

30,311 people filed for unemployment in Indiana last week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

That’s up from the adjusted total of 29,668 from the previous week, a change of 643.

About 670,000 Hoosiers have filed for unemployment over the last nine weeks.

The Dept. of Labor says 2.4 million people across the U.S. filed for unemployment last week.

CDC Guidelines for Schools to Reopen

Uncategorized

The CDC has released new guidelines on how schools can plan to reopen for the upcoming school year while also being mindful of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The agency is broad in its guidelines separating them into low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk recommendations for reopening schools. Within these guidelines they talk about promoting “behaviors that reduce spread” from how to serve food to students, keeping classrooms clean, teachers wearing personal protective equipment, etc. They also give recommendations on what to do in the event a student or teacher contracts Coronavirus during the school year.

Dr. Sarah Stelzner, a pediatrician, told Dan Dakich on 107.5 The Fan she feels schools should be able to open to in-person classes later this year. She recommends starting earlier in the summer than schools normally do.

Stelzner also said that closing at Thanksgiving would make sense due to that being the time when we know, there are lots of flu and that there are fears that COVID could possibly have a second wave.

The CDC is careful to clarify in their recommendations that their guidelines DO NOT replace state and county mandates on reopening schools. They say schools must comply with whatever state education leaders and local governments say.