The Bartholomew County Highway Department is reporting that County Road 550 North will be closed from U.S. 31 to County Road 50W today and Monday for road improvements. The work will be from from 8 a.m until 3 p.m each day. You should avoid the area if you can.
Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop says Halloween will be happening in the city this year.
He said trick or treat hours will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, October 31st.
Indiana’s health commissioner Dr. Kristina Box said this week that she thinks Halloween can happen safely this year in Indiana, though there will be some changes. Her advice for trick-or-treating is that parents hand-out candy this year, and that they wash their hands between each group of candy-seekers.
Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County will be turning a focus for the next two years to racial equality in our community.
The Heritage Fund Board announced this week that the many protests around the country highlight the unresolved racial issues that are dividing the country. According to an announcement from the community group, Heritage Fund leadership is adding its full support to the call for change.
Heritage Fund has long championed efforts to make Bartholomew County a more welcoming community for everyone and supports projects that work towards that goal. The board also pointed out other organizations in the community committed to reform efforts. Those include United Way of Bartholomew County, Community Education Coalition, Bartholomew County Juvenile Court, Bartholomew County NAACP, African American Pastors Alliance, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation and Columbus Regional Health.
The board unanimously approved a motion to “spend the next 24 months studying and reflecting on the issues of racial equality and equity and determining how Heritage Fund can make a positive impact on the community.”
The board will spend that time reviewing materials and exploring ways to eliminate prejudice, discrimination and systemic barriers in Bartholomew County.
Yes Cinema is announcing a series of Harry Potter film viewings starting next week, with one film in the series playing at special screenings over the next few weeks.
The first film, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” is set to play on Friday Sept. 25th, followed by “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” on Oct. 2nd.
Seating is limited to ensure safe social distancing. Tickets may be purchased online in advance or through the YES Cinema Box Office during regular hours. Masks are required inside the premises but may be removed while consuming food and beverages.
YES Cinema operates as a program to benefit the Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center.
Showtimes will be available at yescinema.org. For more information, you can call YES Cinema at 812-378-0377.
The Town of Hope will be hosting a community wide cleanup day on Saturday, along with other activities around the Town Square.
Dumpsters for the community will be placed at the Hope Utilities Building at 529 Mill Street from 8 a.m. until noon. Trucks and volunteers will be available to help those who cannot get material there. The cleanup site cannot accept tires, propane tanks, large appliances, televisions, computers, paints or solvents.
There will be also be bins available in the parking lot of First Financial Bank for important documents to be shredded. At both locations, there will be containers available for food and monetary donations to help the Hope Food Pantry as well as provide items for the Community Blessing Boxes.
There will also be a community worship service at 1 p.m. in the lot on the north side of the Hope Town Square.
This year’s Hope Ride is being split up into a multi-week event and there will be music and breakfast to purchase at the Willow Leaves of Hope starting at 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning to welcome Saturday’s riders.
INDOT is reporting that two bridges near Camp Atterbury are scheduled to close today for inspections.
The inspection will begin at 9 a.m. this morning at the bridge on Pisgah Road over Sugar Creek. After that an inspection will be done at the bridge on Stone Arch Road over Nineveh Creek. The inspections will depend on the weather.
A community vaccination clinic is being planned for later this month in Columbus.
The clinic, being organized by the Bartholomew County Health Department, the Indiana Department of Health and the Indiana Immunization Coalition will be from 10 to 2 on September 26th at Columbus East High School.
The clinic will be for those 2 years old and older. Those with private insurance, Medicaid and even the uninsured are invited to attend. Most vaccine will be available including the flu vaccine.
You will need to be wearing a mask to participate. If you have any questions call 317-628-7116
A Columbus company will be getting a tax break on a $700,000 investment that will allow it to retain 23 jobs and add one more.
Columbus City Council approved the tax abatement request this week from Advanced Mold & Engineering. The company plans to purchase new manufacturing equipment to meet industry requirements for higher production speeds and shorter delivery times.
The company, on South International Drive, opened in 1994 and is owned by its employees since January of last year. The company builds molds for the automotive markets, consumer products, medical equipment and yard equipment industries.
Under a tax abatement, property taxes are phased in on new equipment, usually over 10 years. According to city estimates, the company will save about $21,478 thousand in property taxes over teh course of the abatement, but will also be paying nearly $36 thousand dollars more than it is paying right now.
The Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce will be having its annual meeting on Friday, delayed from its normal spring date due to COVID-19.
The event will include a virtual component for most attendees, with a small core of people in attendance at The Commons, says Cindy Frey, president of the chamber.
This year’s featured speaker is Charlotte Westerhaus-Renfrow, an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Management and Business Law at the Kelley School of Business – Indianapolis. Previously, she served for five years at the NCAA as vice president of Diversity and Inclusion.
The theme for this year’s program is “Resilience.”
The Chamber will also be giving out its annual awards including the Community Project, Business of the Year and Community Service. Some well known award winners usually given at the chamber meeting have already been recognized including the Edna Folger Teacher of the Year and the high school Maverick Challenge winners.
The 3 p.m. event will be an hour long and will not have the usual lunch served.
You can sign up to participate in Friday afternoon’s virtual event at columbusareachamber.com and click on events. Tickets for the livestream are $50.
Simon Property Group says all of its malls will be closed this Thanksgiving, according to a report from our news-gathering partners at Network Indiana.
The company, which owns the most malls in the country, said it’s making the change so employees can spend time with their families on the holiday. The malls will then re-open for Black Friday shopping.
Simon has 10 malls throughout Indiana including Indiana Premium Outlets in Edinburgh, and Greenwood Park Mall. Other Indiana malls include:
Several large retail stores, like Target and Best Buy, have already said they will be closing for Thanksgiving this year as well.