According to the most recent update from the Indiana State Department of Health, there are 49,063 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Indiana, an increase of 455 cases since Tuesday’s update.
There have been 2,539 deaths in Indiana as of Wednesday afternoon’s update, an increase of 15 since Tuesday.
Bartholomew County has had 591 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 45 deaths.
The city of Columbus is adding almost 40 acres on the northeast side of the city under an annexation and rezoning plan approved by Columbus City Council.
The developers, BHI Retirement Communities, are planning a 103-unit retirement community at the northeast corner of Talley Road and Rocky Ford Road or County Road 250N.
Council voted unanimously to approve the second and final reading of the annexation ordinance.
The Council also gave its first approval of a rezoning request that will change the property’s use from Agriculture to Multi-Family Residential.
The Columbus City Cemetery next to Donner Park would come under the control of the City’s Board of Public Works and Safety under a plan given its first approvals by City Council this week.
Mary Ferdon, executive director of administration and community development for the city, told the council that control of the old cemetery, dating back to the early days of the community, has fallen into limbo.
The city Parks and Recreation Department has operated and maintained the cemetery in conjunction with a cemetery board, but the exact origin of that arrangement has been lost to history. Ferdon said that there are frequent difficult decisions that must be made, such as when conflicting family members struggle over who owns and can use a long-ago purchased lot in the cemetery. And it has been unclear how the parks department has the authority to make those decisions, according to City Attorney Alan Whitted.
Although a 1997 state law gave control over city-owned cemeteries to City Councils, the law also allowed the control to be transferred to other bodies, such as the board of works. But Columbus never made that change, according to city paperwork.
Ferdon said the parks department would continue to maintain the cemetery after the change. After it goes into place one of the first tasks will be to review the cemetery policy manual.
Ferdon said that funding for repairs has also been a problem. The city would like to set up an endowment to maintain the cemetery and its monuments, many of which honor the founders of the city.
Council gave its first approval to the plan Tuesday.
The heat index is expected to climb to nearly 100 again this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
High temperatures in the lower 90s will be combining with high humidity levels to produce possibly dangerous heat.
If you are planning to be active outdoors, take breaks out of the sun and drink plenty of fluids. And authorities are warning that young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles.
Five people are facing charges after arrests made early this morning in an ongoing investigation in Columbus .
Columbus police say that they have been receiving tips from the public about illegal activity at a home in the 3100 block of Miami Court.
As part of that ongoing investigation, police stopped a vehicle driven by 24-year-old Mary J. Craig of Hartsville and a police dog alerted to the odor of narcotics inside. A search revealed heroin and drug paraphernalia. Craig and her passenger, 43-year-old Justin S. Sholty of Columbus were arrested.
A second vehicle was stopped that was driven by 49-year-old Donald L. Moody. After methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were found in the vehicle, he was also arrested.
A search warrant was served at the Miami Court home shortly after midnight by the Columbus SWAT and Intelligence-Led Policing teams. Police discovered methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, along with three firearms.
Two people inside the house, 44-year-old Ryan A. Moody and 29-year-old Micah D. Orr, both of Columbus, were taken into custody.
Charges include:
Applications are now available for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships through Heritage Fund: The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County.
Two Lilly Scholarships will be awarded to Bartholomew County students for 2021. The scholarship provides full tuition, required fees and a up to $900 per year for books and equipment for four years of undergraduate study at any accredited Indiana public or private college or university.
Applicants must live in Bartholomew County; be on course to graduate from a public or private Indiana high school by the end of next June; have at least a 3.5 GPA and demonstrate significant school involvement, community service, good character, leadership skills and financial need.
Applications and all required materials must be submitted by Sept. 2nd. You can find the application and get more information at heritagefundbc.org.
Jennings County has added another death from COVID-19.
According to the most recent update from the Indiana State Department of Health, there are 48,626 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Indiana, an increase of 314 cases since Monday’s update.
There have been 2,524 deaths in Indiana as of Tuesday afternoon’s update, an increase of 19 since Monday.
Bartholomew County has had 589 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 44 deaths. Jennings County reported a death on July 6th, bringing the county total to 12 deaths and 176 cases. That was the first death in an area county since last week.
Columbus Regional Health’s Wound Center is being recognized by the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care services.
The hospital facility was recently chosen for the Healogics President’s Circle. The hospital was rated on scores for patient satisfaction and wound healing time.
The Wound Center offers specialized wound care to patients suffering from diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, infections and other chronic wounds which have not healed in a reasonable amount of time.
The Wound Center is a member of the Healogics network of nearly 800 centers. You can get more information at crh.org.
Gleaner’s Food Bank will be having a drive through food distribution in Columbus today.
You can pick up food from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Columbus Municipal Airport Aviation Bldg.. That’s at 5175 N Warren Drive. You will stay in your vehicle and the food will be delivered to you. Organizers stress that there should be no early arrivals and there is no parking on River Road or Cunningham Drive.
Four people were left homeless after a Sunday afternoon fire on the east side of Columbus.
Columbus firefighters say they were called to Reo Street at 1:54 p.m. Sunday afternoon and found heavy fire at the back of a single story rental property. All of the occupants were already out when firefighters arrived.
Firefighters used hoses from the rear of the home to knock down the majority of the flames and then went inside to finish knocking out the fire.
There were about $50,000 in damages to the home and its contents. Investigation revealed that flammable liquids and vapors ignited near a heat source, causing the fire. Firefighters say it was determined to be accidental.
No smoke alarms were found in the home.
The Salvation Army is assisting tenants with emergency shelter. No injuries were reported.
