The Mill Race Marathon weekend kicks off tonight with the Kids Fun Run at Mill Race Park.

Organizer Randy Stafford says organizers expect more than 1,000 kids to take part.

You can register for the kids run run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Commons today and from 4:45 to 5:45 tonight at the park.

Stafford says this is a way for kids to learn to enjoy healthy activities.

Public safety officials remind you that there will be road closures downtown today and all around the city tomorrow for the full marathon. They are asking for your patience and for you to be extra observant for runners in the area.

The Saturday public activities start with opening ceremonies at 7 a.m. and the marathon start at 7:30 a.m..

For more on this weekend’s events, including maps of the street closings, you can go to millracemarathon.com.

Photo courtesy of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Dept.

A Columbus man will spend five years behind bars for throwing chairs across a courtroom in February. One of the chairs hit a Bartholomew County prosecutor on the leg. Network Indiana is reporting that 21-year-old Jordan Rhoades, who admitted to the judge that he has used meth and heroin, has also been ordered to go through a drug treatment program.

Rhodes is facing additional charges for an incident earlier this month where he allegedly damaged a cell door at the Bartholomew County Jail and used metal rods from it to attack Jail staff. That incident was followed by other inmates flooding their cell blocks. Sheriff Matt Myers says the incidents caused thousands of dollars in damages.

Officials from Bartholomew County REMC and Jackson County REMC dedicated a new solar array Thursday in Ogilville. Jim Turner, CEO of the Bartholomew County REMC, says that the solar array is the product of work done by Hoosier Energy, the electric cooperatives’ power supplier.

Turner explains the goal of the array.

Officials say that additional solar and wind projects are needed to reach the 10-percent renewable energy mark. Turner says that one mega-watt is capable of producing enough electricity to power about 150 homes annually.

Turner says the site is visible from the Interstate, just south of Columbus.

Turner notes that the array is very efficient.

While the official ribbon-cutting ceremony was Thursday, Turner says the site has been producing electricity for the last few weeks. He added that everything is working smoothly.

The Columbus City Cemetery will be holding one of its semi-annual cleanup events on Monday, Oct. 2nd.

The cemetery is located just south of Donner Park. City officials say that you should remove any graveside items that you would like to save by Sunday, Oct. 1st. The city parks department will be removing worn and out of season decorations. The next cleanup is set for April.

If you have any questions you can call 812-376-2599.

The Columbus Area Arts Council is distributing grants from its role as the regional partner of the Indiana Arts Commission’s Region 9 arts district. 15 arts organizations, including several local programs are receiving grants from the group.

Among the local grant recipients are the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, Dancer’s Studio Inc., Ethnic Expo, the Columbus City Band and the Columbus Scottish Festival. Our Heritage Inc. in Jennings County, and Jackson County’s Southern Indiana Center for the Arts, Jackson County Community Theater and Actors Community Theatre of Seymour are also grant recipients.

Thear arts council will hold an awards ceremony on Oct. 11 at the Columbus Area Visitors Center to recognize the organizations.

You can get more information at artsincolumbus.org

Indiana State Police say they will be holding a sobriety checkpoint in Jennings County today at an undisclosed location.

The agency says that drivers passing through the checkpoint should be prepared to show license and registration to the troopers. They say that drivers will only be detained briefly while police determine if further investigation is necessary.

State police say that the sobriety checkpoints let them check for intoxicated and impaired drivers and get them off of the road.

If you see a vehicle driving erratically, you should call 911 and give a description of the vehicle, its location and which direction it is heading. You can do that anonymously.

Hope Heritage Days kicks off tomorrow night with booths on the town square and music on the square and at Hauser High School.

Craft and food booths are open on the Town Square from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday. The gospel show at the high school will feature Brian Free & Assurance starting at 7 p.m. at Hauser.

The Jackson Way will be performing on the Town Square bandstand from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and Sand Creek Soul will be the bandstand entertainment from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Friday night..

The festival continues Saturday with events all day and fireworks at 9:30 p.m. on the Town Square. And Sunday is the annual parade, which starts just after the 2:15 p.m.  flyover from World War II military planes.

For more information you can go to hopeheritagedays.org

The Columbus Police Department is now accepting applications for prospective police officers. Department spokesman Matt Harris says that applicants must be at least 21 years of age and less than 36 years of age when hired. Prospective applicants must have a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent and complete all aspects of the hiring process and training program. Harris says that college graduates and military veterans are encouraged to apply.

Officials say the starting salary for a Patrol Officer is $48,458. Benefits include: assigned “take home” patrol car, 8.5 hour shift with two weekends off per month, vacation time and paid holidays, shift differential pay, college credit allowance, military incentive pay, longevity pay, clothing allowance and specialty unit pay. PERF retirement is available after 20 years of service.

Additional details can be found online at columbus.in.gov/police/about/careers/. Applications will be accepted until October 31st. The first step of the testing process, a written test, will be offered on Saturday, November 11th.

Harris says that applications can be downloaded online or picked up in the Personnel Office and the Columbus Human Rights Office inside of Columbus City Hall.

Work continues on the former Premiere Ag property at 785 South Marr Road. The Columbus City Council approved a rezoning request from the Bartholomew County Commissioners for the site, which had been zoned “Heavy Industrial” to “Light Industrial.”

Commissioners President Carl Lienhoop explains that the county bought the property to house some government offices after a plan to replace the former county annex on State Street fell through.

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Lienhoop says that additional work at the site is ongoing.

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Lienhoop says that a remnant of Premiere Ag staff remains at the Marr Road location as a new company headquarters is being built in Seymour.

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Lienhoop notes that Premiere Ag is paying rent to the county for the portion of the building that the company is still using.

The town of Hope is holding off on a plan to start a town-wide trash service. The Town Council voted last night to puts its prior approval on hold to get some questions answered.

The Town Council was scheduled to consider a new town ordinance after approving a bid from CGS Services of Morristown last month. But Councilman Ed Johnson, who voted for last month’s approval, instead proposed rescinding that approval. Johnson cited Robert’s Rules of Order, saying that his prior positive vote gave him the leeway to seek to rescind that approval.

Fellow council members Nellie Meek, Jerry Bragg and Ohmer Miller also voted to rescind the approval.

Johnson said he did not want to specify the questions he had, because he didn’t want to start rumors.

Johnson said that he was not going back on the idea of a town-wide trash service altogether and hoped to have the answers to his questions in place by the next council meeting in October.

He also said he had nothing against the low-bidder for the contract.

Councilwoman Meek also said she had concerns about whether the town could include the bill for the private company on the town’s water bills, or whether it had to be a separate billing.