Good morning Columbus:
Newbie political candidates are busting out all over the United States.
Starting today, you can make a run for it too. Want to make a difference in Washington, D.C., or in Clifford, Indiana? Here’s your chance.
Today’s the first day you can officially file paperwork to run for county council, commissioner, county clerk, auditor, sheriff, recorder, prosecutor, treasurer, judge and assessor, township trustee and advisory boards and seats on the Clifford, Edinburgh, Elizabethtown and Hope town councils.
Then there’s U.S. senator, U.S. representative and state senator and representatives — all of them will be that will be up for grabs in the 2018 elections (primary in May, general election in November). Just be prepared to be really good at raising money if you aspire to those positions.
We will give you the rundown on who has declared their candidacies so far and how you can be a candidate.
Come on, take off that hat and throw it in the ring. Go for it.
Here’s what else you need to know today —
Crash closes parts of Interstate 65.
Southbound Interstate 65 near Seymour is expected to be closed until at least 10 a.m., according to the Indiana Department of Transportation. Hazardous chemicals are leaking from a box trailer, according to the Indiana State Police. Click here for more.
Oh no snow. Is a bread and milk run in our future?
Republic weather geek Scott Hardin is on high alert and points to an interesting feature on our web site — back-and-forth internal discussion among National Weather Service experts about the possibility for those dreaded words: significant high impact winter storm.
This is one thread that caught our attention:
Main message at this point remains that there is strong potential for a significant high impact winter storm somewhere in the region Friday into Saturday, and residents of central Indiana should be prepared for this potential as details hopefully become clearer over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Still alive: NFL refund-for-kneeling bill.
Last week we wrote about how House Speaker Brian Bosma gave a strong indication that the NFL refund-for kneeling bill proposed by state Rep. Milo Smith, R-Columbus, was all but dead. Not so fast.
Smith says he expects the bill to be assigned a number soon and that it will be called to the House floor and assigned to a committee. Read the story we filed last week: House Speaker says constitutional, legal issues likely to thwart proposal. What do you think?
A new soccer complex coming to Columbus?
The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. is exploring the possibility of building a new soccer complex on the Columbus AirPark campus that would be shared by Columbus North and Columbus East high schools.
BCSC school board members have approved borrowing $13 million in bonds, a portion of which would be dedicated for the soccer complex, while money would also be used for continuing upgrades to infrastructure at both high schools.
State of the state: Read it for yourself
Last night, Gov. Eric Holcomb addressed one issue that has been a priority in Columbus for years: Workforce development.
Holcomb said:
“Our greatest challenge is that too many Hoosiers lack the education and skills for the jobs that are here today and being created tomorrow— nearly all of which require a post-secondary education. It’s a challenge faced by every state and a major concern for every business. This is the issue of the decade, and we don’t have a day to waste.”
Click here to read the entire speech.
Eerie photo: Vacant house in Clifford a total loss. Click here for story.
One really cool thing: Look familiar?
The Arch by Henry Moore, in Kensington Gardens. It weighs 37 tonnes. There's a similar arch in Columbus, Indiana https://t.co/Yqat9JI82p pic.twitter.com/QGABoVyfow
— Londonist (@Londonist) January 4, 2018
Have a great day. Click here to send us your story ideas.
