Local News Headlines: April 2, 2024

Help sought to ID woman recovered from White River (Bartholomew County)
Indiana Conservation Officers and the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department seek help in identifying a woman whose body was recovered from the East Fork of the White River last week. A passing kayaker located the body partially submerged on a sandbar near the Water Street public access ramp in Columbus on Wednesday.

The body is that of a white woman in her late 40s to early 50s, approximately 5 feet, 2 inches and 135 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes, wearing blue jeans, a blue jacket, and a T-shirt that reads, “Las Vegas Nevada Athletic Dept.” She has two scars that could assist in identification.

Anyone with information of a person who matches this description and may be missing is asked to call Indiana Conservation Officers Central Dispatch, 812-837-9536, or Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Dane Duke, 812-343-0707.

Friends of the Library Big Spring Book Sale

The 2024 Big Spring Book Sale will be open to the public April 12–15 with a special preview sale for Friends members on April 11. Join the Friends now or at the door!

Thursday, April 11: 4:30–7:30 PM (Friends members only)
Friday, April 12: 10 AM–6 PM (all books $.50–$1.50)
Saturday, April 13: 10 AM–6 PM (all books $.50–$1.50)
Sunday, April 14: 12–6 PM (Receive a tote bag and fill it for $10; fill a box for $15)
Monday, April 15: 9 AM–2 PM (all remaining items are free)

Indiana University offers Eclipse Weekend information

Events – Bring the kids to Science Fest on April 6 for some out-of-this-world educational fun, or watch the stars among stars like Janelle Monae and William Shatner at the Hoosier Cosmic Celebration on April 8.

Numerous events are planned for the whole weekend to celebrate this rare stellar experience.>

Eye protectionProtecting your eyes while viewing partial phases of the eclipse is a must. If you want to purchase your own eclipse glasses, check the American Astronomical Society’s list of safe suppliers.

IU will distribute a limited number of eclipse glasses across its campuses ahead of and on April 8. Find out where you can find them.

Personal preparedness – Bloomington is expecting thousands of visitors to arrive over eclipse weekend, which means events, businesses and roads will be crowded. Make sure your IU Notify contact information is up to date, so you’ll receive alerts from IU in an emergency.

Plan ahead for traffic gridlock by filling your tank or charging your vehicle and packing snacks, water and an emergency kit. Remember to report suspicious behavior or criminal activity to the IU Police Department.

For emergencies that pose immediate danger to you or others, call 911. For non-emergencies, call 855-603-7911.

Phone and Wi-Fi disruptions – With the anticipated load on cell networks, faculty, staff and students are encouraged to enable Wi-Fi calling on their phones. Whether at home or on campus, this will allow you to make calls and bypass predicted heavy usage of cell services on April 8. 

Available parking – Plan ahead for parking if you intend to join eclipse events on April 8. Parking passes for the athletic lots around Memorial Stadium can be reserved online. By 6 p.m. April 5, vehicles in athletic parking lots north of 17th street should be moved.

All IU garages will be reserved on April 8 for employees working on campus, including reassigned staff. Specific placards may be requested by HR representatives or supervisors through the IU Bloomington Office of Parking Operations, but any type of IU parking pass will allow employees who are working to park in any garage on April 8.

IU parking lots are not guaranteed to be available on April 8. Employees may attempt to park in these lots but they may be full, and normal parking operations will not be conducted.

Get more information about parking during the eclipse from the Office of Parking Operations.

Campus Bus ServiceCampus Bus will offer service from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 8; however, service may be suspended if the buses are unable to move through their routes due to heavy traffic. Check Instagram and Facebook for updates on the day of the eclipse.

First-aid and information stations – For those attending on-campus events, IU Public Safety will have first-aid and information stations at McNutt circle drive, Wells Library and Lauren Robel Plaza. They will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for anyone who has questions or needs help on April 8.

Student Health Center – The IU Student Health Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 8 to provide walk-in support for students with mild but urgent issues. Medical care will also be available via telehealth during this time.

Counseling and Psychological Services – If students need crisis intervention, call the Counseling and Psychological Services main office line, and a staff member will follow up by phone for telehealth services. TimelyCare, free, 24/7 access to virtual care and well-being services, is also available for students.

Employees will also continue to have access to SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program, free, 24/7 access to professional counseling, resources and referrals.

Food and dining – Some on-campus dining options will be available. Find more details on the IU Dining and Indiana Memorial Union restaurants pages.

If you need to work on campus, bringing your own meals, snacks and drinks is recommended so you can avoid leaving campus or having food delivered, as traffic may be heavy. Given that it may take several hours to leave campus after your shift, employees should also consider bringing additional meals/snacks beyond what they normally would.

This Week in Hoosier History

arc light

1880 – According to newspaper reports, Wabash, Indiana, became the “first electrically lighted city in the world” when the Brush Electric Company turned on a large arc light installed in the dome of the courthouse. 

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