Indiana conservation officers are reporting two serious ATV accidents over the weekend.

In the first incident on Friday afternoon, a Seymour child was seriously injured in an ATV crash  in Brown County.

Conservation officers report that a 12-year-old was driving the ATV at about 3:10 p.m. Friday on Lutheran Lake Road in southern Brown County when the vehicle flipped in a turn and landed on the child. The victim was flown by Lifeline Helicopter to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis in serious but stable condition with head and chest injuries.

Conservation offices say that neither the 12-year-old, nor a 16-year-old passenger, were wearing helmets, protective gear or seatbelts. The 16-year-old was uninjured.

A Brown County man was injured Saturday night in an ATV accident.

Conservation officers report that 46-year-old Ronnie Camden was riding an ATV after dark in a private yard when he hit a rut, and was thrown off the ATV, which then rolled over on top of him.

That happened at just before 10 p.m. Saturday in the 900 block of Fruitdale Drive at his home. Camden suffered chest, neck and back injuries according to officer’s reports. He was taken to Johnson Memorial Hospital in stable condition.

Officers report that he was not wearing protective gear.

An apartment complex fire late Saturday night on Stonegate Drive in Columbus left 28 people homeless.

Firefighters were called to the scene at 11:30 p.m. Saturday and found a two-story apartment building with heavy smoke and fire on its south side, says Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department. Residents were alerted by smoke alarms and were evacuating the building’s 12 apartments when firefighters arrived.

Firefighters entered the building to attack the fire, but were driven out by the intense flames and smoke, Wilson says. They retreated to the outside and the flames entered the attic and spread throughout the roof line. The roof caught fire, burning through and collapsing, Wilson said.  Firefighters used an aerial truck and “deluge gun” to eventually gain control of the blaze, Wilson says.

Wilson says the Red Cross were called to the scene to aid the displaced residents. The cause of the fire is under investigation and no damage estimates are yet available.

Firefighters finally left the scene at about 9 a.m. Sunday. They were assisted at the scene by Columbus police,  Columbus Regional Health paramedics, Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. East Columbus Township Fire and Rescue and Harrison Township volunteers were on standby for the city while city firefighters fought the blaze.

State officials say that eleven Indiana counties, including a few local ones, will be recognized for their efforts to improve student success in college and in establishing careers.

Officials with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education says that an event will be held Tuesday at the Indiana Statehouse. There, spokesperson Kaylee Showers says that Teresa Lubbers, Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education, will honor the counties for their work in establishing College Success Coalitions. Showers explains that these coalitions, which are comprised of groups of local education, workforce and community leaders, work together to help more students earn college degrees, or other training beyond high school.

Showers says that Indiana’s College Success Coalitions launched in 2010. She notes that there are currently 72 counties with these coalitions throughout the state.

Local counties being honored on Tuesday are: Brown and Johnson counties. State officials say that representatives from Dearborn, Greene, Huntington, LaGrange, Marshall, Martin, Randolph, Starke and Warrick counties will also be recognized during Tuesday’s event. It is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the North Atrium of the Indiana Statehouse.

You can learn more about the Indiana Higher Education Commission, as well as Tuesday’s ceremony, online at www.LearnMoreIndiana.org/Coalitions.

A Jennings County city has been recognized as one of the best places in the United States for teachers to live and work.

In the second annual “Best U.S. Cities for K-12 Teachers” report (available here), which was released Thursday by the college and careers website GoodCall, North Vernon was ranked as the 53rd best place in the country for teachers to live and work. Michelle Billick, a spokeswoman for GoodCall, says that the report recognized North Vernon’s “strong teacher salaries, great local school ratings, and a healthy job market.”

Billick says that a total of 913 cities were analyzed for their report.

A Jennings County man was arrested early Friday morning after officers with the North Vernon Police Department responded to a reported domestic disturbance.

A department spokesperson says that police responded to the scene, at the 2000 block of North Crestwood Drive, at 11:40 p.m. on Thursday. Officers reported speaking with the woman when they realized that the man, Derek Foster, 29, of North Vernon, was wanted on a Jennings County warrant. Police say that Foster initially refused to answer the door when they tried to talk to him.

The spokesperson says that Foster eventually emerged from the home at about 2:30 a.m. on Friday and surrendered to officers. Authorities say that, along with the warrant, Foster is also facing preliminary charges of Criminal Confinement and Intimidation.

You have a chance today to enjoy a pulled pork lunch or dinner, and to help aging veterans visit Washington D.C.

The American Legion Post, on 25th Street in Columbus, will be hosting the cookout from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. to benefit Honor Flight. Susan Thayer-Fye is one of the organizers of the local Honor Flight fundraising. The organization takes veterans to DC to visit the memorials associated with their service.

Each flight costs about $450 per veteran, Thayer-Fye said. She adds that the meal will cost you $8 and that there will also be raffles and door prizes.

Bartholomew County will be sticking with Rumpke as the operator of the county landfill, for three more years, a contract that pays about $1.2 million dollars annually. However, the new proposal would give the county the option of exiting the arrangement with a 60-day notice.

Columbus City Councilman Frank Miller, who also heads the county’s Solid Waste Management District Board, has been pushing to look for proposals from other vendors, to see if they could offer the county a better deal or more savings. The board voted at last months’ meeting to let that process move forward and to only agree to a one year extension with Rumpke.

However, on Thursday, the board decided to continue doing business with Rumpke, at the rates established in 1998 when the landfill first opened. County Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz made that recommendation, pending the approval of attorneys.

Kleinhenz added that he, and other board members, were also concerned that the rates could go up if the contract was rebid.

Miller was the lone vote against that proposal.

County officials say that Rumpke is the biggest customer of the county landfill, paying $850,000 to the county last year for the trash it dumped there.

Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers is extending his condolences to the family of an Edinburgh man who collapsed, and died, during a chase involving his deputies. He is also crediting those deputies for their actions that night.

The Sheriff’s Office responded to the report of a suspicious vehicle call around 8:30 p.m. on Monday night. While following the vehicle, authorities say that it came to an abrupt stop and a backseat passenger, 44-year-old Robert A. Quick, jumped out and fled on foot. According to deputies, Quick entered the Driftwood River and swam across. They say that once he reached the other side, he collapsed. An autopsy report states that Quick died of natural causes and that no foul play is suspected.

“First, I want to express my condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Quick during their time of loss”, said Sheriff Matthew A. Myers. He went on to say that Deputies Andrew Dougan, Andrew Whipker, and Terry Holderness were at the scene and immediately began medical care, maintaining it until EMS personnel arrived. Unfortunately, attempts to revive Quick were unsuccessful.

Sheriff Myers says that an investigation by the Indiana State Police and the Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office, along with the pathologist autopsy results, determined that the deputies not only followed proper procedure, “they went above and beyond while trying to save Mr. Quick’s life.”

An Indiana State Police Trooper residing in Bartholomew County has been promoted. Superintendent Douglas Carter has announced the promotion of Trooper Andrew Mitchell to the rank of Trooper Detective.

Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, spokesman for the State Police Post in Versailles, says that Detective Mitchell is a 2003 graduate of Bethesda Christian

High School in Brownsburg. He attended the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, where he studied youth ministry. In 2008, Mitchell was hired as a jail deputy with the Marion County Sheriff’s Department. In 2012 Wheeles says that Mitchell was hired as an Indiana State Trooper and attended the Indiana State Police Academy in Plainfield.

During his three year career with the Indiana State Police, Detective Mitchell has primarily patrolled the roads in Bartholomew, Jackson, Ripley, and Franklin Counties, says Wheeles. He says that during that time, Mitchell has worked numerous criminal investigations, investigated crashes, and conducted criminal and traffic patrols on Indiana roads.

State Police officials says that Detective Mitchell was promoted after going through a rigorous promotion process which includes interviews, testing, and job performance evaluations. As a part of his new responsibilities, they note that Mitchell will focus on criminal investigations, primarily in Bartholomew, Jackson, and Jennings Counties.

The Seventh Annual Columbus ArtFest is this weekend. This year’s installment is being held at Mill Race Park on Saturday and Sunday.

The event is described as a “high quality juried fine art festival.” Bob Anderson, a spokesman for the event, says that ArtFest fulfills a need in the community, both for artists, as well as those who enjoy quality, original art. To help fulfill this need, Anderson says that there will be a Plein Air Paintout. This is the second consecutive year for this part of ArtFest. Anderson says that a number of artists will be set up throughout Columbus on Friday and Saturday, painting scenes of the city. He adds that these scenes will be judged Sunday morning, then put on display before available for sale that afternoon.

Other aspects of this year’s ArtFest include lessons with Justin, The Artistic Horse, a children’s booth and more. The festival takes place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can get more information online at www.columbusartfest.com.