Cummins announced Thursday that Jenny Bush has been promoted to Vice President, Cummins Sales and Service – North America, effective immediately. The Columbus-based manufacturer says that Bush’s responsibilities include leading eight wholly owned distribution regions across U.S. and Canada, which consist of over 9,000 employees, and contribute $4.6 billion in sales.

“Whether it’s through mentoring and coaching employees, or her engagement with customers and suppliers, Jenny seeks to make people’s lives better through the power of diversity and inclusion. Her authentic leadership style has had a profound impact on productivity, learning, teamwork, and the innovation and dependability we bring to our customers,” says Tony Satterthwaite, Vice President Cummins and President, Cummins Distribution Business.

Company officials say that Bush joined Cummins as a parts writer after completing a technician apprenticeship with Shell Oil, where she was the first female technician in a traditionally male environment. After joining Cummins in the United Kingdom, she developed and tested gas engines and led field service engineering for the Europe, Middle East and African markets. Throughout her 20 years with Cummins, Bush has led many different teams, including Sales, Purchasing and Operations within the Alternator business, as well as the Commercial Marine Engine business. More recently, Bush led the Mid-South and Gulf regions in the Distribution Business.

Cummins says that, over the past six months, Bush has been leading the North American business.

The City of Columbus Department of Public Works has released the Fall Leaf and Street Sweeping Schedule for the city.

Residents are invited to view the schedule and make note of times when no parking restrictions may be in place in their areas of residence and employment.

Leaf sweeping runs from Oct. 25th through Nov. 9th.

Street Sweeping is scheduled to begin Nov. 13th on 25th Street from Washington Street to Central Avenue. Sweeping will then move to other city roads every week day, except for Thanksgiving and Black Friday, lasting through Dec. 12th.

City officials say that there will be “No Parking” signs posted on streets the day of an area’s street sweeping. Any vehicles still in the area will be towed.

Inclement weather will postpone sweeping work by one day.

You can view the full schedule on the city’s website at columbus.in.gov.

Greg Pence, one of Mike Pence’s older brothers, has filed a tax document indicating he will seek the eastern Indiana congressional seat that the vice president and former governor represented for 12 years. The Associated Press is reporting that he formed the Greg Pence for Congress Committee on Monday.

Greg Pence, a Columbus resident previously said he had been courted to run for the Sixth District seat, which covers a broad swath of central and southeastern Indiana, including Muncie and Columbus.

Republican power brokers say that, as the vice president’s brother, Pence is likely the hands-down favorite to win in the overwhelmingly Republican district

Update: the Amber Alert has been canceled. State police report that the child has been found safe and a suspect is in custody. 

Original story:

The Auburn Police Department is investigating the abduction of a child from Auburn, IN.

Auburn is approximately 146 miles north east of Indianapolis, IN. Kevin “Chub” Wayne Craig is a 2 year old white male, 3 feet tall, 35 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a dark blue shirt and diaper.

Kevin was last seen today Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at 3:04 am in Auburn, IN and is believed to be in extreme danger. The Auburn Police Department believes he was likely abducted by Dale Curtis Craig.

Dale is a 28 year old white male, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 162 pounds, with a shaved head and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a red t-shirt, blue jeans, and black converse.

The suspect vehicle is a Tan 1998 Toyota Avalon with Indiana license plate XKZ630.

If you have any information, contact the Auburn Police Department at 1-888-582-6237 or 911.

Townwide trash service is back in the plans for the town of Hope.

Last month, the Town Council voted to rescind its approval of the agreement with CGS Services of Morristown through the use of a parliamentary procedure. But Town Attorney Cindy Boll said that her research showed that such a maneuver could not be used when a contract with an outside group was being approved.

Council members said they were concerned about the impact the contract would have on the county-owned landfill. County Commissioners said in a letter that taking the trash out of the county, could cost the county solid waste management district $50,000 to $60,000 a year in revenue from lost tipping fees at the county-owned landfill.

For their part, a representative from CGS said that was unlikely, because only some of the town’s residents were paying for Rumpke service. Rumpke operates the Bartholomew County landfill. Other trash was going to the CGS operated landfill in Morristown, or a Medora landfill operated by Bestway.

The council had the first reading of a townwide trash service ordinance last night,  but did not hold a vote on the ordinance.

The council will consider the second and final approval of a townside trash service ordinance at its meeting next month.

The Columbus City Council gave its final approval Tuesday night for the $57.8 million proposed budget for 2018. Jamie Brinegar, the city’s director of finance, says that the overall proposed budget is down 1.9 percent from 2017. He talks about how some funds will be spent.

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Brinegar explained that these so-called “empty” positions will help the police and fire departments to fill positions created by officer retirements much quicker. He also stressed that the actual budget and certified tax rate won’t be known until the state’s department of local government finance releases its final figures early next year.

Brinegar was asked how the county’s recent vote to increase the income-tax rate will effect city coffers.

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Mayor Jim Lienhoop added that, while the amount of money the city will bring from the tax increase is unknown, he anticipates that some of it will be used to help fund efforts to fight the opioid epidemic. When the Bartholomew County Council passed the tax increase, members of that body indicated that they were in preliminary discussions with city officials to enter into a joint effort to tackle the drug problem. Lienhoop says that the city should have a better idea as to how much additional revenue will be coming in over the next few months.

The vote to approve the proposed budget for 2018 passed on a vote of 6-1. Frank Miller voted “no.”

Two football coaches at Columbus North have been suspended for one game after an incident that took place at a recent contest. The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation announced the suspensions are the result of a “verbal and physical altercation” that took place between Head Coach Tim Bless and Assistant Coach Aaron Karrer on the sideline of the Bulldogs game against Southport. As a result, BCSC says that both coaches will miss the next football game.

BCSC released the following statement:

“BCSC has high expectations for staff and students, and Columbus North encourages a positive atmosphere set by coaches, officials, fans, and other athletes. While winning is a natural goal in the pursuit of excellence, the principles of good sportsmanship and enjoyment of competition take precedence at all times and enhance the educational value of all contests.”

The Indiana Historical Society is honoring a Columbus Regional Health with its 2017 Centennial Business Award.

Founded as Bartholomew County Hospital on Feb. 6, 1917, Columbus Regional Health has been providing for the welfare of residents in and around Columbus for more than 100 years. CRH has been celebrating its centennial anniversary throughout the year.

The hospital will be recognized with its Centennial Business Award during IHS’s annual Founders Day dinner on Monday, Nov. 6, at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center in downtown Indianapolis. Columbus Regional Health will also be added to IHS’s Historic Business Register.

For more information on the Historic Business Register, Founders Day or other IHS programs, visit www.indianahistory.org.

The Mill  Race Theatre Company is holding auditions tonight and Wednesday for the December production of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

The company is looking for children in first through sixth grades to take on roles in the performance, such as Linus, Lucy, Snoopy and Charlie Brown.

Auditions are 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 17th and 18th at Factory 12 Event Loft, 1235 Jackson St., in Columbus. No experience or audition preparation is necessary. Actors will learn a song as a group and may be asked to read scenes from the show.

Columbus local, Caitlin Smith, who directed the MRTC 2014 summer production of Wind in the WIllows, will be directing.

The show will be Dec. 8th and 9th at Columbus East High School.

For more information you can go to www.millracetheatre.org

Ivy Tech says that one of the Community College’s professors will be giving a presentation at the Johnny Cash Heritage Festival this weekend.

The festival, running Thursday through Saturday in Dyess, Ark., will include a talk by Professor Aaron Miller as part of the panel, “Delta Themes in the Music of Johnny Cash.” on Friday. That will look at how Cash’s life growing up among the cotton fields along the Mississippi Delta influenced Cash’s music.

Miller, who teaches at the Columbus campus, has a bachelor’s degree in economics and a masters in history from Purdue, and a doctorate from Miami University.

The festival ends Saturday night next to the Cash Home, with a concert featuring Rosanne Cash and Kris Kristofferson.