Cummins says revenues for the year will be up 15 to 17 percent over last year, that’s based on record-setting third quarter numbers.

The Columbus-based diesel engine manufacturer released its quarterly report to the SEC today, saying that it had third quarter revenues of $5.9 billion. That was an increase of 12.percent from the same quarter of last year.

The company set a new record for earnings with $983 million dollars in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, which was up from $788 million in the same quarter of last year.

Sales in North America improved by 17 percent. International revenues increased by 6 percent led by growth in India, China, Latin America, and Europe.

Based on the current forecast, Cummins expects annual earnings of 14.8 to 15.2 percent of sales.

You can read more about the third quarter report here.

A local man was arrested on drug possession charges after a traffic stop early Tuesday morning. At approximately 1:05 a.m., Columbus Police stopped a vehicle near Seventh and Sycamore street. While talking to the driver, 28-year-old Joshua Nicholas, of Columbus, a police dog alerted to the odor of narcotics coming from the vehicle.

Officers searched Nicholas’ car and reported finding a bag of methamphetamine in the vehicle’s center console. Nicholas was taken into custody and officers reportedly found a small amount of marijuana in his clothing.

Nicholas was arrested on preliminary charges of:

Possession of Marijuana – Previous Conviction (Class A Misdemeanor)
Possession of Methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony)

Several area communities are rescheduling trick-or-treating hours due to anticipated bad weather on Halloween.

The town of Hope is moving trick-or-treating to 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday evening. The First Baptist Church of Hope is also moving its Trunk or Treat event to Friday, as well as the Yellow Trail Museum & Visitors Center.

The Hartsvilile Trunk or Treat event will be held from 6 to 8 on Friday on the Town Square.

North Vernon is also rescheduling its trick-or-treating to Friday starting at 5:30 p.m. City officials say that the Sweet Street event at North Vernon First Christian Church and North Vernon First Baptist Church’s trunk-or-treat event will also be moving to Friday.

Columbus plans to still hold trick-or-treating on Wednesday but asks that parents take appropriate precautions to keep children safe during the event, including dressing them appropriately for the weather.

Voters in Jackson, Jennings, Jefferson and southern Bartholomew County will be voting for Indiana House District 69. Republican incumbent Rep. Jim Lucas of Seymour is facing Democrat Steve Schoettmer of Elizabethtown.

Lucas, 54, is a Seymour business owner.  He has been married to his wife, Lynn, for 24 years and they have three children. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps, right after high school. He has held the House seat for six years and before that was on Seymour City Council for five and a half years. He is is a life member of National Rifle Association, the Gun Owners of American, the Indiana State Rifle and Pistol Association, the Second Amendment Foundation, the American Legion and is an elder at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Seymour.

Schoettmer, 63, retired from the U.S. Postal Service. He is single and his long-time girlfriend died last year after a long illness. He was an officer in the American Postal Workers Union for 35 years, where he served as president of the Columbus union local and a district agent for southern Indiana and state president and a national arbitration advocate.

We asked the candidates about the state’s role in education funding

Lucas said he supports school vouchers.

Schoettmer says funding per classroom and per pupil has dropped in recent years.

We asked the candidates about the state’s role in abortion policy.

Schoettmer says that the state spends millions defending laws that are unconstitutional.

Lucas says he believes we should wait to see what happens in the courts.

We asked the candidates about the state keeping low-level convicted felons in county jails.

Lucas says that he is following new legislation to help local sheriffs.

Schoettmer says that we incarcerate more people than Russia and China combined.

Election Day is Nov. 6th.

Designs for a new Commons playground were on display Monday. Randy Royer is Senior Principal of Hitchcock Design Group. He and his team gave a pair of presentations Monday afternoon at the Commons. He says that there are many challenges in a design like this.

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Royer says that when it comes to improving the playground, much data has been taken from the public.

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An updated playground space will see improvements like increased seating, a separate area for toddlers, cozy spaces and aspects that will exercise the senses. In place of the “tornado spinner,” plans call for a “group spinner.” The round, cage-like structure will allow several children on at once, while safety measures will keep the spinner from going too fast.

Columbus Parks and Rec says there is no timetable for the project, as expenses for the project have yet to be determined.

Cummins Inc. and Hyundai Construction Equipment announced Monday they have jointly developed an electric powered mini excavator.

Based on the long-term productive partnership of the companies, HCE and Cummins agreed to collaborate on the design and development of electric powered mini excavators for this market. The 3.5-ton excavator is designed to operate for a full eight-hour shift and charge in under three hours. The machine eliminates all gaseous emissions and substantially reduces noise, making it ideal for use in urban and sub-urban construction.

The Indiana Department of Transportation plans to replace a box culvert channeling Singer Ditch under State Road 235 east of Medora next spring.

Milestone Contractors has been contracted to remove the existing structure and replace it. Work is expected to begin after April 1st and will require a 30-day closure of State Road 235. The contract is worth $316,400.

A state detour will route traffic around the legal drain culvert site in Driftwood Township, located 1.65 miles west of State Road 135, via State Road 135 and U.S. Highway 50.

The contractor plans to clear and stake the site in November. Utilities will begin relocation operations after January 1st.

Indiana Department of Transportation officials met with contractor representatives Monday morning to review plans and discuss schedules for a $787,046 repair and resurfacing project on State Road 3 that will impact motorists in Jennings County.

Dave O’Mara Contractors Inc. hopes to begin making pavement repairs in November, weather permitting. The work calls for placing a significant number of full and partial-depth asphalt patches on State Road 3 from south of Vernon to the Sheriff’s Office in North Vernon.

Early next spring, ADA-compliant curb ramps are slated to be built at State Road 3 intersections with Jackson Street, Perry Street, Pike Street, Montgomery Street, Brown Street and Gaines Street.

Starting in April, the North Vernon contractor will mill State Road 3, then resurface the highway. Scope of the mile-long pavement project extends from the State Road 3 / State Road 7 split south of Vernon to a terminus 0.85 miles south of U.S. Highway 50 at North Vernon.

The contract completion date is June 30, 2019.

The City of Columbus will hold a public open house for people who are interested in low-cost, reliable transportation to work through the City’s recently announced vanpool program. The program is for people who are currently employed or seeking employment.

Activities will include a short presentation that repeats several times. Vanpool coordinators and City employees will be on hand to provide information and answer questions. Light refreshments will be available, and there will be coloring books for kids in attendance.

Transportation to local workplaces is being offered by the City, which is working with the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority (CIRTA) to provide these services. Employees are eligible to participate in the program if they live in Columbus and work in Columbus or Bartholomew County; or if they live in any Indiana County and work in Columbus.

Organizers explain that a vanpool is similar to a carpool, can be organized for 5-15 riders on the same shift commuting to and from the same area. The van rental fees are shared by the City and employers or other sponsors. These fees include insurance, maintenance, and 24-hour customer support. The only expense to the riders is the cost of gas.

Each vanpool must have at least one volunteer driver and one back-up driver. Non-drivers are welcome to participate in this program. An ADA-accessible van will be provided if needed to accommodate a member of the vanpool with a disability.

The city’s vanpool program was developed by a committee in response to a need for transportation to workplaces that were not located on existing ColumBUS Transit routes. The city’s share of the van fees will be reimbursed by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). A monthly fee to CIRTA for managing the program will be paid by the city with local funds.

The open house will be on Thursday, November 8 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Cal Brand Meeting Hall at Columbus City Hall. People who are interested in attending may come any time during the hours of the event.

For more information, visit columbus.in.gov/planning/commuter-connect.

The Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office is investigating the death of 45-year-old Danny L. Lewis, of Columbus. Lewis was involved in a one-vehicle crash at the US 31 and I-65 interchange early Friday evening when his pickup that lost control on the ramp from US 31 to northbound I-65. He was found outside the vehicle when emergency responders arrived. Lewis was transported to Columbus Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m.

County Coroner Clayton Nolting says the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the chest. Toxicology results are expected within two weeks.

The crash is being investigated by Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.