Christmas trees will be picked up by crews in the city of Columbus starting today. The city’s department of public works says that you can have your tree curbside on the same day as your regular trash collections. That will only be on public streets and not in alleys. All trees must be out of a bag and free of ornaments, hooks, stands or nails. Christmas tree pickup runs through Friday, Jan. 24th.

Because of the Christmas holiday, trash/compost/recycling & brush collections in Columbus are running one day behind with Wednesday’s collections today, normal Thursday collections on Friday and Friday’s collections on Saturday.

Indiana State Police Trooper Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, had an unusual call and rescue yesterday morning.

Wheeles says that drivers reported a cat wandering in traffic on Interstate 65 near Seymour — A cat with a can stuck on its head.

Wheeles found the cat sitting between a barrier wall and the traffic lane. With the help of his heavy winter gloves, Wheeles was able to remove the can and free the cat. Wheeles says that after the rescue, the animal fled the scene to safety.

A man is being accused of kidnapping a child in western Decatur County after meeting on social media.

The Decatur County Sheriff’s Department is reporting that the incident happened Sunday morning, when a family member noticed a child in a vehicle with a stranger. A confrontation took place and the witness flattened one of the driver’s tires before he drove away.

Decatur County deputies stopped the vehicle a short while later and rescued the child. Their investigation suggests that the man, 27-year-old Miguel Hernandez, was connected to the child on social media.

He is facing preliminary charges of child molestation, and kidnapping.

A Seymour man convicted of child molesting in October received a 35-year prison sentence Friday in Jackson Circuit Court.

“The Tribune” in Seymour is reporting that a jury found 40-year-old Franklin E. Lee attended the first day of his trial, but not return for the second. Before the trial started, the paper reported that Lee had been out of jail on a $10,000 bond for nearly a year. He was arrested in April 2018 after an incident where he touched a child under the age of 14.

Judge Richard W. Poynter issued a warrant for his arrest after the jury reached its verdict.

The incident was investigated by Seymour Police Department and Indiana Department of Child Services after a child talked about the incident with a teacher at school.

For more on this story, visit tribtown.com.

A Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputy has graduated from the prestigious FBI National Academy. Chief Deputy Chris Lane graduated Friday after attending a ten-week training session at the academy in Quantico, Virginia.

Authorities say there is a highly competitive process that local law enforcement officers must go through to be selected for the program. That includes a nomination by a supervisor, interviews with the candidate and co-workers to determine leadership skills and abilities, a background check, a determination of physical fitness and the support of former National Academy graduates.

After retiring from the Columbus Police Department, Major Lane became BCSO’s Chief Deputy in 2015.

Major Lane is a graduate of Vincennes University and has completed numerous courses with the Police Executive Leadership Academy and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Currently, Lane administers and evaluates all Sheriff’s Office operations.

“I am extremely proud of Chief Deputy Lane and I am very thankful he was able to participate in this once in a lifetime opportunity for law enforcement leaders in this nation,” said Sheriff Matt Myers. “I am looking forward to his return to the office where the information, knowledge, and skills he gained at the FBI National Academy will be used for the betterment of our organization and the community we serve,” added Myers.

A garage fire killed two dogs this morning in Bartholomew County.

The Bartholomew County sheriff’s department is reporting that Sergeant Jason Lancaster was first on the scene, arriving at 7:29 a.m. to the fire in the 4700 block of West Compton Drive. He discovered the garage was fully engulfed in flames by the time he arrived.

The homeowner and her three children escaped the blaze with no injuries. An electric space heater was being used to warm the garage where the fire started.

Firefighters from the German Township, Clifford and and Columbus Township volunteer fire departments worked together to extinguish the fire.

There is still time to vote in the Town of Hope’s Deck the Town Christmas lights contest put on by Main Street of Hope.

Photos of the top 15 decorated homes are posted on the Main Street of Hope Facebook page. You can vote by hitting like on your favorite. Voting wraps up at 10 p.m. Saturday night.

The winner will receive a traveling trophy that is a replica of the Leg Lamp from the movie “A Christmas Story.”

Travelers will have a new option if they are headed to the Indy airport from Columbus.

Go Express Travel says that it is starting a nine-times-a-day shuttle service between Columbus and the Indianapolis airport. The service will start on Jan. 2nd and will require a reservation. Each trip is $25 one way.

You can get more information on their website at goexpresstravel.com.

It was so cold Thursday morning that German Township Volunteer firefighters saw their water freeze almost as soon as it hit the ground as they fought a truck fire on Interstate 65.

The firefighters report that the temperature was about 12 degrees just after midnight when they were called to a burning semi at Interstate 65 and U.S. 31. They found that the rear wheels of a semi had caught fire and the blaze had quickly spread to the trailer. The semi’s driver said he heard what sounded like an explosion near his rear tires and before he could get stopped he saw smoke and fire. The driver and a passenger in the cab’s sleeper got out of the semi without any injuries.

Firefighters were able to stop the blaze before it reached the inside of the truck’s cab. Both lanes of northbound I-65 were closed while the fire was extinguished. But the freezing water led to treacherous conditions. An INDOT salt truck was requested before all lanes were reopened.

The work was further complicated as many drivers chose not to switch lanes, coming close to hitting firefighters or the fire trucks.

Columbus City Councilman Frank Miller got a head start on his fellow council members after he was sworn into office on Thursday. Miller, who defeated Democrat Michael Schoumacher by 40 votes in the November general election, is not able to attend the swearing-in ceremony at city hall on New Year’s Day.

The oath was administered by Bartholomew County Clerk of Courts Jay Phelps. Miller took the oath on a bible given to his mother on Christmas Day of 1940 while accompanied by his wife, Jenny.

Miller is beginning his third term on the council.