A driver died Monday afternoon after plowing through a field, a fence and then into a home on Osprey Drive in Columbus.

According to police reports, officers were called to the crash in the 4400 block of Osprey drive at about 12:30 Monday afternoon. They found the driver unconscious in the vehicle. He was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital where he later died from his injuries.

The name of the driver has not yet been released. The crash remains under investigation.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Police Department

The Indiana National Guard says that the most critical need for Afghan refugees at Camp Atterbury right now is baby formula and warm winter clothing.

Organizers are looking for donations of new clothing including jackets and coats, long pants, long-sleeve T-shirts, hats and closed-toe shoes. Diapers are also an ongoing need of those temporarily housed at the camp.

Last week an additional donation site opened across the road from Camp Atterbury at the Johnson County Parks and Recreation Amphitheater. Team Rubicon is receiving donations at the amphitheater from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. The amphitheater is at 7105 S. Kern St in Edinburgh.

This is in addition to private donation drives across the state and nine Indiana National Guard armories that are collecting items daily. The Guard is reporting that hundreds of Hoosiers are also volunteering on the base every day.

Columbus Regional Health is increasing its base wages to $15 an hour throughout the organization.

According to the hospital, pay ranges that are currently below $15 an hour will be raised to the new minimum effective October 24th. Any employees that are being paid less than $15 an hour, will be brought up to the new minimum or more. More than 580 employees will be affected and the adjustment will cost about $1.7 million dollars.

Hospital President and CEO Jim Bickel said the raises are meant to support the employees and to remain competitive in making new hires.

Several downtown Seymour streets are closed as city crews prepare for Oktoberfest.

The streets closed last night and will remain closed until the end of the festival Saturday. Affected streets include: Second and Third streets from Walnut Street to Indianapolis Avenue. Chestnut Street and Indianapolis Avenue will be closing from U.S. 50 to Fourth Street. There will also be a section of St. Louis Avenue blocked.

This is the 48th Seymour Oktoberest. Activities will be going on from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day.

Schneck Medical Center will be hosting a walk-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Oktoberfest this weekend in downtown Seymour.

The clinic will be at the corner of Tipton and Walnut streets in the grassy lot across from the hospital. You will be able to get vaccines from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

The clinic will offering the Pfizer and the Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The booster dose of Pfizer will also be available. Those who want the booster dose will be required to attest to their eligibility. If you are eligible, bring your vaccination record to your appointment.

A Greendale man is being accused of stealing a vehicle from a Columbus gas station.

According to Columbus police reports, the owner of the SUV left it unlocked and the keys in the console at a Central Avenue gas station last week, only to find the vehicle gone when he returned at about 6:05 in the evening. A Bartholomew County deputy spotted the vehicle soon afterwards during a disturbance at a west Columbus gas station, however the driver took off, striking a fence and driving into a nearby field to avoid police.

The suspect returned to the original gas station later in the evening, where an off-duty Columbus officer recognized the stolen vehicle and detained the driver until officers arrived.

28-year-old Dustin W. Cothron was arrested on preliminary charges of theft of a vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident, operating a vehicle as a habitual traffic violator and resisting law enforcement.

A reminder that INDOT will be closing State Road 58 in Jackson County next week for five weeks, starting on Monday.

Contractors will be installing a culvert replacement between Jackson County Roads 950N and 1075N, north of Spraytown. You should take an alternate route. The official detour follows State Road 258 to State Road 11 and then Interstate 65.

You are asked to slow down, to use extra caution and to drive without distractions in all work zones. The work schedule is dependent on the weather.

Legal Aid is holding a Free Legal Aid Phone Clinic from 3 to 5:30 p.m. this afternoon

Legal Aid offers the clinics for low-income residents of its eight-county district.

If you take part you will have a brief consultation with a volunteer attorney to answer general questions, to offer legal information or to receive other advice over the phone.

To take part, you must first register between noon and 2 p.m. today by calling 812-378-0358.

Bartholomew County Commissioners are entering into discussions to bring broadband Internet to most of the rural areas of the county.

Commissioners agreed Monday to a letter of intent with Meridiam Infrastructure North America Corporation to provide countywide broadband. Revisions to the agreement suggested by Commissioners President Larry Kleinhenz would require a plan that brings broadband internet to 90 percent of the homes in the county that are not in a municipal area. And the county would not be on the hook for payment of any money until 80 percent of that goal is met.

The county currently has $4 million set aside from COVID-19 relief funds that would be used to bring fast internet to the county, and plans to use that money as a carrot to entice developers such as Meridiam to bring the service.

Commissioner Tony London said the Meridiam plan is to bring fiber optic access to the homes in the county rural areas, an infrastructure that should not degrade over 40-50 years and that would allow hardware upgrades to keep the service fast for years to come. The service would start at 1 gig speed upstream and downstream.

The letter of intent is only a first step toward the eventual contract, commissioners stressed. And the agreement does not rule out any other developers that want to come into the county to bring internet service.

Indiana State Police have arrested a Columbus man on drug charges after a more than year-long investigation into a death at the suspect’s home.

According to police reports, the investigation began in August of 2020, when authorities began investigating the death of Jeremy Ronsheim, who was found at a home on Prairie Stream Way in Columbus. The investigation uncovered fentanyl amidst drug paraphernalia found in the home.

Troopers also discovered that the resident 29-year-old Stephen Moore had allegedly attempted to discard evidence before rescue workers arrived on the scene.

A warrant was issued for Moore’s arrest last week and he was arrested Saturday on preliminary charges of obstruction of justice, maintaining a common nuisance and possession of a narcotic drug and drug paraphernalia.