The Sound and Spirit of Columbus marching band is competing this week at the Bands of America Grand National Championship in Indianapolis.

The combined Columbus East and Columbus North High School marching bands will perform at 1 p.m. today on the field of Lucas Oil Stadium in the preliminaries.

38 bands will make it to the semi-finals Saturday.

Preliminary tickets are $29 and are available through Ticketmaster.

You could hear some loud noises from Camp Atterbury this weekend.

The base is announcing that Bold Quest exercises are continuing through the weekend. You can expect to hear howitzers and the Archer system firing periodically from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

Bold Quest is a multinational exercise that demonstrates a joint capabilities with international forces.

If you have any questions, you can call Camp Atterbury Public Affairs Office at 812-526-1553.

Photo courtesy of Camp Atterbury.

Columbus Regional Health’s Lung Institute is announcing that it is the first hospital in the state to offer a new program that uses a robotic navigation and cone beam CT scan with augmented fluoroscopy to diagnose lung cancer.

The hospital says that the ION program diagnoses potential lung cancer earlier and in a minimally invasive manner. Lung cancers found in stages 1 or 2 can lead to significantly higher survival rates.

The head of the Lung Institute, Dr. Deepakar Sharma said the technology will help reach areas of the lung that have been completely inaccessible in the past.

You can get more information at crh.org/lung

A North Vernon man has been convicted in Jefferson County on charges involving child solicitation after an online sting operation called Operation Predator Net.

According to the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office, 41-year-old Dennis Mothersbaugh was found guilty in Jefferson Circuit Court of child solicitation, attempted Sexual Misconduct with a Minor, Possession of Marijuana and resisting Law Enforcement.

Authorities say that Mothersbaugh started chatting online with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl in August of last year. In September of 2020, Mothersbaugh made plans with the victim to meet her at Johnson Lake, to get stoned, to take her on a motorcycle ride, as well as suggesting sex. But when he arrived at the shelter house at about 9 at night, he found a female police officer dressed in civilian clothing.

After a struggle Mothersbaugh was taken into custody.

Prosecutor David Sutter said that the case demonstrates the dangers of social media and that sexual predators are waiting to lure young people into dangerous situations. Operation Predator Net involved the Madison Police Department.

Mothersbaugh is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 29th.

In 2017, Mothersbaugh pled guilty to charges related to assaulting a protestor during the Charlottesville, South Carolina Unite the Right rally.

A vehicle stolen from a Taylorsville restaurant yesterday morning, has been recovered in Nashville, Tenn.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department warned the public yesterday to be on the lookout for the missing vehicle, believed to have been taken by a person fleeing from the scene of an accident after a police chase.

Early yesterday morning, deputies chased a car, reported as a suspect vehicle in a Nashville armed robbery until it crashed about four miles north of the Edinburgh exit. The two people in that vehicle fled.

One suspect, a 16-year-old juvenile,  sought assistance at a nearby residence where he was arrested. He was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for treatment of injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.

The second suspect has not yet been found. According to reports from the sheriff’s department, deputies believe that the second suspect was the one who took the SUV from the Waffle House in Taylorsville.

The investigation is ongoing.

Bartholomew County’s annual Veterans Day services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the veteran’s memorial on the courthouse lawn.

Sgt. Maj. Rick Caldwell, a recent winner of the AMVETS Silver Helmet Award, will be the featured speaker.

There will also be patriotic music, the Southern Indiana Pipes and Drums and ceremonies by the Bartholomew County Veteran’s Honor Guard.

Some seating will be provided for attendees but you might want to bring your lawn chair.

In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held inside Columbus City Hall.

Photograph from the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

The Jennings County Sheriff is donating used department cell phones to the county’s domestic violence shelter to help give a lifeline to those in need.

Sheriff Kenny Freeman said the phones had previously been issued to deputies to perform their duties, and were returned in good working order when the department upgraded devices.

Freeman said that the phones are not activated, but they can still call 911 in an emergency. The sheriff said that capability “can truly save lives and is making a difference.”

In Indiana, just over 40 percent of women and almost 27 percent of men experience intimate partner physical violence, partner sexual violence and/or partner stalking in their lifetime.

Free, confidential help is available 24/7 from the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or by texting “START” to 88788. The Jennings County Domestic Violence Shelter can be reached at (812) 346-1592.

Photo courtesy of Jennings County Sheriff’s Department. Donated cell phones were presented by Jennings County’s newest Deputy, Max Marcoux, on behalf of Sheriff Freeman to Priscilla McGrew of the Jennings County Domestic Violence Shelter.  

Eastern Bartholomew Water Corp. is issuing a boil water advisory for customers in the Royal View subdivision. That comes after a water main break in the area.

You should boil any water for five minutes before consuming it, or using it in food preparation.

The advisory is in effect until Thursday at 3 p.m.

If you have any questions, you can call 812-526-9777

The Bartholomew County and Columbus Recycling Center will be having an amnesty day on Saturday, where you can drop off items that are normally hard to dispose of.

You can drop off up to two appliances containing refrigerants or CFCs. Jessica Norcross with the county solid waste management district explains:

You can bring up to two propane gas tanks, and two refrigerant containing appliances. You can also get rid of computer monitors and TVs, but those will cost $20 each.

Jessica Norcross with the county solid waste management district explains that they are also accepting tires:

The event is only for Bartholomew County residents, not for businesses. You must stay in your vehicle and the items to be recycled should be in the trunk, back seat or bed of a truck.

The event is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Document shredding will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The amnesty day is being held in conjunction with America Recycles Day.

For more information you can go to bcswmd.com