Indiana State Police will be taking part in an upcoming Tip a Cop event in Columbus to benefit Special Olympics Indiana.
Troopers from the Versailles District will be on hand volunteering as servers at Texas Roadhouse on Merchant Mile in Columbus and donating their tips to Special Olympics.
The event will be from 4 to 9 on Tuesday, Dec. 14th.
The Red Cross continues to see historically low blood supplies and asks that you schedule an appointment to help in the crisis.
The American Red Cross provides 40 percent of the country’s blood. The organization warns that if more donors don’t come forward to give blood, patients requiring a transfusion could face delays in care.
The holidays, winter weather and the ongoing COVID-19 challenges are all contributing to the drop.
A local blood donation site will be set up from 1 to 6 p.m. on Dec. 29th at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church on Fifth Street in Columbus.
Other sites in area counties include upcoming events in Franklin, Greenwood and Trafalgar.
You can schedule an appointment to give blood by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, or calling 1-800-RED CROSS
Rightway Fasteners is planning a $13 million dollar investment at its International Drive plant in Columbus.
The company which makes specialty fasteners, primarily for the auto industry, is adding eight new machines to respond to an increase of production volume. Those will include four cold-forging machines, two thread-rolling machines, a heat-treatment furnace and a coating machine. Company officials said they are expecting an increased volume of 20 to 30 percent next year.
The company, in a filing with the city, says it plans to add nine new employees and to retain 438 existing jobs after the expansion. The new jobs which would be added by the end of next year would have an an average starting hourly wage of $15 an hour, according to Robin Hilber with the city’s community development department. The company’s average wage for employees is more than $18 an hour.
The company was approved for a property tax break last night by Columbus City Council.
The company asked the city for an abatement on the property taxes for the new equipment, which means the taxes will be phased in over 10 years. The tax abatement would save the company just over $449 thousand dollars over the 10-year-life of the abatement but the company would also be paying nearly $302 thousand dollars more in property taxes than it is now.
Hilber said that RIghtway Fasteners has 11 ongoing property tax abatements. The company started in 1991 with 13 employees, she said.
A St. Paul woman was arrested recently, accused of trying to smuggle drugs into the Jennings County Jail.
According to reports from the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, deputies began investigating attempted trafficking into the jail early in November. Last week, 45-year-old Jenna S. McGinnis was arrested after she allegedly tried to smuggle 8 grams of a controlled substance to a inmate while at the Jennings County Courthouse.
Deputies intercepted the drugs before she was able to pass them to the inmate.
McGinnis is facing preliminary charges of conspiracy to deal a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and forgery.
Sheriff Kenny Freeman says the safety of the jail inmates is a priority for his department and they will continue to locate and to arrest people who try to traffic drugs into the jail.
Note: This story has been updated.
Local school resource officers were on heightened alert yesterday morning at Columbus high schools after a vague online message warned people not to be at a school called “East” and a gun was reported at Columbus North High School.
At Columbus North, school officials received a report of a gun on campus. A search revealed that a student had brought a BB gun to school. The school is addressing the issue.
At Columbus East, school resource officers received a screen capture of a Snapchat message that showed a picture of an email, which made the vague reference. The text referred to a school as “East,” but did not clarify which town the school was in, according to school officials.
The pictured email did not appear to be from a BCSC student or staff member, and the teacher named in the email is not from BCSC. School resource officers worked to track down the origins of the message and extra officers were on hand at Columbus East High School.
The actual school being mentioned turned out to be in a neighboring state, and that school had been dealing with the situation at that location.
Officials said it’s common to see these kinds of messages that use a directional name for a school, such as East, but don’t give context for the location of the school mentioned, creating confusion.
Bartholomew County will be giving bonuses to government employees who continued to work in person during the pandemic to assist the public.
Bartholomew County Commissioners yesterday approved the plan for premium pay to some employees to be paid from American Rescue Plan funds.
Commissioners President Larry Kleinhenz said the goal and approved use of the ARP funds is to reward those county employees who were put in harm’s way during the pandemic. The idea is to provide bonuses for those like sheriff’s deputies, jail officers, highway workers and health department workers who continued to assist the public directly last year.
The funds were restricted from being used to give bonuses to employees who had the ability to work remotely. Instead, it required that the essential work had to be done while interacting directly with patients, the public or coworkers.
County Commissioner Tony London said the money is a token of appreciation from the community to those workers.
Eligible full-time employees will get $1,500 under the plan approved Monday. Part-time employees will receive $750. The money will be distributed on Friday, Dec. 17th.
The money will not go to elected officials, nor to former employees no longer with the county.
The total cost will be almost $376,000 dollars.
Duke Energy says that more than $330,000 is available to help its Indiana customers with their winter energy bills.
Customers who qualify can receive up to $300 toward their power bills. Duke Energy works in partnership with the Indiana Community Action Association and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s Energy Assistance Program to distribute the company’s assistance funds. Customers should first check with their local community action agency to make sure there are still funds available locally.
In Bartholomew, Decatur, Jackson, Johnson and Shelby counties the agency is Human Services Inc. In Jennings County, the agency is Ohio Valley Opportunities Inc. and in Brown County it is South Central Community Action Program Inc.
According to the company, the funds come from Duke Energy donations and from customer and employee donations. The financial assistance is made possible through Duke Energy’s Share the Light Fund. Over the last five years, Duke Energy has contributed more than $3.5 million in energy assistance funds to its Indiana customers.
Cummins and Toyota Material Handling are teaming up to provide Christmas cheer to Bartholomew County families. The two companies are donating $20,000 to help organizations that offer holiday help to the community.
Tomorrow, company representatives will be presenting checks for $5,000 to each of four organizations:
All of the groups are partners with the United Way of Bartholomew County.
Mark Stewart, president of the local United Way said that Cummins and Toyota are among the biggest supporters of local efforts. He said that “We couldn’t do what we do without their advocacy.”
Schneck Medical Center in Seymour is announcing a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Saturday.
The clinic will be open to anyone 5 and older from 9 to noon Saturday on level 4 of the Schneck Professional Building. First, second and booster shots will be available for all ages.
Children ages 5 through 11 years will receive one-third of the adult dose of the Pfizer vaccine using smaller needles that are designed specifically for children. Children receiving the vaccine must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
You should plan for a 15-minute observation period following administration of the vaccine.
No registration is required. This is a walk-in clinic only.
Two Freetown residents were arrested yesterday afternoon after a three-county chase by authorities.
According to Indiana State Police reports, a trooper tried to pull over a vehicle in the northbound lanes of Interstate 65 near Seymour for a traffic stop. But the driver sped away, first exiting onto State Road 11 into Bartholomew County, crossing U.S. 31 then east into Jennings County. After being chased onto county roads, the vehicle eventually became disabled and stopped in on County Road 1000 West in northwestern Jennings County.
A search of the vehicle revealed methamphetamine inside.
The driver, 38-year-old Otha T. Bryant was arrested on preliminary charges of Resisting Law Enforcement in a Vehicle, Possession of Methamphetamine, Criminal Recklessness with a Vehicle, Reckless Driving, and Driving While Suspended.
A passenger, 28-year-old Rachel V. Fagan was arrested on charges of Resisting Law Enforcement in a Vehicle, and Possession of Methamphetamine.
Both were also wanted on outstanding warrants.
Indiana State Police were assisted by the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, and Jennings County Sheriff’s Department.