A 2-year-old girl who died in East Fork White River was the victim of a homicide, according to a report from The Republic newspaper.

The newspaper says that the death certificate for Emma Sweet, filed with the state, lists her cause of death as complications of hypothermia and asphyxia due to drowning, and the manner of her death as a homicide.

She was found dead in the river the Sunday after Thanksgiving after being reported missing with her father, 39-year-old Jeremy Sweet, on Thanksgiving Day. Duck hunters found Jeremy Sweet in his truck that was submerged in the river early on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but the girl was missing.

A search recovered her body in the river near Southern Crossing two days later.

Sweet is facing charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in death. He was slated for a court appearance yesterday, but his cell block was locked down due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the jail, according to the newspaper.

You can read more of the newspaper’s report here.

Photo of Emma Sweet courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

Today is the start of the filing period for this year’s primary election.

Democrat and Republican voters this year will be choosing candidates for races ranging from the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and statehouse races, all the way down to town council races.

Bartholomew County Clerk Shari Lentz says that voters countywide will be choosing candidates for Bartholomew Circuit Court judge, prosecutor, sheriff, clerk, auditor, recorder, treasurer, assessor and County Commissioner District 2. The four County Council district seats will be up for election by voters in those districts also, as well as township trustees and advisory boards.

Voters will also be casting ballots in Clifford, Elizabethtown and Edinburgh for town clerk-treasurers and town council members.

The last day to file for the major party races is noon on Friday, February 4th in the county clerk’s office. The primary election is Tuesday May 3rd.

Columbus City Council signed off on a plan last night to partially fund a bicentennial-themed section of the People Trail in downtown Columbus.

The 1821 Trail extension will run along First Street behind the Bartholomew County Jail, Columbus City Hall and the former Republic building, all the way to the Robert N. Stewart Bridge on Second Street. Plans are to include historical markers, mini-plazas, a gateway element and other amenities for a total cost of about $2.3 million dollars.

The Columbus Redevelopment Commission last month approved spending almost $684,000 toward the project with money coming from a former certified tech park fund that was closed out last year.

Columbus City Council voted 5-2 to approve that expenditure at its meeting last night with council members Grace Kestler and Frank Miller opposing the resolution.

Our area, as well as the rest of central and northern Indiana, is under a wind advisory according to the National Weather Service. You can expect strong winds late this morning and early afternoon with some gusts of up to 40 mph. The advisory is in effect until 6 p.m. this evening.

The weather service says that southern Indiana is at the greatest risk in the state for snow accumulations from cold weather coming through on Thursday. The agency shows Seymour at the north center of a band stretching across the southeastern part of the state with a 60 percent plus percentage chance of 1 inch or more of snow.

That will be coupled with the lowest temperatures we have seen this season, with wind chill levels of zero or below by Thursday night.

Bartholomew County Emergency Management suggests that you take extra time to travel, be careful of slick roadways and dress in layers to keep warm during the cold snap.

Indiana State Police say that police dog Jinx was involved with two drug-related arrests on Interstate 65 in Jackson County Monday.

According to reports from the state police, Jinx and his handler Master Trooper Randel Miller stopped a vehicle near Seymour after it passed the police car going more than 100 mph at about 11 a.m. Monday morning. Jinx alerted to the smell of drugs inside the vehicle and a search revealed heroin, cocaine, marijuana and two firearms. 63-year-old Tony C. Jackson, of Muskegon, Michigan, was arrested on charges of possession of cocaine with a firearm and possession of narcotics with a firearm, as well as for possessing marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a handgun without a permit.

At about 2:30 p.m. Monday afternoon, Miller stopped a second vehicle for a traffic infraction near the Seymour exit. Jinx again alerted to drugs in the vehicle and a search revealed ecstasy, MDMA, LSD, psychedelic mushrooms, ketamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and more than $600 in cash. 29-year-old Nabeel J. Husari, of Springfield, Tennessee, is facing charges for dealing and possessing controlled substances, as well as dealing drug paraphernalia and possessing marijuana.

Nominations are being accepted for this year’s Edna V. Folger Outstanding Teacher Award.

Full-time elementary or secondary school teachers or educators working in a public, private, or parochial school in Bartholomew County are eligible. That includes classroom, special education, or specials teachers; certified educators; counselors; and administrators. Anyone or a group may nominate an educator to receive the award.

The award is sponsored by the Community Education Coalition and the IUPUC Center for Teaching and Learning. Traditionally, the award is presented at the Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting.

You can find nomination forms at the IUPUC Center for Teaching and Learning, the Bartholomew Consolidated administrative offices and in the main offices of schools in the county. You can also find a link to download a form here.

The deadline for nominations is 4 in the afternoon on Friday, January 21st.

The Bartholomew County Health Department is announcing a community immunization clinic on Saturday, Jan. 15th at Columbus North High School.

The Indiana Immunization Coalition will be vaccinating with all of the vaccine doses recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. The clinic will check your entry in the state immunization registry to see what vaccines you need. You can decline any vaccine, but you need to contact the coalition two days before the event to do so.

You should bring your insurance cards and the clinic will bill all insurances. If you do not have insurance, there will be no cost, except for the shingles vaccine. Medicare also often requires a copay for the shingles vaccine.

The clinic will be held in the cafeteria from 9 to 11 the morning of Jan. 15th.

You can register here, with enrollment code IN65942 and choosing Columbus North-1/15.

Flooding continues on East Fork White River at Seymour although the river is on its way down.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis has issued a flood warning for the river that is in effect until Wednesday. Minor flooding is happening and minor flooding is forecast.

The river was at 14.2 feet this morning, down from Monday’s crest of 15.58 feet That is just more than two feet above the minor flood stage of 12 feet.

Current river gauge predictions show the river dropping out of the minor flood stage by early Wednesday morning and returning to normal levels by Friday.

Centra Credit Union donated nearly $13,000 to support Bartholomew County organizations during this year’s Holiday Giving Program.

The program makes contributions to not-for-profit groups providing toys for children in need during the holidays. Contributions for the donations came from members of the credit union, team members and community members.

The fund donated $4,331 each to Columbus Fireman’s Cheer Fund, Salvation Army in Columbus and the Columbus Shop with a Cop program.

Throughout the communities it serves, Centra raised more than $48,287 for 13 organizations.

Other area groups to receive funds included, the Shelbyville Salvation Army, Decatur County and Brown County Shop with a Cop programs, the Fraternal Order of Police Cops & Kids program in Jackson County and the Good Samaritan Food Pantry in North Vernon.

An Indiana State Police trooper originally from Jackson County is being promoted to the rank of sergeant in the agency’s state canine division.

Master Trooper Christopher Richey was recently promoted after serving with police dogs since 2005. His first police dog, Heiko, retired in 2012. His current canine partner, Rayner, is nearly 11 years old.

A graduate of Brownstown High School, Richey served in the U.S. Air Force for 8 years. He graduated from the Indiana State Police Academy in 2000, and was assigned to the Versailles State Police Post. He became a dog trainer in 2014 and a master trainer in 2017. He was transferred to the Special Operations Division in 2019 to serve as a full-time master trainer.

In his new position, he will continue to train and to certify police dogs from the state police and other police agencies throughout Indiana.

Richey now lives in Franklin County with his wife and two children.