Jennings County deputies are investigating the theft of a 2019 Honda Talon ATV last seen at about 7 p.m. Wednesday in the 300 Block of East County Road 800S.
It is lime green and has a design of Dr. Seuss’s Grinch character’s face on the hood.
If you have any information you can contact the Jennings County Central Dispatch at 812-345-4911.
Workers at the downtown Columbus Dairy Queen were able to extinguish a fire in a fryer minimizing damage to the restaurant Thursday morning.
According to Columbus Fire Department reports, firefighters were called to the restaurant on Third Street about the fire at 8:43 a.m. Thursday. The fire had already been extinguished when firefighters arrived.
Witnesses said the fire started in the food fryers after they were turned on for the start of business. An employee put the fire out with a dry chemical fire extinguisher before flames could reach the fire suppression hood system.
Firefighters ventilated the smoke from the restaurant. There were no visible damages.
The Bartholomew County Local Emergency Planning Committee, along with Brown and Monroe counties, finished a tabletop exercise Wednesday on a simulated response to a hazardous materials situation in the county.
According to the Bartholomew County Emergency Management Department, the simulation is a discussion-based exercise that lets responders talk through a scenario and the response to an incident. The agencies worked together to mitigate a simulated large-scale hazardous materials incident.
Organizers say this is the first of a multi-year exercise process to ensure local plans and procedures allow for the most effective and safe response to an incident.
Among the Bartholomew County agencies taking part were the county E911, emergency management and health departments, Columbus Regional Health medics and the hospital, Columbus fire, police, utilities, and public works departments. The Columbus Township Fire Department, Bartholomew Consolidated Schools, Mariah Foods, Cummins, American Red Cross and the Louisville & Indiana railroad also took part.
Indiana Department of Homeland Security and the Environmental Protection Agency for Region 5 also participated.
Columbus police and Bartholomew County deputies are kicking off 30 years of the DARE program in local schools this week.
Locally, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program is a 10 week effort dedicated to providing an anti-drug message to area 6th-grade students.
Lt. Matt Harris with the Columbus Police Department explains:
Harris has said that police believe DARE is a vital tool to reach kids with the anti-drug message, and to build trust between the community and officers.
Columbus has one of the largest DARE programs in the state and each year the department spends between $15 and $20,000 dollars for the program, according to police. All of the funding comes from donations and fundraisers.
The department holds a golf outing in early August to raise funds for the program and in recent years started a summer Blue Line motorcycle ride to raise money, although that was canceled this year.
If you want more information on local DARE efforts or how to make a donation, you can contact the Columbus Police Department at 812-376-2600
Two people were arrested on drug charges at a Seventh Street home after an investigation by Columbus police Tuesday afternoon
According to Columbus Police Department reports, officers noticed 38-year-old Jared A. Harris and 26-year-old Kyla R. Wicker, both of Columbus, entering a home in the 1400 block of Seventh Street at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Police recognized there was a no contact order between them.
Police spoke to the two at the home and noticed a glass pipe containing white residue visible inside.
The two were detained while police obtained a search warrant. Police discovered about 100 grams of methamphetamine, a .45 caliber handgun, a small amount of heroin, marijuana, legend drugs and drug paraphernalia.
Harris is facing preliminary charges of dealing in and possessing methamphetamine, possession of a handgun by a serious violent felon, and invasion of privacy as well as for possessing a legend drug injection device, cocaine or a narcotic drug, drug paraphernalia, marijuana and a legend drug.
Wicker is accused of possession of methamphetamine and of drug paraphernalia.
The Bartholomew County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team assisted with this ongoing investigation.
Columbus Congressman Greg Pence is opposing President Biden’s plan to forgive some student loan debt.
President Biden announced yesterday that he’ll forgive $10,000 of student loan debt if you have never had a Pell Grant and $20,000 in forgiveness if a person did get a Pell Grant. The forgiveness only applies to those making under $125,000 dollars.
The plan would also cap income-based repayment plans at 5% and remove added interest for those under such a repayment plan.
Pence said that the plan does not cancel student loan debt. Instead, he said “It forces Hoosiers – whether you took out loans or not – to finance someone else’s college education.”
Further, Pence called it political pandering during an election season.
The filing period ends tomorrow for those seeking election in November to local school board races and many of the seats are now contested.
In Bartholomew Consolidated Schools, the Districts 1, 2, 4 and 6 seats are up for election. In Flat Rock-Hawcreek Schools, both the Flat Rock and Hawcreek Districts are up for election this fall.
Since last week, Jason A. Major has filed for the BCSC School Board District 1 seat, Dona Lynn Owings and Roy West are running for the BCSC District 2 seat. Eric Grow is seeking the District 4 seat and Mark Douglas is running for District 6.
In Flat Rock-Hawcreek Schools, Chad Miller is seeking re-election to the Flatrock District seat.
The filing period runs through Friday.
Columbus Regional Health is partnering with IUPUC to be the school’s exclusive provider of sports medicine and athletic training services, they announced this week.
IUPUC will host dedicated certified athletic training services to support the school athletes in a variety of sports. The partnership will also extend to services such as injury screening and management. The athletes will have access to the orthopedics and sports medicine specialty providers and staff at CRH.
Todd Hostetler, Columbus Regional Health Wellness manager said the hospital is proud “to be a part of the development of collegiate athletics in Columbus and look forward to the opportunity to provide immediate sports medicine care to these athletes.”
The Bartholomew Consolidated School board this week recognized the district’s teacher of the year, Veronica Buckler from CSA New Tech High School.
Buckler thanked her husband for his support and for assuring her that she is doing great things.
Buckler joined BCSC in 2016 as a facilitator at CSA New Tech. She has taught English/ Language Arts, World History and U.S. History.
She received her bachelors degree from Ball State University and in 2014, she received her masters from Earlham College. She is currently enrolled at the University of Indianapolis for a masters in English.
Buckler will represent BCSC as the district nominee for the Indiana State Teacher of The Year.
The Bartholomew Consolidated School Foundation presented Buckler with a $500 check to go with the award.
The attorney for a Shelbyville woman accused of abandoning her nonverbal autistic child along a road near Cincinnati says a plea agreement is coming.
Investigators say that Heather Adkins dropped the 5-year-old off in February and drove away. He was later rescued by strangers who took him to authorities. In court yesterday, Adkins lawyer said a deal has been worked out with opposing counsel though terms have not been released and Adkins has yet to sign-off.
Story courtesy of TTWN Media Networks Inc.