Former Vice President Mike Pence, a Columbus native, says there are “modest reforms” that can be made to entitlements, while speaking in Washington, DC over the weekend,

Pence said he believes the day could come when the U.S. replaces the New Deal with a better deal. He floated the idea of giving younger Americans the ability to take part of their Social Security withholdings and put that into a private savings account. This comes as Republican leaders in the House have said they will not touch entitlements in their quest to cut federal spending.

Pence is visiting South Carolina today. He’ll meet with law enforcement in the Charleston area, including North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess. Pence is then expected to meet with businesses and civic leaders in Myrtle Beach. This is the former Vice President’s ninth visit to the Palmetto state since leaving office.

Pence is seen as a possible contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

Story courtesy of TTWN Media Networks Inc.

File photo

A Seymour man is dead after a standoff with the Jennings County SWAT team on Friday afternoon.

According to the Indiana State Police, the team attempted to serve an arrest warrant in the 4000 block of West County Road 175N at about 2:30 p.m. Friday afternoon. But the wanted man, 29-year-old Devin C. Lark ran from officers. As he fled he pulled handgun and refused to drop it when deputies ordered him to do so. A deputy fired a single shot, hitting Lark.

Deputies provided treatment to Lark and an ambulance took him to St. Vincent-Jennings Hospital in North Vernon, where he was soon pronounced dead.

Lark was wanted on many felony warrants from both Jennings and Clark counties, according to police.

A second man at the home was arrested on an unrelated charge.

Indiana State Police are investigating the incident at the request of the sheriff’s department.

Photo courtesy of Indiana State Police.

The Columbus Fire Department is announcing the promotion of three firefighters to fill recent vacancies left by retirements.

According to the department, Lt. Leroy Armstrong has been promoted to the rank of Captain. Armstrong is a nineteen-year veteran of the fire department and was promoted to lieutenant in 2019.

Firefighter Allen James has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant. James has served fifteen years with the Columbus Fire Department.

Firefighter Jarrad Mullis has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Mullis has served nine years with the Columbus Fire Department.

February 26th is College Goal Sunday for college-bound students at Indiana schools. And there will be locations in Columbus and Franklin to get help filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

The FAFSA is required for students to be considered for financial aid including grants, scholarships, and student loans. It must be filed by April 15 to be eligible for Indiana financial aid.

College Goal Sunday will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 26th  in Columbus at IUPUC on Central Avenue and in Franklin at Ivy Tech Community College on McClain Drive. Financial aid professionals will be on hand to walk participants through the filing process.

Students and their parents or guardians should bring their 2021 completed 1040 tax returns, plus other income and benefits information from 2021. If the student worked, they should also bring tax and income information. Students older than 24 may attend alone.

Students who attend College Goal Sunday and submit a completed evaluation form will be entered in a drawing for one of five $1,000 scholarships.

You can get more information or find other sites at CollegeGoalSunday.org.

A North Vernon man is under arrest, accused of carrying a gun into a school to test gun policies.

According to reports from the North Vernon police department, officers were called to North Vernon Elementary School at about 11:20 a.m. Thursday morning after a man brought the gun to the main office and showed it to staff. Witnesses said he asked about the policies for bringing guns into schools.

The man, identified as 47-year-old Eric E. Smith, was escorted outside and authorities say that he never got farther into the building than the office area, and was never near any students.

Police interviewed Smith and his wife. They said that about two weeks ago, Smith and his wife discussed his plans to bring a gun into the school to address the policies with staff members. She told him at the time that she thought it was a bad idea. Police recovered the firearm from the couple’s home.

Smith was arrested on preliminary felony charges of possession of a firearm on school property and intimidation. He is also banned from all Jennings County schools.

Police say that although Indiana lawmakers enacted a Constitutional Carry law which allows residents to carry a handgun without a permit, there are still areas where weapons are restricted. That includes school properties and police say that those laws will be enforced, warning of strict consequences for violations.

The deadline is today at noon if you want to file to run for municipal elections in Indiana.

In Columbus, there will be races for nine council seats, mayor and the new city clerk position.

In filings for city offices so far, Republican Christopher Bartels and Democrat Nick Slabaugh are seeking the District 1 seat. Incumbent Democrat Elaine Hilber and Republican Victoria Griffin filed to run for City Council in District 2. Incumbent Democrat Jerone Wood, along with Democrats Tony Hayden, Michael Kinder and Republican Sue Norman-Chapple have filed for District 3. Republican incumbent Frank Miller has filed for the District 4 seat and Democrat Dewayne Fillmore and Republican Kent Anderson have filed for council district 5.

Incumbent Democrats Tom Dell and Grace Kestler have filed to run again for an at-large seats on the council. Republicans seeking the at-large seats include Josh Burnett, Alex Engelbert and Chris Rutan.

No one has yet filed for the District 6 seat on the council.

Incumbent Clerk-Treasurer Luann Welmer and Democrat Quisha Jackson have filed to run for city clerk.

Republicans Mary Ferdon and Milo Smith have filed to run for Columbus mayor. Republican Matt Myers and Democrat Sean Webster had filed to run for the mayor’s office but have since withdrawn.

You can file by noon today at the Bartholomew County Clerk’s Voter Registration office in the courthouse.

The FBI will search former Vice President Mike Pence’s Indiana home for more classified material.

The Wall Street Journal reports the search will occur in the coming days as the DOJ is in talks with Pence’s legal team. This comes after Pence’s attorneys recently disclosed several documents with classified markings were found at his home and later turned over to authorities. Attorneys said the documents were inadvertently packed up and transported to the home. The Justice Department is also currently investigating President Biden and former President Trump’s handling of classified material.

Senators are calling on the Attorney General and National Intelligence Director for access to documents found in President Biden and former Vice President Pence’s homes. Democratic Senator Mark Warner and Republican Senator Marco Rubio wrote a letter following up on a 2022 request they made for access to documents seized from Trump’s Florida home. Now, they’re extending that request to Biden and Pence’s documents.

Story courtesy of our news-gathering partners at TTWN Media Networks Inc.

The National Weather Service is warning of bitterly cold wind chills through this morning.

According to the Indianapolis office, we could see wind chills as low as -10 this morning with wind chills in the single digits all day.

Temperatures are expected to remain in the 20s later today, but wind gusts of up to 25 mph are going to make it feel colder.

The agency suggests that you dress in layers if you are going out.

A Bloomington man is being sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for distributing fentanyl from a source in California.

23-year-old Jacob Magness, was sentenced for possessing and distributing fentanyl and other controlled substances. The case began in November of 2021 when U.S. Postal inspectors found a suspicious package with a non-existent return address coming to Magness’ Bloomington residence. Indiana State Police searched the package and found it contained more than 210 grams of fentanyl pills, 110 grams of counterfeit Xanax pills, and 4 grams of LSD gel. A search of his home recovered more than $2,200 in cash, fentanyl pills, ecstasy pills, cocaine, 11 firearms, and high-capacity magazines.

Columbus fireman Glenn “Skeeter” Martin is retiring after 29 years with the department.

According to the Columbus Fire Department, Martin joined the department in 1994 and his retirement was official Wednesday. He was assigned to Fire Station #6 on Battalion C. He is certified as a EMT and as a hazardous materials technician.