A former NBA star was arrested in Jackson County over the weekend.

Former Chicago Bulls player Rajon Rondo was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail Sunday on gun and drug charges.

Indiana State Police pulled Rondo over and when they approached his car they smelled marijuana. That gave them cause to search his vehicle. They found small amounts of pot and a gun. The gun was a violation of a protective order in a case involving a Louisville woman who he was accused of threatening  in 2022.

Authorities say he immediately posted bail.

Story courtesy of Network Indiana.

Part of a $500,000 grant from the state will allow the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County and Ivy Tech to start an apprenticeship program for recovery residence house managers.

The Southeast Indiana Workforce Investment Board announced the initiative yesterday,with the grant funds coming through the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction, The investment board area includes Bartholomew, Dearborn, Decatur, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Ohio, Ripley, and Switzerland counties.

The apprenticeship program is the first of its kind in the state. It will be a year long program and participants will receive certification as a Recovery Residence House Manager. The goal is to develop the skills needed to supervise, support, and coach recovery house residents effectively.

Sherri Jewett, Executive Director of ASAP said the group was excited to develop the training program. She said that it “will result in improved outcomes for those that participate in recovery residence programs as well as provide employment opportunities for those in recovery.”

Some of the funds will also go to expand the substance abuse recovery system in the area with a peer recovery network. The workforce investment board will partner with Mental Health America of Indiana for the intiatiative to build the network. Organizers say the peer recovery system is a good career fit for those in recovery who want to help others through their recovery journey. Demand for those services is expected to grow by as much as 20 percent over the next decade.

The grant money comes through the American Rescue Plan Act funds.

A Columbus man is facing charges after allegedly driving a car at more than 110 mph on Indianapolis Road.

According to the Columbus Police Department, officers noticed the vehicle speeding on Indianapolis Road near Lowell Road at about 12:40 a.m. Saturday morning. The officer clocked the vehicle at 111 mph in the 55 mph zone. As the officer tried to pull the vehicle over, the driver turned off his headlights, continuing to head south on Indianapolis Road.

Columbus Police and Bartholomew County deputies stopped the vehicle near Third and Lindsey Streets. The driver, 24-year-old Kolby A. Mitchell appeared to have bloodshot and glassy eyes and police say that they could smell a strong odor of alcohol. After failing several field sobriety tests, a breath test revealed a blood alcohol content of .137 percent.

Mitchell is facing charges of:

• Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated (Endangerment)
• Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle
• Reckless Driving
• Criminal Recklessness

Indiana State Police troopers had a circus on their hands Saturday morning, or at least part of one.

According to the agency, an officer noticed a truck on fire at just after 2 a.m. Saturday morning on Interstate 69 in Grant County. The driver had already escaped the burning vehicle but said that the truck was transporting animals from the Shrine Circus and they were trapped inside the burning trailer. Trooper Edward Titus, Grant County Deputy Joshua Kennedy and a member of the circus crew entered the trailer and freed the animals which included five zebras, four camels and a miniature horse.

Neither the driver nor the animals were injured. Titus and Kennedy were treated at a local hospital for smoke inhalation but released.

Other officers corralled the animals until more circus trucks could arrive.

Troopers believe an equipment failure started the fire.

Photo courtesy of Indiana State Police

Note: This story ahs been updated

Authorities say that a shooting in Salem that left a man dead early Sunday morning was self defense.

According to the Washington County prosecutor, no formal charges will be filed against 24-year-old Blake H. Henry of Salem. According to Indiana State Police, troopers and town police responded to a report of a shooting at a home at just after midnight. 29-year-old Jacob R. Mitchell of Salem was found dead.

The prosecutor said that the investigation and interviews with Henry and two women in the home revealed that Henry had been battered several times already by Mitchell and that Mitchell had battered one of the women along with breaking a glass cabinet. Mitchell was charging at Henry again when the fatal shots were fired.

The prosecutor’s office says that Henry was allowing Mitchell to stay at the home after he had gotten into trouble over domestic violence against his girlfriend. He had also been convicted of domestic battery last year in a separate incident.

Henry was initially arrested on a preliminary murder charge, but Indiana law provides that a citizen has a right to defend themselves and third parties, according to the prosecutor.

Original story below:

Authorities are investigating a shooting in Salem that left a man dead early Sunday morning.

According to Indiana State Police, troopers and town police responded to a report of a shooting at a home at just after midnight. 29-year-old Jacob R. Mitchell of Salem was found dead.

A man and two women were in the home at the time of the shooting. All three were taken in for questioning. According to investigators, the shooting came after a domestic dispute.

The other man at the the home, 24-year-old Blake H. Henry of Salem was arrested on a charge of murder and taken to the Washington County Jail.

A reminder that the city of Columbus is holding a workshop today to educate the public and new city officials on tax increment financing districts and how they work.

The TIF District 101 session will explain how TIF funds are captured, financing options for TIF funds, and a preview of legislation related to TIF districts.

After establishing a tax increment financing district and setting a baseline for property taxes, an Indiana community then siphons off rising property tax revenues in future years, which are held for redevelopment in that particular area of the community.

The information session will be from 4 to 5:30 p.m. today at Columbus City Hall.

You could see lane restrictions on Interstate 65 starting today as crews work at exits in Jackson County.

According to INDOT, crews will be alternating reducing northbound and southbound I-65 to one lane and closing on-ramps for bridge repair work. That will be at the bridges over U.S. 50 at Seymour and over U.S. 31 at Crothersville.

The work is scheduled from 9 to 3 p.m. today through Thursday. The work schedule is dependent on the weather.

INDOT asks that you slow down, drive without distractions and be alert to worker safety in all work zones.

The town of Hope will be holding Groundhog Day festivities on the Town Square on Friday morning, featuring the groundhog Hope, a resident of Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators. This is the 11th year for the festivities in the northeastern Bartholomew County community and the fourth year for Hope the groundhog to take part.

Music will begin and the crowd will start gathering at 8 a.m. with the groundhog ceremonies at 8:30 a.m. Afterwards warm drinks and snacks will be available at Willow Leaves on the north side of the Town Square.

Organizers say that the event will be held in rain, snow or freezing temperatures. It is organized by Main Street of Hope and Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators with help from Indiana Main Street and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.

Photo courtesy Main Street of Hope.

A Seymour man is being accused of sexually assaulting a child after an investigation by police.

According to the Seymour Police Department, officers received word last week that a 9-year-old girl had been sexually assaulted by a man that lived at her same address.

Investigators interviewed the girl at Susie’s Place Child Advocacy Center in Bloomington. On Wednesday, after interviewing the suspect, 31-year-old Pablo Fernandez-Ortega, he was arrested on a felony charge of child molesting and taken to the Jackson County Jail.

A state preservation organization is praising the work done to rehabilitate the Crump Theatre in downtown Columbus.

Indiana Landmarks celebrated the progress as it looked back on several buildings that had been on the group’s most endangered places list. The Crump was named to the list in 2019, five years after it was shut down to due to fire and safety concerns by emergency officials.

The organization says that a rotted roof was letting weather into the building and sections of ceilings and walls had collapsed. Mildew, bird droppings, graffiti and trash littered the inside of the building that was a former opera house turned Art Deco movie theater.

The Save the Crump campaign began repairs with donated materials and labor, and $160,000 from the Columbus Capital Foundation, which owns the building. Hundreds of volunteers cleaned and renovated the building from top to bottom. The work included replacing the roof, adding new marquee panels, repairing plaster, and conserving a mural in the lobby.

The building was able to receive an entertainment permit in August, allowing it to reopen. Since then the Crump has hosted events ranging from movies to concerts and a boxing tournament.

Jess Schnepp, project manager for the theater rehabilitation told Indiana Landmarks that being able to hold events again has been extremely rewarding. She said the response has been phenomenal.

You can find more information on the Crump Theatre Instagram or their Facebook page.

Photo courtesy of Crump Theatre