The city of Columbus is welcoming its newest police officer. Elijsha Munn was sworn in yesterday morning by Mayor Mary Ferdon.

Munn is originally from Maryland and after graduating high school he studied criminal justice. He began working as a correctional office at St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office before becoming a patrol deputy. He served as a field training officer and a member of the community’s emergency response team.

Munn will now undergo training with Columbus Police instructors and the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, to transition his certification from Maryland to Indiana.

Photo: New Columbus Police Officer Elijsha Munn was sworn in Monday morning by Mayor Mary Ferdon. Photo courtesy of Columbus Police Department.

The city of Columbus Christmas tree has arrived at City Hall.

According to Jody Coffman, spokeswoman for the city, the tree was owned by Dave and Eileen Von Fange, who live near Walesboro. It is a Norwegian Spruce and it was around 36 feet tall before it was cut down.

The tree arrived at Columbus City Hall after a caravan up Jonesville Road yesterday morning.

Photo: Columbus City Hall Christmas Tree file photo courtesy of Hadley Fruits for Landmark Columbus via Columbus Area Visitors Center

Bartholomew County’s Black and Black-Biracial education community will be unveiling a new logo on Thursday afternoon, meant to symbolize unity in the community.

According to organizers, the Community Education Coalition has been working for two years to promote equality and to close the achievement gap for black and black biracial youth. The community effort will now be called Umoja which means unity and is one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa.

Activities surrounding the logo unveiling will be going on from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday afternoon at Columbus City Hall. In addition to the logo events, there will be meet and greet events and networking with Black city board and committee members including City Councilman Jerone Wood. Students will be able to earn credits toward 21st Century Scholars extracurricular activities with tours of City Hall and career exploration. There will be refreshments from Stunna Meal and the Lemonade Boys. And black and black bi-racial students will receive T-shirts and other free gear.

The unveiling will take place at 5 p.m.

Jackson and Jennings County police and deputies are taking part in a holiday season enforcement blitz against aggressive and impaired driving.

The Seymour Traffic Safety Partnership and Jennings County Sheriff’s Department are announcing that they taking part in the Safe Family Travel campaign, lasting through the holidays.

The campaign focuses on discouraging impaired and aggressive driving, and proper use of seat belts. Officers will be working overtime conducting sobriety checkpoints and extra patrols.

The campaign is funded with grants provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.

The Seymour Traffic Safety Partnership includes the city police, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and the Crothersville Police Department. Last week, the Decatur County Traffic Safety Partnership also announced they are taking part in the campaign.

If you suspect you have encountered an impaired or unsafe driver on the road, you are encouraged to call 911.

Bartholomew County authorities are hiring an accounting and legal firm to help sort out a problem with the IRS.

The County Commissioners agreed yesterday morning to contract with Ice Miller LLP to sort out a problem that has dragged on for more than six years.

Commissioners President Larry Kleinhenz said that the county has an outstanding issue with the IRS dating back to 2018 amounting to more more than $300,000.  He said the IRS is taking funds from the county’s withheld income tax deposits and applying them to a penalty, and began diverting the funds without notice. The supposed penalty has caused late fees for non-payment of current withholding due to the funds being re-routed.

County Auditor Pia O’Conner said it isn’t clear how much the county owes or for what.

Kleinhenz said other counties have had similar issues and after meeting with the state board of accounts, Bartholomew County officials believe that proper procedures were followed. He also said county officials are under a non-disclosure agreement and can’t say much about the situation.

The goal of hiring the firm is to get the penalties negotiated and reduced.

A draft version of a report on homelessness in Bartholomew County says about 140 people a night are looking for a place to sleep.

According to the report from the United Way of Bartholomew County, of those people homeless in Columbus, about 80 are staying in shelters such as Brighter Days, Horizon House, or Turning Point, The remaining 60 are camping or sleeping in their cars. The report says that the number does not include families temporarily staying with relatives or friends.

Mark Stewart, president of the local United Way explains.

Stewart explains that the root causes of persistent homelessness are difficult to address

Stewart said that across the nation, the homeless population has become more visible in recent ears. That has led to a greater awareness and desire for the community to help.

One of the main drivers of the homelessness here is a lack of affordable housing, which would be rent below $700 a month.

There will be a community forum to look for solutions coming up on Wednesday evening. That will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on November 20 at Yes Cinema at Fourth and Jackson Streets. You can get more information and read the draft report at uwbarthco.org.

Schneck Medical Center in Seymour has earned high marks from a group focused on patient safety.

According to the Seymour hospital, Schneck has earned an A grade from the Leapfrog Group, the highest grade the group gives. The group is a watchdog organization that ranks hospitals based on more than 30 performance measures. Those measures look at a hospital’s errors, accidents, injuries and infections and what the hospital does to prevent them.

Leapfrog says preventable medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day in the United States. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

Eric Fish, President/CEO of Schneck said the recognition reflects the “dedication of our team to provide safe, high-quality care to every patient who walks through our doors.”

You can find  more information here: HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

Jennings County deputies recently took part in a sting operation aimed at businesses selling vaping products to middle and high school aged students.

According to the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, the operation started after Jennings County school administrators raised concerns with a school resource officer about local gas stations selling the products to children. Students had been caught with vapes in the schools and had been disciplined.

The department set up the sting operations at every gas station in the county, where undercover officers watched a child try to buy the tobacco products. Tellers at six locations made the sales and were cited for furnishing tobacco to minors. The Jennings County Sheriff’s Office also partnered with Indiana State Excise Police and cited each individual business in Excise court, where they face a three day suspension of their tobacco licenses.

Sheriff Kenny Freeman said he found it alarming that children as young as middle schoolers were sold tobacco product. He said his hope was that none of the businesses had made the sales.

Freeman, School Resource Officer Matt Miller along with deputies Michael Watts and Chris Amis took part in the operations.

Eastern Bartholomew Water Corporation has issued boil water advisories for customers in two separate areas of the county.

According to the water company, a boil water advisory is in effect for the Wehmeier Addition. That is in effect until noon on Monday. The second advisory is for some customers in Elizabethtown, that is in effect until noon on Tuesday. Those customers are in the area on County Road 700S between 450E and 500E.

Under a boil water advisory, you should bring water to a full boil for three to five minutes before drinking it or using it in food preparation.

If you have any questions you can call the utility at 812-526-9777.

A Columbus police officer is being recognized for his work with the DARE program over the years.

According to the Columbus Police Department, Lt. Matt Harris has been named as the DARE Indiana Law Enforcement Executive of the Year. The honor recognizes Harris for his commitment to educating and empowering community youth through the DARE program.

Harris taught DARE for 22 years and the nomination highlighted his dedication, leadership, and positive influence in our schools and community. The department congratulated Harris for “his lasting impact on the lives of countless young people in our community.”

Harris was presented with the award at a ceremony Thursday at the Indiana State Capitol.

Photo: Columbus Police Lt. Matt Harris, center, with State Rep. Craig Haggard and DARE Indiana Board President Dalton Thieneman. Photo courtesy of Columbus Police Department.