Columbus Regional Health will be offering free breast health screening exams on Saturday.

According to the hospital, the event is for those whose insurance does not cover the cost of breast screenings. Columbus Regional Health Breast Health Services will be offering the exams to detect possible breast cancer and to provide referrals for follow-up mammograms for those who need them.

According to the hospital, if detected early, 95 percent of breast cancer cases can be successfully treated.

CRH says you should consider signing up if you are over 40 and:

• Have not had a breast exam or mammogram within the last 12 months.
• Do not have health insurance or my insurance does not cover screenings.
• Do not have a pre-existing breast condition
• Have not been treated for breast cancer in the past 5 years.

The event will be from 8 a.m. to noon at Columbus Regional Health General Surgery, at 2325 18th Street.

To take part you do need to register. You can sign up by calling 812.376.5136.

Local government offices will be closed Monday due to the Veterans Day holiday.

Despite that, the Columbus Department of Public Works says that trash and recycling routes will be running on their normal schedule.

You should make sure to have your Toters to the curb by 7 a.m.

You can get more information on the city of Columbus web page at columbus dot IN dot gov by clicking on public works, or on the Curbcycle or Columbus Collects apps.

Columbus City Utilities offices will also be closed on Monday. If you have a problem with your water or sewer service, please call 812-372-8861 and follow the prompts.

The Columbus/Bartholomew Recycling Center, Bartholomew County Solid Waste Management District Offices, and the Commercial Cardboard Program will also be closed for the holiday. The Bartholomew County Landfill will be open normal hours, 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, on Monday.

In Seymour, the Department of Public Works will be closed on Monday. All trash and recycling routes normally run on Monday, will instead be collected on Tuesday.

State Sen. Greg Walker is touting $5.7 million in funding for local roads announced today through the Community Crossings Matching Grant Program.

According to Walker, a Columbus Republican, the goal of the program is to to advance community infrastructure projects, strengthen local transportation networks and improve Indiana’s roads and bridges. Local grants include:

• $1.4 million each to Edinburgh, Greenwood and Johnson County.
• Franklin $611,247
• Columbus  $297,673
• Hartsville  $204,551
• Hope  $112,092
• Bartholomew County $150,600

Through the program, the Indiana Department of Transportation matches up to $1.5 million annually to local communities.. The percentage of the matching grant varies by the size of the community, with smaller communities putting up 25 percent of the funds, while larger communities are a 50 percent match.

The next call for applications will be in January.

The Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce and the IU Columbus Division of Business will be holding their annual Economic Outlook Panel and Luncheon next week.

The event brings in experts from IU faculty and the Kelley School of Business to forecast the 2025 economic conditions.

Proceeds from the Columbus event support scholarships for business students at Indiana University Columbus. Individual tickets are $40

The event will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Commons. You can buy tickets or get more information at https://business.columbusareachamber.com/events/details/economic-outlook-for-2025-5586

A police search for armed robbery suspects that began in Kentucky ended in a police chase and crash in Jennings County.

According to the Indiana State Police, Indiana dispatchers were contacted at about 10:40 p.m. Wednesday night by Bullitt County Kentucky deputies who asked Indiana officers to be on the lookout for two suspects in a stolen pickup that was believed to be in Scottsburg. Scottsburg police and Scott County deputies found the suspects in a fast-food restaurant parking lot. And when the suspects saw the officers, they took off, ending up heading north on State Road 3 into Jefferson and then Jennings counties at nearly 100mph.

Troopers used a maneuver to drive the truck off the road near County Road 650S. The driver, 45-year-old Daniel York of Evansville, attempted to run from the scene but was caught  by officers with the Austin Police Department. A passenger, 62-year-old Everett Kline from Wheelersburg, Ohio was taken into custody.

Both had outstanding warrants and are facing charges for possessing stolen property and a stolen vehicle. York is also being accused of Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle with endangerment, reckless driving injuring a passenger and operating a vehicle while impaired.

Cummins is celebrating the reopening of its Worldwide Technical Center Hub Office Tower visible just across Haw Creek from Central Avenue in downtown Columbus.

The center on McKinley Avenue has been closed for renovations since 2021. Originally completed in 1968, the tower was designed by Harry Weese. The addition of the tower more than doubled the number of engine test cells available to the company, providing engineers with what the company called “a world-class facility to develop world-class innovations.”

The center is a six-story tower, with 72,000 square feet of office space on five floors. The renovation included a new staircase, two social hubs, gender-neutral restrooms, nursing rooms, quiet spaces, soft lab zones and 90 conference rooms. Architects for the renovation were HOK of St. Louis, Missouri, with construction F.A. Wilhelm Construction Co., Inc., of Indianapolis.

Cummins Chair and CEO Jennifer Rumsey said “Much of the research and development for our next-generation power solutions start right here in this very hub…”

Company officials said the completion allows the company to have engineers, technical specialists and innovators together again under the same roof working as a coordinated team.

A ribbon cutting was held Wednesday.

Photo: Left to right, Congressman Greg Pence; Tim Frazier, Cummins Vice President – Research & Technology; Lucia Lopez, Cummins Americas Tech Ops Supply Chain Manager; Jennifer Rumsey, Cummins Chair and Chief Executive Officer; Brett Merritt, Cummins Vice President and President – Engine Business; Indiana State Representative Ryan Lauer; Columbus Mayor Mary Ferdon; and Jonathan White, Cummins Vice President – Engine Business Engineering. Photo courtesy of Cummins

Outgoing Columbus Congressman Greg Pence was honored on election night by Bartholomew County Republicans.

Bartholomew County Treasurer Barb Hackman thanked Pence for his service to the country and especially to Bartholomew County. She said the community is going to miss having one of the Pence brothers in Washington DC. Prior to Greg Pence holding the seat, it was held by his younger brother Mike Pence who went on to be elected as Indiana governor and vice [resident.

Pence said one of the best part of being in Congress is when local students come to the Capitol to visit.

Pence thanked his wife Denice, saying that as Congressman he spent nearly six months of every year in Washington DC. He said he couldn’t have done it without her.

Pence chose to retire at the end of this year after three terms in Congress.

Photo: Outgoing Congressman Greg Pence and his wife Denice at the Tuesday night Bartholomew County Republican gathering. White River Broadcasting photo.

Products from several area companies have advanced to the second round of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s Coolest Thing Made IN Indiana contest.

Initially 90 products from 50 communities were nominated for the fourth annual competition. The first round of voting ended Tuesday night.

Local products making it to the second round of the competition are Hiker Trailers and the Déjà Vu Art and Fine Craft Show from Columbus, Honda’s Indiana Auto Plant in Greensburg, Guardian Bikes and SpaceGuard Products in Seymour, Hard Truth Whiskey Co and Bear Wallow Distillery in Nashville, Marion-Kay Spices in Brownstown and Endress+Hauser in Greenwood.

Companies do not need to be headquartered in Indiana to enter, but the product must be manufactured here. Guardian Bikes and Hard Truth made it to the semi-final round last year and Hiker Trailers made it into the final 16.

The second round of voting started Wednesday and will last through Monday. The finals will wrap up December 5th with the winner announced at the 2024 Best IN Manufacturing Awards Luncheon on December 11 in Indianapolis.

You can find a link for more information and to cast your vote here: www.indianachamber.com/coolestthing

Hoosier Ag Today has a new executive. The company which produces farm new reports that air daily on our White River Broadcasting stations has appointed Eric Pfeiffer to be president as of January 1st. The company’s founder and current president Gary Truitt will become chairman of the board of directors. Truitt created the company in 2006.

Pfeiffer, who has been with the company since 2018, will be responsible for all aspects of company operation including Hoosier Ag Today, Michigan Ag Today,, web portals, mobile apps, and social media platforms. Pfeiffer said the company’s mission will continue to “provide timely, relevant, and credible information to our farmer listeners and those who support them…” Hoosier Ag Today broadcasts on 75 radio stations and Michigan Ag Today has a 33 station network.

With the change in leadership, the company headquarters will move from Zionsville to West Lafayette.

First Christian Church and the Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center are taking orders for Thanksgiving meals to be delivered.

Deliveries to Bartholomew County homes can be arranged with a limit of six meals per household. The deadline to register is Monday, Nov. 25th by 4 p.m. and the meals will be delivered on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28th.

You can make arrangements to have meals delivered by calling First Christian’s office at 812-379-4491. If you are interested in volunteering or need any further information, you can call Lincoln Central Neighborhood Family enter at 812- 379-1630.

First Christian Church photo courtesy of Landmark Columbus Foundation.