Two people are facing charges stemming from a road rage incident last week on Interstate 65 in southeastern Indiana. I

ndiana State Police say two vehicles sideswiped each other after speeding up and slowing down in Clark County on I-65 last Friday afternoon. The drivers exchanged hand gestures and displayed handguns at each other, before pulling off at the Henryville exit. After getting out of their vehicles, 30-year-old Kasey Haven of Salem allegedly fired four shots striking 64-year-old Ricky Hill in the arm. Hill was taken to the University of Louisville Hospital to be treated for the gunshot wound. Haven and Hill are both being charged.

Haven is facing charges of:

• Aggravated Battery, Level 3 Felony
• Battery with a Deadly Weapon, Level 5 Felony
• Intimidation with a Deadly Weapon, Level 5 Felony
• Criminal Recklessness with a Deadly Weapon, Level 6 Felony
• Pointing a Firearm at Another Person, Level 6 Felony
• Aggressive Driving, Class A Misdemeanor

Hill is being accused of

• Intimidation with a Deadly Weapon, Level 5 Felony
• Aggressive Driving, Class A Misdemeanor

The Johnson County Community Foundation is announcing three students who are receiving this year’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships.

According to the foundation, this year’s scholarships will go to Anna Brumley and Kalli Cadwell of Franklin Community High School and Haroon Mardanzai of Whiteland Community High School.

The scholarships pay full tuition and required fees for four years of full-time undergraduate study that lead to a bachelors degree at any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university. Students also receive a stipend to help cover costs for books and equipment.

Lilly Endowment created the scholarship program in the 1997-98 school year and has since granted more than $490 million dollars to support more than 5,300 Indiana students. The Johnson County Community Foundation has administered the scholarships for 28 years. Applicants are evaluated on volunteer community service, academic preparation and performance, leadership, and good character.

Downtown Seymour will be featuring an event on Saturday where kids can explore downtown businesses and have holiday fun.

According to Seymour Main Street, the businesses taking part in Christmas on Chestnut will be filled with holiday themed fun including visits with Santa, hot chocolate, a live nativity with real animals and making Christmas themed crafts. There are 18 stops on the tour. Participating families can start the tour by pickup up a stocking at JCBank or Stahl Insurance.

Christmas on Chestnut will be from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14th.

Tickets are $8 per child in advance or $10 on Saturday. Parents and adults can attend for free.

You can find more information at seymourmainstreet.org

Sponsors include Roger Wessel, Schneck Medical Center, JCBank, SIHO Insurance Services, Seymour Orthodontics, Bob Poynter Chevrolet Buick GMC and the Jackson County Visitor Center

The Columbus Fire Department is re-evaluating how many firefighters it sends out on each different type of emergency call as a way to improve efficiency and public safety.

Capt. Mike Wilson spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department said that the Critical Task Analysis is part of the fire department’s accreditation process through the Centers for Public Safety Excellence.

He explains that the department is working on Critical Task Analysis:

The department is classifying each type of call it goes out on and assigning each a particular cod, which indicates what types of units and how many firefighters are needed at each scene.

Saturday is delivery day for the Columbus Firemen’s Cheer Fund and volunteers are needed to provide help to children in need this Christmas.

The Cheer Fund is looking for those interested in making deliveries Saturday morning. No registration is needed and organizers say you can just show up and they will give you directions from there.

Fire Department spokesman Capt. Mike Wilson explains the process:

The delivery pickup location is at the fire department facility at 2674 Verhulst Street. You will be able to follow the signs off of Middle Road to Verhulst.

The Cheer Fund is the oldest charity in Bartholomew County, operating for 93 years. The effort provides Christmas gifts for the needy children of the community.

A murderer is heading to prison for life without parole.

According to the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office, 51-year-old Anthony Carter of Indianapolis was convicted earlier this year of killing Ashley Neville in April of 2023 and sentenced yesterday by Judge Jim Worton in Superior Court.

Bartholomew County deputies went to the home on County Road 650S early in the morning of April 16th in 2023 to check on the welfare of Neville after Carter’s daughter called, saying he told the daughter that he had killed his girlfriend. A search found Neville under a pile of clothing and other items on a bed.

Carter was found later that afternoon in nearby woods. Carter confessed to shooting and asphyxiating Neville and led police to the gun hidden in the woods.

Carter was found guilty of murder in October after a six-day trial. The jury recommended a sentence of life without parole.

Prosecutor Lindsey Holden-Kay said “This case is a gruesome reminder of the evil that some people are capable of.” She said she hopes the verdict brings a small amount of closure to the victim’s family.

Schneck Hospice in Seymour is announcing a new series of its GriefShare seminars in the new year.

GriefShare is a 13-week program open to anyone 14 or older coping with a loss. The hospice says that GriefShare seminars feature video sessions and discussion. You will gain access to GriefShare resources to help you recover from your loss.

The GriefShare program is being held in three locations in Seymour starting in January:

• The Point on Myers Street
• First Baptist Church on Community Drive
• and Calvary Baptist Church on North Ewing Street

Registration is not required, but preferred. You can get more information or register by calling 812-523-4879.

After coming in second last year in voting for the Coolest Thing Made in Indiana, Hard Truth Whiskey Co. is the co-champion in this year’s contest with the winners announced yesterday at a luncheon in Indianapolis.

The Nashville company is being celebrated along with Rising Sun-based Harpsicle Harps in the contest organized by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Indiana Destination Development Corporation . Organizers said that the co-championship decision, the first in the four years the contest has operated, was due to “a lack of clarity in how the finalists could market their participation in the event – which may have created an unlevel playing field.”

Hard Truth’s Sweet Mash Whiskey, and Harpsicle Harps’ handcrafted harp for the casual player were the specific products in the running for the finals.

Hard Truth began distilling in 2015 and in 2018 the Restaurant at Hard Truth opened and the company made the move to its state-of-the-art, sweet mash distillery in Brown County about a mile away from Hard Truth’s original home at Big Woods Pizza.

In online voting, the two companies finished in a near dead heat. There were six rounds of voting leading to the championship with 90 companies represented since the voting started last month.

Among the local products in the original field were Hiker Trailers and the Déjà Vu Art and Fine Craft Show from Columbus, Honda’s Indiana Auto Plant in Greensburg, Guardian Bike and SpaceGuard Products in Seymour, Bear Wallow Distillery in Nashville, Marion-Kay Spices in Brownstown, Not Just Popcorn in Edinburgh and Endress+Hauser in Greenwood. Also on the list is Wood-Mizer Portable Sawmill based in Batesville and Indianapolis.

The Community Center of Hope still needs donors to help with Christmas for almost 50 children in the community.

According to the center, the Angel Tree gifts can be wrapped or unwrapped and there is a $30 minimum purchase. The last day to drop off gifts is tomorrow from 7 to 4 at the center in Hope. The center is at 543 Washington Street.

You can sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0B44AAA62CA4F85-52624090-2024

Forecasters say that wind chills this morning are going to make it feel like it is in the single digits across central Indiana.

Due to the expected cold, the city of Columbus and Bartholomew County are operating warming centers.

The city is opening a warming station at Donner Center off of 22nd Street. You will be able to stop by the shelter from 8 to 5 today to get warm. Animals are welcome at Donner Center, but they must be kept in crates and will be kept in a designated part of the facility.

The Bartholomew County Public Library branches are also open as warming centers. The main branch on Fifth Street in Columbus is open from 9 to 8 today. The Hope Branch will be open from 10 to 6 today.

After 5 today, Brighter Days will continue to offer shelter services to those in need