Bartholomew County Works will be offering a weeklong job readiness workshop from March 3rd through March 7th. The workshop will be held at the Sarla Kalsi Conference Center located at 222 4th Street. There will be an orientation on February 27th from 10AM until 11AM. For more information you can reach out to Dawn Bieberle at 812-378-2638 or [email protected]
Bartholomew County Works is a program that is committed to helping residents improve their lives, gain full time employment and achieve economic self sufficiency.

River Valley Legal Aid, Pro Bono Indiana has announced a Free Legal Walk In Clinic on
Tuesday, February 25th, at the Bartholomew County Public Library located at 536 Fifth Street in Columbus. The clinic will be held from 3pm – 5pm. This free clinic is for low-income residents.
The Pro Bono Program utilizes local volunteer attorneys, offering free legal consultations to low-income individuals for the provision of legal advice in furtherance of equal access to justice within our community.
Individuals who choose to attend can expect to receive a 10-minute consultation on general civil and housing matters, or other limited pro se assistance or advice, in person, on a first-come, first-served basis.
NO Criminal law questions will be answered at this clinic. There is no need to register in advance.

If you can’t attend these clinics, Visit www.legalaidpbi.org/services to find additional clinics and other ways to get free legal help.

Columbus Firefighters were called to the scene of a warehouse fire early Thursday morning. Firefighters were called at approximately 5:48AM to the scene at 3450 Scott Drive. When firefighters arrived at the scene, flames were visible coming through the roof of the building. Due to the amount of fire within the interior, structural compromise caused by flames and building construction material, firefighters worked from a defensive position from the outside of the building. Firefighters continued to operate at the scene through the late morning.
According to CFD, the property owner is listed as Warehouse Enterprises LLC. It is unknown at this time if the building was occupied.

(Photos Courtesy of Columbus Fire Department)

Accelera™ by Cummins, the zero-emissions business segment of Cummins Inc., will supply a 100-megawatt proton exchange membrane electrolyzer system for bp’s Lingen green hydrogen project in Germany. This project, which is bp’s largest hydrogen production plant to date, will utilize Accelera’s advanced HyLYZER® PEM electrolyzer technology.

The hydrogen-generation system set to power bp’s Lingen project will consist of 20 PEM HyLYZER®-1000 electrolyzer units — the largest electrolyzer system assembled by Accelera to date — and is being manufactured in Accelera’s new electrolyzer plant in Guadalajara, Spain. Once fully commissioned in 2027, the 100 MW electrolyzer system will produce up to 11,000 tons of green hydrogen per year.

For Project Highlights and To learn more about Accelera by Cummins, visit accelerazero.com.

Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) announced Tuesday the acquisition of assets of First Mode, a leader in retrofit hybrid solutions for mining and rail operations. The acquisition includes hybrid mining and rail product lines, and the full IP portfolio which includes hydrogen and battery powertrain solutions. This technology represents the first commercially available retrofit hybrid system for mining equipment, significantly reducing total cost of ownership while advancing decarbonization in operations.

In addition, Cummins is acquiring First Mode’s commercial portfolio, manufacturing and technical teams in Australia, the United States and Chile. First Mode will continue to serve customers through the transition and is dedicated to meeting customers’ needs by shipping product.

This acquisition reinforces Cummins’ commitment to providing innovative and effective decarbonization solutions and will allow the company to elevate their product portfolio while meeting the needs of our customers on their transition to a lower-carbon future. First Mode will operate within the Power Systems industrial segment.

You can find more information at www.cummins.com.

The 27th Annual Our Hospice Jennings Gala that was held on February 8th in the Barn at Willow Crossing, raised over $65,000 to
support compassionate hospice care services for Jennings County residents. The evening’s success marks a significant milestone for Our Hospice, Making Every Moment
Count to provide the highest quality compassionate, end-of-life care to community members regardless of their ability to pay.

The elegant evening featured seven Jennings County High School Gala Queen students Gabriella Alvarado, Emma Benson, Macy Bullard, Marlee Elston, Graci Ross, Kate Treadway, and Addyson Wisner raised $31,463 collectively. This year’s theme, “Rodeo and Rhinestones,” was attended by more than 200 community members, healthcare professionals, and business leaders. Addyson Wisner was crowned Gala Queen, raising $18,363. She accepted her crown from the 2024 Gala Queen, Addilyn
Burton. Macy Bullard was named first runner-up. The funds raised will support,Enhanced patient care services, Additional training for hospice care professionals, Expansion of grief support programs, Medical equipment and supplies and Financial assistance for families in need.

For more information you can visit ourhospice.org.

The Columbus Department of Public Works has announced that there will be no change to the collection schedule next week due to the President’s Day holiday.The office however, will be closed on Monday the 17th for the holiday and will reopen on Tuesday the 18th. All collections will be running on time with no delay. Please Have your toters out by 7AM.
You can visit www.columbus.in.gov/public-works for more information on the Curb Cycle and Columbus Collects Apps.

A Chicago, Illinois man was arrested on multiple charges following an investigation that covered three counties along I-65 in southern Indiana.

Shortly before 8:00 am Tuesday morning, officers with the Scottsburg Police Department received a report of a possible robbery at a Scott County gas station. Information was quickly sent out to surrounding law enforcement agencies to look out for the black Volkswagen SUV with Tennessee registration and the male suspect.

At approximately 8:10 am, Seymour Police Officers observed the vehicle on I-65 Northbound near the 50 mile marker in Jackson County, Indiana. Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle but the driver, later determined to be Mekyell Brown-Champion, age 25, Chicago, Illinois fled in the vehicle northbound at a high rate of speed.

Troopers with the Indiana State Police-Versailles Post and officers from multiple other agencies soon assisted with the pursuit of the vehicle. Brown-Champion continued northbound into Bartholomew County where he exited I-65 onto State Road 46 at Columbus. He traveled westbound on State Road 46 before ultimately turning around and attempting to get back onto I-65 Southbound.

While traveling on the on-ramp, Trooper Randel Miller conducted a PIT Maneuver effectively stopping the vehicle and ending the pursuit. Brown-Champion was taken into custody and discovered to have been wanted on a warrant out of Illinois.

The vehicle had recently been reported stolen out of Nashville, Tennessee.

Scottsburg Police Department Investigators arrested Brown-Champion and transported him back to the Scott County Jail where he was incarcerated on initial charges of Robbery, Criminal Trespass, and Battery.

Additional charges in Jackson and Bartholomew Counties are possible.

A North Vernon woman was taken into custody for drug charges after a traffic stop. On Monday evening (February 10th, 2025), Deputy Michael Watts of the North Vernon Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle after observing a traffic infraction.
After making contact with the driver, Erica Mullikin of North Vernon, Deputy Watts could see drug paraphernalia in plain view in the vehicle.
Deputy Watts deployed his K-9 partner Brock to conduct a free air sniff of the vehicle, who gave a positive alert to the odor of narcotics coming from inside of the vehicle.
Deputy Watts located a container with Fentanyl and other drug paraphernalia items while conducting a search of the car
The amount of Fentanyl seized is enough to kill approximately 750 Jennings County Residents.
Erica was taken into custody and transported to the Jennings County Jail, where she was remanded to Jail Staff on several preliminary drug charges.

Courtesy of the Jennings County Sheriff’s Office

Columbus Police Department (CPD) investigators are looking into the death of a 46-year-old Columbus man after the man’s vehicle dove into a pond.
Late Tuesday morning, CPD and other first responders were called to the area of N Indianapolis Road and Kenholt Drive for reports of a car in a nearby pond. When officers arrived, several people had gone into the water to attempt to pull the driver from the vehicle. CPD officers attempted to assist but were unable to reach the driver.
Members of the Bartholomew County Water rescue Team and the Columbus Fire Department arrived on the scene and deployed rescue boats and divers.
The driver and only occupant, Christopher Pool, was recovered from the vehicle.
Medical personnel attempted life saving measures, However, Mr. Pool died at the scene.
Initial reports indicate that Mr. Pool
was driving southbound on Indianapolis Road when for an unknown reason his vehicle veered off the roadway, through nearby bushes, and ultimately into the pond.

CPD detectives are working with the Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office
to determine the circumstances of Mr. Pool’s death.
Multiple people sustained minor injuries while attempting to rescue Mr. Pool. They were all treated and released.