The Seymour Fire Department has honored a victim of a tragic accident by naming the new fire truck after him.

According to firefighters, the new ladder truck is being called Maverick, in honor of 4-year-old Maverick Lee Flinn who died in a farm accident last month. Flinn was the son of Seymour firefighter Mitchell Flinn and the grandson of Lt. Craig Flinn. The name was announced during a push-in ceremony for the truck held on Monday at Fire Station 3.

Assistant Chief, Anthony Walker said that “As this truck rolls out on future calls, it will carry Maverick’s name and spirit with it, reminding us of the love, strength, and resilience of this family and this community.”

The family has launched an initiative called the “Maverick Minute” which urges farmers and others to “Pause, Look Around and Stay Safe”

Photo: Seymour Fire Department Chief Eric Roll and Mayor Matt Nicholson unveiled the Maverick ladder truck Monday. Photo courtesy of Seymour Fire Department

There will be a fundraising fish fry tomorrow at the American Legion post in Columbus to support the Bartholomew County Honor Guard.

According to organizers, the volunteer unit provides military honors at all veterans funerals in the county. Donations will go toward buying new equipment for the Honor Guard.

The meal will include white fish, pork and beans, cole slaw and a drink. You can eat inside, carry out or drive through. The suggested donation is $10.

The fish fry will be going on from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the American Legion Post is on 25th Street.

A small tornado touched down in a field in Jackson County this morning, causing little to no damage according to forecasters.

According to the National Weather Service in Indianapolis, the 10-yard wide tornado touched down in an open field at about 10:31 a.m. yesterday morning south of the Freeman Field Airport and lifted off again after about a minute and less than two tenths of a mile later. There is no estimate of peak wind speeds and the twister is being rated as an EF-U. That means that the rating can not be determined due to the lack of damage.

The Jennings County Emergency Management Department is reporting that a cold air funnel formed in a thunderstorm over North Vernon this morning. According to the weather service, cold air funnels can form in storms in deep, cold core, large-scale low pressure systems. These funnel clouds are smooth and narrow and normally drop down only a few hundred feet, rotating like a top and last a few minutes before dissipating.

In rare cases when cold air funnels reach the ground they cause only minor damage.

The wind speed of the Jennings County funnel was estimated at only 30 mph.

Bartholomew County officials are wrestling with the future of the county’s youth services center as the aging facility needs replaced and that comes with a hefty price tag.

The County Council was updated this week on the behind the scenes discussions going on about what to do with the aging facility on the east side of Columbus. Councilman Mark Gorbett said that consultants are providing various options but a complete replacement of the facility could cost up to $20 million dollars.

Gorbett said that he and Council President Leah Beyer have been in meetings over the last month with the county judges, representatives of the center, architects. The initial proposals were for a 22 thousand square foot facility with the $20 million price tag, but the architects were asked to go back to find ways to reduce the size and cost.

The revised plans would call for a 17,000 square foot facility, and the county officials are looking at whether to keep it off of Illinois Avenue or find a new location in the community. After meeting with the county commissioners, the county could have three or four possible locations for a new facility. Those could involve a land swap with the city of Columbus or with Columbus Regional Health, Gorbett said.

The county is nearly done paying off its jail bond and the council will work with the auditor’s office to see what the county could afford without raising taxes.

The county has also looked at whether it should outsource its youth detention facilities to another community. But that raises concerns about shipping troubled youth out of the community and the future of county workers at the facility. Beyer said that there have also been concerns about what would happen to the local youth during a transition period while a new center is under construction.

The goal is to have a proposal in place by budget time, Gorbett said.

Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County

The North Vernon Police Department is receiving a grant to help support the operations of its narcotics task force.

According to the department, the $12,000 grant will come from the Jennings County Drug and Alcohol Task Force. It will be used to fund investigative tools, surveillance equipment, and operational support for the task force.

Task Force Commander Graham Heffelfinger, with the North Vernon Police Department, said that . “Every dollar will be used to target dealers, disrupt distribution routes, and hold narcotics offenders accountable.”

The funding was made possible through the Jennings County Drug and Alcohol Task Force, with support from Ascension St. Vincent Jennings and its Substance Misuse Program.

Centra Credit Union has been recognized as one of the best credit unions in Indiana, according to Forbes website.

Forbes recently released its 2025 list of best credit unions and Centra came in fourth on the Indiana list. The list was compiled by Forbes and Statista and is based on a survey of more than 26,000 participants who rated credit unions on trust, financial advice, customer services, digital services, branch services and terms & conditions.

According to the credit union, this is the third time in the past four years it has been ranked. Centra President and CEO Rick Silvers said the honor “proves our dedication to listening, understanding, and serving our Membership with a valuable banking experience each and every day. “

Columbus firefighters and others took part in an education session Monday learning about the new Yellow Dot Law.

Under the new law, you can provide important information to rescue workers by attaching a yellow dot decal on your vehicle. In the event of an accident or emergency, the dot will alert rescue workers that important medical information can be found in your glove compartment. Supporters say that the program will allow quick access to the important information, when seconds matter.

Also attending the session were the Indiana Association of Area Agencies on Aging, AARP, Thrive Alliance and Indiana Sen. Greg Walker.

The Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce will be honoring four local women at its 2025 Women in Leadership luncheon coming up in August.

The chamber announced that this year’s leaders will be Whittney Gaines, Dr. Laura Hack, Cathy King and Dr. Mandy Wyant.

Gaines is a special education teacher and owner of Gaines Creative Expressions. Hack is Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation’s Director of Elementary Education. King is the United Way of Bartholomew County’s Community Impact Director. Wyant is a chiropractor and owner of Family Wellness and Chiropractic.

Julie Abedian and Kathy Oren will co-host the event and reflect on their leadership experiences in the community. Abedian recently retired from Columbus Regional Health where she led the CRH Foundation and Oren retired as the leader of the Community Education Coalition.

The luncheon will be at 11:30 a.m. Friday, August 22nd at The Commons. Tickets are $65 or $500 for a table of eight. You can get more information or make a reservation at columbusareachamber.com

Duke Energy has named a former Shelbyville mayor as its government and community relations manager in southeastern Indiana.

The power company announced yesterday that it has chosen Tom DeBaun for the role for the area including Bartholomew, Decatur, Jackson and Jennings counties, among others. He will manage government, business and community relationships as well as oversee local philanthropy efforts by the company. DeBaun most recently was with the TPMA consulting firm in Indianapolis. He was previously with the city of Shelbyville for more than two decades, serving as the city’s planning director before being elected three times as mayor.

DeBaun holds a degree in history and political science from Franklin College. He lives in Shelbyville with his wife and three daughters.

A teen has been arrested in Bartholomew County, accused of raping a 17-year-old girl.

According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, the investigation began in May when the victim reported the attack to authorities. After a lengthy investigation, deputies arrested 18-year-old Nolan Riley of Columbus on charges including rape, child exploitation and criminal confinement.

Authorities say he is being held on $1 million dollars bond.