Thousands of rubber ducks will be filling Mill Race Park’s Round Lake on Saturday, dropped by helicopter as part of a fundraiser.

The Meridian Kiwanis Club is holding its 18th annual Kiwanis Incredible Duck Splash.

Those who have adopted ducks have a chance to win cash and prizes with the top prizes being a new vehicle from Chevrolet of Columbus or $50,000 cash.

The cost to adopt a duck is $5 each, or five ducks for $20, and 30 ducks for $100. You can adopt a duck from any Kiwanis member or at Midwest Computer Solutions at 3028 State Street. You can also adopt a duck at Mill Race Park starting at 10:30 in the morning Saturday.

Money raised goes to benefit local programs for children and the Kiwanis Club. You can get more information at kducks.com.

Tear gas brought an end to a three and a half hour standoff between a domestic battery suspect and the Columbus Police SWAT team Wednesday morning.

According to Columbus police reports, police were called to the 5000 block of Sheridan Drive at about 8:30 a.m. in the morning to investigate a domestic violence report. Police tried to talk to a man in the home, but he refused to communicate with officers.

After police learned the man had access to weapons in the home, the Columbus Police SWAT team was brought to the scene. Crisis negotiators with the police department continued to try to talk with the man, but he refused.

After tear gas was released in the home, 47-year-old Brandon L. Horning of Columbus surrendered to officers without incident at just before noon.

After being checked out at Columbus Regional Hospital, Horning was arrested on preliminary charges of domestic battery and strangulation.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Police Department.

Investigators continue to look for information in the death of a North Vernon man last week whose body was found by State Road 3.

27-year-old Joseph T. Gill sustained injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle, according to Indiana State Police. His autopsy was Tuesday.

Investigators are now looking for a vehicle that may have sustained damage to its passenger side. Police believe he may have been walking along State Road 3 near the Jennings and Decatur county line between 4:30 and 5 a.m. on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 28th. His body was discovered by an INDOT crew on Thursday.

If you were traveling in that area and may have seen Gill, or you believe you may have struck something in the road, you are urged to contact the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department. Investigators are also looking for anyone who may have home video surveillance equipment that could have caught traffic on State Road 3 between North Vernon and Westport that morning.

You can call the Jennings County Sheriff’s Office Tipline at 812-346-0342.

Photo courtesy of Indiana State Police

Schneck Medical Center in Seymour is still struggling after a cyberattack a week ago took down the hospital’s computers.

Stephanie Furlow, spokeswoman for the hospital, said that some hospital services that used to be provided electronically are now being done by pen and paper. In those instances you may see delays, she said.

Furlow said that the hospital’s IT department is still investigating the Sept. 29th attack and are collaborating with third party security partners to restore functionality.

The hospital is bringing systems back online as safely as possible, she said. The hospital is prioritizing things such as the Meditech system that serves patients. She said significant progress has been made, but they can not anticipate a timeline to recover all the systems and some may be restored sooner than others.

A similiar attack at Johnson Memorial Hospital in Franklin has been described as ransomware, with the hackers demanding an unspecified amount of money to release the hold over the computer system. Officials in Franklin have refused to pay the ransom.

Furlow said she could not discuss whether Schneck is in a similar situation, because the investigation is still ongoing.

Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department police dog Szabi is sporting a new bullet and stab resistant protective vest thanks to a non-profit company.

The sheriff’s department is reporting that the donation is courtesy of Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. Since it started in 2009, the company has provided over 4,415 vests, at a cost of $6.9 million.

This body armor for four-legged police officers is U.S. made, custom fitted, and certified by the National Institute of Justice. Vests cost up to $2,200 dollars and come with a five-year warranty.

The program is open to U.S. dogs that are at least 20 months old and actively employed and certified with law enforcement or related agencies.

Szabi’s new vest is embroidered with “In memory of K9 Diesel EOW (or End of Watch) 11-14-2020”. Diesel died after getting hit by a vehicle on Interstate 65 while chasing a suspect.

You can get more information or donate at www.vik9s.org.

Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

The city of Columbus will be picking up leaves curbside starting on Oct. 11th and running through Dec. 17th.

Your leaves will be picked up the same day as your trash. You should have your loose leaves curbside by 7 a.m. in the morning. They should NOT be put in the street where they can clog storm drains.

The city says it will not be collecting bagged leaves. If you want to bag your leaves, you will have to take them to the compost site yourself. That is at 720 S. Mapleton Street, where you can dump them out and then reuse the bags.

An organization of rural central and eastern Indiana communities along Interstate 74 are seeking a $50 million grant from the state to leverage $866 million in projects and programs.

Accelerate Rural Indiana includes Greensburg, Shelbyville, Batesville and Rushville as well as Decatur, Rush and Shelby counties. The coalition applied for the READI grant last week, outlining 40 initiatives.

The state’s READI grant program, or Regional Economic Acceleration Development Initiative, was first announced in May. The program requires all READI funds be matched on a dollar for dollar basis by local governments or other public sources. The program established 18 regions, with the possibility of up to $50 million in grants for each and the hopes of attracting $2 billion in private and public investment.

The Indiana Department of Health COVID-19 team will be offering vaccines today through Friday in North Vernon.

The clinic will be from 12 to 8 p.m each day in the parking lot at Jennings St. Vincent Hospital. That is at 301 Henry Street in North Vernon.

The Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available.

A Columbus man was arrested Saturday after allegedly stabbing himself to prevent going back to jail.

According to Jennings County Sheriff’s Department reports, deputies were called to a home on Almond Drive in Country Squire Lakes at about 11:24 p.m. Saturday night about a man violating a protective order.

Deputies were told that the man, 45-year-old Jason Hartman of Columbus was barricaded in the back part of the house, holding a knife to his own neck. Deputies cleared the home and tried to talk to Hartman, who allegedly said he would kill himself and that he was not going back to jail.

Deputies say that Hartman then stabbed himself in the abdomen, jumped from a window and tried to run from the scene. A deputy used a Taser to try to subdue Hartman, but he continued to brandish the knife at police. He was hit by a second Taser, dropped the knife and after a struggle he was taken into custody.

Hartman was taken to a hospital for treatment and then arrested on charges of resisting law enforcement causing injury, intimidation with a deadly weapon, battery on law enforcement, criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, residential entry, invasion of privacy and a warrant from Jennings County Superior Court for Domestic Battery

They’re hiring at Camp Atterbury, and you could make up to $3,500 a week.

The camp’s food service provider, AIM World Services, says they need janitors, cooks, food service workers, and dishwashers. Some of the money made from those roles could be overtime. There’s a hiring event from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, tomorrow, and Friday at the Hilton Garden Inn in Edinburgh.

You will need two forms of government ID and will need to be fully vaccinated in order to apply for any of the jobs. You’ll also have to pass a background check and drug screen.

Network Indiana and TTWN Media Networks Inc. provided the information for this story.