A Columbus teen was hit and killed by a semi after an accident on Interstate 65 early Saturday morning.

15-year-old Ethan Kuniewicz of Columbus was pronounced dead on the scene by Deputy County Coroner Charlie Deweese.

The incident was reported at 5:51 a.m. Saturday morning, about three miles south of Edinburgh on the interstate according to the coroner’s office.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department reports that the teen was traveling north on the Interstate when the minivan ran off the road into the median. Based on witnesses, it appears that Kuniewicz tried to cross the southbound traffic when he was hit by the semi.

The crash is being investigated by the sheriff’s department and Indiana State Police. I-65 was shut down for about three hours.

Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department

A Columbus police officer shot an armed man outside of a home early Sunday morning and Indiana State Police are investigating the incident.

According to police reports, a out-of-town homeowner was alerted through remote security video that an unknown man was on his property. The homeowner called 911 and a Columbus police officer was called to the home in the 3300 block of Woodland Parkway at about 4:12 a.m.

About a minute later, the officer reported shots being fired and called for medical assistance. Columbus police report that the officer encountered the armed man outside of the home and shortly afterwards the officer fired his weapon, striking the suspect.

Officers and medics provided medical aid to the suspect who was first taken to Columbus Municipal Airport and then flown by IU Lifeline medical helicopter to IU Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for treatment. He is in believed to be in critical condition according to troopers but his name has not been released.

Police say a firearm was recovered at the scene.

The officer was uninjured.

Indiana State Police were called in to investigate. Once the investigation is complete, the information will be forwarded to the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office for review and to determine if any charges will be filed.

The Columbus Municipal Airport is offering an alternative to its traditional aviation day, with a whole weekend of airport-related activities today through Sunday.

Airport officials say that due to the pandemic, the annual aviation day has been postponed. Instead activities will be spaced out over several days at an event called the Flying Fords, centered around a 1920s Ford Tri-Motor airplane. also known as the Tin Goose.  Airport Manager Brian Payne says there will be other Ford focused activities including the Mustang Club, Ford tractors and Ford Model-As.

Other activities will include bounce houses, educational events, the Columbus Public Safety Touch-A-Truck and the Smoke Trailer.

Payne said you can also check out the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum and the new C-119 display

Activities will be 9 to 4 today through Sunday.

You can get more information about the schedule and parking at columbus.in.gov/airport. You can register for rides in the Ford Tri-Motor at: flytheford.org

Former Vice President Mike Pence says he’s “proud” Congress certified President Biden’s victory after the Capitol attack.

The Columbus native spoke at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California on Thursday, pointing out that he didn’t have the constitutional authority to stop the count of electoral votes. His boss, former President Donald Trump believed Pence was obligated to reject the votes due to false claims the election was stolen.

Pence, courtesy of CSPAN:

Story courtesy of our news-gathering partners at TTWN Media Networks Inc.

Photo: Video still courtesy of CSPAN

The Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County has chosen a new executive director.

The agency is announcing that Sherri Jewett will be taking over the role as of July 12th. Outgoing executive director Doug Leonard will stay on through the end of July and then take on an advisory role.

Jewett has led psychiatric and substance use hospitals in the area including Hendricks Behavioral Health in Plainfield and Valle Vista Health System in Greenwood. She has previous experience developing psychiatric and substance use services in communities across the Midwest and East Coast.

ASAP is a not-for-profit corporations that operates the ASAP Hub and ASAP Sober Living. It leads local efforts to identify and establish solutions to substance misuse and substance use disorders through advocacy, treatment and education. It was formed in 2017 through joint efforts of Columbus Regional Health, the city of Columbus and Bartholomew County and is funded largely through public safety income tax revenues.

You can find out more about ASAP here.

A traffic stop early yesterday morning led to the arrest of an Indianapolis man on drug-related charges in Columbus.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is reporting that deputies stopped a vehicle near 10 Street and National Road at about 1:01 a.m. Thursday morning.

Police dog Argo alerted to the odor of drugs in the vehicle. A search revealed the meth, as well as pills and spice. The driver originally gave a fictitious name, but was identified as 59-year-old Mark A. Elkins of Indianapolis.

Elkins was arrested on preliminary charges of possessing the drugs as well as an outstanding Marion County warrant.

What was forecast to be a very wet week is looking much drier for our area. The National Weather Service is reporting that forecasts for rainfall in Bartholomew and surrounding counties have been dramatically downgraded.

As of last night, Bartholomew County was expected to get 2 to 3 inches of rain through Wednesday. But that has been downgraded this morning to an inch or less of rain through mid-week. The heavier rainfall that was predicted earlier has moved to the north and west.

Our area is under a marginal risk for severe weather today with the primary threats being damaging winds and large hail, according to the National Weather Service. Isolated tornadoes are also possible.

Emergency officials do have some concerns over potential flooding, because last weekend’s rains and floods have left the soils saturated with water.

We could be in for some wet weather over the next few days.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis says we could see another 4-6 inches of rain as a series of storms pass through out area, starting tonight and going into next middle of week.

The agency says that with the expected amounts of rain, the recent flooding and the saturated soils, there is a growing concern of repeat flooding in central and southern Indiana. On Friday, severe storms are possible with damaging winds the main threat, although isolated tornadoes or large hail can’t be ruled out.

Ivy Tech Community College is announcing free textbooks for the next school year as part of a larger change to the school’s tuition model.

The school’s board of trustees recently approved a new tuition model, called Ivy+. Under Ivy+ the school will charge the same tuition rate for all full-time students, no matter whether they are taking, 12, 15 or even 24 credits.

Part-time students will see their tuition frozen for the next two years and will continue to pay per credit hour.

Under Ivy+, the cost of textbooks will also be a regularly assessed fee, rather than per class. But as part of the Ivy+ rollout, Ivy Tech will cover the cost of textbooks for students in the 2021-22 academic year through the federal government’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund.