Letters have been sent out to the torchbearers for the Indiana Bicentennial Torch relay, including 32 people who are being asked to carry the bicentennial torch through Bartholomew County on September 18th.

Now organizers are just waiting to find out who has accepted the honor before releasing the names, says Lynn Lucas, the local organizer. Each torchbearer should have received a letter from Gov. Mike Pence and must fill out a form to accept the honor, Lucas said.

Lucas said that the names should be announced by the state by June 21st.

A traffic stop in Waynesville Sunday morning led to a Columbus man’s arrest on drug-related charges.

Deputies pulled over the vehicle on South Jonesville Road and South Street at about 3:30 Sunday morning. After searching the backpack of a passenger in the vehicle, 38-year-old Brandon Perkins of McKinley Avenue, deputies allegedly found four syringes, one of which contained methamphetamine, and a glass smoking pipe, says Judy Jackson, spokeswoman for the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department..

Perkins is facing preliminary charges of possession of methamphetamine, a legend drug injection device and drug paraphernalia

The Columbus Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is looking for your thoughts on the city’s long-term transportation plan.

Organizers will be holding an open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Cal Brand Meeting Room at Columbus City Hall to get your thoughts on the plan and on areas that need focus in Columbus.

You can leave your comments on road conditions, sidewalks, bicycle routes, bus service, and suggestions for future projects. The organization is looking for your thoughts, whether you are a motorist, bicyclist, pedestrian, bus rider or freight mover.

CAMPO, a city agency, receives federal funding to manage transportation needs in the Columbus metropolitan planning area.

Bartholomew County deputies are looking for 28-year-old Jerry Thomas “J T” Eisenmenger II as the county’s most wanted fugitive this week.

Eisenmenger is 5-10 and 200 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Authorities say he has more than 20 tattoos, including a dollar sign on his face. He is wanted on two warrants for failing to appear in court and a third for contempt of court.

If you have any information on Eisenmenger’s whereabouts, you can contact the sheriff’s department at 812-379-1712.

The east Columbus neighborhood will be celebrating Flag Day tomorrow at the America and Roby Anderson Community Center.

Julie Bilz, president of the State Street Area Association explains the importance of the event for the former Eastside Community Center:

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Ivy Tech’s veterans organization will be on hand to perform Flag Day ceremonies and the VFW will present a reading about the origins of the flag.

Festivities will start at 6 p.m. with a cookout at the center on McClure Road that will last until 8 p.m. The Flag Day ceremony will start at 6:30 p.m.

Two people were arrested Saturday morning after being found sleeping on the sidewalk in Columbus.

Police were called to the 3500 block of Nicholas Lane at about 3:20 a.m. Saturday to find 33-year-old Eric Burton of Columbus and 42-year-old Kimberly R. Kirk of Paris Crossing asleep on the sidewalk. says Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus police..

Both of them had warrants for their arrest and during a search syringes and drug paraphernalia were allegedly found in Kirk’s bag.

Burton was arrested on a Johnson County warrant for failing to appear in court on a theft charge. Kirk was arrested on two Johnson County warrants for failing to appear in court on theft charges, a Bartholomew County warrant for shoplifting and new charges of drug possession and possession of a legend drug injection device.

Love Chapel, the Bartholomew County Ecumenical Assembly’s food pantry, is looking for volunteers to help with the new homeless shelter opening up soon on the east side of Columbus and for a charity bike ride this weekend.

Elizabeth Kestler says that more than 200 volunteers will be needed to help the paid staff operate the Brighter Day shelter.  Volunteers will be scheduled for four hour shifts at the center and will be trained before they take part, she said.

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Brighter Days will be a partnership between Love Chapel and the Columbus Township Trustee’s office.

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And the Girlfriend Ride fundraiser is Saturday and is still in need of volunteers, Kestler said.

For more information, you can e-mail volunteer@columbuslovechapel.com

A man had to be flown out of Brown County State Park by Lifeline helicopter over the weekend after an accident while horse riding.

Indiana Conservation officers report that 45-year-old Andrew Frasher of Portland was riding his horse Saturday night when he was thrown and then stepped on. He suffered chest and abdominal injuries and was flown by Lifeline to IU Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.

Brown County deputies and Nashville police also assisted at the scene.

The Indiana Department of Transportation met with contractor Friday afternoon to establish a timetable for making repairs to a damaged bridge beam on southbound Interstate 65, over U.S. Highway 50, at Seymour.

Harry Maginity, INDOT spokesman, says that Flame On Inc. plans to be onsite July 7th to heat-straighten the fascia girder under the westernmost side of the bridge. He say s that the contractor, based out of Washington state, specializes in beam repair and heat straightening. INDOT says that this work will require single lane closures on eastbound U.S. 50, along southbound I-65’s shoulder, as well as at the nearby ramp.

INDOT officials say this $179,092 project will continue during daytime hours for approximately one week.

A Jackson County woman will be serving prison time for defrauding a small Seymour business.

United States Attorney Josh Minkler on Friday announced that 44-year-old Angela Kincaid, of Seymour, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Richard L. Young.

“Fraud cannot, and will not, be tolerated, especially fraud by company insiders,” said Minkler. “When greed drives a person to abuse a position of trust and defraud his or her employer, especially a small family business, that person will be prosecuted by my office to the fullest extent of the law.”

Minkler said, and the court agreed, that Kincaid used her position as bookkeeper to conceal and perpetrate her theft from her employer, a small family manufacturing business. Just one month after starting as bookkeeper, Minkler says that Kincaid began cutting company checks to herself by forging the company president’s signature. In total, he says that Kincaid forged over 170 checks and stole over $625,000, which she spent largely on personal luxuries, such as second and third homes, cars, vacations, jewelry, NFL football tickets, musical instruments and over 35 firearms.

Minkler says that Kincaid used her position as bookkeeper, and the trust and authority that the company’s managers afforded her, to conceal her fraud. He adds that she made numerous false entries in the company’s accounting ledger that omitted any reference to the checks she cut to herself. In addition, upon learning that the company engaged an outside auditor to review its books and compare them to bank records, Kincaid manipulated copies of the bank records in a way that completely concealed her embezzlement, said Minkler.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that when the company’s bank account ran low, due to her theft, she created a false email account and impersonated a company official to authorize the bank to replenish the company’s checking account from its line of credit. Minkler says that, not only did Kincaid steal the company’s cash, but her actions also put it several hundred thousand dollars in debt.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Nick Linder, who prosecuted this case for the government, Kincaid must make full restitution to the victim company, as well as serve three years of supervised release once she is released from prison.