Ivy Tech Community College and Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus will host “Banned Books Week,” from September 25 until October 1.
Chris Schilling, Ivy Tech’s director of marketing, says that the week is an annual opportunity to focus on censorship of books. Every year, he says that there are hundreds of attempts to remove books from the shelves of bookstores, libraries, and schools. Book challenges recorded by the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) reveal that attempts to remove materials with diverse content are higher than ever before.
In honor of Banned Books Week, the University Library of Columbus is sponsoring a panel discussion, featuring four instructors from Ivy Tech and IUPUC. The panel will be held from noon until 1 p.m. on Tuesday in room 1620 of the Columbus Learning Center, at 4555 Central Avenue.
Featured panelists are:
• Dr. Aaron Miller, Ivy Tech, History
• Dr. Jenny Conner-Zachocki, IUPUC, Education
• Dr. Julie Goodspeed-Chadwick, IUPUC, English
• Mr. Patrick Nevins, Ivy Tech, English
This is a free event. While light refreshments will be served, organizers say that are are welcome to bring your lunch.
Jennings County Schools Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for October 5th and 6th. Jeanie Koelmel, Administrative Assistant for Curriculum and Instruction for the JCSC, says that parents of elementary, middle and high-school students can visit teachers from 4 to 7 p.m. on both days, at their children’s school.
In addition, the school corporation is reminding students that Fall Break is scheduled for the following week, October 10th through the 14th.
The town of Hope will be converting an unused town building into an animal shelter in honor of former Town Councilwoman Paula Pollitt.
Pollitt died last year and was an animal advocate, including training therapy dogs used at Columbus Regional Hospital. The Town Council approved spending up to about $24 thousand dollars to convert a former wellhouse on Jackson Street into a shelter named in Pollitt’s memory.
The town already owns the structure and has been paying utilities and upkeep on it. Town Manager J.T. Doane said the town received bids and estimates for other properties of about $24,000 but he thought by using the existing building the town can do the work for less than that.
Columbus Township will keep four of its full-time firefighters, but see the hours reduced for two others to part-time and a clerk’s pay knocked down to $18,000 a year.
That’s under a budget approved last night by the township’s advisory board.
Trustee Ben Jackson and the township fire chief Dave Thompson argued that the cuts endangered public safety.
Thompson said that the cuts would probably not affect response times, but firefighters would not longer have enough crew to enter a burning building without waiting for volunteer firefighters to arrive. He said that with today’s construction materials, structures burn faster than ever before, meaning a few minutes makes the difference.
Board President Mike Shireman said he stood by his compromise proposal. Previously the majority of the board had wanted to reduce all six firefighters to part-time positions. .
Jackson estimated that the change would save about $21,000 a year in salaries and benefits from the firefighting fund, depending on which two firefighters were let go.
Audience members asked to address the board but board members declined. Board member Jimmy Green said they had already heard public opinion two weeks ago. Many members of the audience, largely made up of volunteer firefighters from across the county and their supporters, were upset with the board’s decision.
Tami Watson, a retired state trooper and township resident had organized a petition to the state, formally protesting the original budget that would have converted all of the full-time firefighters to part-time.
Watson said she had supported the election of Green and Board President Mike Shireman, but said she no longer supported them after this decision.
Green and Shireman also proposed reducing a clerk’s pay by half, down to $12,000. Specifically, Green asked if the position was the one filled part-time by Columbus firefighter Allen Smith.
Jackson listed all of the clerk’s responsibilities during the existing 20-hour work week and said he would be hard-pressed to find someone willing to do the work for what would amount to just over $11 an hour. In compromise, Shireman and board member Dustin Renner agreed to reduce the pay only to $18,000 a year.
A man crawled to safety last night from a car crash that killed his girlfriend three days earlier off of U.S. 50 in Jennings County.
The couple’s SUV left the road on Saturday afternoon, drove down an embankment and struck a tree head-on near the Jennings-Ripley County line, killing 37-year-old Nikki K. Reed and seriously damaging the lower body of her boyfriend 39-year-old Kevin Bell.
State police say the crash was well off the roadway and not visible from the highway.
The two were reported missing on Sunday after their family members had not heard from them since the day before. They were returning from a trip back east where Reed had picked up Bell, who lived in Dover, Penn.
Indiana State Police report that a missing persons investigation had begun for the couple after family members lost contact on Saturday.
Police report that Bell was driving the SUV and Reed was a passenger when the crash happened. Reed was killed instantly and Bell was trapped in the wreckage until he could crawl away and was found at about 5 p.m. yesterday.
He was taken to St. Vincent-Jennings County Hospital and his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, says Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, spokesman for the state police.
City employees and elected officials will receive a 1.5-percent pay increase in 2017. This, after the Columbus City Council approved the measures on second reading during its meeting Tuesday night.
The requests, from Mayor Jim Lienhoop, were divided into two ordinances: one for employees and the other for elected officials. Councilman Frank Miller spoke out against the raises, saying that the actual cost-of-living adjustment is between 0.7 and one-percent. He argued that an increase beyond that was uncalled for, especially when recipients of Social Security are slated to receive around a 0.2-percent increase in 2017. Miller’s objections were echoed by a few members of the audience. Dave Jones said that these increases, while relatively minor for the employees, add up for city taxpayers. He also argued that such increases aren’t fair to residents in the private-sector. “The community, as a whole, is not getting a cost-of-living increase,” said Jones, who seemed open to a pay-increase of this size to those who work in public safety.
In an interview earlier this year, Mayor Lienhoop explained that one the “pillars” of his administration is making Columbus an attractive place to work. These increases are, ostensibly, a part of that effort. In addition, Jamie Brinegar, the city’s director of finance, explained to the city council that there are plans in place for 2017 to conduct a salary review to determine if city positions are being adequately compensated and to make recommendations on possible adjustments.
The city council voted 6-to-1 to approve the ordinance. Frank Miller was the “no” vote.
The next ordinance, asking for identical increases for the city’s elected officials, also got some push-back from audience members. Glen Petrie urged council members to vote against the measure, noting that members of that body received a two-percent raise this year. Petrie also referenced recipients of Social Security, whom he says received no increase in 2016.
The council voted 5-to-2 to approve the pay hike. Frank Miller and Laurie Booher were the “no” votes.
The ColumBUS Transit System was awarded a $728,000 from the Federal Transportation Administration. Jamie Brinegar, the city’s Director of Finance, says that the grant program is an 80/20 matching grant with the federal government picking up 80-percent of the cost. He explains that the money will be used to pay for the replacement of two fixed-route vehicles.
The FTA’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities program makes federal resources available to states and direct recipients to replace, rehabilitate and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities including technological changes or innovations to modify low or no emission vehicles or facilities. Funding is provided through formula allocations and competitive grants. City officials say that Columbus was the only project funded in Indiana.
Mayor Jim Lienhoop was pleased with the announcement. “This program will allow the city to continue its efforts and to improve the quality of public transportation in City of Columbus as well as defraying a significant portion of the city’s cost to replace these buses,” we says.
Dave Hayward, the city’s director of engineering, says that this money will help the city to replace its aging fleet of fixed route buses.
A traffic stop in Edinburgh turned into a police chase involving multiple agencies Monday night.
Judy Jackson, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson, says that just before 7 p.m., Edinburgh Police were
Thomas Brockman; Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Dept.
investigating a suspicious person call when they stopped a vehicle. While officers were trying to get information, the driver allegedly sped away.
From there, Jackson says that a second Edinburgh officer joined the chase on southbound US 31. Moments later, a Bartholomew County Deputy patrolling near Taylorsville also joined. As they proceeded west on County Road 650 North, the driver, 43-year-old Thomas Raymond Brockman, of 1197 Nelson Ridge Road, turned onto Ohio Ridge Road, said Jackson. At Mauxferry Road, she says that Brockman drove south at a high rate of speed.
Jackson says that other deputies and Indiana State Troopers joined the pursuit as the Brockman turned west on to Georgetown Road, south onto County Road 600 West, then onto Baker Hollow Road.
At State Road 46, authorities say that Brockman drove around a closed gate into a wooded area. A deputy, who was on foot, spotted the vehicle
Brockman’s vehicle; Photo courtesy of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Dept.
and attempted to make contact with the Brockman. However, Jackson says that he continued to flee while calling out to the deputy that he was carrying a gun.
At one point, said Jackson, Brockman drove toward deputies who were on foot, nearly hitting them.
Authorities say that Brockman eventually exited the wooded area, driving toward State Road 46 where Edinburgh Police Chief David Mann was stationed. Chief Mann then pursued Brockman, who was heading eastbound while driving in the westbound lane of State Road 46. In order to keep Brockman from driving into oncoming traffic, Jackson says that Chief Mann crashed with Brockman’s vehicle.
After the collision, police say that Brockman then headed west, where the chase continued into Brown County. It was at this time that Indiana State Police took the lead with Bartholomew County deputies in support, said Jackson.
When State Police lost sight of the vehicle, the pursuit was terminated.
However, an Indiana State Trooper saw the vehicle at Georgetown Road and County Road 500 West still driving at a high rate of speed and without taillights. Brown County and Bartholomew County deputies waited for the suspect east of Nelson Ridge Road in an attempt to deploy stop sticks. Jackson says that Brockman was able to avoid the stop sticks by leaving the roadway. However, he returned to the road as deputies and state troopers moved in to cut him off. Authorities say that Brockman’s vehicle then continued westbound where stop sticks were successfully deployed by Indiana State Troopers.
While the stop sticks deflated all four tires on the Brockman’s car, Jackson says that he continued to flee until his vehicle’s engine blew and he came to a halt after hitting a guardrail.
Brockman then allegedly ran from the vehicle into a wooded area where deputies and state troopers were able to arrest him. Brockman is facing preliminary charges of:
Criminal Recklessness
Driving While Suspended with a Prior
Resisting Law Enforcement
Reckless Driving
Aggressive Driving
Failure to Stop After an Accident
Brockman was booked in the Brown County Jail on $73,600 bond.
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department says that that this is the second police chase in three months involving Brockman. In July, Jackson says that Brockman was involved in chase with Bartholomew County deputies that ultimately resulted in his arrest. She adds that Brockman also allegedly fled in a vehicle and evaded arrest just last week.
Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers is glad Brockman is behind bars and that no one was hurt. “We have been dealing with Mr. Brockman on multiple occasions recently,” said the Sheriff. “What little time he has spent in jail doesn’t seem to be bettering his judgment regarding criminal activity. His behavior continues to put the public at risk. This was good cooperation among five agencies. They worked well together and I am happy that no one was injured,” said Myers.
INDOT is planning a $1.2 million pavement repair project on Interstate 65 between Seymour and Walesboro.
The work will start early next month and you will see lanes closed for up to 4 and a half miles at a time. This work will be done in the evenings with completion expected by Nov. 30th.
INDOT reports that construction signs will go up next week. Asphalt patching work will start in early October in the southbound right lane.
You should expect traffic snarls during peak travel times.
INDOT permits repair operations for this project during these times:
8 p.m. Sunday until noon Monday
6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday until noon the following day
Cummins Inc. will continue to provide backup power for the state’s mobile bicentennial museum for the rest of this year’s celebrations.
The company stepped in on Sunday to provide power generating equipment after the mobile museum’s generator failed en route to its appearance at the Bartholomew County Public Library in Columbus. Tour officials estimated that they would be unable to open about two-thirds of the exhibits to the public due to the power loss.
Cummins brought in a genset it had available in the Indianapolis area and had the power equipment installed by 1 p.m. Sunday. John Kestler, director of exhibits and special events for the diesel engine manufacturer, was instrumental in organizing the emergency help over the weekend. He says the company now has an agreement to provide backup power for the rest of the bicentennial tour.
Cummins has also signed on as a sponsor of the Indiana Experience museum, Kestler said.
Lynn Lucas, organizer of Bartholomew County’s bicentennial festivities, said that the exhibit set a record attendance in Sunday’s stay at the library, drawing 900 visitors — which was more than any other county so far.
The torch relay is in Brown and Monroe counties today.
