The Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay is expected to reach Bartholomew County on Sunday, Sept. 18th and festivities are planned at the library plaza on Fifth Street in Columbus.

The day’s schedule:

• Steps Through Time exhibit on Library Plaza – 2 to 8 p.m.
• United Way’s Bart the Bicentennial Bison on Library Plaza   2 to 8 p.m.
• Family-centered booths on 5th Street sidewalks —  2  to 6 p.m.
• Food booths in Library parking lot —  2 to 6 p.m.
• Indiana’s Bicentennial Experience (Mobile Visitors Center) on Lafayette Street – 4 to 8 p.m.
• Columbus City Band performance in front of First Christian Church – 4:30 to 5:15 pm
• Tim Grimm Family Band performance at Library Plaza – 6 to 7 p.m.
• Torch arrival 7 p.m. (estimated)
• 7 p.m. program – with Harry McCawley as emcee

The  7 p.m. program will include:

• Acceptance of Torch – Larry Kleinhenz, Bartholomew County Commissioner
• City Proclamation  — Mayor Jim Lienhoop
• Introduction of Bartholomew County’s Torchbearers  — Harry McCawley
• DAR Children’s Choir performance
• Remarks by Mark Newman, executive director of Indiana Office of Tourism Development.
• Cupcakes, balloons

The Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay will come through Bartholomew County Sunday, starting at the Decatur County line and ending in Columbus with festivities on the Bartholomew County Public Library Plaza.

The torch is expected to reach the county by 5 p.m. and the library by 7 p.m.

Anticipated locations for torch changes, the torch bearers and their mode of transportation are below:

• State Road 46 at the Decatur County Line  — Mary McGuire on an 1897 Mail Hack riding on a trailer decorated to look like grass and a road, pulled by a pickup driven by Edward Johnson
• Washington St in Hartsville at the Town Square — Carrie Harris with a 2002 Convertible with “Jet” attached.
• County Road 500N & 1050E — Bud Herron in a 1967 Plymouth Barracuda convertible.
• 17445 County Road 500N — Brittany Young in a 500 Festival Car 2016 Camero convertible.
• Miller’s Merry Manor at County Road 500N and 825E — Merrill Clouse in a family van.
• State Road 9 & County Road 450N 1935 Don Strietelmeier — John Deere B tractor.
• County Road 450N & 600E — Paul Ashbrook by bicycle.
• Simmons Winery at 8111 E, County Road 450 N — Fred Darling Columbus-area Visitors Center’s van.
• Columbus Municipal Airport Maintenance Shop at 2740 Arnold St — John Foster with an airplane and tug.
• Arnold Street and Middle Road — Rick Caldwell, walking.
• Fire Station 2 at Ray Boll Boulevard and  Arnold Street — Larry Perkinson in an aircraft rescue and firefighting truck.
• Columbus Regional Health’s IT Building on Central Avenue — Gene Gerthet with a Bartholomew County Public Library van.
• Central Avenue and Parkside Drive —  Ilya Schwartzman walking.
•  Parkside Elementary School on Parkside Drive — Cierra McCawley walking.
• Home Avenue and Tipton Lane — Chuck Wells, walking and running.
• Home Avenue to the tennis courts across from Columbus North High School — Susan Baute in a  Columbus Parks and Recreation van
• Home Avenue and 22nd St — Sam Simmermaker walking.
• 22nd and Chesnut streets — Siddha Hall walking.
• 22nd and Sycamore streets — Soloman Hall walking.
• 22nd and Pearl streets — April Williams on bicycle.
• 22nd & Washington streets — William Stultz walking.
• Washington and 20th streets — Don and Lucy “Dody” Harvey driving a 1933 Plymouth.
• Washington and 16th streets — Beth Newman in an antique Coca-Cola truck.
• Washington and 11th streets — Peter King walking.
• Washington and 9th streets — Gregory Pence walking.
• Washington and 7th streets — John Martoccia  walking.
• Washington and 6th streets — Sara Cannon walking.
• Washington and 5th streets — Jason Hatton walking.

When the Indiana Bicentennial Torch hits Bartholomew County on Sunday, its first stop will be in Hartsville.

The community in northeastern Bartholomew County is planning a two-day festival to celebrate the bicentennial, starting Saturday. Barb Johnson, an organizer of the event, says that festivities will begin at 11 a.m. each day.

There will be a fish fry by the Hartsville Volunteer Fire Department all weekend. There will also be historical information available at booths on the town square including details about Hartsville College, Rugby and Anderson Falls.

There will also be Civil War and World War II re-enactors and Sunday will be a performance about a Civil War surgeon, that will involve children helping with the “surgeries.”

Johnson said there will be old-fashioned games and activities for children. That includes a mini torch relay for children on Sunday.

The event will pick up on Sunday in anticipation of the arrival of the torch including horse-drawn carriage rides featuring Hartsville history and a performance by a brass quintet before the introduction of the torch-bearers.

The torch is expected to arrive in Bartholomew County at about 5 p.m. Sunday.

Simmons Winery and 450 North Brewing Company are planning activities from 2 to 5:30 p.m. including drinks, pizza and live music from the Banister Family under the shelter house.

Activities in Columbus will start at about 2 p.m. on the Bartholomew County Public Library Plaza on Fifth Street with the torch arriving downtown at about 7 p.m..

Hartsville Bicentennial Torch events

Saturday Sept. 17th

• 11 a.m. — Fish fry begins and history booths open
• 11:30 a.m. — Crafts and games begin
• Noon — Storytelling and re-enactors
• 1 p.m. — Music in shelterhouse
• 3 p.m. Play parties for kids
• 4 p.m. — Music in shelterhouse

Sunday Sept. 18th

• 11 a.m. — Fish fry begins and history booths open
• 11:30 a.m. — Possum Glory band
• Noon — Crafts, toys and games. Balloon man, Make a Torch and Mini Relay for kids, record stories, re-enactors
• 12:45 and 1 p.m. — Civil War Medical Program. Children from audience will be asked to assist surgeon.
• 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. — Hartsville Tours. Horse drawn carriages, visit characters.
• 2 p.m. — First Baptist presentation
• 4 p.m. — Introduce torch bearers
• 4:45 p.m. — Brass quintent
• 5 p.m. — Bicentennial torch arrives

Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers has promoted John Martoccia to major and made him commander of the Bartholomew County Jail.

Martoccia has been a road lieutenant. Former jail commander Gary Myers will take Martoccia’s place as a road lieutenant

Martoccia became a merit deputy in 1995, and has worked in the detective division, narcotics division, and the road division where he has served as a sergeant, lieutenant and captain.

Major Martoccia’s responsibilities will include all operational facets of the jail, the sheriff said.

The family of a Hope teen, killed in a motorcycle crash on Aug. 29th at the end of a police chase, is announcing that they intend to sue the Nashville Police Department.

The McCain Law Offices announced that it has filed a tort claim notice, or an intention to sue, the town of Nashville over the police chase that started north of Columbus on U.S. 31 and ended with the death of 18-year-old Xavier Scrogham on the east side of Bartholomew County. Nashville Reserve Officer Leonard Burch is under criminal investigation by the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department for the chase.

The Nashville police say that Burch did not have permission to take the police car that night and that he did not have police powers while he was off duty. Burch has since resigned his reserve position with the department.

According to the tort claim notice, Scrogham’s parents intend to sue Nashville for negligence, negligent entrustment, negligent hiring, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and/or wrongful death. The tort claim notice also asks that the car Burch was driving be impounded for future forensic analysis.

PDF copy of Notice of Tort Claim

A Lowell, Ind. man is recovering after accidentally shooting himself in a Seymour hotel.

The Seymour Police Department is reporting that they were called to the Hampton Inn at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night on a report of a shooting.

They found that a 59-year-old man had accidentally shot himself while trying to clean a weapon. He suffered a wound to his upper arm and was taken by Jackson County ambulance to Schneck Medical Center’s emergency room. He was last said to be in good condition.

Police say the case remains under investigation but no charges are expected.

Seymour Police want to remind you to consider every gun as loaded, and never point that weapon at anything you are not prepared to shoot.

The Bartholomew County Democratic Party will be holding a grand opening and reception Saturday at the new party headquarters at 1417 Chestnut Street in Columbus. A celebration is slated for 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and you are invited.

On Thursday, party officials say that a quarterly fundraiser for the party will be held at the Donner Center. Organizers say that Susan Bayh, wife of former Indiana Governor, U.S. Senator and current Senate candidate, Evan Bayh, will be the guest speaker. Thursday’s fundraiser runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

A battle over the future of the Columbus Township Fire Department continues next week. Ben Jackson, the township trustee, is currently on the losing end of an effort to keep all of the township’s paid firefighters. He says that residents of the township can keep the fire protection they have, while drastically reducing the taxes they pay for it…

Jackson says the tax cuts would be substantial…

Jackson says that two of the board members want further tax cuts, necessitating the need for the full-time firefighting staff to be reduced…

Jackson says that those board members advocating the fire department cuts have changed their reasons why, repeatedly…

Jackson says that taking this course of action would be an administrative disaster, mainly in finding enough volunteers to cover the two full-time positions that would be cut. He also argues that such a move puts township residents at undue risk, mainly during weekday, daylight hours. Jackson says that volunteers, as well as other departments, cover the township during evening hours and on weekends.

The budget adoption meeting for the township is set for Tuesday at the Bartholomew County Fairgrounds Family and Arts Building.

A head-on collision killed a Columbus man Thursday morning.

Judy Jackson, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department Spokeswoman, says that deputies responded to the scene, at the intersection of State Road 46 and County Road 250 East, at approximately 11:38 a.m.

Investigators say that video footage obtained from a nearby business shows a third vehicle, described as a faded red Chevrolet S-10 or GMC

Sonoma, driving left of center. They say that this truck and may have caused the northbound car, driven by Rex Money, 54, of Columbus, to cross the center-line, into the path of a southbound car, driven by Cassandra Smith, 25, of Brownstown.

Authorities say that both drivers had to be extracted by emergency personnel. Smith was transported to Columbus Regional Hospital. Her vehicle was carrying two passengers, William Decker, 19, Brownstown, and Amanda Strode, 26, Seymour. Jackson says that Strode was flown to an Indianapolis hospital. Decker was not hurt. Investigators say that Money passed-away from his injuries.

Authorities say that it’s unknown at this time if the red vehicle made contact with the northbound car but the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office would like to speak with the driver. If you have any information, you are asked to call Investigating Deputy Kevin Abner at (812) 379-1650, or the Sheriff Department Tip Line at (812) 379-1712. You may also contact authorities via email at sheriff@bartholomew.in.gov. “This is very serious, we need the community’s help and we need to know who owns this faded, red vehicle”, said Sheriff Matt Myers. Authorities stress that any information given to them can be done so anonymously.

Columbus police say that officers revived an Anderson woman who overdosed on heroin Wednesday evening.

Lt. Matt Harris, CPD spokesman, says that Officer Wesley Dodge responded to a home in the 700 block of Union Street, just before 6 p.m.

When Dodge arrived, he reported finding 39-year-old Angel M. Tucker unresponsive and not breathing. Harris says that Dodge administered a dose of Narcan to Tucker, who was then taken to Columbus Regional Hospital.

While inside the home, officers reported finding a “small amount” of heroin, along with drug paraphernalia. Officers also determined that Tucker had an active warrant for her arrest for an alleged parole violation. Once Tucker was released from the hospital, Harris says that, in addition to the warrant, Tucker was arrested on preliminary charges of Possession of Heroin and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.