A Columbus teen was the victim of a fatal crash yesterday morning in Brown County.

18-year-old Kate Beckley was driving west on State Road 46 when she lost control and crossed into the path of a tri-axle dump truck being driven by 44 year old Anthony Wagler of Nashville. That’s according to the Brown County Sheriff’s Department. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident happened Thursday at about 9:35 a.m. in the morning in the 1600 block of State Road 46.

The crash remains under investigation. Wagler was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital to have his blood drawn, a standard procedure in fatal accidents according to the sheriff’s department.

A simulated crash between a train and a car, will be taking place tomorrow at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds.

The Louisville & Indiana Railroad is working with local firefighters and Bartholomew County Emergency Management to train emergency workers how to respond to train-vehicle collisions. That is part of a three-day “trauma camp” going on at the fairgrounds.

The mock collision will be set up near the Bartholomew County Fairgrounds to train Columbus Township Fire & Rescue firefighters and other emergency organizations about safe and effective ways to respond to train collisions. An Indiana University LifeLine helicopter crew is participating in the event.

The six-hour event is part of the third annual Bartholomew County Trauma Camp for local first responders.

Spear Street near the county fairgrounds may be temporarily shut down Saturday afternoon from 2 to as late as 6 p.m.

Crews will be setting up the accident scene starting at 5 p.m. this afternoon.

The Veterans Affairs administration is going to be using Saturday’s Community Day at Camp Atterbury as a chance to reach out to local veterans and help them get the benefits they are entitled to.

VA representatives will be set up with several other veterans organizations at the new barracks area on the base starting tomorrow morning. Alison Quinn from the Indianapolis Veterans Health Administration office explains.

Quinn said they will be able to help veterans sign up for their benefits on site and educate them on what benefits they qualify for.

The new barracks area is just across from the main entrance to the base near the Wakeman VA clinic.

Quinn said this is part of a larger push to better address veterans needs.

Pete Scoville, spokesman with the Veterans Health Administration, said that they are finding that many veterans, especially younger veterans, get out of the service and don’t try to access any of the benefits they have earned.

Events at Camp Atterbury tomorrow start at 730 with signups for a 5k run to raise awareness of suicide among members of the military and veterans. The veterans ceremony is at 9:30 at the memorial near the main gate..

There will be a live fire demonstration on the Camp Atterbury ranges starting at 3 p.m. But, you should be at the barracks area at 2 p.m. to catch a bus if you want to attend the live-fire demonstration.

Bartholomew County’s anti-opiate task force is nearly ready to make its recommendations on what needs to happen to stem the epidemic here.

Jeff Jones, executive lead of ASAP in Bartholomew County, is inviting you to a public forum to hear those updates, next month.

This comes just over six months after the launch of the ASAP task force in April. Jones said the organization has learned a lot and will be announcing new projects in the community to address the drug epidemic.

They will also be hoping to educate the public on the extent of the epidemic and reducing the stigma against those with addictions.

Jones said the new programs and initiatives announced in October will roll out later this year and early next year. They plan to address many of the shortcomings found in local efforts to battle the epidemic.

The forum will be at 6:30 p.m. the evening of Oct. 24th at The Commons.

You can expect some streets in downtown Columbus to be closed tomorrow for the annual Hot Rods and Rock & Roll car show and concert hosted by 106.1 “The River.”

This is our 21st annual Hot Rods and Rock & Roll event.

Beginning at noon, Washington Street will be closed from Third to Eighth streets. In addition, Fourth through Seventh streets will be closed from Franklin to Jackson streets.

The car show is from 3 to 7 p.m., with a concert by Rick K and The All-Nighters taking the stage near Third and Washington at 7 p.m.

North Vernon Mayor Mike Ochs took part in the second annual Climate Leadership Summit this week. The gathering brings together mayors from across the state to take part in discussions and exercises aimed at progressing green jobs and a cleaner environment. Mayor Ochs says it was important for him to go to share North Vernon’s story about how it is transitioning from conventional to solar power…

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Mayor Ochs says that the change had to make financial sense for the city…

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The switch to solar is expected to take a couple of years before it is completed.

The 30th annual Hope Ride is Saturday. The bike rides start at Hauser High School with registration from 7 to 9 a.m. at the school.

The rides, which range from 13 miles all the way to 100 miles go on until 4 p.m. The event raises money for food banks and other charity efforts. Breakfast at the school will benefit the Hope Volunteer Fire Department, while lunch on the Hope Town Square is a benefit for the Hauser Dollars for Scholars program.

Registration is $30. You can get more information at hoperide.org

Ivy Tech Community College’s and IUPUC’s Hope Squad is working to prevent suicide and to increase the public’s awareness of the issue this week.

From 6 to 8 p.m. tonight a speaker from the Life Recovery Center of Indianapolis will be available at the schools. The Life Recovery Center is an outpatient facility specializing in the treatment of substance abuse, mental health, problem gambling, domestic violence, and related issues.

That will be in the auditorium at the Columbus Learning Center.

The Hope Squad is a group of students, faculty and staff at the schools working to prevent suicides. The work is funded by a grant from Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County.

Camp Atterbury will be hosting its annual Community Day on Saturday.

The base’s soldiers and workers are inviting you to come to the base and see what they do. Capt. Jessica Cates is an organizer of the event.

Events start at 7:30 a.m. with registration for a 5k run to raise awareness of suicide among members of the military and veterans.

A veterans memorial ceremony starts at at 9:30 a.m., Cates says.

Cates says that there will be bounce houses for chidlren and tours of the base, along with static displays of military equipment. You can also go to the range for a live-fire exercise.

The live- fire demonstration on the Camp Atterbury ranges starts at 3 p.m. But you should meet at the barracks area at 2 p.m. to catch a ride on the buses heading to the range. The new barracks area is across from the main gate near the Wakeman VA clinic.

The World War II era Italian POW chapel will also have activities, Cates said.

The White River Broadcasting family of stations presented the proceeds of last week’s “Help for Harvey” Radiothon Wednesday afternoon to the American Red Cross. Beth Baker is the philanthropy officer for the Southern Indiana Chapter of the Red Cross.

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Baker specifically thanked the listeners of 101.5 WKKG, 106.1 The River and WIN 104.9 who took part in the 12-hour radiothon. Bob Morrison, station manager for White River Broadcasting, says that the results were far beyond what he had hoped for.

Baker says that donations are still pouring in to help those affected by Hurricane’s Harvey and Irma. She says that while all donations are appreciated, cash and check contributions help the most. Baker explains why.

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Baker noted that the help received from area residents goes far beyond financial contributions.

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Baker says a deployment sees volunteers serving in a disaster area for two weeks. During that time, they work 12-hour shifts, sleep on cots and sacrifice creature comforts. Despite this, she says that these volunteers are eager to serve.

For more information on how you can help the mission of the Red Cross, go to redcross.org.