Indiana sheriffs are warning about an old scam that has recently resurfaced.

Sheriff Doug Cox, of Johnson County, says that several Indiana counties are seeing the scam where a caller contacts people who recently bonded out of jail, and tries to get them to pay more money immediately or be returned to incarceration.

Authorities say that you should always be skeptical if someone calls and demands immediate payment over the phone for a debt, especially if they want you to purchase pre-paid debit cards, or gift cards to settle an account.

You can always hang up and call law enforcement if you are feeling pressured or worried.

Columbus City Council will be considering the approval of more overtime for city police and firefighters. And that is in part because of several visits by the vice president to his hometown.

The Council is being asked to increase the overtime budget for the year by $70,000, moving money from other personnel funds. That would be $40,000 for firefighters and $30,000 for city police. Jamie Brinegar, director of finance for the city, says that about half of that amount is directly due to three visits to the city this year by Columbus native Mike Pence.

Brinegar adds that this is merely a transfer of funds and not an additional appropriation.

Tonight’s meeting is at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Columbus City Hall and you are invited to attend.

Downtown Columbus merchants will be having a Not so Silent Night celebration on Thursday, Dec. 14th from 4 to 8 p.m..

John Pickett, one of the organizers, says that stores and restaurants will be staying open late and there will be shopping and dining deals all evening.

The event will also include a scavenger hunt and carriage rides.

The event will feature Santa Claus at The Commons and both an ugly Christmas sweater contest and an ugly sweater 5k run.

Pickett said that It is all part of an effort to get residents to shop locally in downtown Columbus.

Last year’s incarnation of the event was a big success, despite poor weather conditions, Pickett said.

Kidscommons is also offering a low-cost option to watch your children while you shop that night.

You can find out more on the Not So Silent Night Facebook page. 

Former Bartholomew County Sheriff and Columbus City Councilman Kenny Whipker shot and killed a large dog that attacked his beagle while on a walk in downtown Columbus yesterday.

Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman with the city police, says that the former sheriff was walking his dog near 9th Street and Lafayette Avenue at about 2 p.m. yesterday afternoon, when a German Shepherd mix bolted out of a nearby front door and attacked Whipker’s dog. The former sheriff fired once, killing the attacking dog.

Harris said police were called on a report of shots fired and the incident is still under investigation. Under city code, a person has not committed a crime if they use a firearm in self defense, Harris says.

The Columbus Firemen’s Cheer Fund is again asking for your help to refill its shelves. Capt. Mike Wilson explains that they need new and gently-used toys…

Wilson explains that a planned toy boxing session last Friday had to be cancelled due to a lack of toys…

Wilson says that these boxing sessions resumed Monday night. If you’d like to volunteer, he says that boxing sessions continue every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6 p.m. at the United Way Center. You can also help deliver gifts on Saturday, Dec. 16th. Donations of new and gently-used toys can be dropped off at any of the city’s six fire stations or the Doug Otto United Way Center. You can make a financial contribution online at cheerfund.com.

Columbus leaf pickup crews are running about half a day behind in their pickup schedule. Richard Macy with the city garage says that as of noon Monday, they had caught up with the previous week’s routes and were starting on this week’s.

Macy said that crews will continue running their routes as long as the leaves don’t get frozen to the ground, or workers have to be called off for snow removal. Although the normal cut off date for the leaf routes would be Dec. 15th, Macy said that the routes will continue as needed.

Leaves should be kept loose, and raked to the curb but not into the street as they will block storm drains. Leaves should be out on the same day as your normal trash pickup.

If you still have leaves that need collected after the normal routes end for the year, you can call the city garage and they will take extra requests. You can call (812) 376-2508.

The body found Sunday afternoon in a Shelby County river has been identified as that of a man reported missing last month. Shelby County Sheriff Dennis Parks says that his office received a 911 call at 4:14 p.m. Sunday after kayakers found the body in the Big Blue River approximately four miles west of Shelbyville.

Authorities have identified the body as that of 38-year-old Christopher A. Young, of Shelbyville. Sheriff Parks says that Young was reported missing on November 7th.

A Monday morning crash claimed the life of a Columbus man. The Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office says it was called to the scene of the one-vehicle crash on State Road 46 near Tipton Lakes Blvd, just west of Columbus at approximately 8:15 a.m. Coroner Clayton Nolting responded and pronounced 54-year-old Brian L. Stevens dead at the scene.

Nolting says that Stevens was the sole occupant of a pickup truck that crashed into a tree on the north side of the highway. He notes that Stevens had trauma to the chest, but an official cause of death is pending toxicology results.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the crash.

The city of Columbus is announcing the hours that kids can visit Santa Claus at The Commons.

According to the city, Santa will be available outside The Commons, next to the Washington Street entrance from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday and on Saturday Dec. 16th.

And Santa will be at The Commons from 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14th. That will be during the Not so Silent Night event downtown.

Columbus City Council will be considering its final approval on a $10 million dollar down payment on an overpass into downtown Columbus, when the council meets tomorrow night.

The project would take traffic over the railroad tracks near State Road 46 and State Road 11 heading into the downtown area. The Indiana Department of Transportation is estimating that the project will cost about $30 million dollars and the city is on the hook for half of that amount. The first payment from the city is due on Dec. 15th.

To make this first payment, the city is taking money from the Cummins Tax Increment Financing district on Central Avenue, along with the downtown TIF district and money donated by Bartholomew County.

Last week, city engineer Dave Hayward said that there are already crews in the area, searching for any archaeologically significant sites in the fields planned for the overpass.

The Louisville and Indiana Railroad is already at working clearing trees near its bridge at Noblitt Park. Replacing that bridge next year is the next step to allow more frequent trains to roll through Columbus, and trains that are longer, wider and taller. CSX Railroad is using the L&I tracks and plans to run up to 22 trains a day through downtown once it gets fully up to speed.

Tomorrow night’s meeting is at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Columbus City Hall and you are invited.