Columbus police arrested a man after a 100 mph car chase that ended with a wrecked Chevy Camaro.

Police were originally called to a hit and run crash at 10th Street and National Road at about 8:45 p.m. last night. Columbus police and Bartholomew County deputies located the vehicle a short while later and tried to stop it. Instead, the driver, later identified as 36-year-old Dustan Phares, of Columbus raced off on Taylor Road, police report.

He crashed near Marr Road and County Road 450N, sending the car into a farm field. And then he tried to run away, but was found hiding in a field, police report. After being taken to Columbus Regional Hospital to be checked out after the crash and to have his blood drawn for an alcohol test, he was arrested.

He is facing charges including resisting law enforcement in a vehicle, resisting law enforcement, leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, criminal mischief, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Indiana Department of Transportation crews will be closing the left lane of northbound Interstate 65 over the nights next week between Columbus and Seymour.

Concrete trucks will be using the lane to haul paving materials between 9 p.m. in the evening and 6 a.m. in the morning Monday through Saturday. That work will be going on between the Jonesville Road and Walesboro exits.

You will also see single lanes closed in both the northbound and southbound area around the Denois Creek bridge over the next few weekends. That works starts on Friday evenings at 6 and runs through noon on Sundays.

This is all part of the state’s $143 million Next Level Roads project widening the highway between Seymour and Columbus.

Columbus congressional candidate Greg Pence is getting the endorsement from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. A senior official of that group was at Zaharakos yesterday with Pence to announce the recommendation. Ron Eidshaug, vice president of Congressional and public affairs for the U.S. Chamber:

Eidshaug talked about the areas where the Chamber’s legislative agenda match up with the congressional candidate’s:

Pence is former head of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Indiana chamber, which has also endorsed him.

From his prior experience, Pence said he learned the importance of the Chamber of Commerce and in the businesses of a community.

The Republican Pence is running for the 6th Congressional District seat that his brother, Vice President Mike Pence, previously held. He faces Democrat Jeanine Lake in the November election.

Camp Atterbury’s commanding officer is inviting you to come by the base on Saturday for Community Day.

This is the first base open house for Col. Felicia Brokaw.

Brokaw took over as commander in June. She is the first female commander of the Atterbury and Muscatatuck military training bases.

The community day events will include live fire exercises, music, demonstrations of helicopter rescues and dog searches, and static displays.

Many of the static displays focusing on the history of the base.

The static displays will also include displays of military vehicles and presentations by military-related organizations including the Veterans Affairs Administration and recruiters for the Indiana National Guard.

Musical performances will be by the Southern Indiana Pipes and Drums and the 38th Infantry Division Band.

The live fire demonstrations on the base’s ranges will include howitzers, grenade launchers and machine guns. Weather permitting, the 122nd Fighter Wing will provide demonstrations of the firepower of their A-10 aircraft.

Community Day at Camp Atterbury will be Sept. 8th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., starting at Building 722.  The static display area opens at 10 a.m. Live fire demonstration begins at 2 p.m.

Bus transportation will take visitors from the parking lot to the static display area, and to the ranges for the live fire exercises. Those buses are accessible to those who are disabled.

The Indiana Department of Transportation plans to close U.S. Highway 50 next week at the railroad crossing located in Seymour between Indianapolis Avenue and East Street. The closure is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday through 6 p.m. Thursday.

A state highway detour routes motorists around this U.S. 50 rail closure via U.S. 31, State Road 250 and State Road 11. Louisville & Indiana Railroad crews will replace existing rubber panels at the U.S. 50 crossing with new concrete panels. This involves removing tracks and adjusting the elevation.

A local man was arrested Wednesday night after a scuffle with officers. Columbus Police noticed a man in the 300 block of Fourth Street at about 6:20 p.m. who was a suspect in a battery that happened on Tuesday. Authorities say the man, 37-year-old Brandon Gray of Columbus, initially gave them a fake name.

Police figured out who he was and placed him in handcuffs. Gray allegedly broke away and charged at another officer. He was taken to the ground and after a brief struggle with the officers, Gray was placed under arrest. Three officers received minor cuts and scrapes during the incident.

Gray was taken to Columbus Regional Health for medical clearance before being jailed on preliminary charges of Domestic Battery, Strangulation, Battery on a Public Safety Official, Resisting Law Enforcement, Theft and False Identity Statement.

New pay ranges for Columbus city employees have received initial approval. The council passed the first reading of the updated salary ordinance, which establishes minimum, midpoint and maximum pay levels.

The ordinance came about after Mayor Jim Lienhoop took office. He cited the need to make the city an attractive place to work in order to recruit and retain the best talent available. To that end, the city took part in a salary study that looked at the duties of city employees, their compensation and how they compare to other Indiana cities of similar sizes. The council approved the pay ranges in July, but the body needed to consider an updated version. Changes include a one-percent increase to the midpoint pay levels, which also affected those jobs’ minimum and maximum pay. Part-time employees will see a three-percent raise. A separate ordinance will see elected city officials receive a three-percent increase for 2019.

The immediate goal, say city officials, is to get public safety employees to their midpoint within two years. All other city employees will have a path to reach their midpoints within three years. However, any increases will be based on employee performance.

The council voted unanimously to approve the measure. The body will consider the ordinance on second reading at its meeting on Sept. 18th.

The city of Columbus will observe the 17th year anniversary of the September 11 attacks with a remembrance ceremony on Tuesday at City Hall. The ceremony will begin at 8:40 a.m.

A moment of silence will be observed to correspond with the attacks, beginning at 8:46 a.m., the time the first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The ceremony will include an emergency responder radio dispatch to honor the first responders and citizens that lost their lives following the attacks at the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Members of the Columbus Fire and Police Department Color Guard will take part in the ceremony, and brief comments will be made by City officials. CSA Central Middle School students will place American Flags on the lawn of City Hall to commemorate the lives lost on that day.

Tuesday’s ceremony is scheduled to last about 30 minutes. You are invited.

The Alliance for a Healthier Indiana is holding an event on Tuesday aimed at helping you and your family be healthier. Beth Morris is director of Community Health Partnerships. She explains that the consortium is comprised of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Indiana Hospital Association and Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, among others. She says that some health metrics in Indiana aren’t as good as they could be.

The consortium will hold a town hall meeting at the Columbus Learning Center on Tuesday morning. You can get breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and the program begins at 8 a.m. It is scheduled to last until 11:30 a.m.

For more information, or to register for this event, visit healthierindiana.org/columbus.