The annual Salute! concert put on by the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic is this Friday, May 24th, near the grounds of the Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans. Retired Gen. Mark Pillar is the military master of ceremonies. He talks about the origins of this free event, aimed at honoring those who have served and are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Gen. Pillar says it is important to understand that the military has seen generational changes.

The concert is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Columbus East High School Band Booster Club will be on hand selling refreshments.

You are invited to bring your lawn chair and enjoy the performance.

For more on Friday evening’s concert, visit thecip.org.

Tickets for the Columbus Human Rights Commission’s annual dinner meeting go on sale this week. The commission is inviting you to hear a moderated discussion on immigration featuring Dr. Neeraj Kaushal and Ms. Angela Adams on Thursday, June 20th. That event is will be held at The Commons, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Dr. Kaushal is a professor of social policy and the chair of the doctoral program at Columbia School of Social Work. His academic fields of expertise include comparative immigration policy, social welfare policy, labor economics, health economics, and public finance.

Adams is the owner and managing attorney at Adams Immigration Law, LLC in Carmel, where she practices family and employment-based immigration law. She holds a B.S. in public affairs-management from Indiana University and a J.D. from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

Adams has served on several boards and in leadership capacities, including at the Immigrant Welcome Center, Su Casa Columbus, Mexican Scholarship Fund, La Plaza, Hispanic Education Center, and the Indiana chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers.

In addition to the discussion, the recipient of the 2019 William R. Laws Human Rights Award and the winners of the 2019 Benjamin M. King Essay and the J. Irwin Miller Art Contests will be honored at the dinner. The theme for this year’s art and essay contests is “You Belong in Columbus.”

Admission to the dinner is by advance ticket purchase. Tickets for the dinner are set to go on sale Wednesday, May 22. They are $30 each. Tickets can be purchased at the Human Rights Commission office in City Hall, or by going online at columbus.in.gov/human-rights/.

The deadline for purchasing tickets is Monday, June 17th at 5 p.m.

LHP Engineering Solutions is planning to add 135 new jobs in Columbus.

The company made the announcement in conjunction with a state announcement on tax incentives. According to the report, the company plans to invest more than $1 million to expand its Poshard Drive headquarters.

The company has 190 employees in Columbus nwo and more than 475 worldwide.

The new hires, set to take place by 2023, would be engineers in the fields of electrical, mechanical, computer science, quality, functional safety and controls, and transportation software.

According to the Indiana Economic Development Corp. announcement, the company will be making  building and office improvements and significant hardware and software investments to the building just off of Central Avenue near the IUPUC and Columbus Learning Center buildings.

The  company provides engineering services and technology integration for embedded controls, telematics, data analytics and model-based design for the automotive, aerospace and medical industries.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered LHP up to $1.6 million in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives.

LHP was founded in 2001 by Dave Glass and Ryan Hou in Columbus and  has expanded to locations in California, Michigan, Texas, China, Italy and Mexico.

Columbus police say they arrested a man who was breaking the windows out of East Columbus United Methodist Church Saturday afternoon.

When officers arrived at the Indiana Avenue church at about 3:50 p.m. Saturday, they could hear glass breaking. Officers discovered 54-year-old Trinidad J. Padilla holding a rock and bleeding from his head and hands.

He was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for treatment and then to the jail on preliminary charges of criminal mischief and criminal trespassing.

Authorities are releasing more details about a fatal crash in southern Bartholomew County that killed a Freetown man Saturday.

Bartholomew County deputies report that 22-year-old Terry Von Anderson III was driving a Mustang on County Road 675W at about 3:46 p.m. when he met a vehicle coming the opposite direction and his vehicle’s wheels dipped off of the right-side of the road. He tried to recover, overcorrected, slid off the road and the car landed upside down in a small creek bed.

Anderson was pronounced dead at the scene by the Bartholomew County coroner’s office. He was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, deputies report.

A Columbus man is facing drug charges after a Saturday crash on Central Avenue.

32-year-old Clint M. Noble is facing preliminary charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated with endangerment, possession of heroin and leaving the scene of an accident.

After being called on reports of a possibly impaired driver, Columbus police found a road sign knocked over and vehicle debris near Central Avenue and Rockyford Road at about 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

They found a damaged vehicle at a residence in the 1900 block of Pinewood Court where Noble appeared to be under the influence — slurring his words and having difficulty recovering his license. He was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for a blood test and then to jail.

Officers allegedly discovered heroin in his clothing.

Democratic presidential candidate Eric Swalwell drew a crowd of enthusiastic local supporters to a town hall and rally Sunday afternoon at the Factory 12 Event Loft.

Swalwell, a four-term incumbent Congressman from California is married to Columbus native Brittany Watts Swalwell. He drew big applause from the supportive crowd with his take on issues including  women’s reproductive rights:

The crowd also backed his positions on supporting teachers and gun control.

After the event, Swalwell said that Columbus residents are also concerned about the health of their democracy:

Swalwell said that Columbus had more political diversity, than just being Vice President Mike Pence’s hometown..

Local Democrat Bob Pitman said he was impressed.

Local Democrat Michael Schoumacher said he appreciated the message.

Bartholomew County Democratic chairman Bob Hyatt said that he was impressed with the turnout, especially on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

There is another race for Columbus City Council on the November ballot. A Democrat and an independent have filed to run against Republican incumbent Dascal Bunch for the District 1 seat on the council, representing the East Columbus neighborhoods.

30-year-old Democrat Jerone Wood filed the paperwork last week to run against Bunch for the seat.

Wood is a leasing agent, married and has four children. He graduated from Columbus East High School, and has a bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University. He is also a track coach and has a background working with youth.

Wood said he is dedicated to helping the youth in our community. He sees that as one of his three priorities, if elected.

Wood said he also is prioritizing the opioid crisis and homelessness.

Wood’s addition means Bartholomew County Democrats are running candidates in all the City Council races in November. They have yet to recruit candidates to run for mayor and clerk-treasurer.

The District 1 seat was held for years by Democrats, August “Augie” Tindell and Priscilla Scalf,  before the Republican Bunch won election to two terms. Although a political newcomer, Wood said he plans to work hard to win it back.

Our news-gathering partners at The Republic report that independent Michael Kinder has also filed to run for the District 1 seat on the council, making for a three-way race.

A Freetown man was killed in a one-vehicle crash Saturday afternoon in southwestern Bartholomew County. The Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office was called to the scene shortly before 4 p.m. Authorities say the crash happened on County Road 675 West, south of Seymour Road near Waymansville. Terry Von Anderson III was pronounced dead at the scene by deputy coroner Charlie Deweese. The cause of death was listed as massive head trauma.

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

A Columbus woman was arrested after a near head-on collision with a Bartholomew County Sheriff’s deputy.

Authorities say that at approximately 5:25 p.m. Thursday, Deputy Andrew Whipker was eastbound on 25th Street near Fox Pointe Drive when a car crossed the center line into his lane. The deputy was able to avoid a crash and turned his vehicle around to initiate a traffic stop. Police say the car continued westbound in the eastbound lanes before driving into the grass on the south side of 25th Street.

While speaking with the driver, Shelby M. Harsh, 27, authorities observed signs of impairment and could smell the odor of marijuana coming from inside her vehicle. Harsh reportedly told Deputy Whipker that she had smoked heroin and marijuana earlier in the day.

A cut straw with burnt residue and tin foil with burnt residue were discovered in Harsh’s vehicle.

Harsh was remanded to the Bartholomew County Jail on preliminary charges of:

– Operating a Motor Vehicle while Intoxicated
– Possession of Paraphernalia

She was also issued a citation for:

– Driving Left of Center
– Driving while Suspended

Harsh has since been released.