A ceremony to remember those service members who are prisoners of war or missing in action is set for Friday evening. Bob Miller is an organizer for this event.

Miller explains that 55 Bartholomew County residents are among those who haven’t come home.

Miller talks about what drives him.

Friday’s ceremony is set for at 6:30 p.m. at the Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans. Ret. Army Chaplain Col. Charles Hobert McDaniel, Jr. is the guest speaker. His father went missing during the Korean War. His dog tag was among the items and remains returned by the North Korean government last year.

You are invited.

Vaping is permitted in smoke and vape shops in Columbus, so long as those shops are in compliance with state law. That was the opinion city officials and legal counsel made during Tuesday evening’s city council meeting.

The council gave final approval on August 20 to amend the city’s smoking ordinance to include vaping and electronic cigarettes as being banned from businesses. Those devices are now treated as cigarettes. There was a question when the ordinance was amended about the possibility of exempting vape shops from the ban. That question is now settled in the eyes of local officials.

A number of organizations, including Healthy Communities and the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation, asked for the ban earlier this year. All of those who spoke in favor of the ban specifically said it is needed to insure the health of area youth.

The ordinance goes into effect on October 16th.

Walgreens and the Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center are hosting a flu shot clinic on Thursday, Sept. 26 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the LCNFC, located at 1039 Sycamore Street.

The event is open to the public, courtesy of Walgreens, and is for those who are
uninsured, under-insured or even have insurance including MdWise HIP2.0 and Medicare Part B. Vaccines will be administered on a first-come, first-served basis and are for ages 11 and over. Appointments are not necessary, but residents are encouraged to call to sign up so sufficient vaccines are available.

For more information or to sign up, call the Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center at (812) 379-1630 or email info@lcnfc.org.

A Columbus woman was arrested early Wednesday morning on auto theft and drug-related charges.

A Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop in the 3000 block of North National Road at 2:11 a.m. Authorities say that the driver, 44-year-old Samantha Banks, was unable to provide paperwork for the vehicle.

Deputies confirmed that the vehicle was owned by an inmate in the Bartholomew County Jail. The inmate reportedly told officers that Banks should not be in possession of the vehicle and requested that it be reported as stolen.

Columbus Police responded with their police dog, Argo, who alerted to the presence of narcotics inside the vehicle. A search allegedly revealed drug-related items inside. Banks was arrested on preliminary charges of Auto Theft, Possession of Drug-Related Items and Driving while Suspended

Banks remains behind bars in lieu of $70,000 bond.

A Jefferson County man was arrested Tuesday night in North Vernon.

The North Vernon Police Department says that at about 9:18 p.m., officers arrested 18-year-old Preston Bowling, of Deputy, after he allegedly battered a 14-year-old juvenile in the Walmart parking lot. The child was treated at St. Vincent Jennings Hospital for what are described as “moderate” injuries. Bowling is facing a preliminary charge of Battery.

North Vernon officers were assisted by deputies from the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department.

Columbus Animal Care Services is looking for residents willing to provide foster homes for animals, both to help overcrowding at the city-owned shelter and to keep the youngest animals healthy.

Shelter manager Nicohl Birdwell-Goodin explains that while the shelter needs future volunteers to foster dogs, the current need is for temporary homes for cats.

Birdwell-Goodin said that young kittens are still building their immune systems after vaccinations and it could risk their health to be around other cats. The hope is that many of the kittens could be taken care of at foster homes while their immune system is maturing.

The shelter is seeing its annual surge in the number of kittens arriving at the shelter. And the shelter is not the best place for the young animals.:

In addition to overall size constraints at the shelter, it is also overcrowded because of the move to become a no-kill shelter several years ago.

Birdwell-Goodin said that the shelter would like to build up its list of potential foster homes.

There is an application process.

She said there are differing levels of foster care opportunities available.

If you want to be part of the shelter’s foster care program you can call (812) 376-2505.

INDOT is planning to close down the entrance and exit ramps at the Walesboro exit overnights next week as contractors put a new surface on the highway.

The work will require each ramp to be milled and then repaved. The ramps on the northbound lanes will be closed Monday and Wednesday, while the southbound lane ramps will be closing Tuesday and Thursday.

The closures are expected to last from 6 p.m. in the evening until 6 a.m. in the morning. The work schedule is dependent on the weather.

A Columbus man was arrested yesterday morning for his part in a bloody brawl at a motel.

Columbus police were called to the motel on Carrie Lane at about 8:10 a.m. Tuesday morning and found blood stains on a door and sounds of a fight going on inside the room. 20-year-old Logan S. Woodard was allegedly inside the room, punching another man in the head.

Police ordered Woodard to stop the attack, but he continued until officers used a Taser to subdue him. He is facing preliminary charges of battery, resisting law enforcement and illegal consumption.

A number of Jennings County High School students were detained and charged after they walked out of the school Tuesday, Sept. 17.

Sgt. Andrew Richmond, spokesman for the North Vernon Police Department, says that the event began with a small group of students staging a demonstration inside the school. The students then moved their group to the side walk just outside of the building. The police department was asked to intervene when students began leaving the school grounds without permission.

Nine students were located, detained and brought to the police department. The students were charged with Truancy and released to a parent or guardian.

Police did not indicate what the students were protesting.

Three Jennings County Schools’ students have been arrested in separate instances over the past week of threats being made against schools, students and staff.

North Vernon police say that all three incidents were investigated by the school resource officer.

On Sept. 10th, a 6th grader made a vague threat to the student body over social media, and a 9th grader made specific threats against two other students in a classroom, according to police. Yesterday, an 11th grader made a broad threat that was overheard by other students. All of the students were removed from the school and arrested on intimidation charges. The cases have been forwarded to the juvenile court for prosecution..

Police say that there is no evidence that any of these events had prior planning or preparation.