Veterans Day is Monday and Bartholomew County will be honoring county veterans who have passed away in the past year.
Veteran Zack Ellison says expected poor weather is moving the event indoors.

Monday’s event was originally scheduled to be held at the county’s Memorial for Veterans on the grounds of the

Bartholomew County Courthouse. It will still be held at 11 a.m. with a balloon release to follow. As each name is read, a balloon is released by funeral home staff.

Ret. Air Force Gen. Mark Pillar talked recently with John Foster on AM Columbus about the remembrance ceremony.

You are invited.

If you can’t attend the ceremony in person, you can listen to it live on News Talk 1010 WCSI and 98.1 FM beginning at 11 a.m. Monday.

A local woman was arrested on drug charges after a Thursday night traffic stop. Just before 8:30 p.m. Thursday, a Bartholomew County Sheriff’s deputy was near the intersection of Second and Sycamore Streets in Columbus when he observed a car without taillights. The deputy pulled the vehicle over and spoke with the driver, 45-year-old Carrie Pitts, of Columbus.

While speaking with Pitts, the deputy smelled a heavy odor of marijuana coming from inside her vehicle. A vape pen was located as well as two corner cut baggies. One bag containing a grey power suspected to be heroin and the other containing a white power believed to be methamphetamine.

Pitts was arrested on preliminary charges of:

Possession of a Controlled Substance
Possession of Heroin
Possession of Methamphetamine
Possession of Marijuana
Possession of Paraphernalia

She remains behind bars in lieu of $126,000 bond.

A local veteran will be honored Sunday with a high honor from the French government.

Rob Derringer explains that  95-year-old World War II veteran Marvin Sabatino, a Columbus resident, will receive the French Legion of Honor.

The award grew out of Sabatino serving as grand marshal of last year’s Ethnic Expo parade, where France was the host country.

The ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Indiana War Memorial in Indianapolis.

You will have a chance tomorrow morning to help Columbus, Bartholomew and Brown County and other area volunteer firefighters get training from some of the top fire chiefs in the country. And you can enjoy a stack of pancakes, while you are at it.

Columbus Township Fire & Rescue Chief Dave Thompson says that the county fire chief’s association is holding a flapjack fundraiser breakfast at Applebee’s in Columbus from 8 to 10 a.m. tomorrow to raise money for an upcoming seminar with Chief John Salka and Chief Rick Lasky.

Lasky is a former Lewisville, Texas fire chief who now tours giving inspirational speeches to firefighters.

Salka served 33 years with the New York City fire department, including being part of the incident command center during the 9-11 attacks.

The seminar with the chiefs will be held later this year at the Brown County Music Center. The goal is to make the seminar free for all first responders from around the state who wish to attend.

Admission for Saturday’s pancake breakfast is $10, Thompson says. There will also be door prizes given away.

Columbus police are reporting a string of thefts of catalytic converters from vehicles over the past month.

Thieves are using portable power tools to quickly cut off the emissions control devices, targeting large trucks, vans and sports utility vehicles. The thefts are happening all over the city, both during the day and at night, says Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus police. The devices can quickly be sold at scrap yards or third parties, police say.

More than 20 of the thefts have been reported since Oct. 1st.

Police are suggesting that if you notice any suspicious activity, you should call the police department at 812-376-2600. Tips and information can be left anonymously.

If you are concerned whether you have installed your child car seat correctly, you can get it checked out at an event this morning behind Columbus City Hall.

Columbus police and Dorel Juvenile group will be hosting the second and final car seat safety check from 9 to 11 this morning in the police department parking lot, behind 123 Washington Street.

You can have your car seat installation checked out by certified car seat technicians from Dorel and have it reinstalled if necessary. Police say that the process could take about 20 minutes.

Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus police, says that officers are excited about the partnership with Dorel to help keep children and families safe.

A Columbus company is planning a multi-million dollar upgrade project at its plant on Arcadia Drive, as a way of drumming up new business, keeping its employees and growing the company.

PMG Indiana asked the Columbus City Council this week for a tax break on its proposed $4.7 million dollar investment in new equipment at their plant. The project would only add two jobs but would help the company retain 223 existing jobs, company officials said.

In paperwork filed with the city, PMG officials said that the company is in the ending life cycle of several parts it produces, plus one of its major customers lost business to a competitor. Without the upgrades, the company expects to see a loss of sales.

Because of the slide in business, the company still plans to reduce its staffing until the improvements are made, by cutting 20 positions temporarily. Without the improvements, the company estimated it would have to cut 50 positions.

Columbus City Council approved the tax abatement request.

The Fair Oaks Community Development Corporation is sponsoring another public input session on Tuesday, Nov. 12, starting at 6 p.m. The meeting will be across the main mall aisle from the old J Nicole Store space at the mall.

Organizers note that this will be the third public input meeting in support of the master planning project with MKSK Studios. Members of the FOCDC Board, Columbus City Council and Columbus Parks and Recreation Board may be in attendance, however, no business will be done and no decisions will be made.

You are encouraged to attend and take part.

You can keep up to date on the development of the mall property by visiting reimaginefairoaksmall.com.

INDOT is going to be having a public information session this evening (Nov. 7) to talk about a road improvement project coming up next year on U.S. 50 in Seymour. They are looking for your opinions on the project, which will fix the pavement on U.S. 50 from just east of Agrico Lane to U.S. 31. They are going to improve the intersection with U.S. 31, widen the bridge over Sandy Branch and add a multi-use pedestrian path, sponsored by the City of Seymour.

Tonight you will be able to look at displays and talk to the project’s designers.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., presentation begins at 6 p.m. at Seymour City Hall

The Columbus election results are getting attention from the national press with most media outlets focusing on Vice President Mike Pence’s hometown turning blue for the first time since the 1980s.

The story of the City Council flip from Republican to Democratic control was first picked up on by politics followers on social media and then spread to Newsweek, the New York Times and the Associated Press. Celebrities were tweeting about the switch yesterday including Bette Midler.

Barb Hackman, chairwoman of the Bartholomew County Republican party talks about the change following the election results Tuesday night after the polls closed.

She said the races were heart-breakingly close, particularly Republican Dascal Bunch’s loss to Democrat Jerone Wood by a single vote.

She also took note of Republican Josh Burnett’s narrow loss in the at-large races. Democrat Tom Dell edged out Burnett 3,409 to 3,339.

Democratic council members Elaine Wagner and Dell retained their seats in Tuesday’s election, while newcomers Wood and Grace Kestler also won, giving the Democrats a 4-3 majority on next year’s council. Republican councilmen Frank Miller, Tim Shuffett and Dave Bush retained their seats.

Republican Mayor Jim Lienhoop was unopposed in Tuesday’s election along with Republican Clerk-Treasurer Luann Welmer.