The Columbus Fire Department celebrated the arrival of the city’s new fire engine with a traditional wet-down ceremony Monday evening at Station 6 in Walesboro. Around 50 people turned out for the festivities.

CFD officials say this is a tradition goes back to the era when fire pumpers were powered by hand and pulled by horses. Following a fire, the horses would be separated from the pumper cart and both horse and pumper would be washed by the firefighters. After this “bath”, the pumper would be pushed into the station ready for the next fire. You are invited to take part in the celebration.

The replacement apparatus is a custom Quint manufactured by E-One. The new engine will carry up to four firefighters and has been outfitted with a full complement of firefighting gear as well as Advanced Life Support medical and trauma equipment. The City of Columbus purchased the engine for $ 847,000.

The apparatus that has been serving as Engine 6 was purchased by the city in 1998. Capt. Mike Wilson, CFD spokesman, says this vehicle will be reassigned to the reserve fleet and utilized as a backup emergency response vehicle.

North Vernon officials are taking steps to make sure the city’s parks are safe and secure.

The city council took steps Monday evening to institute a curfew to keep people out of the parks during overnight hours. Under an ordinance that received initial approval, no one will be allowed inside the parks during specific hours.

The move comes after vandals damaged the men’s restroom at the old concession stand area near shelter house #3 in early September. The suspect(s) used a large rock to destroy three urinals and two toilets.

Specifically, the ordinance would ban people from entering or utilizing the North Vernon City Park, at 604 N. State Street, or mini park between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., except by written permit. The recently renovated Tripton Park will ban visitors from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise.

Violators are subject to fines. The exact amount is yet to be determined.

The council is expected to give final approval to the measure at its next meeting after the start of the new year.

Local anti-drug investigations led to the seizure of $8,400 dollars worth of heroin during a traffic stop.

Columbus police and Bartholomew County deputies were watching a vehicle when the driver made several minor traffic violations as he pulled onto Interstate 65 at Edinburgh. Officers stopped the driver, smelled marijuana in the vehicle and a Bartholomew County police dog alerted to narcotics inside.

While searching the driver, 21-year-old Jacquise Reed of Indianapolis, officers felt an item in his pants. When they reached the jail at about 9 last night, a bag containing 85 grams of suspected heroin was found in the back seat of the patrol vehicle where Reed was held. A search at the jail also recovered oxycodone pills from his pants.

Sheriff Matt Myers says that amount of heroin is too much for personal use and indicates Reed was involved in selling the drugs.

He is facing charges including dealing heroin, possessing drugs including heroin, a narcotic and marijuana, trafficking with an inmate and driving without ever receiving a license.

Myers credited the work of the Bartholomew County Joint Narcotics Team, along with  Columbus Police Department’s Intelligence Led Policing Unit with the  investigation that led to the traffic stop.

The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team is a combined unit of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbus Police Department and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office targeting the manufacturing and abuse of dangerous drugs in Columbus and Bartholomew County.

Two suspects were arrested on drug-related charges after a downtown traffic stop early Monday morning.

Columbus police report stopping a vehicle for a minor traffic violation near 9th and Chestnut streets at about 2 a.m. Monday morning. A CPD police dog alerted to the odor of narcotics in the vehicle. A search allegedly revealed methamphetamine in the car.

The driver, 35-year-old Brent V. Burnette, of Bloomington and his passenger 39-year-old Jennifer L. Jeffries of Columbus, were both taken into custody. A search revealed drug paraphernalia in their pockets.

A further search at the jail revealed Burnette was carrying marijuana and methamphetamine in his underclothes. He is facing charges for possessing meth, marijuana and drug paraphernalia as well as trafficking with an inmate.

Jeffries is being accused of possessing meth and drug paraphernalia.

Legal Aid will be having a Free Legal Aid Clinic on Monday, Dec. 16th at their offices in the Doug Otto United Way Center in Columbus.

Volunteer attorneys will be offering free legal consultations to low-income Bartholomew County residents. You can expect a 10 minute consultation to answer general questions, to offer legal information, or to receive other limited assistance or advice.

The clinic will be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the center on 13th Street.

Downtown Columbus businesses will be holding their third annual Not So Silent Night on Thursday evening.

You will be able to find downtown businesses staying open late with special events such as special sales and deals, wine samplings and gallery openings. The extended hours will be from 4 to 8 p.m.

An Elf Hunt for children in downtown businesses has been going on since Dec. 1st. Kids have the opportunity to fill up a passport with the locations of the hidden elves. That will wrap up at 8 p.m. on Thursday night.

Other events Thursday night will include free horse drawn carriage rides, strolling carolers, holiday music and children’s craft activities at The Commons.

The Not So Silent night events are organized by the Columbus Downtown Merchant’s Association.

A 29-year-old Indiana Army National Guard soldier was found dead over the weekend at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Jennings County.

The Guard is reporting that Cpl. Larry Litton Jr. of Martinsville was serving as an assistant squad leader with the 294th Military Police Company. He was found unresponsive on Saturday and pronounced dead at a local hospital.

“Cpl. Litton was a respected and admired soldier within our organization,” Capt. Cameron Molnar, commander of the 384th Military Police Company, said in a press release. “His love for his family, his fellow service-members, and our country makes this loss a tough and sad time. My deepest sympathy for his family and friends in this very difficult time.”

The cause of his death is under investigation.

Authorities are saying that property crime in Columbus is down. The Columbus Police Department has issued a report shows a continued drop in property crime across the city over the past few years.

Police Chief Jon Rohde says that Columbus has always been safe from violent crime. But property crime rates have remained stubbornly high.

In recent years, Columbus officers have been making concentrated efforts to reduce property crime, Rohde said.

Rohde says those to reduce property crimes include education efforts and community outreach

According to the report, from 2015 to 2018, Columbus saw a 19-percent reduction in property crime. In addition, through the first three quarters of 2019, CPD has noted an additional 16-percent reduction in property crime. This includes a 29-percent reduction in burglaries, 11-percent decrease in thefts and a 58-percent reduction in vehicle thefts.

Rohde said the success of the education efforts are demonstrated by the falling rate of vehicle thefts.

Bartholomew County officials don’t want the public taking photos or videos inside of the county courthouse anymore.

Sheriff Matt Myers made a notice today saying that that devices including cell phones or any other audio or video recording equipment will be banned starting on Jan. 1st. He said the notice was made on behalf of the county judges.

The prohibition would not apply to staff of the courts, prosecutors, county clerk, law enforcement officers or attorneys. The notice also states that this change deviates from the normal public schedule for adopting such rules.

The new rules have a public comment period that lasts until Dec. 15th. If you want to make a comment, you can contact Judge Jim Worton at the courthouse. He can be reached at 234 Washington Street, Columbus, IN 47201-6750 or by email at jim.worton@bartholomew.in.gov

A Columbus man is being accused of cutting two people with a knife during a dispute last night in downtown Columbus.

Columbus police are reporting that they were called to a disturbance at a home, where two people said they were cut in the stomach with a knife as they argued with 57-year-old Eddie J. Brown of Columbus. That was at about 8:45 p.m. Sunday night in the 1400 block of Chestnut Street.

Police found Brown near 11th and California Streets and after a brief scuffle, he was taken into custody. He is facing preliminary charges of battery with a deadly weapon and resisting law enforcement.

The victims did not suffer life-threatening injuries and they were treated at the scene by paramedics.