A Columbus woman was saved from a vehicle fire Tuesday night after good-Samaritans stepped in. Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus Police Department, says that shortly before 7 p.m., an SUV driven by 50-year-old Timberly Sue Trueblood went from a private drive towards Herman Darlage Drive. Witnesses told police that Trueblood’s vehicle failed to stop at stop sign and crossed Herman Darlage Drive, crashing into a tree on the east side of the street.

One of the witnesses reportedly told police that the wheels on the vehicle were still spinning after the crash. Moments later, the SUV caught fire. Harris says that a group of bystanders took a tire-iron to the driver-side window and carried Trueblood to safety before her vehicle was fully engulfed.

Police say that a doctor at the scene told them that Trueblood may have suffered a seizure before the crash. Her condition has not been released.

The investigation is ongoing.

The Bartholomew County Council gave its initial approval to an increase to the local income tax rate as a way to balance the county’s budget and to improve public safety. The measure, which would increase the local income tax from 1.25 percent to 1.75 percent, passed by the narrowest of margins on a vote of 4 to 3.

Councilman Mark Gorbett has been championing this, or a similar measure, for the past three years. He says the funding problems extend to his time as sheriff.

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Gorbett added that the council began seriously looking at addressing budget issues in recent years.

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Gorbett says that the community has changed, as has its needs. He also stresses that the council wasn’t considering raising the tax rate as high as it legally could…

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Laura DeDomenic, council president, explains that she originally ran for council because she wanted to find ways to make county government more efficient and make better use of tax dollars. She says that lots of work and study went in to making that a reality. However, she says that times have changed.

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Councilman Matt Miller says he isn’t so sure that a tax increase will have much of an effect on the opioid epidemic.

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The measure would increase the local income tax from 1.25 percent to 1.75 percent. Of that, officials say that .25 percent would be dedicated to public safety, .25 percent to economic development and the rest to the general fund. Bill Lentz and Evelyn Pence joined Miller in voting “no.”

The tax increase needs a second vote to pass. That is scheduled for Oct. 10th.

Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop says he’s upset that a group, which says it is dedicated to the interests of white Americans, met and walked through downtown. The Traditionalist Worker Party held a meeting in Bartholomew County over the weekend and, according to our news-gathering partners at “The Republic,” held a practice march through downtown Columbus.

In a press release, Lienhoop calls the TWP “a small, political, white supremacist group founded outside the state.” The mayor says that it is upsetting that the event took place, but noted that the group is constitutionally protected. Lienhoop’s statement went on to say, “It is equally important to denounce this group,” adding: ” the City of Columbus does not support the racist ideology upon which this group was founded.”

The Republic is reporting that about a dozen people took part in the march. Columbus Police reportedly told the newspaper that no laws were broken.

A downtown bakery suffered minor damage after a fire late Monday night. Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department, says that firefighters were called to the Sogno Della Terra Bakery, at 901 Washington Street, at approximately 11:15 p.m.

Wilson says that a passerby saw flames inside the storefront and called 911. Firefighters from nearby Fire Station 1, just two blocks away, arrived quickly to find a small fire visible on top of a glass display case just inside the entry door of the bakery. Wilson says that the business was closed, so an entry team breached a glass door to enter and put the fire out with a small amount of water.

Investigators reportedly found evidence that a candle had been located on top of the class counter top near combustible materials. They are still working to determine if the candle was the cause of the fire. Wilson says that the fire damage was isolated to the display counter and a fluorescent light directly above the fire.

Damages to the bakery have been estimated at less than $5,000. No injuries were reported.

The Bartholomew County Health Department will offer cholesterol screening for county residents. Staff says that these screenings will be by appointment only, and tests for total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL. The screenings will take place on the morning September 26th at the Health Department, located at 2675 Foxpointe Drive, Suite B.

The cost for the Cholesterol screening is $15. Cash, debit, or credit card accepted.

Participants must fast 12 hours prior to the screening.

To schedule an appointment, call the department at (812) 379-1555, Option 1, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

State Rep. Jim Lucas, a Republican representing portions of Bartholomew, Jackson and Jennings counties, is a strong proponent of Hoosiers being able to carry a gun without license. He recently sent a letter to the editor of numerous news outlets explaining his position. It reads:

Dear editor,

After two hearings on constitutional carry, I am amazed at the amount of misunderstanding and misrepresentation still being shown on this issue and want to set the record straight on several points.

Article 1 Section 32 of the Indiana Constitution specifically reads, “The people shall have a right to bear arms, for the defense of themselves and the State.”

Shall is absolute language in law.

However, to lawfully carry a handgun in Indiana, the state currently requires an individual to fill out lengthy forms, schedule to get fingerprinted and pay the state a fee to exercise this constitutionally protected right. Imagine the outcry if we held our other rights like going to church, voting, being secure in our homes or freedom of the press to these same requirements, fees and penalties!

One of the most egregious misrepresentations told by many, particularly the media, is that constitutional carry will allow everyone, even felons to carry. This is completely false! Indiana is a “shall issue” state, which means that as long as a person is not prohibited from carrying, they will get their license to carry handgun. A prohibited person cannot lawfully carry a handgun and will be breaking the law if they do so, just as they are now. The only people affected by the passage of this law will be innocent, law-abiding citizens.

Constitutional carry does not have anything to do with purchasing a firearm, only the lawful carrying of a firearm. Lawfully obtaining a firearm and carrying a firearm are completely different issues and should not be construed as the same thing.

An additional misrepresentation is that there could be an increased risk to law enforcement officer safety. Hours of testimony have produced ZERO evidence of constitutional carry putting law enforcement lives at risk; and currently, there are 13 states with constitutional carry. Since 1791, Vermont has never required a license, and it is considered the safest state in the nation. The facts and not “peer reviewed” studies actually show a decrease in gun homicides in many states after passing constitutional carry.

One tremendous boost to this issue is a recent unanimous Indiana Supreme Court ruling in Pinner v. Indiana, stating that police cannot stop an individual simply for carrying a firearm. This ruling resolutely affirms and recognizes our right to carry.

Hoosiers have proven their commitment to gun rights. The Indiana State Police report over 815,000 Hoosier adults have a license to carry a handgun, and at 16 percent of the adult population, Indiana has the highest percentage of adults lawfully carrying a handgun. These facts also show women as the fastest growing segment obtaining a license to carry a handgun, with a 130 percent increase in just the past few years.

As a Marine and a legislator, I will steadfastly pursue the restoration of our constitutionally protected right out of principle and honor my oaths to support and defend both our federal and state Constitutions.

It really is that simple, and the facts back me up.

Jim Lucas
State Representative
District 69

Indiana Department of Transportation Southeast District personnel will train for responding to an earthquake disaster next week. Operations will include route clearing, bridge inspection and building assessments.

Many of these preparedness activities will occur at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center at Butlerville. Authorities say this will cause a noticeable traffic increase between Seymour’s district headquarters, the unit facility at North Vernon and the MUTC.

On Monday and Wednesday, INDOT teams will be deployed from Seymour traveling along U.S. Highway 50 and its bypass at North Vernon to the INDOT unit location. On Tuesday and Thursday, convoys of teams will deploy from the North Vernon unit to the Muscatatuck training area throughout the day via U.S. 50.

Officials say these training programs are conducted each year to assure INDOT readiness for responding to natural disasters.

An inmate at the Bartholomew County Jail is facing additional charges after being accused of tearing apart a section of his cell door and using metal rods from it as a weapon. Our news-gathering partners at “The Republic” are reporting that 21-year-old Jordan Rhoades, of Columbus, was charged Friday in Bartholomew Superior Court 1 with three felony counts of Battery Resulting in Bodily Injury to a Public Safety Officer and one count of Criminal Mischief.

Rhoades is accused of taking the metal rods from the cell door and throwing them at three Bartholomew County Jail deputies. The charges also accuse him of intentionally damaging jail property.

According the report, the incident happened over the Labor Day holiday weekend. It says that Rhoades and another inmate, 37-year-old Joe Reed, of Columbus, kicked out a sections of cell doors. While Reed and Rhoades were moved to a separate confinement area, the paper says that other inmates blocked the bottom of their cell doors and allowed showers and toilets to overflow, flooding several areas in the jail. Sheriff Matt Myers told members of the county council and commissioners that these incidents further illustrate the need to put my resources into public safety.

Damage to the cell doors has been estimated at $8,000, but full damage estimates have yet to be released.

For more o n this story, visit therepublic.com.

A Jennings County man was killed in a one-vehicle crash Friday morning in Bartholomew County. The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department says that a passerby noticed the crashed vehicle shortly after 7 a.m. on County Road 330 West near County Road 450 North. Investigators believe the vehicle left the road, struck and embankment and rolled.

Clayton Nolting, Bartholomew County Coroner, identified the driver as 53-year-old Jeffrey L. Hanson, of North Vernon. Authorities say that Hanson was the only person in the vehicle and was not wearing his seat-belt. Nolting says that Hanson died from blunt-force trauma to the chest.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

Indiana State Police are investigating the shooting of a four-year-old boy in Ripley County. Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, ISP spokesman, says that detectives were called to a home located in the 1000 Block of South County Road 625 East near Milan at 9:40 p.m. on Thursday.

The initial investigation by Detective Kip Main indicated that police were called to the home after family members took the small child to the hospital after he was shot inside the home. Police believe the child found a loaded gun and shot himself in the abdomen. Wheeles says that family members immediately rendered first aid and then took the child to the Dearborn County Hospital. He was then transferred to Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati for further treatment. The child’s injuries are not believed to be life threatening and he is expected to make a full recovery.

The investigation is ongoing and state police say that their findings will be turned over to the Ripley County Prosecutor’s Office for review.