A robotics team involving around 40 area high-school students are working hard to compete against other teams from around the world. Reed Nowling is a student at Columbus East. He says that teams had six-weeks to design, build and program a robot to accomplish a specific task.

Elizabeth Hales is a student at Columbus North. She says that clear communication and what is learned in various classes are big components in creating a good robot.

Nowling says that a set of competitions begin this weekend…

Nowling says that the team has already received invites to both the state and world competitions. However, in order to take part in the state and world events, he says the team needs to raise $25,000 to cover expenses. If you would like to help, you are asked to visit the team’s website at team4926.org.

Cummins has announced a promotion among the company’s leadership. The Columbus-based diesel engine manufacturer announced Thursday that Melina Kennedy has been promoted to Executive Director – Global Rail and Defense. In this role, Kennedy will report directly to Power Systems President Norbert Nusterer and will join his leadership team.

“Over the past few years, Melina has demonstrated a deep understanding of our business, earned our customers’ trust and led impressive revenue growth in our Rail and Defense businesses,” said Nusterer. “Moving forward, I am confident that Melina will continue to grow our Rail and Defense businesses by expanding our customer base for our tremendous product portfolio.”

Prior to leading the Rail and Defense teams, company officials say that Kennedy served as Director of Executive Communications, creating and delivering global and strategic internal and external communications for the Chief Executive Officer and other senior leaders at Cummins. Before joining Cummins, Kennedy spent more than 15 years practicing law and holding key public-service roles throughout Indiana.

Seymour Water Pollution Control will have a contractor replacing a sanitary line between Holiday Drive and Polley Drive starting Tuesday morning.

Holiday Drive will be blocked east of the 800 block from 8 a.m. until noon.

Marley Lane will be closed to through traffic from 8 a.m. until noon.

Repairs are scheduled to be completed by Wednesday.

State Rep. Milo Smith, a Columbus Republican, recently welcomed student pages to the Statehouse.

As a House page, these participants toured government offices, helped staff with daily duties and joined Smith on the House floor during the legislative session. Students who took part were:

• Zuenal Deniz, from Columbus, attends Columbus Signature Academy, New Tech Campus;
• Yunging Fu, from Columbus, attends Columbus North High School;
• Anna Gray, from Columbus, attends Columbus North High School;
• Eunseok Lee, from Columbus, attends Columbus East High School;
• Ahmad Mohiuddin, from Columbus, attends Columbus Signature Academy, New Tech Campus;
• Hassathorn Phongam, from Columbus, attends Columbus East High School; and
• Lina Schaefer, from Columbus, attends Columbus North High School.

Smith said students, ages 13 to 18, should consider participating next session.

Main Street of Hope is holding a public workshop on Thursday, March 30 in the Fellowship Hall at Hope Moravian Church. The organization is encouraging you to bring their ideas to the 6 p.m. meeting in an effort to help plan the future of the Hope Town Square.

The Town of Hope received a planning grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs for a Downtown Revitalization Plan. Officials say the plan will “establish a road-map to create a market-viable and sustainable downtown, as a unique destination within the tri-county region.”

Once this workshop has concluded, the organization says that a follow-up public meeting will be held on April 24 to review the plan prior to it being finalized.

The House Committee on Public Policy voted in support of a bill sponsored by State Rep. Jim Lucas that would allow correctional facility employees to keep their firearm on company property in a locked vehicle.

Under the Seymour Republican’s proposal, employees of the Department of Corrections who are legally allowed and licensed to carry a firearm, would be permitted to keep their handguns on prison property. It would require the firearm to be stored in a locked case and kept out of sight in a secured vehicle.

“Employers should not be able to infringe upon their employees who are legally allowed to carry a handgun with a license to carry,” Lucas said. He continued, “While they are at work, a person should not be prohibited from safely storing their firearm in a locked case in their trunk or out of plain sight inside their secured vehicle.”

With this proposal, Lucas says that state employees of the Indiana General Assembly who are licensed to carry a handgun would also be allowed to have a firearm in the state capitol building. This would include elected officials and full-time employees of the Indiana House of Representatives, Senate and Legislative Services Agency.

A Seymour man is facing charges, including rape, following a stand-off at his home on Monday. WDRB television in Louisiville is reporting that a Jackson County Sheriff’s Department deputy was dispatched to the home of 46-year-old Alan Karenke after someone reported that a rape was occurring there.

The report says that when the deputy knocked on the door, Karenke came to the door in a bath robe and asked what the deputy wanted. When the deputy told Karenke about the allegations and asked to be allowed inside, Karenke allegedly cursed at him, told the deputy that he needed a warrant and went back inside.

According to the affidavit obtained by WDRB, the deputy wrote: “Due to the circumstances of a possible rape that had occurred, I went to the front in an attempt to try and gain entry,” the deputy wrote in the probable cause affidavit. “As I was coming around the house, I observed on the far northwest side of the house, a female with blonde hair had her head out of the window.”

“I asked her if she was okay, and I observed her look back at the door in the room,” the deputy wrote. “And at this time, I grabbed her out of the window and brought her back to my patrol car in the driveway.”

According to the station, authorities say the alleged victim is 18-years-old. The woman reportedly told authorities that she had awoken that night to find Karenke performing a sex act on her. The teen reportedly said that, after the alleged assault, she tried to leave, but was trapped by Karenke.

Once authorities learned that there were three children in the house with Karenke, they reportedly tried negotiating with the man to get him to allow them outside. Police say that when he refused, the Special Operations Response Team (SORT) was called to the scene. Once the team entered the home, they subdued and arrested Karenke on preliminary charges of Rape, Criminal Confinement and Resisting Law Enforcement. The children were found to be unharmed.

For more on this story, visit wdrb.com.

Bartholomew County Superior Court 1 Judge Jim Worton will represent other Judges in Judicial District 21 on the Board of Directors of the Judicial Conference of Indiana.

A press release from the court explains that District 21 includes Bartholomew, Brown, Jackson, Jennings, and Decatur Counties. The board directs activities that “promote an exchange of experience and suggestions regarding the operation of Indiana’s judicial system, promotes the continuing education of judges and seeks to promote a better understanding of the judiciary.”

Members of the board of directors are elected to two-year terms by the other judges in their district. Judge Worton’s new responsibility includes quarterly meetings, but is not expected to effect his ability to handle his court’s caseload.

This marks Judge Worton’s second appointment to a judicial committee, as he also serves on the State Judiciary’s Courthouse Security Committee.

A North Vernon man was arrested on drug charges after police there executed a search warrant on a home in the 100 block of Hoosier Street. North Vernon Police say they visited the home at 8:20 p.m. Monday night after Officer Kyle Hall obtained the warrant following observations he made while responding to a call for service at the address.

NVPD says that Officer Hall, Officer Lucas Newsom, Reserve Officer Michael Holliday and Sgt. Keith Messer served the search warrant. They allegedly found, and seized, 9.1 grams of methamphetamine, four syringes, multiple clear plastic baggies, several containers containing meth residue, multiple prescription pills, and 10 cell phones.

Officers arrested 39-year-old Jonathan D. Russell on preliminary charges of Dealing in Methamphetamine, Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of a Hypodermic Needle, Maintaining a Common Nuisance, Legend Drug Act Violation and Possession of Paraphernalia.

Cummins announced on Tuesday that it plans to cut water usage by half. A press release from the Columbus-based diesel engine manufacturer says the company has increased its facility water goal to a 50 percent intensity reduction by 2020, compared to its 2010 consumption rate. Cummins made the announcement on the eve of “World Water Day,” created by the United Nations to “serve as a way to have global education and preparedness for future water management.”

Cummins says the revised goal represents a total water savings of 763 million gallons of water since 2010. Company officials say that is equivalent to the water needed for drinking, sanitation and hygiene for 395,000 people for a year.

“Thanks to the hard work of our employees around the world, we have surpassed our initial target, but we know we should do more and are raising the bar with a revised goal,“ said Brian Mormino, Executive Director of Environmental Strategy & Compliance.

To achieve the 50 percent reduction, Cummins says it will expand the work it does with its sites in water program management, including intensive engagement with higher water use locations, water balance creation and sub-metering. The company also announced plans for high impact and showcase projects, such as an alternative bio-tech system for producing high quality treated wastewater for process reuse at one of its engine plants.