A dog that was declared a dangerous animal will go home with his owner after a special meeting of the Columbus Animal Care Services Commission.

Jake, an 11-year-old Australian Shepherd/Husky mix, was declared dangerous after an incident last May when he escaped his owner’s property in the 3400 block of Duffer Drive and killed a neighbor’s dog. At that time, Columbus Animal Care Services ordered Jake’s owner, Jeff Rosenburg, to keep the dog secure in his home and to make sure Jake was muzzled when out outside of his home.

On Jan. 12th, Rosenburg was spotted walking Jake without a muzzle in the Presidential Parks neighborhood. A concerned neighbor snapped a photo and sent it to Columbus Animal Care Services. Officials with Animal Care Services took possession of Jake on Jan. 15. Rosenburg paid a $500 fine on the same day and appealed the decision in an effort to keep the dog from being euthanized.

Nicohl Birdwell Goodin of Animal Care Services recommended during Monday night’s meeting that Jake be returned to Rosenburg with the clear understanding that any further violations would result in Jake being destroyed or re-homed. That recommendation passed on a vote of 4-1.

Rightway Fasteners is planning a $12 million investment to increase production at its facility in Walesboro.

Representatives for the company are scheduled to appear Tuesday night before the Columbus City Council to request a tax-abatement . Rightway Fasteners is purchasing and installing two cold forging machines, a heat treatment furnace, three coating lines and three shot-blast machines. The company is asking for a 10-year tax abatement on the purchase and installation of this new equipment. If approved, Rightway Fasteners will pay over $425,000 in new property taxes over the next decade. The abatement will save the company over $633,000 in property taxes over the same period.

The investment is expected to retain 410 jobs and create nine new ones.

Council meets Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. at the former J. Nicole store inside of Fair Oaks Mall. You are invited.

Work is expected to begin in a few weeks on two superstructure replacement projects over I-65 in Bartholomew County. The Indiana Department of Transportation says that crews will begin with tree clearing and utility relocations on Carr Hill Road, followed by work at County Road 200 South.

INDOT says that Carr Hill Road is scheduled to close in mid-February when bridge work begins and will remain closed through mid-July. County Road 200 South will close in mid-July through late November, once work is completed on Carr Hill Road. Nighttime lane restrictions will also take place on I-65 during bridge demolition and beam setting operations.

Additional details will be announced prior to each closure. The project completion date is November 30, 2020.

The Bartholomew County Health Department will offer A1C and Cholesterol screening next week. They will be offered, by appointment only, on the morning of January 28th at 2675 Foxpointe Drive, Suite B.

Cost is $10 for the A1c screening and $15 for the Cholesterol screening. Cash, debit, or credit card will be accepted. If a card is used there is an additional transaction fee.

Participants must fast 12 hours prior to the Cholesterol screening. Fasting is not required for the A1C. Participants may schedule for both screenings.

To schedule an appointment, call 812-379-1555, Option 1.

An 18-year-old Flat Rock-Hawcreek School student was arrested Thursday afternoon after a School Resource Officer for FRHC received a report that an 8th grade student had been recorded while using the restroom.

The SRO, along with the school’s Dean of Students, reviewed school cameras and identified 18-year old Erik Coy, of Hartsville, as the suspect. He was arrested on a preliminary charge of Voyeurism, a level 6 felony.

The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation is accepting nominations for “Teacher of the Year.”

Students, staff, friends and families are asked to nominate a teacher from a BCSC school that you would like to recognize. Nominations are open through Friday, Jan 31st. Each school will select one nominee as their school Teacher of the Year. School nominee recognition will take place at the school board meeting on March 2nd.

“We believe that our school corporation has the best teachers in Indiana. We would like to recognize our teachers by participating in the state’s Teacher of The Year Award program,” said Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Teresa Heiny. She continued, “In order to compete for recognition at the state level, we will be helping our candidate create a portfolio to submit to the state for this award. We would appreciate the community’s assistance in determining a teacher to represent our district at the state level. This nomination is the first step in this process.”

For more information, including nomination forms, visit bit.ly/2G8ygF7.

Centra Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2020 Loretta M. Burd Scholarship Program. The program awards 25 graduating high school seniors with $2,500 scholarships this year. One scholarship will be awarded from each Centra branch.

Centra Foundation will also be awarding two $2,500 adult scholarships for adult or nontraditional students who have realized the importance of post-secondary education for their career and family and have returned to school to pursue an undergraduate degree or certification.

Named in honor of Loretta M. Burd, who retired from Centra Credit Union after 47 years of service, the Loretta M. Burd Scholarship Program is designed to help local students pursuing a college or technical school education. Awards can be used at two- or four-year colleges, universities or technical schools for the fall 2020 semester.

To qualify for a scholarship, the applicant or the applicant’s parent or legal guardian must be a member of Centra Credit Union with an account in good standing.

Applications will be accepted through February 29th at centra.org/scholarships/.

Scholarship recipients will be announced in April.

An event is coming up in a few weeks to mark the Holocaust. Entitled “Never Again! Two Perspectives of the Holocaust,” the program will be held Tuesday Jan. 28th at 6:30 p.m. in the Red Room of the Bartholomew County Library.

Holocaust survivor Esther Davidson and her husband Ed, a retired US Army officer, will offer a powerful and personal look at this dark portion of human history. Esther, born in Poland in 1941, shares childhood memories with words about and pictures of lost family, the trauma of separation, surviving a war and coming to America.

Ed, born in America but with direct links to the Holocaust, talks about the Nuremburg Trials and the WWII Nazi concentration camps, including a visual tour of the infamous Dachau Concentration Camp. Both speakers come to Columbus from the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis.

This event is being held to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is held on Jan. 27th.

A former Cummins employee accused of defrauding the Columbus-based company has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.

“The Indiana Busines Journal” is reporting that 54-year-old David Hudson, of Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty this week in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan. According to the report, Hudson used to work for Cummins in New Hudson, Michigan. According to the plea agreement, the fraud took place between 2008 and 2017.

As part of his job, Hudson had the authority to transfer money to profit-sharing partners Cummins, K&S, Equibridge and Bridgeway. He also had the ability to write checks from these entities.

Prosecutors say Hudson used false pretenses to direct a subordinate to transfer company funds into an account that he would then write checks to himself from.

The IBJ says that as part of the plea agreement, Hudson was ordered to pay a total of $5.33 million in restitution to four companies, including $3.46 million to Cummins.

Hudson faces up to 63 months in prison. He is free on bond until his sentencing on April 15.

For more on this story, visit ibj.com.

Eastern Bartholomew Water Corp. has issued a Boil Advisory after service was interrupted on County Road 200 W between Abbey Lane and north to Lowell Road. The advisory also includes Drummond Drive and portions of the Carter Crossing Addition.

Once water service returns, a 48-hour boil advisory will be in effect.