Schneck Family Care is offering free breast exams during an event next month. It will be held Saturday, Sept. 14, from 8 a.m. to noon, at Schneck Family Care Scott, 1366 North Gardner Street in Scottsburg.
The event is designed to provide exams for women who may not have access to these services and includes a clinical breast exam (not a mammogram). All exams will be performed by qualified nurse practitioners.
To be eligible for the free Breast Screening, a woman must be at least 21 years old and have not had a breast exam during the last 12 months. Individuals with Medicare, Medicaid, or similar replacement plans are not eligible for these screenings.
A limited number of appointments are available. To schedule your screening, call Schneck Family Care at 812-752-7444.
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office is being used in a telephone scam.
Department staff say that a caller identified himself as being a Lieutenant with the BCSO. The scammer reportedly asked for money to be sent in order to post a bond or to make payments on other items.
Authorities say that no one from the Sheriff’s Office will ask for money over the phone. If you receive such a call, you should hang up and contact the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office at 812-379-1650 to verify that someone from the department actually called you. Do not give personal information over the phone and do not send money.
If you receive one of these calls or if you have any information on who is making them, send an email to sheriff@bartholomew.in.gov.
The Columbus Engineering Department says the westbound lanes of 11th Street between Washington Street and Jackson Street are completely closed until further notice. In addition, Jackson Street is closed between 11th Street and 12th Street.
If you are looking for more traffic information, download the WAZE app for your smartphone and join the WCSI Traffic team. You can find updated traffic information on our website, on-air and on the app.
The Bartholomew County Council is taking an aggressive stance on getting the county’s 2020 budget squared away.
County Auditor Pia O’Connor released the budget review schedule during Monday night’s council work session. The first review session is set to begin Monday, Aug. 12 at noon. The body is scheduled to consider budget and requests for additional employees for four days, wrapping up on Thursday, Aug. 15. Friday, Aug 16 is set aside for any business not completed during those four days.
Most departments are requesting across-the-board three-percent pay raises for their employees. Department heads requesting higher raises or additional manpower will need to explain their requests to council during these sessions.
County council’s next meeting is Tuesday, Aug.13 on the fourth floor of the county government building at 440 Third Street.
Electronic smoking devices and vaping will be treated as cigarettes and smoking under a proposal set for first reading Tuesday night, Aug. 6, before the Columbus City Council.
Kylee Jones, tobacco awareness coordinator with Healthy Communities at Columbus Regional Health made a presentation to the council in June, asking for the amendment. She says that use of e-cigarettes is skyrocketing among the youth in our community and the devices are possibly as harmful to public health as actual cigarettes.
Council passed the current smoking ordinance in 2012.
Council referred the proposal to the mayor’s ordinance advisory committee, which was accepted. It will now go before city council for an initial reading.
Council meets at 6 p.m. at city hall. You are invited.
Hannah Tamer Bowman; Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Dept.
Two people, one a former Bartholomew County Sheriff Merit Deputy, were arrested after a domestic disturbance ended in shots fired.
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the 2900 block of South Lake Drive Sunday shortly after 11 p.m. after dispatch received a call of a domestic disturbance with one of the parties involved being shot. When deputies arrived they located 37-year-old Hannah Tamer Bowman, who stated that she had shot her husband during an altercation while he was sitting in her vehicle.
The husband, age 49, did have injuries to his shoulder but refused medical treatment. Police say he is not cooperating with authorities in the investigation.
Police say that alcohol was present at the scene and Bowman admitted to drinking prior to the incident. A portable breath-testing device indicated she had a BAC of .215, more than two-and-a-half times the legal limit
Bowman, who left the department in 2009, was arrested on a preliminary charge of Criminal Recklessness with a Deadly Weapon. She is being held on $10,000 bond.
Police say Bowman’s brother, 35-year-old Jonathan A. Lawburgh, of Scipio, showed up at the home and began fighting with deputies and other first responders.
Jonathan A. Lawburgh; Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Dept.
Lawburgh was arrested preliminary charges of:
– Battery on a Public Safety Official (two counts)
– Obstruction of Justice,
– Disorderly Conduct, and
– Resisting Law Enforcement.
Joshua Lucas; Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Dept.
A wanted Hope man is behind bars after he was spotted by an off-duty Hope Police officer.
Shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 4, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department was advised that 26-year-old Joshua Lucas was spotted in a vehicle leaving the area of the Circle K gasoline station. Deputies confirmed that Lucas had an outstanding warrant and pulled his vehicle over.
Police reported finding Lucas in possession of a bag containing suspected methamphetamine, as well as a brown powder that was suspected to be heroin.
In addition to the outstanding warrants, Lucas is being held on preliminary charges of Possession of Heroin and Possession of Methamphetamine.
Sixth District Representative Greg Pence has put forth an amendment to expand high-speed internet access.
The Columbus Republican is touting his recent bill targeting broadband improvements to rural areas. Pence says these improvements aren’t just for entertainment needs. He explains that more and more farm equipment can connect to the internet. In addition, Pence says that there’s a number of rural schools in the district that still don’t have access to quality high-speed internet.
Pence says that nearly a third of residents in the Southeastern Indiana Regional Planning Commission’s nine-county area lack 25/3 access. 25/3 means internet service of at least 25 megabits per second download speed and three megabits per second upload speed.
Pence’s amendment passed 425-6 and provides $75 million in grant funding to address the broadband needs of rural communities.
The House of Representatives is currently on break from Washington D.C. They return Sept. 9th.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has issued an Air Quality Action Day and is forecasting high ozone levels for Saturday, August 3 for the following areas:
• Central Indiana – Marion, Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Delaware, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Monroe, Morgan and Shelby
• North Central Indiana – St. Joseph, Elkhart
• Northwest Indiana – Lake, Porter, LaPorte
IDEM encourages everyone to help reduce ozone by making simple changes to their daily habits. You can:
• Walk, bike, carpool or use public transportation
• Avoid using the drive-through and combine errands into one trip
• Avoid refueling your vehicle or using gasoline-powered lawn equipment until after 7 p.m.
• Turn off your engine when idling for more than 30 seconds
• Conserve energy by turning off lights or setting the air conditioner to 75 degrees or above
Anyone sensitive to changes in air quality may be affected when ozone levels are high. Children, the elderly and anyone with heart or lung conditions should reduce or avoid exertion and heavy work outdoors.
To learn more about ozone or sign up for air quality forecasts, visit SmogWatch.IN.gov.
Schneck Medical Center Hospice is hosting GriefShare, a 13-week free program open to anyone who is coping with a loss. Topics will include:
– Living with Grief
– The Journey of Grief
– The Effects of Grief
– Your Family & Grief
– Uniqueness of Grief
GriefShare seminars feature video sessions and discussion and other resources.
“In our fast-paced society, I believe it is imperative for us to take time to grieve” said Stephen Barrett, Schneck Hospice Chaplain. “Being with others that have had similar experiences can be extremely healing. This program is designed to be a place of hope and healing for those whose lives have been broken.”
The GriefShare Group, hosted by Barrett, will meet every Thursday, for 13 weeks starting August 29th from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The program will be held at The Point, located at 311 Myers Street.
GriefShare is a free program for adults and children 14 years and older. Registration is not required. Childcare is available upon request.
