Columbus firefighters went to work Thursday afternoon after the driver of a trash truck noticed smoke coming from his vehicle.

Capt. Mike Wilson, CFD spokesman, says that at approximately 1:39 p.m., firefighters responded to a report of a vehicle fire in the parking lot of IUPUC. The call came after a Best Way Disposal truck driver noticed smoke billowing from his trash compactor truck. According to firefighters at the scene, the quick thinking truck operator pulled into a vacant portion of the IUPUC parking lot, where he dumped the burning contents.

Firefighters from station #2, located less than 100 yards from the scene, arrived to find a large pile of burning trash. Firefighters doused the garbage from a nearby fire hydrant.

Wilson says that a representative of Best Way Disposal advised that the debris would be removed by one of their teams.

No one was hurt.

Seymour Mayor Craig Luedman has a job lined up for when he leaves office in a matter of days.

“The Tribune” is reporting that Luedeman has been hired by HWC Engineering in Indianapolis to serve as a community business development manager for the firm. He starts that job on Jan. 6.

Luedeman decided not to run for a fourth term as mayor. He’ll be succeeded by Republican Matt Nicholson, who will be sworn into office during a ceremony on Dec. 30. Nicholson officially begins his duties Jan. 1st.

For more on this story, visit tribtown.com.

A water leak has lead to the town of Nashville / Nashville Utilities to issue a boil order for the following are:

– 474 to 610 Artist Drive
– West Drive
– Oak Run

Those affected should boil all cooking and drinking water through 4 p.m. this Friday, Dec. 20.

A four-way stop is in place in Nashville at State Road 135 and Main Street after a traffic signal pole was struck Wednesday morning. The Indiana Department of Transportation says the pole is being removed and further investigation of the foundation structure will be conducted.

INDOT says all signals will be offline at this location until repairs can be completed. Street lighting and pedestrian crossing signals will also be inoperable.

Motorists should treat the intersection as a four-way stop. Both drivers and pedestrians should use extra caution when traveling through the area.

INDOT officials say it is unknown when repairs will be completed.

A string of thefts from Seymour-Jackson Elementary School led to the arrest of a third-grade teacher.

“The Tribune” in Seymour is reporting that 46-year-old Meredith Charlton faces Class A misdemeanor charges of Theft after an investigation by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.

The paper says that earlier this month, a school resource officer was notified of a series of thefts at the school. Last week, surveillance cameras were placed in the office of the school. That same day, money was marked and placed in a desk in the office.

The paper says that Charlton was seen in the office going through an employee’s purse and desk that contained the marked money. She was arrested shortly thereafter.

For more on this story, visit tribtown.com.

One area organization was among the 12 awarded with more than $1.4 million in grant funding to expand recycling efforts in Indiana.

Rumpke of Indiana, Inc. in Jackson County was awarded $175,000 to expand the company’s recycling facility. The facility expansion project will increase capacity and bolster recycling opportunities for rural communities and businesses in Jackson and surrounding counties.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s Recycling Market Development Program says the 12 grant recipients are located across Indiana and plan to expand recycling efforts through a variety of projects.

“We are happy to award grant funding to communities across the state to help expand their recycling programs,” said IDEM Commissioner Bruno Pigott. He adds, “The efforts made by these organizations will help Indiana get closer to our statewide recycling goal of 50 percent.”

Other recipients were:

City of West Lafayette, Tippecanoe County – Awarded $60,000 to purchase curbside food waste collection equipment.

CW Recycling, LLC, Marion County – Awarded $250,000 to fund the purchase of automated recycling equipment that will allow the company to triple its ability to recycle construction and demolition debris.

Dubois County Solid Waste Management District – Awarded $10,772.82 to provide a disposal option for large or refrigerant-based appliances and a space to store large, previously used items for residents to reuse.

Growing Green, Inc., Morgan County – Awarded $249,175 to purchase a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) optical sorting unit for a new materials recovery facility.

Martin County Solid Waste District – Awarded $91,212.50 to purchase a cardboard compactor truck.

Munster High School, Lake County – Awarded $5,185 to expand the school’s recycling collection program.

O’Bryan Barrel Company, Vanderburgh County – Awarded $250,000 to purchase a new plastic wash line and grinding components.

Opportunity Enterprises, Inc., Porter County – Awarded $60,050 to purchase and install a new baler that will enable the nonprofit organization to recycle an additional 1,000 tons of shredded paper each year.

Posey County Solid Waste Management District – Awarded $5,000 to purchase an industrial paper shredder.

Smith Creek, Floyd County – Awarded $250,000 to purchase a mobile diesel wood grinder.

Warren County Solid Waste District – Awarded $22,595.50 to purchase recycling bins, a recycling trailer, and a glass pulverizing machine.

Work on developing the Columbus riverfront between Second and Third Streets is ongoing.

The Columbus Redevelopment Commission voted this week to approve a contract with Hitchcock Design Group to continue work on the proposal at a cost not to exceed $567,000.

Hitchcock’s project team was tasked with developing an aesthetic for the riverfront redevelopment concept that strikes a balance between the modern design of the Robert N. Stewart Second Street Bridge and the historic pumphouse. The design is meant to improve access to and along the river while creating opportunities for engagement. The team is also working on plans to remove the low-head dam to improve river water quality, safety and navigation.

The current project schedule is anticipating permit approval from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources in April. Contract bidding on the more than $8 million project is expected between April and June of 2020. The project is slated to close out in January of 2022, with post-construction improvements continuing through Fall of 2023.

Council approved the contract with Hitchcock on a unanimous vote. The Columbus City Council will need to give final approval, as the price tag is over the amount the redevelopment commission can spend without council approval.

Council next meets on Jan. 7.

A Jennings County burglary suspect was arrested after wrecking his vehicle near the business he is accused of robbing.

The Jennings County Sheriff’s Department says that early Sunday morning, deputies were responding to an alarm call at ISA Recycling Center in Spencer Township when dispatchers received a report of a crash near the same location. Deputies found a vehicle that had rolled several times, coming to rest in the middle of County Road 900W. And there was a Bobcat skid loader sitting nearby.

Deputies say their investigation revealed that 57-year-old Marvin McCall, of Edinburgh, allegedly broke into the business and loaded his truck with several catalytic converters. He then sped from the scene, lost control and crashed. After wrecking the vehicle, McCall returned to the business where he then allegedly stole the Bobcat. He drove that to the crash scene and unsuccessfully attempted to turn his vehicle back on its wheels. They say McCall then left both the vehicle and the Bobcat in the road and fled the scene for the second time.

Deputies using their police dog Vampir found McCall about a mile-and-a-half away from the crash scene and 200 yards from the recycling center. He is being accused of burglary, theft and possessing methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

The powerful opioid fentanyl was found in a baby’s bedroom and illegal drugs were stashed in a diaper bag during a weekend incident in Jennings County.

Jennings County deputies were originally called to the scene of a domestic dispute on Gintshire Way in Geneva Township at about 2:45 a.m. Saturday morning and found a woman who had serious injuries after being battered. She had fled to a neighbor’s house after the battery but said her three-month old child was still inside the home with the baby’s father and his friends. And she believed they could be using drugs.

Deputies went to the home and said that drug paraphernalia was out in plain view. That led to a search which uncovered the fentanyl in the bedroom, the drugs inside of the child’s diaper bag and illegal drugs throughout the home. Those included a large amount of pills, approximately 300 grams of THC wax and drug paraphernalia.

24-year-old Ashdon Davis was arrested on charges including domestic battery in the presence of a minor, neglect of a dependent child, possession of a narcotic drug, a controlled substance, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia and maintaining a common nuisance.

21-year-old Jordan McCarty of North Vernon was also taken into custody. He is facing charges of dealing in and possessing marijuana.

The Department of Child Services assisted deputies with the child.

A crash on State Road 11 resulted in injuries for a driver and a gas leak between State Road 46 and CR 200 S in Bartholomew County Monday morning.

Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department investigators say that a van driven by 63-year-old Lester Solomon, of Columbus, was heading north on State Road 11 and was seen by witnesses reportedly weaving in the roadway before he crossed the center-line and struck a pickup driven by 44-year-old Kenneth Blackburn, of Indianapolis, head on. The crash caused Blackburn’s vehicle to strike a utility pole and also caused a gas leak in the area. Authorities say that approximately six homes in the area were evacuated until the gas could be shut off.

Blackburn had a complaint of pain but was not seriously injured. Solomon reportedly had a broken leg, broken shoulder and a head injury.

The crash remains under investigation.