The Bartholomew County Public Library branches will be opening to the public again today although with limitations.

The main library branch on Fifth Street in Columbus will be limited to 50 patrons at a time and the Hope Branch will have a limit of 20 people. You are encouraged to make your visit as brief as possible. All visitors will need to wear a mask at all times and maintain social distancing. You should bring your own mask if possible, but the library does have disposable masks you can use.

Chairs, tables, meeting rooms and children’s play areas are all closed. Computers for public use will be limited to 1 hour at a time and only 50 percent of them can be used. Exceptions will be allowed for those applying for benefits such as unemployment.

The library will still have curbside service available. If you need home delivery of items, such as if you are quarantining at home or are at high risk for the virus, you can contact the outreach department at 812-379-1278 or by email at bookmobile@mybcpl.org. If you have any questions, you can call the library at 812-379-1255.

The main library hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Hope branch hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.

Former Vice President and Columbus native Mike Pence is starting a podcast.

Pence is joining Young America’s Foundation as the Ronald Reagan Presidential Scholar. One of the ways he plans to connect to young conservatives is through a new video podcast. He’ll also take part in campus lectures and student conferences, and publish a monthly op-ed on conservative issues. Pence said the YAF has been a “bulwark of the Conservative Movement” and he’s honored to join the team.

Last week, Pence’s office announced that he was taking on a new role as a distinguished fellow at Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank.

A Greenwood man is dead after driving the wrong way on Interstate 65.

Indiana State Police said reports started coming in at about 1:09 a.m. yesterday morning about the wrong-way driver, and then the driver hit an SUV head-on in the southbound lanes near Southport Road. Multiple vehicles then crashed, blocking all the lanes of the highway. One driver had to be cut from their vehicle and they were flown by helicopter to an Indianapolis hospital. Another driver was taken to a hospital by ambulance.

The wrong-way driver, 29-year-old Christopher Kattman of Greenwood, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

Authorities were on scene for about six hours. During that time two more drivers passing through the scene were arrested on drunk-driving charges, including one who tried to drive around the wreckage and then backed into a fire truck.

Legal Aid will be holding a free clinic by phone for residents of the agency’s eight-county district on Tuesday, February 9th. That district includes Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson, Rush, and Shelby counties.

The Legal Aid Clinic uses local volunteer attorneys, to offer free legal consultations to low-income individuals. You can expect to receive a brief consultation over the phone to answer general questions, to offer legal information, or to receive other assistance or advice.

Although the clinic will be from 3 to 5:30 p.m., you must first register between noon and 2 Tuesday, by calling Legal Aid at 812-378-0358.

Jennings County deputies arrested a man for rape after a nearly four-month investigation.

23-year-old Mark Liles was arrested Wednesday on a felony warrant alleging rape.

According to police reports, deputies received a report in October that Liles had picked a girl up from her home, taken her to a cabin in Sand Creek Township and made unwanted sexual advances after being told to stop.

A report of a suspicious vehicle in a downtown alley led Columbus police to arrest a driver on drug-related charges yesterday morning.

Columbus police are reporting that they received the report of a suspicious vehicle at about 12:25 a.m. Thursday and shortly afterwards found a vehicle matching that description near 11th and Washington streets.

They pulled over the driver, 43-year-old Allen W. Tidwell of Hope after seeing a minor traffic violation, according to police reports. Tidwell did not have a driver’s license after a lifetime suspension for being a habitual traffic violator.

A Columbus police dog alerted to the odor of narcotics in the vehicle and police report finding a backpack with narcotics, prescription drugs and paraphernalia.

Tidwell was arrested on preliminary charges of operating a vehicle as a habitual traffic violator and for possessing heroin, a legend drug injection device, a legend drug, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Columbus police are announcing the promotions of three officers.

Police Chief Michael Richardson says that Toby Combest was recently promoted to the rank of Uniform Division captain. Combest is a lifelong resident of Columbus and a 12 year veteran of the Columbus Police Department. He most recently served as lieutenant of the Criminal Investigation Division.

Jay Frederick was selected to become the department’s administrative captain. That position was open after Capt. and former Police Chief Jon Rohde announced his retirement from the department to run for Superior Court judge. Frederick previously served as the department’s uniform division captain and has served in several different capacities as a Columbus officer for nearly two decades.

Ryan Linneweber was also recently promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the Criminal Investigations Division.  Linneweber has been with the Columbus Police Department for 13 years and for the last nine years, Linneweber has worked in the Investigation Division.

Seymour police are reporting that they have again arrested a man in an ongoing stalking investigation after a fight with officers.

According to police reports, Seymour police investigators were following up on stalking and invasion of privacy charges against 43-year-old Jessie L. Brown on Thursday after he violated another protective order. Seymour police and Jackson County deputies approached brown in the 10000 block of State Road 250.

But when they tried to take him into custody, he allegedly resisted arrest, injuring one officer’s hand. On his way to the jail he also is accused of threatening the deputy transporting him.

He is facing new charges of invasion of privacy, resisting law enforcement with bodily injury to an officer and intimidation of a law enforcement officer.

Brown was arrested in January as part of a stalking investigation that started in September after 13 complaints of invasion of privacy.

Columbus-based diesel engine manufacturer Cummins is announcing this morning an agreement with Isuzu for production of a global mid-range diesel powertrain for Isuzu trucks and an advanced engineering collaboration.

The companies are reporting that Cummins will be providing Isuzu with mid-range B6.7 engines for use in medium-size trucks. Cummins and Isuzu will be working together to integrate the engine with Isuzu’s chassis and to meet Japan’s emission regulations. The Cummins-powered Isuzu trucks will be coming to North America later this year and in the future will be sold in Japan, Southeast Asia and other regions.

The B6.7 mid-range engines have been produced historically at the Cummins Mid-range Engine Plant in Columbus. Under the agreement announced today, the engines for trucks built in Japan will be assembled at Isuzu’s plant located in Tochigi, Japan.

The companies formed the Isuzu Cummins Powertrain Partnership in May of 2019. Isuzu and Cummins have recently expanded the partnership discussions to include new power sources, including electrical powertrain technologies. That is part of a push to become carbon neutral.

You can read more here.

Four Louisville men were arrested after a chase by Indiana State Police through Bartholomew and Jackson counties Tuesday with shots being fired at authorities.

A trooper noticed a car driving at more than 100 mph just south of the Columbus exit on Interstate 65 at about 1 a.m. in the morning Tuesday. After stopping the vehicle, the trooper grew suspicious and as more troopers arrived, the driver took off northbound, hitting and causing minor injuries to a trooper.

The driver got off at the Columbus exit, made a U-turn and headed back onto Interstate 65 going south, according to police reports. The occupants of the vehicle allegedly fired guns while fleeing and threw those weapons out of the car along the interstate. When the vehicle entered Jackson County, it ran over a tire deflation device placed by Jackson deputies and Seymour police. The vehicle finally stopped just south of Seymour where the four men were taken into custody.

The vehicle was found to be stolen, one of the recovered firearms had been reported stolen out of Louisville, and marijuana was found inside the vehicle.

The driver, 27-year-old Derek J. Fajardo was arrested on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, resisting law Enforcement, battery, reckless Driving, possession of a stolen firearm, criminal recklessness with a firearm, obstruction of justice, and possession of marijuana.

The others in the car were:

• Jordan Griffith, 25, was arrested on charges of Possession of Stolen Firearm, Criminal Recklessness with a Firearm, Obstruction of Justice, Possession of Firearm by Serious Violent Felon, and Possession of Marijuana. Griffith was also wanted on a warrant out of Louisville, Kentucky.
• Breyon Bell, 28, was arrested on charges of Possession of Stolen Firearm, Criminal Recklessness with a Firearm, Obstruction of Justice, Possession of Firearm by Serious Violent Felon, and Possession of Marijuana.
• Gualber Castro, 20, was arrested on charges of Possession of Stolen Firearm, Criminal Recklessness with a Firearm, Obstruction of Justice, and Possession of Marijuana.