Columbus-based diesel engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. is announcing that Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Marya Rose is retiring, effective in April.

Rose joined Cummins in 1997 and became general counsel in 2001. She was named Chief Administrative Officer in 2011. Tom Linebarger, chairman and CEO of Cummins, said that Rose’s work was critical as Cummins became a more global and diverse company.

Rose will be replaced by Vice President and General Counsel Sharon Barner. As chief administrative officer, Barner will lead several of Cummins’ largest global groups, including communications, marketing, government relations, compliance, facilities, security, Cummins’ global shared services organization, and legal.

Prior to joining Cummins, Barner served as Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She and her husband live in the Indianapolis area.

Legendary groundhog Punxsutawney Phil at Gobbler’s Knob, in Pennsylvania and newcomer Hope, at Bartholomew County’s Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators are in agreement — six more weeks of winter. Both of the groundhogs saw their shadow yesterday morning in the annual tradition.

Hope-area resident David Miller introduced the local groundhog:

Hope resident Donju Taylor read the local groundhog’s proclamation:

Kathy Hershey with Utopia, explained the life of a groundhog in Indiana.

Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators have posted the full video of the local festivities to their Facebook page.

Photo courtesy of Susan Thayer Fye

Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop touched on many of the city’s achievements over the past year during last night’s State of the City address, but he also recognized the realities and limitations brought about by COVID-19.

The mayor touted project such as the finished State Road 46 Overpass, and continuing progress on the riverfront, downtown housing and mixed used development, a hotel conference center and a new court services building. And touched on ongoing projects including Fair Oaks Mall, Otter Creek Golf Course and street improvements.

But he also cited Columbus and Bartholomew County as an orange dot in a sea of red on the state’s COVID-19 spread map. He thanked the healthcare community, leaders of educational institutions, local industry and clergy for their collaboration and efforts to protect the health and well-being of residents.

But the mayor said the pandemic isn’t over, despite the start of vaccinations.

Looking forward, the mayor said the city is celebrating its bicentennial this year and can expect the city to celebrate successes and share a vision for the future.

A Columbus woman is being accused of fleeing from police through three counties after allegedly stealing items from a Franklin store.

Franklin Police are reporting that the chase started at about 4:06 p.m. Sunday afternoon at the Morton Street Walmart store in Franklin after a woman allegedly put several items in her shopping bag and then left without paying. According to reports, a Franklin police officer tried to pull the woman over near the store, but she took off, heading first into Marion County and then Shelby County leaving accidents and traffic violations in her wake. At various points in the pursuit she went the wrong way against traffic, ran a red light, struck another vehicle, struck a tree, attempted to pass vehicles on the right hand shoulder and drove off the road, while reaching speeds of almost 90 mph.

She eventually surrendered after getting stuck in a Shelby County cornfield and trying to run away from police.

32-year-old Leandra R. Davis was first taken to Johnson Memorial Hospital to be checked out before being arrested on charges including possession of stolen property, resisting law enforcement, aggressive driving, criminal recklessness and leaving the scene of an accident.

Note: This story was first reported by the Daily Journal newspaper in Franklin

Hoosiers 65 and older can now make an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Indiana State Department of Health updated the age of eligibility yesterday. After the announcement, almost 96,000 Hoosiers 65 to 69 scheduled their appointments for the first vaccine dose by 5 p.m. last night.

According to our news-gathering partners at TTWN Media Networks, there are nearly 750,000 people in Indiana who are over 65, and public health managers say it will take some time to get them all vaccinated. In total, the health department says more than 1.3 million  first and second dose appointments have been scheduled since the state began offering the vaccine in December.

If you meet the criteria, you can sign up online at OurShot.IN.gov or call 211.

A reminder that the Town of Hope Groundhog Day festivities will be happening virtually this morning on the Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators Facebook page.

A young groundhog named Hope will be checking her shadow to see how much winter weather is left this year. The activities start at 8:30 a.m.

Photo of Hope courtesy of Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators

Contractors for Bartholomew County found an unwanted surprise when working at the county-owned Fox Pointe Drive building that houses the county health department.

The contractors were making repairs and renovations to the entrance area at the medical office suite, but in the course of that work, they discovered a black mold infestation that had spread throughout the area and needed removing. County maintenance supervisor Rick Trimpe said that the mold appears to have originally formed in the area of a water leak in a bathroom before the county bought the building. The mold spread up the wall, into another room and into the underside of the building.

County Commissioners President Larry Kleinhenz said the county decided to pay to have the contractors clean up the mess including treating the underskirting and crawl space at a cost of over $14,600. Trimpe said that the county has insurance that he expected to pay on the claim, but the county’s deductible is $10,000.

Commissioners retroactively approved the expenditure to clean up the mold along with just over $18,000 for the other remodeling work.

Columbus City Council will be asked tonight to approve the construction of a new Bartholomew County Court Services Building at a cost of just over $3.6 million dollars.

The project is one of the first concrete steps of a land swap between the city of Columbus and Bartholomew County governments that will eventually lead to space for a new hotel and conference center between Second and Third Streets downtown. The county is giving up the parking lot across Second Street from the jail, which also contains the existing court services building.

In return, the city has acquired the former Eynon Law Office property behind the jail on First Street. And the city will be funding and constructing the replacement building. The city will be paying the first $1.5 million for the project directly, with the rest of the cost to be financed over 15 years at a 3 percent interest rate. The county will then pay for that through a lease-purchase arrangement.

The Columbus Redevelopment Commission has already approved the construction of the building, with the money to come from property taxes generated in the downtown tax increment financing district. But the commission can not approve more than half a million dollars in funding without the approval of City Council.

City Council meets at 6 p.m. tonight.

Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop will be giving his State of the City address tonight, updating the community on the status of the city and its various projects and services.

The mayor said the idea is to give people a better idea of where their tax dollars are going.

Lienhoop said that in previous years, the State of the City speeches have been involved affairs including presentations by city department heads and guests, held at various locations including Donner Center, Fair Oaks Mall, the Columbus Learning Center and others. However, with the pandemic, this one will be different.

The City Council meeting starts at 6 p.m. tonight and the pre-recorded State of the City address will be posted to the city’s website at 7 p.m..

You can watch both by going to the city’s website at columbus.in.gov.

Seymour police and Jennings County deputies helped Scott County authorities with a drug raid on Friday morning in a rural part of the county, recovering 55 grams of methamphetamine and arresting three people.

Authorities served a search warrant at a home on Lovers Lane as part of an ongoing drug investigation in the county. Police report finding the methamphetamine, prescription pills and $400 in cash.

57-year-old Mason Steinkamp, who lived at the home was already facing an outstanding arrest warrant on four counts of dealing methamphetamine and now has new charges of dealing in methamphetamine of at least 10 grams, maintaining a common nuisance, unlawful possession of a syringe, possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia.

34-year-old Natasha Prosser of Austin is being accused of maintaining a common nuisance. and 20-year-old Jordyn Combest of Madison was arrested for unlawful possession of a syringe, maintaining a common nuisance and possession of paraphernalia.

Photo courtesy of Scott County Sheriff’s Department