Former Marine and Columbus congressman Greg Pence has introduced a resolution to remember the attack on the Marine Corps Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon.

The anniversary of the 1983 attack, where an Iranian drove a truck bomb into the barracks, is Friday.

Pence served in the Marines from 1979 to 1984 and was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines that was ordered to Beirut in 1983. But he shipped out only days before the attack, which killed 241 members of the military, including 220 Marines.

Pence says he was able to come home to his wife, who was expecting their first child. He said he promised he would never forget his fellow Marines who could never come home and the resolution is part of that promise.

Today is the deadline if you want to request a ballot to vote absentee by mail in the November election. All requests must be received by your county clerk’s office today. Mail-in ballots must be returned by noon on Election Day, Nov. 3rd.

You can request an absentee ballot or check the status of your ballot online at indianavoters.com. In Bartholomew County, you can call the county clerk’s voter registration office at 812-379-1604.

In Bartholomew County, early in-person voting continues from 8 to 5 Monday through Saturdays at the former Carson’s store in Fair Oaks Mall. Early in-person voting wraps up at noon on Monday Nov. 2nd.

Absentee voting is setting records across the state this year. Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps said yesterday afternoon that here have already been 5,613 mail-in absentee votes cast and 9,930 votes made locally. That total of 15,543 is more than three and half times the 4,279 votes cast by this point in the 2016 presidential election.

Two local men were arrested Tuesday night by Columbus police, accused of trying to steal a catalytic converter off of a van on the east side of Columbus.

Columbus police are reporting that they were called to the 100 block of S. Mapleton Street at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night on a report of the men working to remove the converter from the vehicle. As officers arrived, one ran away carrying a portable saw.

Police were assisted by a Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department police dog who tracked the fleeing man to a nearby home. 52-year-old Dandy J. Knight was arrested on preliminary charges of resisting law enforcement and theft.

The second man, 27-year-old Anthony K. Roberts was stopped by police and officers found the catalytic converter that had been removed from the van. Roberts is facing a preliminary charge of theft.

A Columbus man is facing charges of dealing methamphetamine after a traffic stop uncovered more than 100 grams of the drug in his vehicle Tuesday.

The Columbus Police Department’s intelligence led policing unit stopped a vehicle near 11th and Washington streets at about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday afternoon as part of an ongoing drug investigation.

Police say the driver, 45-year-old Charles A. Sims argued with officers and was reaching under his seat. A Bartholomew County Sheriff’s police dog alerted to the odor of drugs in the vehicle.

Police found a large amount of methamphetamine under the seat and also cocaine and prescription pills inside the car.

Sims was arrested on preliminary charges of dealing in methamphetamine and in a narcotic and possession of methamphetamine, a narcotic and cocaine.

The Bartholomew County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team assisted with this ongoing investigation.

Update: The statewide Amber Alert has been canceled. The girl was found safe.

Earlier: A Statewide Amber Alert has been declared for a missing 5-year-old girl from Huntington.

Authorities announced the Amber Alert last night saying the girl, Neveah O’Neal, is believed to be extreme danger after being taken at about 8:15 last night in Huntington. The unknown suspects in her disappearance were last seen driving a gold Ford Ranger extended cab truck with a toolbox in the bed of the truck, and unknown plates.

The Huntington Police Department says Neveah O’Neal, is a 5-year-old white girl, 4 feet 5 inches tall, and 50 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, and Paw Patrol pink tennis shoes. Neveah was last seen in Huntington, which is 105 miles north of Indianapolis.

If you have any information on the disappearance of Neveah O’Neal, you should contact the Huntington Police Department at 260-356-7110 or call 911.

IUPUC’s master’s degree program in mental health counseling is being recognized by a regional organization for being an outstanding and innovative program.

The school has received the Innovative Counselor Education Program Award from the North Central Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, which covers 13 states. IUPUC received the award, after making changes to the curriculum in 2018 in response to the rise in cases of substance abuse disorder..

Faculty members Dr. Stephanie Scifres and Dr. Darrin Carr modified the curriculum with three new addictions-focused courses that better prepare graduates to counsel clients with substance abuse disorders, and also enabled graduates to apply for an additional license as a Licensed Clinical Addictions Counselor Associate.

The program organizers also decided to combat the opioid epidemic through the hiring process, grant writing and scholarship. Faculty members participate in organizations such as Bartholomew County Substance Abuse Council, and the ASAP Opioid Prevention Action Team. IUPUC also opened the Tom and Barbara Schoellkopf Community Counseling Center on the campus, which serves students and the community.

Bartholomew County Councilwoman Laura DeDomenic is stepping down from her council seat to take a full-time job with the County Auditor’s office, according to the Republic newspaper.

The paper is reporting this morning that DeDomenic turned in her resignation from the council yesterday to take a position as county government payroll administrator in the office of Auditor Pia O’Connor. An elected official can not work in a department where they set the salary, leading to her resignation.

DeDomenic represents Council District 2, which covers northwestern Bartholomew County. The county Republican party will hold a caucus to appoint someone from that district to finish the rest of her term.

You can get more information at therepublic.com

A Walesboro-area alloyed aluminum manufacturer is planning to add 10 new jobs in Columbus as part of a more than $6.1 million dollar expansion.

Nikkei MC Aluminum America asked Columbus City Council last night for a tax break on a $1.2 million dollar expansion of its facility on Inwood Drive and $4.9 million in new manufacturing equipment. The company says that the expansion will let it keep 85 existing jobs and add 10 more by July of next year. The average wage of the new jobs would be $15.30 per hour.

The company started in Columbus in 1989 as MC Aluminum America with 20 employees. The company manufactures aluminum alloys usable for automotive components from scrap aluminum according to the presentation to City Council. The expansion will allow the company to provide all of the aluminum it ships next door to Enkei Wheels as molten metal, instead of having part of the aluminum provided as cooled ingots. The company will be adding a furnace and processing equipment.

The tax abatement would phase in the taxes on the real property and personal property over 10 years, saving the company about $413,000 dollars in taxes over the life of the abatement.

Columbus City Council approved the abatement request.

Columbus Regional Health is looking for participants for a survey of residents about their opinions, precautions and reactions to COVID-19. And they are offering a chance to win various gift cards to those who take part.

The hospital is looking for information on participant’s personal well-being, the community and CRH’s response to COVID-19 and continued care, and overall perceptions.

In addition to the grand prize winner, who will receive a $350 package of gift cards, there will also be 50 other winners of $5 gift cards to Gramz Bakery and $5 gift cards to Lucabe Coffee.

You can find a link to the survey here.

Indiana’s U.S. Attorney, Josh Minkler, is explaining the laws that ensure you can vote safely, accurately and without intimidation or influence.

Minkler said recently that every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud.

According to authorities, federal law protects against intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes. It also provides that you can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass you.

Minkler says that Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Preston will be leading his office’s efforts on Election Day. She will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. She can be reached by the public at 317-452-0242 or at 317-229-2401.

The FBI will have special agents available in each field office to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. You can reach the local FBI field office at 317-595-4000.

In the case of a crime of violence or intimidation he suggest you call 911 immediately.

You can also make complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC at 800-253-3931 or find a link to a complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/