October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and local advocates recently received approval to hold their annual Men Take a Stand event this year on Oct. 22nd.

The event will take place at noon on Oct 22nd on the front plaza at Columbus City Hall according to organizers with Turning Point Domestic Violence Services.

Participants will be asked to take a pledge to stand up against domestic violence and to lead by example in the community. Although called Men Take A Stand, anyone is welcome to attend. The event will be in person but social distancing will be observed during the gathering and an award presentation.

Lisa Shafran, president of Turning Point explains other activities.

You can get more information at turningpointdv.org or you can call 1-800-221-6311

Indiana Conservation officers are reporting that a man and woman were severely injured when their off-road vehicle crashed into a tree in northwestern Jackson County Saturday night.

Investigators say that the two were operating the vehicle on a roadway, but were not wearing helmets when they crashed. Speed and alcohol were possible contributing factors in the accident.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, Pershing Township Fire Department, Jackson County EMS, and Lifeline Air ambulance assisted at the scene.

The names of the victims have not yet been released.

Columbus firefighters say a fire early Friday morning left two people homeless.

Firefighters were called to the home in the 1500 block of Sycamore Street at about 6:35 Friday morning and found flames shooting from the rear of the home. The residents had already escaped as had two of their cats, but two cats were still inside the burning home.

Firefighters first knocked down the flames outside the home, then made their way inside searching for pockets of hidden fire, attacking hot spots and searching for the missing cats. They were able to rescue both of the pets and reunite them with the residents of the rental home.

Firefighters say that while the fire started at the rear of the home, they are still investigating the cause of the fire. Damages are estimated at $10 thousand dollars to the structure and its contents. No one was injured in the fire.

The Salvation Army is providing emergency shelter for the residents.

Three Jennings County residents are being accused of neglecting and confining an adult dependent, after a months-long investigation by the Indiana State Police.

Troopers announced on Friday that they arrested 54-year-old John E. Staples, 54-year-old Rose-Kathryn F. Staples and 47-year-old Trudy N. Henry after a seven month long investigation.

According to police reports, the Staples have been the guardians of a 22-year-old woman and had physically harmed and confined her at their Butlerville home. Henry, the woman’s caretaker, allegedly kept her in a strait-jacket and neglected the woman.

John Staples was arrested on a charge of neglect of a dependent, while Rose-Kathryn Staples and Henry are facing charges of criminal confinement and neglect of a dependent.

They were taken to the Jennings County Jail.

The Bartholomew Consolidated School board race for District 5 in the Nov. 3 election has incumbent Pat Bryant running against Jennifer Corsi. We talked to both candidates for News & Views, our weekend news show on News Talk 1010 WCSI and 98.1 FM.

Pat Bryant interview:

Jennifer Corsi interview:

A Brown County judge will hear a complaint that seeks to throw a Republican Bartholomew County Councilman off of the November ballot. According to The Republic newspaper, Brown County Circuit Court Judge Mary Wertz will hear the complaint about the legal residency of Council President Matt Miller.

Last month, Bartholomew County Democrats filed a complaint seeking a declaratory judgment from Bartholomew County Superior Court as to whether Miller is eligible to serve on the County Council and to remain as a candidate on the ballot in November.

The challenge grew from a complaint by some of Miller’s neighbors saying that he does not live at the home he claims as his legal residence on County Road 550E. Instead, he is accused of actually living in Jennings County.

The complaint was filed by Democratic Party Chairman Steve Schoettmer, and Democratic County Council at-large candidates Claudette Schroer, Olisa Humes and Tiffany Bosley.

You can read more about the dispute in The Republic

A group of CSA New Tech high school seniors are bringing back to life an event that was canceled earlier this summer by the coronavirus.

A Moment For Justice will be on Sunday and is meant to fill the same role as the annual Juneteenth Celebration. With a hashtag of The Conversation Starts Here, the event will be from 1:30 to 5 on Sunday between the Bartholomew Consolidated Schools headquarters and the United Way building on 13th Street.

It is the senior project of Sarah Burton, Erika Bates and Yalenia Gonzalez. Yalenia talks about the activities on Sunday:

Proceeds from the art raffle will go to support NAACP scholarships.

A Moment for Justice will include music, games, food vendors and information tables. There will also be a remembrance wall of people of people who have died from racial discrimination and a slideshow about women of color and discrimination they have faced.

Erika talks about how the event evolved.

Sarah talks about the reception in the community

Tracey Clark with the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County is mentoring the teens in the project.

Rural residents in the Brownstown area will see improvements to their internet options under a $4 million dollar investment announced this week from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect Program.

According to the agency, Jackson County Rural Electric Membership Corporation will use a $1.9 million loan and a $1.9 million grant to deploy fiber to connect 4,881 people, 198 farms and 36 businesses to high-speed broadband internet in Jackson and Lawrence counties.

This is part of the $550 million second round of the ReConnect Program allocated by Congress and administered by the USDA. USDA received 172 applications for $1.57 billion in the second round of the ReConnect Program, which had a deadline in April.

USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney said innovation depends on access to reliable, high-speed internet.

To learn more about ReConnect Program you can go to usda.gov/reconnect.

The 17th annual Meridian Kiwanis Incredible Duck Splash is coming up on Saturday. But there will be changes to the event due to the pandemic.

Organizer Jeff Blasdel explains:

After the numbered rubber ducks are dropped in the Round Lake, volunteers will then pick out winning ducks adopted by community members. There are 20 levels of prizes with $2,500 cash to the first place winner, $1,500 for second and $1,000 for third place. There is also a way to win a new car or $50,000 cash.

Adopting a duck starts at $5 for a single duck up to $100 for a flock of 30 ducks. You can still buy ducks to enter into the duck race at Midwest Computer Solutions on State Street, or on the website at Kducks.com.

Blasdel said that they will also be recognizing the winners of this summer’s Coolest Pet photo contest at about 1:45 p.m. at the park.

Columbus native Vice President Mike Pence and California Sen. Kamala Harris took the stage in Salt Lake City for the first and only vice presidential debate of this election season.

Although more cordial than last week’s presidential debate, and with fewer interruptions, the candidates did verbally spar, call each other out as well as their presidential candidates and talk over one another. Several times neither actually even attempted to answer questions posed by the moderator, particularly on what their respective home states would likely do if Roe v. Wade is overturned, or whether they had talked with President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden about plans should the president’s health fail while in office. The moderator pointed out that no matter which candidate wins, the U.S. will have the oldest president ever elected to the White House.

The candidates took sides on the COVID-19 pandemic and the government’s response:

Sen. Harris:

Vice President Pence:

The candidates took sides on the issue of climate change and how the government should respond:

Vice President Pence:

Sen. Harris:

The candidates took sides on the issue of the Affordable Care Act and how the government should address health care:

Sen. Harris:

Vice President Pence: