White River Broadcasting and the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department are announcing the cancellation of the annual Community Easter Egg Hunt originally scheduled for April 11th.
Bob Morrison, station manager for this White River Broadcasting station, explains.
The Community Easter Egg Hunt, which has been hosted by WCSI for 60 years, normally attracts 400-500 children and their families to Donner Park.
Update: The Decatur County Health Department has confirmed that the patient who died at CRH was from Decatur County.
Columbus Regional Health has had its first death from COVID-19. The hospital is reporting few details because of patient confidentiality laws, but hospital spokeswoman Kelsey DeClue confirmed that a person who lives outside of the county has died of the coronavirus related illness Wednesday morning.
That is the first confirmed COVID-19 death in the county, said County Coroner Clayton Nolting. His office is waiting for test results of a second death in the county that happened earlier under circumstances indicating COVID-19. But those results have not yet confirmed the illness.
Nolting said his office will not be conducting inquests into deaths from the virus in the hospital setting and reporting on in-hospital deaths will come from the hospital. However, the coroner will continue performing tests on cases where a person dies outside of the hospital.
Reports of deaths from both the hospital and the coroner’s office will be included in a tally maintained by the Bartholomew County Health Department and reported to the state.
Bartholomew County has 13 reported cases of COVID-19 among county residents. Statewide, the Indiana State Department of Health is reporting 2,565 positive COVID-19 test results as of Tuesday’s daily update and 65 deaths from the disease across the state.
48 cases are confirmed in Decatur, 17 in Jennings, 19 in Shelby, 10 in Jackson, 3 in Brown and 118 in Johnson counties.
Marion County leads the state with 1,117 confirmed cases.
Nine people were arrested during an investigation into drugs and guns in downtown Columbus Monday.
According to the Bartholomew County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team, officers from the Columbus Police Department’s Intelligence Led Policing Unit stopped a vehicle occupied by 53-year-old Michael A. Coleman and 55-year-old Philip Brantley, both of Columbus. A search uncovered rifle and drugs in the vehicle.
Coleman was arrested on preliminary charges of maintaining a common nuisance, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, open container violation, and violation of an emergency order. Brantley is accused of violation of an emergency order
The Columbus Police Department SWAT team served a search warrant on Coleman’s apartment in the 1000 block of Chestnut Street at just before midnight. Investigators discovered a handgun, drug paraphernalia, heroin, and approximately 20 grams of marijuana inside the apartment.
Seven people inside the apartment were taken into custody during the investigation.:
The investigation into the sale of illegal drugs in Columbus and Bartholomew County continues and additional charges are possible in this ongoing investigation.
The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team is a combined unit of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbus Police Department and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office that targets the manufacturing and abuse of dangerous drugs in Columbus and Bartholomew County.
Indiana’s confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed the 2,000 mark.
The Indiana State Department of Health is reporting 2,159 positive COVID-19 test results as of this morning’s daily update and 49 deaths from the disease across the state. So far there have been 13,373 tests completed for the disease by the health department.
Bartholomew County has 13 reported cases.
Decatur County has 47 confirmed cases. 15 cases are reported in Jennings and in Shelby Counties, 8 in Jackson County and 3 in Brown County. Johnson County has 101 confirmed cases.
Marion County leads the state with 964 confirmed cases.
Note: This story has been updated
Columbus Regional Health is reporting that three staff members and a doctor have tested positive for COVID-19.
Kelsey DeClue, spokeswoman for the hospital, says health care workers who are symptomatic are automatically tested for the disease.
The four are all showing minor to moderate symptoms of the illness. They are not allowed to return to work until they have fully recovered, and are using personal time or sick time while they are isolated.
She says that anyone who may have worked with or come into direct contact with the employees or physician in the 14 days prior to their last day of work has been notified.
DeClue said it is not possible to determine how the four contracted the disease, but officials have ruled out one possibility. She says the workers were wearing the required protective gear while interacting with any patients testing positive for COVID-19, so that has been ruled out.
A Columbus firefighter has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been in isolation until symptoms clear up.
The firefighter was off-duty when symptoms first appeared and began to self-quarantine while medical testing began. A week ago, the firefighter notified the Columbus Fire Department of the possibility of the illness and the test result came back positive on Monday, says Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the fire department.
The firefighter lives outside of Bartholomew County and has experienced only mild symptoms. No other firefighters have shown symptoms of the virus and the firefighter’s assigned station is undergoing additional cleaning to ensure the safety of other personnel and the public.
The firefighter is expected to return to duty once given medical clearance.
Fire Chief Andy Lay said that any firefighter who reports or shows signs or symptoms related to COVID 19, is being removed from service and asked to follow the current screening guidelines established by local health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Wilson said that since the start of the coronavirus epidemic in the area, firefighters have been regularly cleaning and sanitizing the stations, fire engines and equipment. All emergency equipment and apparatus are being cleaned and sanitized after each call for service.
All department personnel are required to assess their body temperature before reporting for duty. In the event that a high temperature reading is detected, that firefighter will be advised to receive further medical screening.
The department has also instituted a no visitors policy which includes family members of firefighters.
Wilson said the Columbus Fire Department is asking for the community’s support to help reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. He said it is imperative for all residents to practice social distancing, to limit unnecessary travel and interactions within the community.
A statewide Silver Alert has been declared for a missing Jennings County man.
The Jennings County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the disappearance of 52-year-old Brian K. Kirby . Kirby is 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighs 180 pounds and has red hair with blue eyes. He was last seen wearing an orange knitted toboggan, a grey sweat shirt with “Tennessee” in white letters and blue jeans.
Kirby is missing from North Vernon and was last seen on Saturday at 11 p.m. He is believed to be in danger and may require medical assistance.
If you have any information on Brian K. Kirby, contact the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department at 812-346-4911 or 911.
The Indiana State Department of Health is reporting 1,786 positive COVID-19 test results as of this morning’s daily update and 35 deaths from the disease across the state. So far there have been 11,658 tests completed for the disease by the health department.
Bartholomew County has 13 reported cases. The county is still waiting for results from 180 tests and 209 tests have been negative.
Decatur County has 42 confirmed cases. 14 cases are reported in Jennings County, 13 in Shelby County, 8 in Jackson County and 3 in Brown County. Johnson County has 81 confirmed cases.
Marion County leads the state with 804 confirmed cases.
A domestic dispute in Hope Sunday afternoon turned into an hours-long standoff with police.
Hope police are reporting that they were called to a home on Walnut Street at about 3:30 on Sunday afternoon after reports of a fight or domestic dispute. A woman said she had been battered by 32 year old Gregory Carter Jr. Police discovered that Carter was wanted on four outstanding warrants.
But Carter retreated back into the home and locked police out. After he could not be persuaded by police to come outside, the Bartholomew County SWAT team was called in.
Tear gas was used to get Carter out of the house and he surrendered almost four hours after the incident started. He was taken first to Columbus Regional Hospital to be checked out and then to jail on preliminary charges of battery in the presence of a minor, resisting law enforcement and residential entry, as well as the outstanding warrants.
Congressman Greg Pence drove 10 and a half hours last week to make it back to Congress to vote on the COVID-19 stimulus package Friday afternoon.
And that included stopping to fix a flat tire.
Although plans were to allow the measure to pass with a simple voice vote, a Kentucky congressman threatened to derail the proceedings, leading to representatives being called back to Washington D.C. shortly after making it back to their home districts.
Pence, a Columbus Republican, said that in the end he was not satisfied with the cost of the bill, but supported it because it had to be done.
He said the bill does hit on his priorities which included taking care of workers, the middle class and small business owners.
Pence said some of the highlights for him are the portions of the bill that protect health care workers and hospitals.