Yes Cinema is announcing the jury winners for this weekend’s film festival.
The best narrative category was a tie between “The Land” and “The Rainbow Experiment.” Best documentary went to “Cooked: Survival by Zip Code” and “Grateful” was chosen as the best short film.
The winners were chosen by a nine-person jury made up of filmmakers, actors, producers, directors and media from across the United States. Audience awards will also be given during the festival, chosen by those in attendance.
The film festival runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the theater in downtown Columbus. You can get more information on showtimes and on each of he films at yesfilmfestival.com.
Eric Michael Winship. Photo courtesy of Columbus Police Department.
A local man has been arrested in the hit and run crash that killed a bicyclist Sunday night in downtown Columbus.
Columbus police say that they arrested 27-year-old Eric Michael Winship at his northern Bartholomew County home Monday evening.
He is facing charges of failing to stop after an accident resulting in a death and possession of a legend drug injection device.
Columbus police detective Lt. Jay Frederick thanked the public for all of the calls, tips and other information police received in this case.
Bicyclist Kyla M. Ortlieb died in the crash at about 11:15 p.m. Sunday night at 11th and Chestnut streets. A red GMC Jimmy with heavy damage was found nearby.
The case remains under investigation. That investigation is being handled by the Bartholomew County Death Investigation Team which consists of members of the Columbus Police Department, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office and the Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office.
Bartholomew Consolidated Schools have approved a plan to borrow over $900,000 to provide for the technology needs of students and staff next year.
Chad Phillips, the assistant superintendent for financial services, said that the loan maximum will be just over $995 thousand dollars but the expected costs are closer to $900 thousand dollars.
According to numbers provided at last month’s school board meeting, the district plans to spend just over $586,000 to purchase laptops for next year’s estimated 997 incoming freshmen. The district also plans to purchase 373 devices for teachers and staff at a cost of almost $314,000. Those devices will include a mix of desktops, laptops and Chrome books according to district officials.
The bond would be paid off in a single year and Phillips estimates that because of rising assessed property values, taxpayers will not see any impact from the new bond.
Because of state funding changes, Phillips estimated that the district will have to make similar loans going forward to fund capital projects.
The school board approved the bond last night.
In other business, Bartholomew Consolidated Schools nailed down their 2020 budget during last night’s school board meeting. At a total of $117 million, it would be an increase of just under 2 percent of this year’s $115 million dollar budget.
Phillips talks about next steps for the approval process
During earlier budget discussions, Phillips briefed school board members on the impact that skyrocketing health care costs were having on budgets. He said last month that there were cuts across the budget to cover the costs. Current spending had gotten so bad that the district was unable to pay all of its outstanding claims in September, having to make payment arrangements and prioritizing the claims.
At last night’s meeting, Phillips said there is some good news. As of late September, The health trust fund is again in the black and the district has had three weeks in a row, where it was able to pay all of its claims on time.
The school board approved the 2020 budget last night.
The Seymour Mainstreet organization is inviting you to take part in their Downtown Trick or Treat event on Monday, Oct. 28, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. That will be followed by the Seymour Evening Lions Costume Parade, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Post Office, located at 321 North Chestnut Street.
Residential trick-or-treating will be held Halloween night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced lane closures this Wednesday and Thursday (Oct. 23-24) on the eastbound State Road 46 bridge over the East Fork White River in Columbus for a routine bridge inspection.
Schedule is as follows:
• Wednesday, October 23 (9 a.m. to approximately 7 p.m.): Two right lanes closed
• Thursday, October 24 (9 a.m. to approximately 7 p.m.): Two left lanes closed
Two lanes of traffic will be maintained at all times during the inspection.
Friday, October 25, will be utilized as an alternate date in case of inclement weather.
You are reminded to slow down, use caution and eliminate distractions when you drive through work zones.
You are invited to stop by Chick-Fil-A this Wednesday, Oct. 23, to chat with Columbus Police.
Officers will be on hand from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to speak with the community over a free cup of coffee at the Columbus Chick-Fil-A. The Columbus Police Department began participating in this program in 2016 to have the opportunity to speak to the public away from the police station and in a more relaxed atmosphere.
CPD officers will also be available to answer questions about the department’s hiring process that concludes in November.
Marlon Cowan; Photo courtesy of Columbus Police Dept.
A local man was arrested after he allegedly fled from Columbus police officers during a traffic stop on Saturday afternoon. Shortly after 2 p.m., officers attempted to stop a vehicle for an expired license plate near Seventh and Chestnut streets.
Police say the driver, 43-year-old Marlon Cowan Jr., of Columbus, refused to stop and quickly turned into the nearby north/south alley. Cowan continued driving in the alley and later exited his vehicle near the 500 block of Eighth Street and began running on foot.
Cowan ran into a nearby home where he was located a short time later and taken into custody. He’s facing two preliminary charges of Resisting Law Enforcement and one for Driving While Suspended with a Prior Conviction.
Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center will be hosting the annual Columbus Indiana Yes Cinema Film Festival this weekend at the cinema and cafe in downtown Columbus.
Diane Doup, with the center, explains:
This is the 9th year for the festival and there will be 22 films Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They will range from documentaries and dramas to the popular short film category.
The free Saturday workshop, called “20 Easy Ways to Ruin Your Great Indie Film,” will be hosted by Stephen and Mary Pruitt and will start at 6 that evening. The Pruitts are Kansas City based independent filmmakers and their film ‘The Land” is part of this year’s Yes Film Festival.
Tickets for the entire weekend of shows are $35. Individual shows are $7. Doup says that beer and wine will be available for sale and the cinema cafe will be open for dining.
Two Indiana documentaries will be shown for free on Thursday afternoon and evening at Yes Cinema.
The first will be about the recently completed Pearl Street home that was part of the Lincoln Central Neighborhood Family Center’s home ownership program. That work was done by C4 students in Bartholomew Consolidated Schools and the home was purchased by a low-income first-time home buyer. That film starts at 5:15 p.m.
Later in the evening will be Right to Harm, a documentary about factory farms. That starts with a discussion at 6:45 p.m. and the film starts at 7:15 p.m..
Both films are free. Yes Cinema is on Jackson Street in downtown Columbus.
Bryan Eugene Smith. Photo courtesy of Indiana State Police.
Indiana State Police have issued a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Holton man who hasn’t been seen since last week.
Authorities are investigating the disappearance of 51 year old Bryan Eugene Smith. He is a white male, 5 feet 6 inches tall, 230 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a black ball cap with “SECURITY” written in white letters, a black and orange jacket, black khaki style pants, and black Adidas shoes with “ADIDAS” in white letters.
Smith is missing from Holton in Ripley County and was last seen on Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the afternoon. He is believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance.
If you have any information on Bryan Eugene Smith, contact the Indiana State Police at 812-689-5000 or 911.
