Columbus Republican Rep. Greg Pence is one of a group in Congress looking to honor the Americans killed in the Beirut bombing in 1983.

He and three other congressmen authored a bill to make Oct. 23rd a national day of remembrance of the attack on the Marine Corps barracks. There were 241 American service members killed that day including 220 Marines.

Pence said the issue is personal for him. He served in the Marines from 1979 to 1984 and his battalion was ordered to Beirut in 1983. He said he was lucky that his unit shipped out just before the attack. He said he was able to return home safely to Columbus, but told himself that he would never forget those who died.

The bill was introduced on Thursday.

A Flat Rock motorcyclist was arrested after he allegedly attacked an officer Sunday night in Columbus.

The incident started when police received reports of a possibly impaired biker on 25th Street shortly after 8 Sunday evening. An off-duty Bartholomew County deputy and Columbus police officer stopped the cycle. An officer talked to the driver, 64-year-old Robert G. Schonfeld, and his speech was slurred and his eyes looked glassy, according to reports.

As he was being arrested, he allegedly advanced on officers and struck one in the hand before being restrained. A search of his clothing allegedly revealed a bag of marijuana.

He was arrested on preliminary charges of battery on a public safety official, possession of more than 30 grams of marijuana with a prior conviction, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated with endangerment.

If you can bake a great dessert, you have a chance to win a baking contest in Hope on Friday afternoon.

As part of the monthly cruise-in on the Hope Town Square, they will be having a baking contest on Friday. Entries have to be turned in 5:15 and 5:45 p.m. at the library annex.

Winners will be announced from the bandstand at 8 p.m. including a grand champion, first and second runner up. The baked goods will be sold afterwards with proceeds going to benefit the cruise in.

The monthly cruise-ins are organized by the town and Main Street of Hope. They are being held on the first Friday of the month through October.

Music on Friday will be by the HauserBoys.

Indiana Department of Natural Resources conservation officers are reporting that a young girl died at Monroe Lake over the weekend, after being hit by a boat propellor.

The 8-year-old was at the lake with her father and friends Sunday evening. After the injury, she was taken to IU Health Bloomington, where she was pronounced dead.

The accident remains under investigation. Conservation officers say that she was wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident.

Firefighters from several volunteer fire departments fought a rural home fire Saturday afternoon in Bartholomew County .

German Township had firefighters at their station already when they received the call at 3:55 p.m. that afternoon. They are reporting that there was heavy fire at the home in the 6800 block of County Road 475E when they arrived on scene.

They and Hope volunteer firefighters fought the blaze from the outside after an attempt to go into the home was blocked by the high heat and hoarding conditions inside, the firefighters report. Thermal readings showed ceiling temperatures of 900 degrees.

As the firefighting continued, more units were called in and, in all, nine fire departments responded including Hartsville , Clay Township, Harrison Township, Wayne Township, Shelby County departments from Flat Rock and Marietta and Burney-Clay department out of Decatur County.  The Salvation Army also brought drinking water and food to the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The home was a total loss, according to German Township. Hope volunteers report that no one was home at the time of the fire.

An Austin man is behind bars after a stabbing.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department says that deputies were called to the 8400 block of County Road 850 East at about 10:45 p.m. Thursday. The victim was reportedly stabbed in the back twice by 19-year-old Nicholas Couch, the brother of the victim’s girlfriend.

Authorities say that Couch and the victim live at the same address. There was an argument between the two over text messages that the victim sent to Couch’s mother. During the argument, police say that Couch pulled out a hunting knife and stabbed the victim. The two were ultimately separated by others.

The victim was airlifted to the University of Louisville Hospital. He was later released.

Couch is being held on charges of Battery Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, Criminal Recklessness with a Deadly Weapon and Disorderly Conduct.

Columbus police say that they arrested a wanted man who threw a can of soda at an officer and tried to run away.

The incident starts at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon in the 1300 block of Union Street. Officers spoke to a man who allegedly gave a fake name. He turned out to be 28-year-old Roger K. Godsey of Columbus who was wanted on an outstanding warrant out of Jennings County. As they tried to take him into custody, he allegedly took off and threw a can at an officer, splattering police with the contents.

Officers tried to hit him with a Taser but it was not effective and he continued to flee, jumping a fence and running through several yards before being caught about a block away.

He is facing preliminary charges of battery on a public safety officer, resisting law enforcement and false informing along with the original warrant.

The Civil Air Patrol has been holding its largest training activity of the year – the National Emergency Services Academy, at Camp Atterbury and Columbus Municipal Airport.

According to an announcement from the U.S. Air Force, the academy hosted 52 Air Force officers from 38 bases around the world. In addition to its Air Force students, more than 500 CAP members have participated in NESA this year from every state.

The Columbus event has included a new Pilot Prep Program — a Civil Air Patrol introduction to aviation designed to identify future fliers. That program provided six to eight hours of actual flight from Columbus Municipal Airport along with ground instruction and additional training time in flight simulators. The goal is to make the participants competitive for the Air Force’ Undergraduate Flight Training Selection Board in September.

Brian Payne, the city’s airport director, says that the event has had more than 600 takeoffs from the airport over the past few weeks and led to a significant amount of fuel sales for the airport.

The activities are slated to wrap up this weekend. You can get more information about the Pilot Prep Program here.

In Jennings County, Dave O’Mara Contractors will be starting a paving project on Monday that will affect 9.7 miles of U.S. 50. This is part of a $3.1 million dollars paving and patching project.

The work will be taking place from east of State Road 3 to nine miles west of U.S .421. Flaggers will be in the area directing traffic and you can expect delays due to lane closures due to the work.

The work is expected to last until Oct. 31st.

INDOT asks that you use caution through work zones and keep an eye out for crews and equipment.

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A Columbus woman has been chosen as one of 33 creative entrepreneurs across the state to participate in the 2019 On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator, the Indiana Arts Commission announced this week.

Graphic designer Brooke Hawkins will receive $2,000 to travel to New York to attend the Adobe 99U Conference. She plans to hear from a diverse group of thinkers and to participate in hands-on workshops featuring new disciplines and technologies.

Following a three-day entrepreneurship workshop, the 33 fellows were eligible to request up to $2,000 to implement their newly honed career goals, business skills, and community engagement learning.

Click here for more information on the 2019 On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator