The University Library of Columbus is hosting its third annual comics convention Thursday.

The event will include local artists and authors, comics and book stores, filmmakers and vendors including jeweler and board games.

Librarian Abby Hillyard explains.

There will be a panel discussion with filmmaker Mark Bessenger with the theme of “The Future Is Fantasy.” That runs from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Summerville Room.

Hillyard explains that there are a lot of people locally with an interest in comics..

Hillyard explains the cultural change from her childhood, where comic books and fantasy are suddenly hugely popular.

The Comic Con is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the library in the Columbus Learning Center and it is free to attend.

The family of a missing Brown County man is thanking rescue workers for helping save him last week.

They say that 76-year-old Joseph L. Carmer was found safe Friday afternoon after spending the night outside in the rain. Carmer suffers from dementia and was last seen at his home Thursday afternoon. He was found about a mile and a half away from home, says his daughter, Robin.

After searching almost all night Thursday, rescue workers called off the search at about 3 a.m. Friday, and started searching again a few hours later.

Carmer said her father was finally found by a woman with a search dog in an area that had already been searched before.

They believe he found shelter from the weather underneath an abandoned bulldozer in the area. By Friday afternoon, family members were losing hope.

Carmer credits her father’s survival with all of the volunteer efforts to help him. Those includes search parties, searchers on horse, rescue dogs, four-wheelers, hikers and others looking for him.

Bartholomew County deputies helped end a police chase that started in Indianapolis early this morning.

The department reports that Indianapolis and Edinburgh police asked for assistance in catching robbery suspects fleeing from Fishers at about 2:40 a.m. this morning. Deputies set up position just south of the Edinburgh exit on Interstate 65 and deflated the vehicle’s front tires using stop sticks.

The vehicle pulled in the nearby rest park and four people were taken into custody by Indianapolis officers.

A Louisville man was arrested at a Bartholomew County rest stop Friday afternoon, accused of making a southern Indiana woman drive him at gunpoint up the interstate.

Deputies say that the suspect, identified as Ravon T.T. Briggs is facing charges of criminal confinement and possession of marijuana.

The incident here started at about 1:21 p.m. Friday afternoon after deputies received word from Clark County dispatchers about a possible kidnapping. A deputy noticed a suspect vehicle parked at the rest stop between Columbus and Edinburgh. A resident in the nearby Northgate Addition also called dispatchers, saying that the victim had come to the home looking for help after escaping the vehicle.

She told deputies that she was cleaning out her car in Clarksville when Briggs forced her to drive toward Indianapolis. He ordered her to stop at the rest stop and when he left the vehicle she fled.

Attorney General Curtis Hill is crowing about a legal victory on Friday that he says will help the state hold officials accountable.

Hill’s office says that Cathy Jo Robertson, a former bookkeeper for the Jennings County Clerk’s Office, had sought to avoid paying back public funds demanded by the Office of the Attorney General. In an audit report, the State Board of Accounts determined that Robertson diverted more than $61,000 in public funds for her own use. Robertson had claimed the OAG’s complaint to recover the funds was filed after the statute of limitations had expired.

Robertson’s attorneys said the activity in question occurred from 2009 to 2011 and that the OAG became aware of it from SBOA officials in December of 2014. That being the case, her attorneys claimed, the statute of limitations would have had to begin to run no later than December of 2014.

The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday, however, that the statute of limitations applicable to the OAG in such instances does not begin to run until the OAG receives the final, verified report from the SBOA. In this case, the OAG received the SBOA’s report on Jan. 22, 2016, and filed its complaint against Robertson on May 5, 2017, well within the two-year window.

“Cases arising out of SBOA audits are especially important to the state because their purpose is to protect public funds,” Attorney General Hill said. “The state needs the ability to recoup taxpayer dollars and root out fraud committed by public officials and employees.”

Two Columbus firefighters with a combined sixty four years of service have announced their retirement from CFD.

Lieutenant Richard Chatham retires with 34 years of service. Hired by the city in 1985, Chatham held of the rank of Sergeant and his current rank of Lieutenant. Chatham retired on March 1st from his current assignment of Lieutenant at fire station #5.

Battalion Chief Dan Cleland was hired by the city in 1988. Throughout his career, he served as a paramedic on the department’s ambulance, Medic One, and rose through the ranks serving as a Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain and Battalion Chief. Cleland also served five months as the interim Chief of Fire in early 2012. His official retirement date is April 1st.

A Silver Alert has been issued for 76-year-old Joseph L. Carmer of Brown County.

The Brown County Sheriff’s Department says Carmer is believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance.

He is a white man, 5′-07”, 173 lbs, with green eyes, and gray hair. Carmer was last seen wearing a black zip-up sweatshirt, light blue pants, possibly wearing a baseball cap, and has a tattoo of “MOM” on his right forearm.

He is missing from his home on Mt Liberty Road in Nashville since about 4:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon. Authorities called off the search at about 1:50 a.m. this morning today and resumed at 8 a.m.

If you have any information on Joseph L. Carmer, contact the Brown County Sheriff’s Department at 812-988-6655 x 0 or 911.

The Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual meeting and awards ceremony yesterday afternoon at The Commons.

Sherry Stark was recognized with the Community Service Award. She served as deputy mayor and community development director under Mayor Bob Stewart, before heading up the Columbus Area Arts Council and Heritage Fund. Even after her retirement, she continues to serve including as head of the Columbus Regional Hospital board of trustees.

She was brought to tears after being surprised with the award by Mayor Jim Lienhoop.

The Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress received project of the year. Jeff Jones, head of that project, thanked Columbus, Bartholomew County and Columbus Regional Hospital for banding together to tackle the drug epidemic:

Force Construction was chosen as company of the year. Company president Harold Force looked back at the family business, which opened in 1946.

This year’s Edna Folger teaching award winner was Karen Nading, who teaches at C4 and Columbus East. She has been a teacher for more than 40 years.  She said that her classroom feels like a family.

Hauser High School’s team was recognized as the winner of the countywide Maverick Challenge. The Hauser TempSense team of Emils Vigants, Krista Blackburn and Kiersten Meister created a product and service that will help kids get interested in computer science.

Gov. Eric Holcomb says the state is working to grow and adapt. He addressed the issues of having a ready work force when he visited Simmons Winery Thursday night to address the Lincoln Day Dinner put on by the Bartholomew County Republican Party.

Gov Holcomb says it’s also important to find a way to reach out to those who have been out of the workforce and offer them a way to transition back in to work whenever possible.

Holcomb says the state is doing a good job at adapting to the changing times.

Holcomb notes that challenges remain for the state. They including education, infrastructure and maintaining a well-qualified workforce, among others.

The governor talked about the mission of his administration…

Approximately 250 people turned out for Thursday evening’s event at Simmons Winery. They included Rep. Greg Pence, Mayor Jim Lienhoop, State Rep. Ryan Lauer, State Rep. Jim Lucas and State Sen. Greg Walker, as well as other local officials and candidates.