The National Weather Service is confirming that the Brownstown area was hit by a tornado during last Thursday’s severe weather.
The agency says that an EF-1 tornado briefly touched down, damaging trees and irrigation systems at 2:06 Thursday afternoon. The estimated winds were 94 mph and the 40-yard wide tornado was on the ground for about a mile and a quarter.
The agency says that the most extensive damage was to a pole barn and a grain silo. The barn roof was lifted off and destroyed, while the grain silo roof was lifted off and blown in an opposite direction.
A series of storms Thursday afternoon were caused by a strong low pressure system. There were also damaging winds. No one was injured.
The Fort Wayne Police Department has activated a statewide Amber Alert.
The victim, Leanna Nicole Herron, is a 5 year old black girl, 4 feet tall, 69 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a gray sweat suit with white stripes and black and white Nikes. Leanna was last seen at 3 p.m. Saturday in Fort Wayne, Indiana and is believed to be in extreme danger.
The suspect, Zyair J. Herron, is a 26 year old black male, 5 feet 9 inches tall, 165 pounds, black hair with brown eyes, last seen wearing a red and black sweat suit, black boots, a gold grill over his teeth and ZAMIRAH tattooed on the left side of his neck. He was driving an older Silver Chevy Malibu with black rims and a temporary paper plate.
Leanna Nicole Herron
If you have any information on this incident, contact the Fort Wayne Police Department at 260-427-1222 or call 03/16911.
A rally yesterday at The Commons had a simple message to state legislators: No List, No Law.
Community and business leaders urged legislators to reinstate a list of protected classes to the state’s proposed hate crimes bill. The Indiana Senate removed those categories before sending the bill to the Indiana House. The proposed law would allow judges the option to enhance sentences because of the bias against victims.
Without the list of protected groups, the law is essentially meaningless says the Rev. Nic Cable, with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus.
Mark Osowick, vice president for human resource operations at Cummins Inc., said that the lack of protections makes it harder for Cummins to compete for top-notch personnel from around the world:
And even with existing employees, Indiana can be seen as an unwelcoming place, Osowick said.
John Budd, vice president of physician enterprise at Columbus Regional Health, says that to meet the needs of the modern health care system, CRH has to recruit for doctors and caregivers from other nationalities and communities. Anything that makes Indiana and Columbus be seen as less inclusive, means attractive candidates won’t even consider moving here.
Mariam Nakyobe, a Cummins employee and member of the Islamic Society of Columbus, said that the promise of America is that everyone will be treated equally.
Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop reflected on Columbus creating its Human Rights Ordinance 50 years ago, and the message it sent to minorities that they were welcome here. He said hate crimes are different than normal offenses, because they are also meant to send a message.
Indiana is one of only five states without a bias crimes law on the books.
Former Democratic U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh has died. He passed away shortly after midnight at his home in Easton, Md. He was 91.
Among his accomplishments, the three-time Indiana senator was the author of the 25th and 26th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and author of Title IX of the Higher Education Act.
Network Indiana is reporting that Senator Bayh was the last surviving person to have cast a vote in the Senate for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as the last surviving person to have served in the Senate during the administration of President John F. Kennedy
Bayh was also the father for former governor and U.S. Senator Evan Bayh.
His family said he had been suffering from pneumonia
Officer Marcus Clark and new CPD police dog, Bane. Photo courtesy of Columbus police.
Columbus Police Department has a third police dog on the force now.
Bane, a two-year-old German Shepherd born in Poland is working with his handler, Officer Marcus Clark. The two recently finished a six week training program in North Carolina. Bane is trained both to search for drugs and to arrest suspects.
In only their first two days on the street Bane and Clark have already participated in nine drug arrests. Bane replaces retired police dog Max. The Columbus police also have dogs Argo and Oxs.
Ryan S. Redmon. Photo courtesy of Columbus Police Department.
Two Bartholomew County residents are accused of trying to bring the dangerous opioid fentanyl into the community.
The county’s Joint Narcotic Enforcement Team says they arrested 27-year-old Ryan S. Redmon of Hope, and 28-year-old Sasha N. Armitage, of Columbus after they returned from picking up the drugs in Cincinnati. After a traffic stop early Wednesday morning, officers allegedly located several grams of fentanyl in their possession.
Both of them are facing preliminary charges of dealing in narcotics and possessing narcotics, a legend drug injection device and drug paraphernalia. Redmon is also facing charges of trafficking with an inmate, as well as an outstanding Bartholomew County warrant.
Sasha N. Armitage. Photo courtesy of Columbus Police Department.
Police say that the investigation into the sale of illegal drugs in Columbus and Bartholomew County continues and additional charges are possible in this ongoing investigation. The investigation included the Columbus Police Department Intelligence Led Policing Unit, Columbus Police Department K-9 Unit, and the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.
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 targeting the manufacturing and abuse of dangerous drugs in the community.
Lisa P. Thomas. Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department
A Monday night traffic stop on U.S. 31 led to the arrest of two Columbus residents on drug charges.
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is reporting that a police dog alerted to the odor of drugs inside the pickup after it was stopped at about 7:37 p.m. Monday night.
57-year- old Lisa P. Thomas and 39-year-old Jeremy M. Goins were arrested. Thomas is facing charges of possessing heroin, legend drug injection devices and paraphernalia.
Goins is being accused of possession of a controlled substance, paraphernalia and legend drug injection devices.
Jeremy M. Goins. Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.
The State Street Area Association is holding a Meet the Candidates event tonight, the first of two community forums where you can talk to the candidates for Columbus City Council and the mayor’s race.
Tonight’s event is at the Roby and America Anderson Community Center on McClure Road and it will feature the candidates for mayor and the City Council at-large races.
There will be a separate forum on March 21st at the center to meet all of the candidates for the five district seats on the City Council.
Both of the events start at 6 p.m. in the evening. Light refreshments will be served.
Cummins and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have signed a five year deal that will see company signs at the track’s world-famous races. That’s according to our news-gathering partners at The Republic.
The Columbus-based diesel engine manufacturer made the announcement yesterday in its distribution business headquarters in Indianapolis, with company officials saying the agreement was a natural fit for two Hoosier-born organizations that have both led their industries for 100 or more years.
The paper reports that Cummins signs will be part of the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400 and IndyCar Grand Prix. That includes signs on the pylon at the track’s yard of bricks.
Cummins is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
Columbus community, business and religious leaders will hold a rally this afternoon urging state legislators to reinstate protected classes in the state’s proposed hate crimes legislation.
Under the Columbus Speaks banner, the advocates will include:
Mark Osowick, Vice President, Human Resource Operations, Cummins Inc.
Mayor Jim Lienhoop
John Budd, Vice President, Physician Enterprise, Columbus Regional Health
Chris Raaf, Vice President, Hospital Operations, Columbus Regional Health
Rev. Nic Cable, Minister, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus
Mike Leppert, Indiana Forward
The state legislature had been pushing forward with a hate crimes bill that protected groups from crimes committed because of the victim’s . race; ethnicity; religion; national origin; sex; disability; gender identity; and sexual orientation. But the Indiana Senate stripped the protected classes from the proposed hate crimes law before sending it to the Indiana House. That gutted the bill according to advocates.
The Indiana Forward coalition is urging legislators to pass a bias crimes law that allows judges to enhance criminal sentences when the crime was motivated by bias toward a victim’s characteristics. The group says that Hoosiers deserve to feel safe where they live and work, and the state has a responsibility to prevent crimes of hate from happening in their community.
That rally will be at 3:30 p.m. today at The Commons.
