The Milk Bank and Columbus Regional Health are co-hosting one of central Indiana’s first breast milk donation drives. Women who are currently or have recently finished lactating are encouraged to donate their stored, surplus milk to care for ill and fragile infants across the region.

The drive is Wednesday from 2 to 5:30 p.m. in Cafeteria Dining Room D at CRH. Donors will be asked to fill out a medical history form and complete a quick blood draw to determine the best use of their donated milk.

Ideal candidates for milk donors are non-smoking women in good general health who take limited or no medications and herbal supplements. For clarification on eligibility, contact The Milk Bank at 877.829.7470 or visit themilkbank.org/donate-milk.

A water main break has led to a Boil Order in Nashville. The town and its utility department announced the order Tuesday afternoon after the break at 54 East Franklin Street.

Officials say that homes and businesses in the following areas should boil all cooking and drinking water prior to consumption:

748-1170 Clay Lick Road;
Hill Top Lane;
Treetops Drive;
960-1304 Old SR 46;
Mail Pouch Lane;
Eads Lane;
McGee Road;
Tuck A Way Ridge;
Highland Drive;
Coffey Hill Road;
1325-1878 SR 135 North;
Ridgeway Drive;
Pine Tree Hills;
Dogwood Ln.;
54 E Franklin St.;
123 E Main Street;
150 School House Lane

This Boil Order is in effect through 4 p.m. Friday.

Customers with questions should call Nashville Utilities at (812) 988-5526.

The Bartholomew County Election Board found this morning that it had no grounds to remove City Council candidate Chris Rutan from the May Republican primary ballot.

He was facing accusations of financial wrongdoing in his role as a rental property manager, but there have been no felony convictions against the candidate.

For their part, election board members were constrained to consider only a very narrow set of reasons a candidate could be removed from a ballot including their age, residency, party affiliation and whether they were a convicted felon. Board president Jim Holland said that the board could not hear or make judgments on any issues outside their purview.

Board attorney Pete King made the point that no one would want the three-person panel to be making decisions on whether a candidate was moral enough to deserve to be on the ballot, because that is a slippery slope.

The board voted 3-0 to allow Rutan to remain on the ballot. He will face incumbent City Councilman Dascal Bunch in the May Republican primary for the District 1 seat representing parts of downtown and eastern Columbus.

Drivers in Jackson County will see a sobriety checkpoint this weekend, according to Indiana State Police. Troopers from the Versailles Post will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint at an undisclosed location in Friday and Saturday.

They say that drivers passing through the checkpoint area should have their licenses and registrations ready to present to troopers. Drivers will only be detained briefly while troopers determine whether further investigation is necessary.

Troopers are looking for drivers who are alcohol or drug impaired and pose a danger to others and themselves.

If you see a vehicle exhibiting erratic driving behavior, call 911 and give a complete description of the vehicle, its location, and direction of travel. These reports can be made anonymously.

The Columbus Human Rights Commission is looking for entries for its annual arts and essay contests. The theme of this year’s Benjamin M. King Essay and J. Irwin Miller Art contests is “You Belong in Columbus.”

The contests are open to Bartholomew County students in fifth through 12th grade in categories for elementary, middle and high schools.

Winners will each receive a $100 award, an award-winning book, and tickets to the Human Rights Commission annual dinner

The due date for all essays and art is 5 in the afternoon of Monday, March 25.

Organizers are also looking for community members to judge the entrants.

For more information you can call 812-376-2532

Bartholomew County is an increasingly welcoming community, according to a survey by Heritage Fund, but it still lags in some areas.

Heritage Fund: The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County says this is the third survey of its type since the Welcoming Community Initiative was started in 2004.

More than 1,700 people took part in the survey last year and overall found increasing welcomeness. But the community was seen as less welcoming for those of lower incomes, minorities and the LGBTQIA community. The survey found that all minority racial and ethnic groups ranked lower than the average, however the Hispanic population had the highest ratings for a minority group.

Heritage Fund is identifying five areas for improvement, including inclusivity, community engagement, entertainment, community liveability and access to information.

Heritage Fund officials say that over the next few months, survey results and themes will be presented to community groups and stakeholders. Anyone interested in learning more about the survey can contact Heritage Fund at 812-376-7772.

Cummins Inc. announced the appointment of four new Vice Presidents of the company on Monday. They are:

Cary Chenanda – Vice President, Cummins Electronics and Fuel Systems

Cummins says these businesses have shown dramatic improvement in technology and profitability under Chenanda’s leadership. He is described as a “long-time leader” at Cummins, having served in many different parts of the company.

Julie Furber – Vice President, Electrified Power Business

Cummins says this is a challenging leadership role as the business is new, the market is starting to develop, and the technology is rapidly changing. Company officials say Furber brings the tireless energy, strategic leadership and customer focus the company needs to launch this start-up business. Furber has proven herself to be a capable leader who understands Cummins’ customers, business and its people.

Diana Rey-Marrero – Vice President, Cummins Business Services

Cummins Business Services provides hundreds of support services that keep its global workforce focused and productive. Company officials say Rey-Marrero has demonstrated strong leadership in several functions over her career, both at Cummins and at other companies.

Shon Wright – Vice President, Cummins Turbo Technologies

Cummins says its Turbo Technologies business is critical to many of the company’s key customer relationships. Under Wright’s leadership, company officials say CTT is a highly successful and profitable business for Cummins. Wright has held leadership roles in several areas of Cummins before becoming the CTT leader.

A North Vernon man wanted on a felony warrant was arrested in Columbus Saturday evening after he was seen disregarding a stop sign while riding a bicycle. Columbus Police say that at approximately 6:45 p.m., officers saw 41-year-old Tyron J. Brown riding a bicycle near 10th Street and Cottage Avenue. Brown reportedly disregarded a stop sign and was stopped by officers a short time later.

Police say Brown initially gave them a fake name. The officers determined Brown’s identity a short time later and confirmed he was wanted on a felony warrant out of Jennings County. Brown was taken into custody and booked in the Bartholomew County Jail on a new preliminary charge of False Informing.

The Bartholomew County Election Board will be hearing a challenge Tuesday to City Council candidate Chris Rutan’s run for office.

However, on first blush it doesn’t appear that there is anything to remove him from the ballot.

A Columbus resident, William Tapscott, filed a complaint against Rutan’s candidacy citing concerns and accusations about financial details surrounding Rutan’s time as a rental property manager several years ago. He is seeking to void Rutan’s candidacy over character concerns.

However Jay Phelps, the county clerk, says that while the Election Board is required to hold a hearing, it does not appear that there is anything in the complaint that falls under the board’s jurisdiction.

The board is limited to consider issues such as whether a person is in good standing with their political party, whether they live in the correct district, or whether the candidate is a convicted felon.

And there is no indication that the issues outlined in the complaint have ever led to criminal charges, Phelps says.

Phelps says the last candidacy challenges locally came about 8 years ago over whether candidates were really Republicans.

Phelps makes up one third of the election board.

For his part, Rutan says that the complainant is a former friend and they had a falling out several years ago.

Rutan denies the charges made in the complaint.

Rutan believes he will be vindicated Tuesday.

Rutan is running in the Republican primary for City Council District 1 which represents parts of the downtown area and the former East Columbus. He is facing incumbent Republican Dascal Bunch in the May primary.

The election board meeting is open to the public. It will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the voter registration office at the courthouse.

Congressman Greg Pence, a Columbus Republican, held an open house at his Columbus office Friday afternoon. He and his staff met dozens of residents during the event.

Pence says he plans to continue living in Columbus and commuting to work.

Pence says the government shutdown made it difficult to get much accomplished.

Pence says it is important to have an office in the same city where he lives. His team moved into the building, at 555 First Street, in early January. You can reach Pence’s Columbus office at (812) 799-5230.