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Regional Hospital, Police – January 29

By
Staff Reports
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JENNINGS COUNTY

Arrest

Monday

Kimberly J. Bradley, 55, Elizabethtown, possession of controlled substance, illegal possession of syringe, possession of paraphernalia and dealing in a controlled substance, 8:30 p.m., by the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, held in lieu of $1,055 bond.

Incidents

Monday

12:59 a.m. — Suspicious vehicle on College Street.

1:30 p.m. — Suspicious activity in the 400 block of Stockwell Street.

5:47 p.m. — Vandalism in the 300 block of Laurel Street.

8:19 p.m. — Possible suspicious person in the 600 block of North State Street.

Athletes of the week

By
Staff Reports
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MALE

Graham Rooks, Columbus East freshman wrestler

Rooks came through with pins at 106 pounds in both of Columbus East’s matches, dual-meet losses at Mooresville and Bloomington North.

His performance last week:

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“I got to my shots and did a good job moving on my feet. Then, I could get the fall.”

Do you do anything special to prepare?

“Just get mentally focused and ready.”

Favorite drink:

“Root beer”

Favorite food:

“Hot dogs”

Favorite music group:

“Jack Johnson”

Favorite book:

“To Kill a Mockingbird”

Favorite class:

“Math”

Role model:

“My father (Ben Rooks) and my grandfather (Lester Perkinson)”

Best advice:

“Always work hard and try your best in everything you do.”

Athletics goal:

“To win state and NCAA national championships.”

If you could travel anywhere:

“Probably (University of) Iowa, because that’s where I want to go for wrestling.”

FEMALE

Macy Wingham, Columbus Christian senior basketball player

Wingham led the Crusaders with 26 points, five assists and seven steals in a 59-34 win at Crosspointe Christian.

Her performance last week:

“I feel pretty good about my performance, but I take every game to improve, and regardless of the stats, I take each game as a new game to get better.”

Do you do anything special to prepare?

“I just listen to music and hang out with my teammates.”

Favorite drink:

“Lemonade”

Favorite food:

“Pasta”

Favorite music group:

“Lincoln Brewster”

Favorite book:

“Into the Deep”

Favorite class:

“Bible class”

Role model:

“My parents (Andy and Judy Wingham)”

Best advice:

“Let go and let God.”

Athletics goal:

“To play college basketball”

If you could travel anywhere:

“Bora Bora, because of the nice weather, and it’s a beautiful place.”

Looking Back – January 29

By
Staff Reports
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Around Columbus

Jan. 29

 

News around Columbus and the surrounding area as reported on or about this date in the pages of The Evening Republican and The Republic 10, 25 and 50 years ago.

2005

Federal officials were expected to approve more than $227,000 to help Bartholomew County residents, businesses and governments recover from December’s record snowstorm and January’s flooding.

1990

Thousands of dollars in damage was reported done to First Christian Church, the eighth break-in within just a few months. Only a small amount of cash was taken.

1965

A Top Value Stamp redemption store opened in the 25th Street Shopping Center, with more than 5,000 square feet and 1,800 items on display. Mrs. Robert Sattelmeyer of Columbus was manager.

Panthers team to beat in wrestling sectional

By
Staff Reports
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When the wrestling postseason kicks off Saturday at Jennings County, the host squad will be favored to defend their sectional title.

The 19th-ranked Panthers are seeded in the top five in all 14 weight classes and are in the top four in 13 of them. The top four in each weight class qualify for the Feb. 7 Jeffersonville Regional.

Jennings’ Anthony Engelking (138 pounds), Andrew Herrin (145), Cole Chandler (152), Wes Furgason (160), Peyton Shepherd (182) and Brady Shepherd (220) are No. 1 seeds. Dalton Craig (106), Peyton Gerkin (170) and Christian Redmond (195) are No. 2 seeds; while Logan Applegate (120) and Brendan Sutton (285) are No. 3 seeds and Kyle Lewis (113) and Jake Hammond (126) are No. 4 seeds.

Columbus East has three No. 1 seeds in Graham Rooks (106), Dawson Combest (113) and Quade Greiwe (195). Coy Park (182) is a No. 2 seed; and Stuart Bryan (132), Ben Wilkerson (138), Austin Wilson (152) and Sean Galligar (285) are No. 4 seeds.

“If we come out and wrestle well, there’s no reason we can’t be in the top two,” East coach Chris Cooper said of the team race. “We’re going to have to really wrestle outstanding to be able to win it, but it’s not impossible. We kind of look at each weight class individually — ‘Let’s do the things we need to do’ — and if we do that, the team thing takes care of itself.”

Columbus North’s Isaiah Peetz (106), Curtis Collins (113), Braden Hinckley (138) and Andrew Chapman (160) are No. 3 seeds. Patrick Shehan (120), Brett Bosserman (145), Jake Larson (170) and Brandon Woods (220) are No. 4 seeds.

For Brown County, Evan Bullock (120) and Jacob Strickland (132) are No. 1 seeds. Colten Harper (113) is a No. 2 seed, Bristen Dial (182) is a No. 3 seed and Job Lawson (106) is a No. 4 seed.

Conference meets Saturday

The Columbus North and Columbus East boys swimming and diving teams will compete in their respective conference meets Saturday.

The Hoosier Hills Conference meet gets under way tonight with diving prelims at Floyd Central, with the finals scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday. North will host the Conference Indiana meet Saturday, with diving beginning at 9 a.m. and swimming at 1 p.m.

Co-No. 24 Jeffersonville and No. 26 Floyd Central are the favorites in the HHC meet. North coach Jim Sheridan sees the Conference Indiana meet as a three-team battle between No. 16 Bloomington South, co-No. 22 Bloomington North and the co-No. 27 Bull Frogs.

“Depth-wise, Bloomington South is the favorite right now,” Sheridan said. “They have some big guns and three pretty good relays. On paper, it appears they have more depth, but we’ve juggled our lineup to fill in some areas that at sectional, we’ll switch back to get to state. We’re gambling in a few spots, but I’m gambling with some pretty good guys.”

Crusader commits to CCU

Columbus Christian senior Macy Wingham has decided to continue her basketball career at Cincinnati Christian University.

The 5-foot point guard leads the 19-3 Crusaders with about 22 points, 4.5 assists and seven steals a game. She is in her second year at Columbus Christian after playing two years at Columbus North.

Wingham is headed to the school where Crusaders coach Ron Bridgewater played when it was called Cincinnati Bible College.

“When I went there and visited, I could feel God’s light, and I really want to grow my faith, and to play basketball is an even better blessing,” Wingham said. “Since they’re interested in me to play basketball, I thought that was really neat, and I feel like that’s where I belong.”

ICST draws announced

The Indiana Christian School Tournament draw has been released and the defending champion Columbus Christian boys will open regional play at 5 p.m. Feb. 21 against Northpointe Christian. The winner will play for the regional title at 7 p.m. Feb. 24.

The Columbus Christian girls will play for the regional title at 8 p.m. Feb. 21 against the winner of the Feb. 20 Bloomington Lighthouse-Dugger Union game.

The ICST state semifinals and finals will be Feb. 28 at Faith Christian Fitness Center in Anderson.

Meanwhile, the draw for the IHSAA girls basketball tournament will be at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Ribeye steak dinner planned

The Hauser Booster Club will host a ribeye steak dinner before Saturday’s boys basketball game against Batesville.

The dinner will include a ribeye steak, baked potato, green beans, salad, roll, dessert and drinks and will be served from 5 to 7 p.m. in the auditorium. Cost is $8.

North-EC tickets on sale

Tickets for Columbus North’s boys basketball game against East Central Feb. 7 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse are on sale from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays at the North athletics office.

Tickets are $12 for grades 7 and older and $8 for age 3 through sixth-graders. Children 2 and under are free.

Former CPD officers now sheriff’s reserve deputies

By
Staff Reports
-

Two veteran Columbus Police Department officers will serve as reserve deputies for the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

Mike Brown, a member of CPD from 1981 to 2005, was a field training officer, uniform sergeant, department training coordinator, lieutenant and captain in the uniform division. He was a 10-year member of the Emergency Response Team.

Brown assisted with the CPD’s Citizen’s Academy, the Take Home Car Program and created physical fitness standards. He created and implemented CPD’s Teen Driving Program.

Brown is a certified instructor at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy and is an Air Force veteran. He and his wife, Laura, are members of First Christian Church.

Former Police Chief Jason Maddix also has become a reserve deputy. After joining CPD in 1994, and taking a break between 2008 and 2009, Maddix retired as chief last year. He served in the patrol division, as a DARE instructor, a field training officer and firearms instructor.

He also served on the Police Pension Board and was a member of the city’s Audit and Review committee. He has an associate degree in law enforcement from Vincennes University and a bachelor of arts in criminal justice from Indiana University.

Maddix works for Cummins Inc. as its North America Security adviser. He and his wife, Tammy, are members of First Christian Church.

Church hosts chili supper, bake sale

By
Staff Reports
-

Calvary Nazarene Church, 5400 Rocky Ford Road, will have a chili supper and bake sale from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday.

Suggested donation of $5 per person or $20 per family is requested.

Proceeds from the event will be used for Church Connection Center completion projects.

Steals record puts different spin on injury

By
Jay Heater
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An ankle injury in high school basketball is bad enough for any athlete, but this wasn’t just any ankle.

It belonged to Hauser junior Leslie Sims, who was expected to snap the Indiana high school career stolen base record early in the upcoming softball season.

Never mind that Sims was one of the key players on a Hauser girls basketball team that has gone 2-9 since her left ankle injury Dec. 29, her value as one of the state’s top softball players and The Republic’s reigning Athlete of the Year for Softball is based on her speed.

Sims opened her Jets’ softball career with a single-season, state-record 72 steals her freshman season and followed that with 59 steals last season. Her 131 total ranks her fourth on Indiana’s career steals list compiled by the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association. She is on pace to shatter the career record, if she stays healthy.

“It was a high ankle sprain, and three of the five tendons in her ankle were torn,” said her father and softball coach, Craig Sims. “She is going to start physical therapy this week, and she is wearing a soft brace.”

Leslie Sims will have another doctor’s check-up Feb. 5 to see if she will be cleared to begin softball in March.

Her father said he won’t ease her back into action. “The No. 1 thing is that she has to be healthy to play regardless,” Craig Sims said. “That’s the main thing: She has to be prepared. If she isn’t 100 percent, she isn’t going to play. Sliding into bases and stealing is hard on your body.”

Although she wanted to return for the basketball sectional playoffs, that appears doubtful.

“It stinks watching (my basketball team),” Leslie Sims said. “It’s been hard on me. But I couldn’t do anything the first two weeks after the injury, and now I can at least walk on it. I’m doing better.

“I guess the things you love hurt you the most.”

Craig Sims knows that his daughter loves to play basketball, but she already has accepted a scholarship to play softball at Indiana State.

“It scares me,” Craig Sims said of his daughter continuing to play basketball in high school. “I’m not going to lie. Basketball is a physical sport for women. I can go down the list of injuries that (girls at Hauser) have got, and they are from basketball.”

At the same time, Hauser is a Class A school that needs its best athletes to play multiple sports. Sims, who coaches junior varsity girls basketball at Hauser along with his duties as head varsity softball coach, said he wouldn’t be able to run his softball program if the other sports coaches didn’t encourage their athletes to play multiple sports.

“We have to share athletes, or none of us will have enough,” he said.

Craig Sims could be forgiven if he is a little worried about injuries at the present time. Besides Leslie’s ankle injury, his daughter Tessa, who is a freshman at Hauser, broke her fibula playing basketball in December. Tessa is expected to be a major part of Hauser’s pitching rotation in the spring.

“Tessa is doing snap drills now,” Craig Sims said. “As long as there are no more issues, she should be pitching in two weeks.”

Both Tessa and Leslie have had back injuries in the past as well, but they were looking forward to playing on the same high school softball team together this spring.

“We were so excited,” Leslie Sims said. “Now we are both crippled. Sure I’m worried. I want to beat my record (single season steals). I plan to continue stealing bases.”

Now she said her dad challenges her and her sister, both wearing boots, to race to the car.

“Leslie loves to compete,” Craig Sims said. “Through the whole process of tearing her ligaments, she never once cried. When the doctor said she couldn’t play for six weeks, she started balling.”

Leslie Sims said she just wants to get back to work on either a basketball court or softball field.

“I hope (her ankle injury) doesn’t affect anything,” she said. “I hope this is just a bump in the road. I really do think it is up to me how all this turns out.”

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Career steals record

Indiana high school softball

*compiled by Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association

1. Gabrielle Richey, Loogootee, 2010-2013, 176

2. Kasey Gibson, Churubusco, 2009-2013, 165

3. Melanie Mannix, Blackford, 1992-1995, 136

4. Leslie Sims, Hauser, 2013-active, 131

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Singing Hoosiers bring works of state’s native sons to life

By
Brian Blair
-

Every so often, when Columbus native Emmaline Terry steps outside the rehearsal room for Indiana University’s Grammy-winning Singing Hoosiers for a quick break, she hears a sweet harmony when she gets back to the door.

And a jolt of gracious reality hits her.

“You just have to keep reminding yourself how fortunate you truly are to be in such a gifted choral group as this,” said Terry, an IU freshman and first-year member of the ensemble that travels worldwide as an ambassador of one of the nation’s top music schools.

Terry and what she calls “85 of my closest friends” comprising the vocal-and-dance group will perform a range of Hoagy Carmichael and Cole Porter tunes, along with a few other artists, accompanied by the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic.

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The performance will be at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at Columbus’ Judson Erne Auditorium, 1400 25th St.

The blending of this dynamic duo is the first since February 2005, when Columbus native Michael Schwartzkopf directed the singers with the orchestra.

For this concert, the IU performers, now under the direction of Steve Zegree, also are bringing their own eight-piece band.

Organizers acknowledged that, while seats are still available in every zone of the venue, they are selling briskly.

And no wonder. The Singing Hoosiers have appeared through the years with such luminaries as Bob Hope and Tony Bennett. The group also was the focus of a 1995 PBS special with Mel Tormé.

“They are a wonderful draw for us,” said David Bowden, philharmonic music director.

“The reason they have such a following is that they’re just so good. Many other show choirs are very good, too, but they’re sometimes still a little rough around the edges.

“But the Singing Hoosiers’ excellence is paramount. They present a fabulous show that never seems to wane.”

In recent years, the group twice has packed the Music At Asbury series with nearly 430 people at Columbus’ Asbury United Methodist Church. Columbus native Kevin Rudzinski, a second-year member of the Singing Hoosiers, performed at their last local concert last February. And he looks forward to this one, too.

“I would tell people to learn to expect the unexpected with us,” Rudzinski said.

Bowden acknowledged that the early portion of the concert will feature a significant surprise or two. Other portions will highlight standards such as Carmichael’s “Stardust” and “Georgia On My Mind,” which reigns as Rudzinski’s favorite for this appearance.

“It’s just so smooth and silky,” Rudzinski said.

For Porter’s “Too Darn Hot,” about 15 members of the chorus’ varsity group will cut loose and let a few dance moves sizzle near the edge of the stage. Especially with Zegree’s arrival, the troupe has updated and expanded its choreography.

The 21-song concert also will include tunes from other artists such as Louis Jordan, Irving Berlin and the Swingle Singers. Plus, Bowden has devised an up-close-and-personal twist for Singing Hoosier alumni to be a part of the show, as they always are.

One of the alumni, Columbus’ Janie Gordon, worked with both Rudzinski and Terry while they were local high-schoolers. And Terry likes the idea of performing with the group in front of front of friends and family on a stage she knew well as a student for performances such as the pop-rock concert, “American Pie.”

“It’s exciting to have the chance to perform again in front of the people who supported me and watched me grow up,” Terry said.

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Who: The Singing Hoosiers with the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic.

When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7

Where: Judson Erne Auditorium, 1400 25th St., Columbus.

Tickets: $15 to $50, available at 812-376-2638, ext. 110.

Information: thecip.org.

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Mom to Mike: Keep your day job

By
Kirk Johannesen
-

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s mother said she would prefer her son seek a second term leading his home state rather than seek the presidency in 2016.

Pence, a Columbus native, was elected the state’s 50th governor in 2012 after serving six consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. The 55-year-old has been mentioned frequently as a possible presidential candidate. He also had support for a presidential bid in 2012, but instead chose to run for governor.

The governor has been responding to media questions, including during the time around his Jan. 13 State of the State address, that he was not yet ready to make a decision on seeking the presidency.

“When people ask me if he should run for president, I say, ‘No.’ I want him as my governor. My feeling is he is a good governor,” said Nancy Pence Fritsch, 82, who lives in Columbus.

She was asked such as question Tuesday at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, located northwest of Terre Haute.

Pence Fritsch, a 1995 graduate of the college’s distance-education program, was there to hear her son’s speech to the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce.

Pence Fritsch said Wednesday that she was asked to do an interview with the college newspaper, The Woods, and the student reporter asked her if her son should run for president.

“I said, ‘No, not right now,'” she said.

A reporter from the Tribune Star of Terre Haute, who also heard the interview, wrote a story published Wednesday in the daily newspaper and distributed statewide by the Associated Press.

The story quoted Pence Fritsch as saying her son had attributes that would well serve a candidate for any public office, such as honesty, reliability and truthfulness.

“He is doing a lot of the right things. I want him to maintain where he’s at right now,” she said.

However, Pence Fritsch said she has not shared her opinion with her son.

“It’s none of my business. It just happens to be an opinion, as most mothers do of their offspring,” she said.

How did her son react to that?

“I love my mom. She’s my hero. She was with me in Terre Haute at St. Mary-of-the-Woods, and after my dad died back in the 1980s,” Pence said in a statement late Wednesday afternoon.

“Mom held our little family together, and then she went back to college and graduated from St. Mary-of-the-Woods. She’s just the most courageous, amazing person that I know. And I never take issue with anything she says.”

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“I never take issue with anything she (mother Nancy) says.”

— Gov. Mike Pence

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Electronics for education

By
Julie McClure
-

The Columbus father of a special-needs son is reaching out to fellow Cummins employees and the community, seeking donations of tablet computers to help others with similar circumstances.

Work to raise money and recondition donated tablets for children has become a personal mission for David McArdle, Columbus, who began collecting tablets about this time last year.

McArdle said his 6-year-old, special-needs son, Brady, has improved in letter and word recognition using an iPad for reading, something the youngster now loves to do.

Seeing how much an iPad was benefiting his son, McArdle created his own charitable group, Tablet REconnect, to gather donations of new and used tablets and e-readers.

McArdle, a Cummins pilot, refurbishes the tablets and updates them with the most current operating system, then gives them away to special-needs children in Batholomew County.

About 40 children received tablets last year, McArdle said. About five more have been on a waiting list for the past two months, he said.

McArdle and about 15 Cummins volunteers will be accepting donations of tablets, e-readers or cash at various locations around Columbus from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.

Anyone wishing to donate a tablet, e-reader or money may stop by The Commons or the lobby of the Bartholomew County Public Library, he said.

Cummins’ employees may drop off donations at the Corporate Office Building or Cummins Office Building in The Commons, said Jon Mills, Cummins’ spokesman.

The volunteers also will be accepting old cellphones, which are taken to a recycling agency that pays the Tablet REconnect group, McArdle said.

Money raised through donation of cellphones and cash donations are used to pay for kid-proof iPad cases and gift cards that allow the youngsters to purchase apps from The App store, so the family doesn’t have any expense in using the tablet, McArdle said.

The group will take any iPad or tablet that is donated, although the first generation of iPads can’t support the latest operating system; those iPads are usually recycled for money, he said.

Any iPad 2 or newer tablet will support the operating system and can be refurbished for a youngster to use, McArdle said.

The organization can provide donors with paperwork needed to claim tax deductions for the tablet donation.

The group is hoping that area businesses that are upgrading their technology and tablets for employees might be willing to donate old tablets to Tablet REconnect, McArdle said.

Tablet REconnect will continue accepting applications from families of special-needs children who are seeking a tablet to help with their child’s development.

“We’re partnering with Arc of Bartholomew County,” McArdle said. “Lots of families will use the tablets for a child’s language articulation — many of these children are nonverbal,” he said. “This way they have a way to communicate.”

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Anyone interested in helping Tablet REconnect may contact Cummins pilot David McArdle at david@tabletreconnect.com.

For more information, visit tabletreconnect.com or find the group on Facebook.

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What: Tablet REconnect donation drive

When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday

Where: Donate iPads, tablets or e-readers, or used cellphones at:

  • The Commons, 300 Washington St.
  • Bartholomew County Public Library, 536 Fifth St.
  • Cummins employees may donate at the Corporate Office Building or Cummins Office Buildings at The Commons.

Anyone who donate tablets or $100 for gift cards and cases will be entered to win an iPad mini.

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