tablesorter 2.0.3 regression - how would this get fixed?

tablesorter 2.0.3 regression - how would this get fixed?

In tablesorter 2.0.3, colspans are not respected.

The examples here work (old version of tablesorter):

But the updated example I've crafted here does not (newest tablesorter):

The author doesn't seem to be responsive...what's the best way to fix this bug in the interim? Also, when the bug is fixed, what should be done? Since the author won't respond and the code is MIT licensed, should someone create a new, fixed project and host it somewhere?