Bartholomew County Republican voters in next week’s primary election will have three candidates to choose from for the District 1 seat on the County Commissioners. Incumbent Larry Kleinhenz is facing Susan Thayer-Fye and Jorge Morales for the party’s nomination.

Last year’s budget crisis in the county was fueled largely by large health care costs for county employees. We asked the candidates what should be done to rein in those costs.

Kleinhenz said the commissioners made significant changes last year:

04-27 Larry Kleinhenz Question 3 FULL

Morales said he would draw on community resources to advise the county

04-27 Jorge Morales Question 3 FULL

Thayer-Fye said she would like the county employees to have more input on their plan:

04-27 Susan Thayer-Fye Question 3 FULL

There are no Democratic candidates for the District 1 seat.

Last week, we asked the commissioner candidates about the county roads. You can hear their responses here.

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has officially issued a permit allowing the closure of a portion of State Road 135 for Nashville’s Spring Blossom Parade on Saturday, May 7. INDOT Spokesman Harry Maginity says that the north-south highway will close, just north of State Road 46, from School House Lane/Washington Street to Mound Street from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Organizers say that the theme for the 53rd annual Spring Blossom Festival is “Brown County Celebrates Our Super Heroes.” They say that this theme will be exhibited through costumed participants, a variety of floats, vintage cars and performance groups. Organizers say that the Batmobile from the 1960’s TV series will be a featured exhibit as the parade treks along State Road 135, Artist Drive, Main Street and School House Lane, beginning at 11 a.m.

INDOT says that local law enforcement will be directing drivers around the parade site.

The Columbus Police Department (CPD) says that a local man who was wanted on a warrant was arrested after the department received a tip about his whereabouts.

CPD Spokesman Justin Black says that at approximately 8:45 a.m. on Monday, the county’s Emergency Operations Center informed Columbus

Police that they had received an anonymous telephone call informing them that 20-year-old Michael W. Nida, II was inside of a residence in the 2600 Block of Forest Drive. The dispatcher reported that the call ended abruptly. Authorities added that the dispatcher recognized that this could possibly be a volatile situation due to the brevity of the call and the fact that Nida has allegedly eluded police several times before. Authorities say the dispatcher was able to send a text message to the caller, who reaffirmed that Nida was inside the residence. She also allegedly texted the dispatcher that she feared for her safety. Authorities say that as a result of the texting between the dispatcher and the caller, police were able to locate and arrest Nida. Black says that Nida was booked in the Bartholomew County Jail on a Level 5 Felony charge of Violation of Probation.

Columbus Police are taking this opportunity to remind you that if you are in need of help due to an emergency and are not able to make a phone call, you can text the information to 911. Authorities say that a dispatcher will then start a text message conversation with them and relay the necessary information to the proper authorities.

A Jennings County woman was arrested Tuesday morning after allegedly shoplifting from a North Vernon department store.

A spokesperson with the North Vernon Police Department (NVPD) says that at approximately 9:20 a.m., officers were dispatched to the Walmart

Supercenter after store employees allegedly caught 27-year-old Katrina Roush, of North Vernon, shoplifting items from the store.

NVPD officials say that Roush was arrested for Theft. They also allege that the woman resisted arrest. Roush was ultimately subdued and taken to the Jennings County Jail, where police say they found her in possession of several drug-related items. These allegedly included a corner cut bag containing 8.7 grams of a white powder that tested positive for methamphetamine.

NVPD officials say that Roush was arrested two weeks ago when officers found her in possession of approximately 7 grams of methamphetamine. Police say that Roush was out of jail on bond when she was arrested Tuesday.

North Vernon Police say that Roush is facing preliminary charges of:

Theft;
Resisting Law Enforcement Officers;
Possession of Methamphetamine;
Possession of a Syringe;
Possession of paraphernalia;
Dealing in Methamphetamine

The NVPD says that Roush is being held on $2,100 bond.

A Columbus man was flown to an Indianapolis hospital after a mowing accident Monday night.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department says that at approximately 6:30 p.m., Deputy Terrance Holderness responded to the scene, at 371 North Country Club Road, in which 52-year-old Carl Brown was found in a small ditch line with his riding mower partially on top of him. Sheriff’s Department Spokesperson Judy Jackson says that Capt. Dave Steinkoenig and Harrison Township Fire Department personnel arrived within minutes and were able to get the mower off of Brown.

Brown was flown to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. His condition has not been made available.

A Bartholomew County bat has tested positive for rabies after biting a person, according to the Bartholomew County Health Department.

Health officials say that rabies is a matter of life and death. Rabies is almost always fatal in humans if it is not caught before symptoms manifest. The virus is transmitted through the saliva of affected creatures and there is no way to tell by sight whether an animal has the disease.

Collis Mayfield, administrator of the health department, said the person bitten was lucky — both because the person noticed they had been bitten and because they were able to catch the bat for testing. The victim is undergoing rabies treatments now.

According to the agency, if you are bitten by a bat, or any wild animal, you should wash the area with soap and water and immediately contact your doctor, who will determine if antibiotics or a tetanus shot are needed.

A bite must be reported to the local health department and the doctor, with the health department, will decide if the patient should be treated with the rabies vaccine.

Mayfield said that the danger with having infected bats is that they can then spread the virus to other animals they may bite.

The agency says that of 29 local bats tested over the past three years this is the second positive test rabies. Bats and skunks are considered the most common sources of rabies. Since 1962, more than 500 Indiana bats have tested positive for rabies and more than 800 skunks. The most recent positive test for rabies in a dog was 1989 and in a cat was 1984.

A consultant for Bartholomew Consolidated Schools is suggesting the school district consider redistricting its elementary schools to better meet upcoming demographic changes.

Jerome McKibben with McKibben Demographic Research analyzed the trends affecting the population and school enrollment and said the school district will need to adjust enrollment areas to meet the future needs caused by shifts in population.

McKibben broke down census figures and trends for each of the district schools and presented his findings to the school board at a presentation at last night’s school board meeting. He said that the county’s strong economy is providing a lot of young families that will keep local school enrollment growing. But there are also areas of the school district with very stable, older populations that are no longer putting children through school.

Which means the population is not growing evenly across all school areas. He said that the school district has staved off some of the hard redistricting choices with the creation of the Columbus Signature Academy magnet schools, but upcoming changes will be necessary.

“Most school districts should redistrict every 10 to 15 years,” McKibben said. “However most school district boards and administrators would rather have a root canal daily for six months rather than go through redistricting.”

He said the distribution of students is “out of whack” and that the change would be desperately needed within five years. He estimated that redistricting could save the district more than a million dollars a year in transportation costs.

School board member Bob Abrams joked that outgoing Superintendent John Quick would be coming back to orchestrate a redistricting project, but Quick assured the board that was not going to happen.

In other business, the school board congratulated the top 10 seniors from Columbus North and Columbus East high schools. Quick pointed out that these students started kindergarten the same year he became superintendent.

Top 10 seniors from Columbus North:

1. Eva Yezerets
2. Zoe Arbuckle
3. Aditya Mantri
4. Adam Ruble
5. Tyler Heathcote
6. Johanna Anderson
7. Marlee Reisinger
8. Elizabeth Bell
9. Mason Mitchell
10. Emma McAlister

Top 10 seniors from Columbus East:

1. Nicholas Andrie
2. Kaleb McCarter and Kailey Warner
3. Alex Galle
4. Madison Albright
5. Maelyn Kiser
6. Clara Villalon
7. Nathaniel Reed
8. Mariela Miranda Molina
9. Olivia Fahey
10. Kaitlyn Emmert

A Bartholomew County Democratic candidate for the County Council says on social media that she is dropping out.

Gaby Cheek has announced on her campaign Facebook page that she has had second thoughts about running. Cheek said on Facebook that she is not cut out to be a politician and is quote “too busy working and raising my wonderful family.”

Nancy Ann Brown, chairwoman of the Bartholomew County Democratic Party, said she has urged Cheek not to make a final decision until they have a chance to talk in person. The Bartholomew County Voter Registration office reports that Cheek has yet to file any formal paperwork removing herself as a candidate.

In any case, Brown said that Cheek’s name will remain on the May 3rd ballot. The ballot has been finalized and voters have already been casting their votes since early April. Brown said it will be similar to the situation that Republican voters will find when they go to cast their votes for president and there are a long list of candidates who have actually dropped out of the race.

Cheek is one of three candidates competing for the at-large seat on County Council on the Democratic ticket and Cheek is guaranteed a spot on the November ballot.

The Hope Freemasons Lodge will be offering a program tonight on the history of Freemasonry in the state.

The Indiana Grand Lodge will be celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2018, and the Hope Lodge was chartered in 1853.

Tonight’s presentation will cover how Freemasonry has changed and evolved in the 200 years of the grand lodge.  According to the lodge, this will be an informational presentation with discussion of the early years of life in Indiana and of Indiana Freemasonry.

The presentation begins at 7 p.m. tonight. You are invited to attend and light snacks will be provided. Hope Masonic Lodge is located across from Hauser High School on State Road 9.

For more on the Hope lodge: www.facebook.com/hopemasoniclodge

Columbus police arrested a man for allegedly stealing a moped Friday, but they also discovered fake money.

Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the police department, says that officers were called to the 1500 block of 13th Street at about 2 p.m. Friday after a woman reported her moped was stolen.

Police located 44-year-old Michael B. Purdue on the moped, Harris said. He allegedly told police that he had to hot-wire it because he had lost the key. He was arrested and during a search, officers allegedly discovered two fake $100 bills in his wallet.

Purdue is facing preliminary charges of Auto Theft, Counterfeiting/Forgery and a warrant for a parole violation.