Bartholomew County Emergency Management is warning that the roads will remain slick through the afternoon.
Temperatures will stay in the upper 20s and low 30s causing ice on roads, bridges, overpasses and untreated roads. You should be prepared for slick and icy spots through the afternoon. You should also allow yourself extra time to reach your destination and reduce your speed.
The nasty weather today is leading to delays in the picking up of trash in the Hope are later this week. CGS Services of Morristown, the town’s recently chosen trash collector, says that routes will be running a day behind for the rest of the week.
That means the Friday routes normally picked up in Hope will be picked up Saturday
A company spokesman says the change was made for the safety of their employees.
The Bartholomew County Highway Department is reporting that several area roads will be closed on Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for tree removal.
That includes:
County Road 150 West between Co Rd 450S & 550S
County Road 550 South between Co Rd 150W & 200W
The presentation of the final riverfront report was presented Monday afternoon. Hitchcock Design Group put the report together and presented it to the Columbus Redevelopment Commission. Rick Hitchcock is with the design team. He talks about how the project would be implemented.
Hitchcock is with the design team. He says that the “stars of the show” are the three-dimensional connections.
Hitchcock explains that would allow access to the site for those with mobility issues, as well as maintenance vehicles. He adds that any work that will be done has to include the removal of the low-head dam.
Hitchcock talks about the potential return on investment for the project.
Hitchcock says the total price tag for the project is estimated to be $8.6 million. City officials have long said that the development of the riverfront will be a public/private effort and that has not changed. The city council will need to give final approval to implementing the project due to the cost.
The redevelopment commission gave Hitchcock the go ahead to begin the permitting process. If approved, Hitchcock says that design work and permitting could be done this year with construction to begin next year.
Five Columbus Police Officers were recognized Tuesday for their actions during the month of January. Lt. Matt Harris, department spokesman, says that all five officers received letters of commendation during the Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety meeting from Chief Jon Rohde and Mayor Jim Lienhoop.
Those recognized were:
Officer Greg Ross was recognized for his actions in helping a driver after his vehicle had flipped over into the Flatrock River during a crash. Ross forced open one of the vehicle’s doors, pulling the driver to safety.
Officers Matt Prendergast and Danielle Stigers were recognized for assisting an elderly Columbus resident after the recent winter weather. Prendergast had given the woman a ride home from the hospital and during their conversation learned that the woman’s husband and child were deceased. Upon arriving at her home, he noted that woman’s driveway and sidewalks were covered in ice and snow. After helping her inide, Officers Prendergast and Stigers and Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputy Jon Lanning returned after their work shift was completed and shoveled the woman’s sidewalk and driveway.
Officers Matt Martindale and Logan Adams responded to check the welfare of a local resident after a caller had concerns that a family member was trying to harm themselves. After checking the home and not receiving an answer at the door, Officer Martindale returned to his patrol car and shut it off. After doing so, the officers could hear the faint
sound of music and a vehicle running in a nearby detached garage. The officers forced entry into the garage and removed the person inside away from the strong odor of the vehicle’s exhaust. The officers noted that this individual had a slight pulse and shallow breathing and they provided life saving measures. This person later regained consciousness at the hospital.
The third annual Columbus Area Local Food Summit has been set for Tuesday Feb. 13th
The keynote speaker will be IU professor and Columbus native James Farmer talking about “Growing a Local Food System: Emerging Trends with Space for All.”
Other sessions will discuss Local Food Success, Producer Best Practices, and Local Food Partnerships.
Registration is free and ends on Feb. 6th. A locally-sourced lunch will be provided by Cummins Corporate Hospitality. The summit will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 13th at Donner Center.
To register go to eventbrite.com
For more information, contact Kris Medic at Kris Medic at Purdue Cooperative Extension-Bartholomew County: 812-379-1665
A pile of missing scrap metal from a Taylorsville business led to a man’s arrest at a recycling company in Columbus Monday according to deputies.
49-year-old Isaac Spiehler of Columbus is facing a charge of theft — receiving stolen property after the incident yesterday morning.
According to reports from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, a deputy was patrolling the school zone in Taylorsville when he was alerted to a theft of the pile of scrap metal at the business. A friend had taken a photo of a suspicious vehicle near the pile and had a license plate number.
Columbus police were contacted and intercepted Spiehler driving the vehicle at Kroot’s in the city. The truck was full of the stolen scrap materials, which were given back to the rightful owner, deputies report.
A proposed dog kennel in northern Bartholomew County has been denied. That’s after a crowd of sign-waving animal advocates turned out to last night’s county board of zoning appeals meeting to protest the plan, filling the downstairs meeting room at the Columbus airport to overflow.
Opponents talked passionately about their love for their dogs and their distaste for what they called a puppy mill proposed on the property. Among those protesting were neighbors who were concerned about the noise and property values, and a former owner of the property who said her family would be rolling over in their graves if they knew what was being planned there.
Chad Miller said he owns the neighboring property, 1,500 feet from the location of the proposed kennel.
Aaron and Lena Oberholtzer asked for the ability to construct the kennel on a farm at County Road 950N and Road 500E in Flatrock Township. They planned to breed up to 100 adult dogs at a time at the location. The property is zoned for Agriculture (Preferred) but a dog breeding operation requires the approval of a conditional use for the property.
Rhetta Glick said that the farmland had been in her family for 200 years before being sold. She believes the Oberholtzers are wonderful people but their plans were causing her a heavy heart.
Ultimately, the board voted 4-1 to turn down the request, citing concerns about the proper use of prime farmland and suggesting that the operation was more appropriate in a commercial area.
The crowd waved their red and white signs in anticipation of the decision and erupted in cheers after the proposal was turned down.
A detached garage was completely destroyed in a Monday morning fore. Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department, says that firefighters were called to the 700 block of Cottage Ave. At approximately 4:44 a.m. He says that a neighbor was preparing to leave for work when she saw flames coming from the rear of 728 Cottage Avenue. The neighbor was able to alert the family and they escaped safely.
Firefighters arrived on the scene to find the garage fully engulfed, about 20 feet from the home. A car was just feet away. Wilson says that as firefighters began to stretch fire hoses to the building, they encountered arcing power-lines above the garage. Within minutes, a portion of the power-lines fell to the ground in the area of the garage, causing crews to reposition.
The fire was marked under control at approximately 5:10 a.m. During the fire a large portion of the garage roof collapsed into the building, which contained an a passenger car and lawn moving equipment. A minivan located near the home sustained radiant heat damage. The home itself was not damaged.
Wilson says that as firefighters cleared the scene, Duke Energy was making repairs to the electric utility. Due to the condition of the block wall garage, and the potential for secondary collapse into a public alleyway, the fire department requested the assistance of the Department of Public Works. A front end loader was requested at the scene to push down a block wall leaning into the alleyway.
Wilson says that investigators have not yet been able to determine what caused the fire. Damages have been estimated at $6,000. No one was hurt.
A Columbus man was arrested after allegedly threatening people with a gun. Deputy Cody Low with the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department says that authorities received information on Sunday that 30-year-old Michael Shuffitt was inside a home in the 7000 block of US 50 West threatening the residents with a firearm and also threatening to harm anyone that called the police.
Authorities say that Shuffitt was wanted on an outstanding Bartholomew County Warrant for burglary. Deputies arrived on the scene at approximately 2 a.m. and took Shuffit into custody without incident. Further investigation led deputies to discover heroin, methamphetamine, syringes, scales, paraphernalia, approximately $1,200 in cash and a firearm.
Shuffitt is facing preliminary charges of:
Possession of Syringe (Level 6 Felony);
Possession of a Narcotic Drug (Level 6 Felony);
Possession of Methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony);
Dealing in a Narcotic Drug (Level 4 Felony);
Possession of Paraphernalia (A Misdemeanor);
Possession of a Firearm by a Violent Felon (Level 4 Felony);
Possession of Marijuana (B Misdemeanor);
Maintaining a Common Nuisance (Level 6 Felony)
Shuffitt was held on a $6,255 cash bond and a Bartholomew County Warrant for felony Burglary.
Deputies also arrested 24-year-old Caitlin Rhodes, of Seymour, on preliminary charges of:
Possession of a Syringe (Level 6 Felony);
Possession of a Narcotic Drug (Level 6 Felony);
Possession of Methamphetamine (Level 6 Felony);
Dealing a Narcotic Drug (Level 4 Felony);
Possession of Paraphernalia (A Misdemeanor);
Maintaining a Common Nuisance (Level 6 Felony)
Rhodes was held on a $3,155 cash bond.