Hope is without a town manager, as of the start of the year.

The Town Council voted last night 2-3 against simply renewing the contract for current town manager J.T. Doane. Instead, the dissenting council members said they wanted to open the contract to bids.

However, there is no process in place yet on how they will solicit bids, or a timeline of when or if that might happen, according to council members Nellie Meek, Ed Johnson and Council President Ohmer Miller.

Doane said that he needs to evaluate what to do next, but he also is proud of his achievements in Hope.  After the meeting, he touted bringing Hope Wellness Pharmacy and Studebaker International to the community, as well as quality of life initiatives such as town cleanup projects and the grant dollars he applied for and brought to the community.

The Town Council has been wrangling over the town manager contract with Meek, Johnson and Miller asking for more oversight of the town manager position . They wanted to cement working hours and determine which after-work commitments counted as town business or not. Johnson said that for his part, the contract changes were not aimed at Doane in particular. However, he also made the suggestion to put the contract out to bid instead of awarding it to Doane.

Doane said he did not know beforehand what the council members intended to do with the contract.

Doane said that the decision to put the town manager contract out to bid was something he had never heard of before.

Doane said he had no comment on whether he planned to submit a bid for the town manager contract.

Several members of the audience were angry at the council’s decision. They shouted at the council members and stormed out of the meeting.

Council members Clyde Compton and Jerry Bragg strongly defended Doane and his work for the community and spoke against a decision to put the contract out to bid.

Columbus officials are aiming for new businesses to come to the Aeroplex Commerce Center. To do that, Airport Director Brian Payne says they need to redevelop more than 60 acres of land.

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The Columbus Redevelopment Commission this week approved a resolution to authorize the preparation of a subdivision plat for the area. The body approved spending $18,650 to hire Indianapolis-based Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Inc., which will help prepare a subdivision plat for the property. Once that is done, Payne says it will be easier to market and lease individual parcels.

Anticipate delays if you have to travel northbound I-65. Beginning at 9 p.m. Tuesday, INDOT crews will close the right three lanes of northbound I-65 in Johnson County from just north of the County Line Rd. interchange (mile marker 101) to just north of the Southport Rd. interchange (mile marker 103) to complete repairs to the deck of the bridge over Little Buck Creek. The entrance ramps to northbound I-65 from eastbound and westbound Southport Rd. will also be closed. These closures are also expected to be in effect during the Wednesday morning commute.

INDOT says you should expect long delays. Officials urge you to use alternate routes.

Columbus Police Department officials say an independent review of the department’s policies and procedures by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) determined that CPD was in compliance with all 40 standards it was evaluated on during 2018. These standards included a review of use of force incidents, vehicle pursuits, department recruitment and selection of officers, as well as the collection and preservation of evidence.

The Columbus Police Department joined a small percentage of police agencies across the country when it initially earned CALEA accreditation in November of 2014. CALEA is meant to provide impartial third party oversight to ensure that the department establishes and practices the internationally recognized best standards for law enforcement. CPD was re-accredited last year after a three-year review of department policies and procedures.

A Columbus police officer was recognized for helping save the life of a local woman. Officer Clayton Nolting, a six-year veteran of the department, received a Letter of Commendation from Chief Jon Rohde during Tuesday’s Board of Public Works and Safety Meeting at City Hall.

The commendation stems from an incident on Nov. 20th, when Officer Nolting responded to a medical emergency at a home on Pennsylvania Street. When Nolting arrived, he found an unresponsive 74-year-old resident inside the home. Nolting provided CPR and utilized his department issued automated external defibrillator, giving life-saving care to the woman until additional medical help could arrive. A pulse was later reestablished and the woman was transported to Columbus Regional Health where she received additional treatment.

A CPD officer who was on scene during the incident wrote in a letter to Chief Rohde that “the efforts made by Officer Nolting were undoubtedly crucial in sustaining this woman’s life and he deserves recognition for such actions.”

Work continues on the city of Columbus’ efforts to institute a “quiet zone” through the city. Such a zone will allow trains to pass through the city without sounding their horns at every railroad crossing. Tim Oster, a project manager from CTC Inc., a railroad signaling company working on behalf of the city, says his team is meeting Tuesday with Federal Railroad Administration officials. He talks about needs to happen before a quiet zone can become a reality…

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Oster says his company has a history helping to establish quiet zones.

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While the total costs have yet to be determined, Oster says there will be considerable expenses.

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The city is looking at improvements at four rail crossings: State Road 46/State Road 11, Fifth Street, Eighth Street and 11th Street. Initial estimates to upgrade all four sites is $1 million. Oster says any work at the crossings is at least a year away.

Authorities have identified the woman struck and killed Sunday night in Seymour. “The Seymour Tribune” is reporting that 63-year-old Mary Ann Wagner, of Seymour, was pronounced dead after she was hit by a vehicle in the 600 block of West Tipton Street.

Police initially had difficulty determining Wagner’s identity. She was identified around 3 p.m. Monday after relatives in Jennings County were able to confirm who the woman was.

The paper says that Wagner was walking on the sidewalk north of Tipton Street when she stepped into the right westbound lane and was struck by a car driven by 24-year-old Spencer Nichols, of Seymour. Authorities say Nichols has been fully cooperative in the investigation.

For more on this story, visit tribtown.com.

A Decatur County native is one of three new troopers reporting for duty this week at the Indiana State Police Post in Versailles. The new troopers were among 54 new troopers reporting to their districts after graduating last week from the 78th Indiana State Police Recruit Academy.

New probationary troopers include 29-year-old Blake A. Litmer, a 2008 graduate of North Decatur High School. After high school, Litmer attended Wabash College where he graduated in 2012 with a degree in Rhetoric. After graduation, Litmer joined the Navy where he served from 2013 to 2017 in Mayport, Florida. He worked as a corrections officer with the Ripley County Sheriff’s Department from 2017 until he was hired with the Indiana State Police. Litmer, and his family, live in Ripley County.

The other new troopers assigned to the Versailles Post were 30-year-old Navy veteran Robert N. Jonas and 26-year-old Stephen M. Stoneking, a 2011 graduate of South Dearborn High School. Stoneking resides in Dearborn County Jonas and his family live in Bartholomew County.

Probationary Troopers Jonas, Litmer, and Stoneking will now undergo a three month training with a field training officer. During this time, they will be paired up with veteran troopers who will provide additional training in a real-world environment. Upon successfully completing the field training program, they will receive their own issued police vehicle and begin solo patrols. All three new troopers will be assigned to Zone 1, comprising Bartholomew and Jackson Counties, upon receiving their police vehicles.

A grease fire temporarily closed a Columbus restaurant Monday afternoon. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a report of fire at Qdoba Mexican Grill, in the 1600 block of N. National Rd., at approximately 3:15 p.m. When firefighters arrived, they reported that fire, coming from a chip-fryer had been extinguished by restaurant management.

After firefighters confirmed the fire was fully extinguished, the Bartholomew county department of health was requested due to a fire extinguisher being discharged in a restaurant facility. After assessing the damages, Health Department officials determined the restaurant could reopen after cleaning the damaged food preparation area.

The restaurant opened a few hours later.

No one was hurt.

A Hope man was arrested by Columbus police Friday night after being found to be driving drunk, with synthetic marijuana in the vehicle.

Police say that 25-year-old Dustin R. Chaney was driving near  U.S. 31 and Washington Street at about 8:20 p.m. Friday when he nearly struck another vehicle. After being pulled over near 15th and Washington streets, he allegedly had difficulty following directions  from officers and appeared to be under the influence.

Police arrested him after several field sobriety tests. He was then taken to Columbus Regional Hospital to have his blood drawn before being taken to Bartholomew County Jail. As police prepared his vehicle to be towed, they allegedly found synthetic marijuana inside.

He is facing preliminary charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, along with possession of a synthetic drug and drug paraphernalia.