Columbus Republican voters will be choosing candidates in three City Council races in the May 7th primary election – District 1, District 3 and the at-large races.

We asked the candidates what they would like to accomplish for their district, or the city as a whole, if they are elected.

In District 1, incumbent Dascal Bunch is running against Chris Rutan.

In District 3, incumbent Dave Bush is running against Russell Poling.

In the At-Large race, incumbent Laurie Booher is facing a challenge from John D. Counceller and Josh Burnett.

About the candidates:

Dascal Bunch, 64, is currently in his second term representing District 1 on the Columbus City Council. He also works part-time. Bunch has two adult children, six grandchildren and a seventh on the way. He attended Ball State University. Bunch is involved with St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, specifically the church’s “Angels of Love” program.

Chris Rutan, 41, is a local property manager. He has previously run for city council, district 1, Columbus Township Trustee and the Columbus Township Advisory Board. Rutan is heavily involved with the Salvation Army.

David Bush, 34, currently serves District 3 on the Columbus City Council. He was selected by local Republican Party leaders to complete the term of former Councilman Frank Jerome, who moved out of the district. Bush is also a small business owner. He and his wife Katy are raising three children. Bush is a graduate of Columbus East and Purdue. He is involved with Turning Point and is a member of the operations board for St. Peter’s Lutheran Church.

Russell Poling, 56, is a quality manager at Cummins and a 20-year veteran of the Air Force. He and his wife Judy have two adult children and one grandchild. Poling has a degree in computer science from the the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He is a mentor with the Bartholomew County Veterans Treatment Court and serves on the Bartholomew County Plan Commission and as vice president of the Columbus City Plan Commission. Poling previously ran for this council seat in 2015.

Laurie Booher is currently serving on the Columbus City Council At-Large. She is a small business owner that employs youths and adults with special needs. Booher has three adult children and a master’s degree in physical therapy from the University of Indianapolis. Booher served as a member of the Columbus Service League, as well as on the boards of Turning Point and Riley Hospital Foundation.

John D. Counceller, 72, is a local business owner. He and his wife have a blended family of seven adult children. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Trine University. Counceller ran unsuccessfully last year to represent Indiana House District 59.

Josh Burnett, 31, is a small business owner. He and his wife Katie are raising there young children. Burnett is a graduate of Columbus East and Cincinnati Christian University. His is a member of Columbus Young Professionals, the local Rotary Club and the board of the Bartholomew Consolidated School Foundation. This is his first run at elected office.

There are no contested primaries on the Democratic side.

One person has died after being struck by a semi on I-65 near Columbus. According to the Indiana State Police, it looks like a woman was walking on the interstate when she was struck in the construction zone just north of the Bartholomew-Jackson county line at 3:45 a.m. Monday. She has been identified as  Jarlene Hargrove, 31, of Cincinnati.

Coroner Clayton Nolting says that the car the woman was in was apparently headed southbound before it became stuck in a muddy area in the median.

Southbound I-65 was closed for over three hours as crews cleared the scene.

Former Indiana Senator Richard Lugar has died. In a statement, his family said Lugar passed away early Sunday morning from complications of a neurological disorder. He was 87.

Lugar, an Indianapolis native, served in the U.S. Navy before entering a life of public service. He served as the mayor of Indianapolis from 1968 to 1975 before moving on to the Senate from 1977 to 2013. He ran for President in 1996. Lugar served as president of the Lugar Center since leaving the Senate.

Lugar is survived by his wife and four sons.

Governor Eric Holcomb is directing flags across the state to be flown at half-staff to honor Lugar. Flags should be flown at half-staff through sunset on the day of his funeral, which has not yet been announced.

The National Rural Health Association has announced that Schneck Medical Center in Seymour has been named one of the Top 20 Rural Community Hospitals in the country.

Earlier in the year, Schneck was named a Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital. This recognition is considered “the best of the best” of that Top 100.

Indiana had three of the twenty hospitals honored this year. In addition to Schneck, Logansport Memorial Hospital in Logansport and Major Health Partners in Shelbyville were also included.

The ranking is based on an evaluation by The Chartis Center for Rural Health using iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength Index. The determining factors for the top 20 rural community hospitals were based on eight indices: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspectives, costs, charge, and financial stability.

“Schneck is proud of the efforts of its physicians and staff who have contributed to our organization achieving this designation,” said Warren Forgey, President & CEO of Schneck. “Our recognition as a top health care provider means our community can count on us to deliver the services they need now and in the future.”

Camp Atterbury will be the site of the National Rifle Association’s new National Marksmanship Competition Center. Gov. Eric Holcomb made that announced Friday.

“Camp Atterbury will serve as an exceptional venue for marksmanship championships that promote education and responsibility,” Gov. Holcomb said. “This new center will provide great economic benefits for central Indiana with the safety, training and competition opportunities for thousands of citizens, law enforcement and military personnel.”

Since opening in 1942, Camp Atterbury has hosted units from all branches of the military. Civilian law enforcement agencies also use the ranges.

The NRA’s competitive shooting division, which has been holding marksmanship competitions since 1876, will bring national and regional competitions as well as firearms training and safety courses to Camp Atterbury.

Smallbore Rifle Championships and Precision Pistol Championships will begin in 2020 and the High Power Rifle Championships, which have been held at Camp Atterbury since 2017, will continue. The NRA expects to add collegiate marksmanship events and other related competitive shooting events at the center over the course of the ten-year agreement.

Additionally, the NRA will work in conjunction with Camp Atterbury Museum to develop the NRA Military Heritage Museum.

“Since our inception the NRA’s roots have been in our competitive shooting programs,” NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre said. “We look forward to having our National Matches at Camp Atterbury, Indiana and to offer competitive shooters a centralized location to compete while protecting our Second Amendment freedoms.”

Gov. Holcomb’s office says that as a part of the agreement, the NRA will lease space at Camp Atterbury, and the state will upgrade several shooting ranges. The improvements are also expected to draw other military, law enforcement, and civilian training and competitions as well.

Bartholomew County Emergency Management says that South Gladstone Avenue is closed between Marr Road and County Road 300 South due to high water. Authorities urge you to never try to drive through flooded roadways.

If you are looking for more traffic information, download the WAZE app for your smartphone and join the WCSI Traffic team. You can find updated traffic information on our website, on-air and on the app.

One of the sharpest differences between incumbent Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop and his opponent in the May 7th primary election, Glenn Petri, has been on the issue of the opioid epidemic.

With the formation of the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County two years ago, the mayor has led the city to be a partner in the local anti-drug efforts. He said it was one of his priorities when he took office.

On the other hand, Petri says this is a health issue and local government shouldn’t have a role. He says that taxes have already gone up.

About the candidates

Jim Lienhoop, 65, is currently serving as mayor and formerly worked in accounting. His wife is Pam and they have two adult children and a son in law. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business with an accounting concentration from Indiana University in Bloomington. The mayor previously served on the City Council both winning office as an at-large council member and filling in for former councilman Craig Hawes, when Hawes was serving overseas. The mayor is a member of St. Peters Lutheran Church. In his official role as mayor he says he is involved in many community organizations but also is proud to have been a co-founder of the Olympian Quarterback Club. He also served on the board of the United Way and of the Heritage Fund.

Glenn Petri, 69, is retired although he says he still keeps a couple of customers as more of a hobby than a job. His wife has passed away. He has a son and daughter, and two grand children. He has a degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in natural sciences with a specialization in urban planning. He has run for city and Bartholomew County Council before but not been elected.

The city of Columbus is involved in several partnerships with other local governments to
tackle large projects such as the opiod epidemic, drug trafficking and even encouraging
entrepreneurship.

We asked Republican mayoral candidates Jim Lienhoop and Glenn Petri what their thoughts are on encouraging local partnerships and if there are others they would like to pursue.

Mayor Lienhoop has touted his administration’s efforts to find and to build new partnerships.

Petri said he is in favor of partnerships that make sense for the community.

The primary election is May 7th and the contested mayoral race is on the Republican
ballot. There have been no Democrats file to run for the mayor’s office in the November general election.

About the candidates

Jim Lienhoop, 65, is currently serving as mayor and formerly worked in accounting. His wife is Pam and they have two adult children and a son in law. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business with an accounting concentration from Indiana University in Bloomington. The mayor previously served on the City Council both winning office as an at-large council member and filling in for former councilman Craig Hawes, when Hawes was serving overseas. The mayor is a member of St. Peters Lutheran Church. In his official role as mayor he says he is involved in many community organizations but also is proud to have been a co-founder of the Olympian Quarterback Club. He also served on the board of the United Way and of the Heritage Fund.

Glenn Petri, 69, is retired although he says he still keeps a couple of customers as more of a hobby than a job. His wife has passed away. He has a son and daughter, and two grand children. He has a degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in natural sciences with a specialization in urban planning. He has run for city and Bartholomew County Council before but not been elected.

The State Street Area Association is gathering essential hygiene products to help those in need in the community, calling it the Love Campaign.

Organizers say they are in need of soap, shampoo, deodorant, tissues and similar items. If you want to contribute, you can find collection boxes at Lucabe Coffee, Dancing Goat Cafe in the Columbus Learning Center, Ivy Tech Community College Columbus, Guitar City and Rock Gym.

There will be a giveaway event for those products on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at the Robie and America Anderson Community Center on McClure Road.

Columbus police say a local man was taken into custody after a search for a missing woman yesterday afternoon.

Authorities issued a Silver Alert for the woman who was believed to be missing and in danger. She was believed to be in the company of her boyfriend, 41-year-old Steven “Bobby” Burton. A tip from the public led police to a Bartholomew County mobile home park on Legal Tender Road where she was found uninjured.

Burton, who was wanted on a local warrant as well as an Indiana parole warrant, was believed to be in the house but would not surrender to law enforcement. Columbus police dog Bane was sent into the home and Burton was found under a mattress in a bedroom. He was arrested on the outstanding warrants, police report.