A Brownstown woman died in a crash on the west side of Seymour this morning.

Seymour police say that 63-year-old Vicky J. Pittman died in the accident at about 9:31 a.m. in the 5000 block of West Tipton Street.

She was driving west on Tipton Street in her SUV when the vehicle left the road, rolled over and she was ejected from the vehicle.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Investigators say an Indianapolis woman was killed while standing outside of her disabled vehicle on Interstate 65 near Seymour late Sunday night.

According to Indiana State Police reports, 35-year-old Erika J. Jimenez of Indianapolis was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident by the Jackson County Coroner’s office.

Investigators believe that her vehicle became disabled and stopped in the right driving lane of the southbound interstate around 11 p.m. Sunday. She had left her vehicle and was standing near it, when the vehicle was struck by a box truck driven by 61-year-old  Lenny Gorelik of Kennesaw, Georgia. She was struck during the collision.

Gorelik was uninjured

The crash remains under investigation. Traffic on southbound Interstate 65 was affected for about five hours during the crash investigation and cleanup.

A Columbus man is facing drunk driving charges after running from the scene of a Saturday night crash.

According to Columbus Police Department reports, officers were called to the scene of a crash at 10th and Iowa streets at about 11:20 p.m. Saturday night. Witnesses said that one of the drivers ran from the scene and police soon found 25-year-old Shane D. Wilson. Police say that he was suffering from minor injuries from the crash and his breath smelled of alcohol.

He was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for treatment and after he refused to cooperate with the investigation, a warrant was issued and his blood was drawn.

He was arrested on preliminary charges including operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated with endangerment, intimidation and leaving the scene of an accident.

Columbus police arrested a wanted man with seven outstanding warrants on Saturday.

According to Columbus Police Department reports, an officer on patrol recognized 54-year-old Rickie L. Ozbun driving a vehicle on Indiana Avenue near Hughes Street at about 4:15 p.m.. Saturday afternoon. After confirming that Ozbun was wanted on multiple warrants for failing to appear in court, he was taken into custody.

Police say that the warrants were for failing to show up to court on charges ranging from operating a vehicle while intoxicated, to stalking, invasion of privacy and domestic battery.

A Taylorsville woman died this morning in a fire on Charles Street.

According to the Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office, 77-year-old Joyce Rodgers died in the fire which was reported at about 3:40 a.m.

Coroner Clayton Nolting said that Rodgers lived alone in the ranch-style home. Family members were on scene, he said.

The case remains under investigation.

The coroner’s office is being assisted by the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, the county fire inspector and the Indiana Fire Marshal’s Office.

Law enforcement officers around the state will be looking out for drivers who ignore school bus stop arms, speed in school zones and otherwise drive recklessly around school children.

More than 200 agencies around the state are taking part in the Stop Arm Violation Enforcement blitz over the next few weeks, including deputies from the Bartholomew, Shelby and Decatur county sheriff’s departments.

Officers will be conducting high-visibility patrols in the morning and afternoon along routes identified in cooperation with local bus drivers and school transportation officials.

The overtime patrols are being paid for through National Highway Traffic Safety Administration grants administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.

Whenever you see a school bus, you should be prepared to slow down and watch for children. If the stop arm extends and the lights flash red, you are required to stop. That is in all circumstances, unless it is a highway divided by a physical barrier. In that case, only vehicles traveling in the same direction as the school bus are required to stop.

Last year, more than 2,700 drivers were cited for stop-arm violations by Indiana law enforcement, according to the institute. Violating the law could cost you a fine of up to $10,000, have your license suspended for up to 90 days for the first offense or up to 1 year for the second.

The Indiana Immunization Coalition will be holding a community immunization clinic in Bartholomew County this weekend.

The clinic will be from 9 to 11 in the morning on Saturday, April 2nd at Taylorsville Elementary School in the cafeteria

You should bring your insurance card as the coalition will accept and bill all insurance carriers.

Everyone who takes part will be vaccinated with all of the CDC recommended vaccines. The clinic will consult the state immunization registry to see what vaccines you are missing.

You can register online at patients.vaxcare.com/registration and use the enrollment code IN 65942.

Drivers on U.S. 31 south of Seymour will see some traffic tieups when work starts on two bridge projects in a week.

INDOT say that Force Construction will begin work on the project on Monday, April 4th to rehabilitate two bridges in Jackson County, about four miles south of Seymour.

One bridge is over Vernon Fork Muscatatuck River and the other is over a drainage ditch. The Muscatatuck River bridge will be the first one worked on.

You will see traffic restricted to one lane with a temporary traffic signal and a 45 mph speed limit.

The $2.4 million dollar project is expected to be completed by the end of October.

You will see roadwork starting on Friday on State Road 135 in Jackson County. INDOT says crews from Dave O’Mara contractors will be resurfacing a seven-mile section of the road from State Road 58 at Freetown to U.S. 50.

The project is expected to be finished by late July.

The Food Services department in Bartholomew Consolidated Schools has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its summer meals program.

The district was a winner of the Turnip the Beet award for the summer of 2021. It was one of three districts recognized in Indiana and 84 nationwide to be honored for summer meals programs that go beyond the minimum requirements and serve high-quality meals to students.

The meals need to be appetizing, appealing and nutritious, according to the school district.

INDOT contractors will begin working on State Road 46 in eastern Bartholomew County on Monday April 4th.

The crews from Dave O’Mara Contractor will be patching, milling and repaving a section of the highway between State Road 7 and State Road 9. You can expect to see single lane closures for the resurfacing work.

A pipe replacement between U.S. 31 and County Road 450E is coming in May and will require closing the highway for about 7 days. Access will be maintained for local residents.

The work is expected to take until the end of October on the $3.7 million dollar project.