Bartholomew County voting today has picked up as the threat of severe weather has tapered off.

Shari Lentz, the Bartholomew County Clerk, said that all of the county voting centers opened on time at 6 a.m. and there have been no major glitches today.

She said that as of early this afternoon, there had been more than 6,100 votes cast so far this primary election. That includes 2,877 votes cast at the county’s 13 vote centers today. Early voting that wrapped up at noon yesterday had 2,459 voters and there were 782 people who voted by mail. The travelling voting board numbers are still being tallied, Lentz said.

So far, the busiest vote centers were at Nexus Park, Donner Park and Westside Community Church.

If you still need to vote but want to avoid lines, Lentz suggested voting at the Governmental Office Building on Third Street, at the River of Living Water Christian Church on Brooks Street or at the German Township Fire Station on Main Street in Taylorsville.

Polling places are open until 6 tonight. You can listen to results as they come in live on the air here or on our website.

A box truck overloaded with unrefrigerated food and illegal alcohol was intercepted on Interstate 65 last week by state troopers.

According to Indiana State Police reports, witnesses saw the rental truck driving on the interstate in Jackson County at about 2:30 p.m. Friday afternoon, despite having a flat tire and a noticeable lean to one side. The driver was reportedly having a hard time keeping the truck under control and it was throwing debris into the path of motorists.

The truck then bypassed the northbound scales on the interstate and was stopped by troopers. An inspection by motor carriers found the truck was about 7 and a half tons over its weight limit. The Jackson County Health Department confiscated and destroyed the improperly stored food, which included 400 bags of fruits and vegetables and 200 pounds of fish.

Indiana State Excise Police confiscated about 400 cases of beer that were untaxed. The food and alcohol were being transported from Miami to Indianapolis.

The driver of the vehicle, a Florida resident, was cited for the food violations, for not having a log book and other motor carrier violations. He was then released along with the truck containing the food that was allowed.

Photos courtesy of Indiana State Police.

A Seymour man is being accused of arson after he was found with severe burns outside of his home.

According to Seymour Police Department reports, officers attempted to serve a Jackson County warrant for stalking on 44-year-old John Helton at his home on East 15th Street on April 14th. But when police arrived, they found Helton with severe burns to his lower body, rolling on the ground in the middle of the street. And his home was on fire. Police say that Helton tried to flee from officers but he was soon caught. He was treated by paramedics at the scene and then flown by medical helicopter to St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis for treatment of the burns.

Seymour Fire Department extinguished the home fire and investigators said the fire was suspicious. Evidence was gathered from the fire scene and sent to the Indiana State Police lab for examination.

Seymour detectives arrested Helton on Monday in Indianapolis. In addition to the original stalking warrant, he was arrested on new charges of arson and resisting law enforcement.

INDOT says that contractors will be resurfacing the decks of three bridges on State Road 7 in Jennings County over the next few weeks.

Work on the State Road 7 bridge over Nettle Creek is scheduled to start on Wednesday, May 11th. In Mid-May, work will start on the bridge over Sixmile Creek and by late May the work will start on the bridge over Sand Creek. Work on each bridge is expected to take about a week.

During the work, the bridges will be reduced to one lane with temporary traffic signals.

The $300,000 bridge rehabilitation contract was awarded to RAM Construction Services. The contract has a completion date of July 31st.

INDOT reminds you to slow down, to drive without distractions, and to be alert to worker safety when traveling through active construction zones.

Primary voters today will be choosing candidates for everything from members of Congress down to town council members and state delegates.

Bartholomew County Republican voters will have several races on their ballot to choose from.

The Bartholomew County prosecutors office has a Republican primary with Lindsey Holden-Kay and Joshua K. Scherschel running for the seat long-time Prosecutor Bill Nash is vacating. And there is a Republican primary for Bartholomew County Assessor with incumbent Republican Ginny Whipple running against Laura DeDomenic.

Three of the four seats on Bartholomew County Council have contested Republican primaries. In District 1, incumbent Scott Bonnell will face Dave London and Greg Patterson. In District 2, appointed incumbent Greg Duke is running for the first time against Leah Beyer. And in District 3, incumbent and former sheriff Mark Gorbett will face Derick Olson.

In Hope, voters will have a three-way Republican primary for the two at-large seats on the Town Council, with incumbent Clyde Compton facing Stephanie Long and Shanon Pittman.

There will be a four-way Republican primary for the two at-large seats on the Edinburgh Town Council with Ryan Blaker, Maryann Gallagher-Little, Marshall Ryan Piercefield and Debra K. Buck running.

And in Elizabethtown there is a five way Republican primary for three at-large seats on the Town Council. Candidates there include Levi Brown, Mike Philipps, Rick Mullins, Marsha A. McBee and Henry C. Hoover.

Vote centers will be open in Bartholomew County until 6 p.m. today. You can vote at any of the 13 voting sites around the county in Tuesday’s primary.

Bartholomew County Clerk Shari Lentz explains what you need to bring to the polls to vote today:

Lentz said that if you need an ID today, BMV offices will be open until 6 p.m. tonight for that purpose.

While most Bartholomew County governmental offices will be closed today, the county clerk’s voter registration offices will be open. If you have a question about your voter registration, you can call the clerk’s office at 812-379-1604.

Eight tenants were displaced after a fire Sunday at a rental home on Lafayette Avenue in Columbus.

According to Columbus Fire Department reports, firefighters were called to a home in the 1200 block of Lafayette Avenue at about 11:25 p.m. Sunday night. Firefighters reached the home within four minutes and found fire showing through the home’s roof. Everyone had already evacuated the home.

Firefighters knocked down the flames from outside with a hose, then checked the inside of the home where they found no signs of fire on the first or second floor. After finding the access door to the attic they were able to fully extinguish the flames using water from the hose line.

Damages to the home are estimated at $60,000. While the fire was contained to the attic, water damage was visible on all floors of the home.

Investigators believe the fire was electrical in nature. Witnesses said that an electrical panel breaker had tripped prior to the discovery of fire, causing a loss of power to the second floor. Without an indication of any further danger, the breaker was reset and the power restored.

No injuries were reported during the incident. The tenants are receiving assistance from the Salvation Army.

Also assisting at the scene were Columbus Police Department, Columbus Regional Health Ambulance Service, Columbus City Utilities and Duke Energy.

Photos courtesy of Columbus Fire Department

The city of Columbus will begin its spring street sweeping schedule starting on Monday, May 9th and running through June 3rd.

You can find a schedule of streets to be cleaned on the city website at columbus.in.gov and looking under the Public Works Department. You can also find a link here.

If you have any questions about the street sweeping you can call 812-376-2509.

Streets will be posted with No Parking signs and vehicles must be removed on the date of the sweeping or the vehicle will be towed.

You can contact the Columbus Police Department at 812-376-2600 for towing information.

It could be another stormy night in southern Indiana.

Forecasters say folks from the southern tip of the state to the Cincinnati suburbs have a slight risk of severe weather tonight and into tomorrow morning. The National Weather Service says the biggest threat is heavy rain and strong winds, though there is a chance for hail and even a tornado.

Forecasters say another storm system could clip southeastern Indiana Thursday and into Friday.

Story courtesy of TTWN Media Networks Inc.

A Congressman leading the Jan. 6th investigation says he would love to see former Vice President Mike Pence voluntarily testify before the House select committee investigating the attack.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, said on CBS’ Face the Nation that the Columbus native Pence “did do the right thing” the day of the January 6th Capitol riots. That comment refers to Pence’s unwillingness to bow to pressure from former President Trump to reject electoral votes from battleground states he lost.

The committee plans to hold eight public hearings regarding the riots starting in June.

Story courtesy of TTWN Media Networks Inc.

A Geneva Township home is being called a total loss after a fire last week, but rescue workers hope that they saved the life of a puppy trapped in the home.

According to Jennings County Sheriff’s Department reports, firefighters from Spencer Township, Geneva Township and North Vernon along with sheriff’s deputies were called to the home fire in the 7000 block of West County Road 600N at about 11:35 Thursday morning. They found a single family home fully engulfed in flames.

Firefighters were able to quickly bring the fire under control and retrieved a puppy who was locked in a cage inside the home. Sheriff Kenny Freeman said the puppy, named Willow, suffered from smoke inhalation. He freed the dog’s airway and gave it oxygen and the puppy is expected to fully recover.

No one was at home at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Photos: Jennings County Sheriff Kenny Freeman and medics work to help a puppy suffering from smoke inhalation after being trapped in a home fire. Photos courtesy of Jennings County Sheriff’s Department.