There is still time to vote early before Tuesday’s primary election.
In Bartholomew County early voting continues today from 8 a.m. to noon at NexusPark, in the former JC Penney’s store in the Fair Oaks Mall Buildings.
Vote centers will be open in Bartholomew County from 6 to 6 on Tuesday. You can vote at any of the 13 voting sites around the county in Tuesday’s primary.
Voters will be choosing candidates for everything from members of Congress down to town council members and state delegates.
Most local government offices will be closing Tuesday for primary election day.
In Columbus that will mean postponing the city Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, normally held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday mornings and the Columbus City Council meeting held at 6 on Tuesday evenings.
Both meetings will instead by held on Wednesday at their regular times. The Board of Public Works will meet in the City Council Chambers at Columbus City Hall, while the City Council will meet in the Cal Brand Meeting Hall on the main floor of City Hall.
Columbus City Utilities will be among the offices closed. If you have a problem with your water or sewer service, you can call the business office at 812-372-8861 and follow the prompts.
The Bartholomew County and Columbus Recycling Center on Mapleton Street will be closed for Election Day along with the Bartholomew County Solid Waste Management District offices. However the Bartholomew County Landfill will be open normal hours.
Bartholomew County governmental offices will be closed except for the county clerk’s voter registration offices and a voting center in the Governmental Office Building on Third Street.
If you have a question about your voter registration, you can call the clerk’s office at 812-379-1604.
Multiple people in our area have been indicted by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking and money laundering charges in a organized crime investigation.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana announced on Friday that 15 defendants were taken into federal custody on Thursday, including two from Columbus and two from Seymour. The indictment was unsealed Friday following the initial appearances of the defendants.
Five more people are facing state charges for dealing methamphetamine in Jackson County and one in Bartholomew County.
According to authorities, the investigation has led to the seizure of about 82 pounds of methamphetamine, 1750 fentanyl pills, 35 grams of fentanyl, 1 kilogram of cocaine, 4 pounds of marijuana, and a large quantity of suspected THC gummies. Authorities have also seized about $9,000 in cash as suspected drug proceeds and nine firearms.
Those facing federal charges include 31-year-old Abel Ayala-Garcia, of Columbus, who is being charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and laundering of monetary instruments. 35-year-old Claudio Garcia-Morales of Columbus, 41-year-old Victor Vazquez-Hernandez and 24-year-old Allison Perdue, both of Seymour, are all being charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
In Jackson County, Emilio Landa-Laganes, Mariah Crowe, Daniel Parrish, Samantha Farris and Zachariah Farris are facing local charges of dealing methamphetamine. Antonio Cuautle-Cuenca is being charged with the same crime in Bartholomew County.
The Department of Justice says this is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation. The task force identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States.