Two people were arrested early Thursday morning after a Bartholomew County deputy stopped a vehicle near Taylorsville.

According to reports from the sheriff’s department, the deputy stopped the vehicle near the intersection of West County Road 650N and Main Street at about 1:35 a.m. in the morning Thursday. The department’s police dog Jari alerted to the smell of narcotics inside the vehicle. A search uncovered suspected methamphetamine, marijuana and drug-related paraphernalia.

The driver, 30-year-old Ashley Allman of Elizabethtown was arrested on preliminary charges for possessing the drugs and paraphernalia.

A passenger, 35-year-old Craig Hill of Columbus, was arrested on preliminary charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and false informing as well as an outstanding warrant.

Bartholomew Consolidated Schools are announcing a $12 million renovation to Parkside Elementary School including a new STEM lab. The renovations are expected to take two years with work starting in October.

According to the school district, the work will include new large-group instruction areas, spaces dedicated to supporting students’ mental wellness, more room for counselors, gender-neutral restrooms and classroom improvements. The classroom work will include new flooring, cabinetry and windows allowing more natural light.

Care is also being taken to maintain the mid-century modern architecture of the school. It was designed in 1962 by Norman Fletcher with the Architect’s Collaborative. Fletcher previously worked for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and then Saarinen, Swanson, & Associates, according to Landmark Columbus.

Maxwell Construction will serve as the lead contractor, working with the CSO architecture firm.

You can get more information at bcscschools.org/parkside.

You can read more about the architecture of Parkside Elementary School here.

Photo courtesy of Landmark Columbus/Exhibit Columbus

INDOT says you will see a lane of westbound State Road 46 closed in Columbus for several days next week.

According to the agency, crews will be installing a camera pole with work starting Monday and lasting through Wednesday, weather permitting. The right lane of westbound State Road 46 will close at about 6 a.m. each morning at Interstate 65 and reopen in the evening.

You should seek an alternate route if you can.

The work is part of the $65 million project adding travel lanes on Interstate 65.

INDOT asks you to slow down, to drive without distractions and to be alert for worker safety in all construction zones.

An Indianapolis man was killed in a crash on Interstate 65 near Seymour Wednesday morning.

According to reports from the Indiana State Police, 19-year-old Jacob T. Peelman was pronounced deceased at the scene of the crash by the Jackson County Coroner’s Office.

Troopers say that Peelman was driving southbound on the interstate at about 7 a.m., his car went onto the exit ramp at State Road 11, then onto the right shoulder of the ramp into the rear of a semi being driven by 63-year-old Anthony C. Ward, of St. Louis, Missouri.

Ward was not injured.

Neither alcohol nor drugs are suspected to be factors in the crash. Toxicology tests are pending.

The exit ramp was closed for about three hours while the crash was investigated and cleaned up. Troopers say the investigation is ongoing.

Troopers were  assisted at the scene by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Jackson County EMS, Seymour Fire Department, Hamilton Township Fire Department, Jackson County Coroner’s Office, and 31 Wrecker Service.

Photo courtesy of Indiana State Police

A Bartholomew County police dog helped arrest a wanted man Tuesday night.

According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were dispatched to a home in the 12000 block of South County Road 330E at about 11:07 p.m. Tuesday. Deputies saw a man looking through a window and recognized him as 39-year-old Michael Coleman of Columbus who was wanted on an outstanding Bartholomew County warrant.

Coleman refused to follow deputies orders to exit the home, so officers deployed the department police dog Frizko to find Coleman. He was soon captured and taken to the Bartholomew County Jail on preliminary charges of resisting law enforcement as well as the outstanding warrant.

Frizko photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

Applications are now available online for next year’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships in Bartholomew County, through Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County.

Two students from Bartholomew County will be chosen for the scholarships, which pay full tuition and required fees for four years of full-time undergraduate study that lead to a baccalaureate degree at any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university.

To apply, you must live in Bartholomew County; be on course to graduate by the end of June 2023; with at least a 3.5 GPA and demonstrate significant school involvement, community service, good character, leadership skills and financial need.

Applications and all required materials must be submitted by 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25th.

Eligibility requirements, instructions and the application are available at heritagefundbc.org.

Columbus Regional Health will be hosting an event next month where you can explore and even simulate jobs and experiences in the health care field.

The Discover CRH: Connect Your Skills to Healthcare open house will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug 9th in the hospital’s Innovation Center, on the lower level of the hospital at 17th Street.

Discover CRH will showcase medical and clinical specialties but also professional, technical and creative fields available at CRH. That will include a variety of full-time, part-time and volunteer positions.

You are encouraged to sign up for a time frame for your visit. You can do that online at CRH.org/discovercrh

Sunday’s shooting at the Greenwood Park Mall was over in just seconds.

Police yesterday said 22-year-old Elisjsha “Eli” Dicken of Seymour  shot and killed the suspect ending the attack in just 15 seconds. Investigators say he fired 10 times, hitting the suspect eight times from about 40 yards away.

Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison released a correction yesterday, saying that he read his notes incorrectly during the Monday press conference. At the press conference he said the incident occurred over two minutes. However, he now says the gunman exited the restroom at 5:56:48 p.m. and was neutralized by Dicken at 5:57:03 p.m.

The Marion County and Johnson County coroner’s offices released yesterday’s autopsy results, saying the three victims and the gunman all died from multiple gunshot wounds.

According to the Johnson County Coroners Office, the suspect, 20-year-old  Jonathon Douglas Sapirman of Greenwood, died at Greenwood Park Mall after suffering 8 gunshot wounds, none of which were self-inflicted.

The Johnson County coroner also reported that 56-year-old Pedro Pineda of Indianapolis, died at the mall from multiple gunshot wounds.

The Marion County Coroner’s Office reports that 30-year-old Victor Gomez died at Saint Francis Hospital and Health Center from multiple gunshot wounds and that 37-year-old Rosa Mirian Rivera de Pineda of Indianapolis died at Eskanazi Hospital in Indianapolis from multiple gunshot wounds.

Toxicology results are still pending in all of the autopsies.

Greenwood Park Mall reopened yesterday, two days after the shooting

Greenwood Park Mall photo courtesy of our news-gathering partners at WRTV.

Our news-gathering partners at TTWN Media Networks and Network Indiana contributed to this report.

Forecasters say it will be another extremely hot day today. The National Weather Service in Indianapolis has issued a heat advisory for our area, with heat index values of up to 109 nearby.

The weather service predicts heat index values today of 103 in Greensburg, 105 in Seymour, 106 in Columbus, 107 in Shelbyville and 109 in Bedford. Even higher index values are possible further south, pushing 113 in some places.

The weather service warns that hot temperatures and high humidity can quickly cause heat illnesses to happen. If you have to work or spend time outside today you should take extra precautions. OSHA recommends taking frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned places if you are working outside in this heat.

The heat advisory is in effect from 1 to 8 p.m. today.

The weather service also says there is a slight chance of isolated thunderstorms this afternoon and evening, with a few strong to severe storms possible.

Columbus City Council has approved a tax break for an internet provider to bring high speed fiber optics internet to the entire city. That comes after a request for equal treatment by Comcast.

Hoosier Networks, through Meridiam, plans to build a fiber optic network across the city with an investment of about $28 million dollars. The network will be for residential and business customers and will include an emphasis on providing high-speed internet to low-income residents, subsidized by the federal government.

The company asked for and City Council approved a tax break which would see the company pay only 5 percent of the normal property taxes on the investment for 20 years.

A Comcast representative said that the company already serves much of Columbus and said the company plans to increase its network speed in coming years. He also stressed that Comcast offers steep discounts or even free Internet to those with low income. He said that if the tax abatement was approved, the company would like to see similar arrangements extended to other providers.

Councilman Frank Miller pointed out that he only has one option for high-speed internet at his home and some residents have none. A Hoosier Networks representative said that after 7 years of exclusivity, the fiber network would be opened up to more providers.

A company spokesman said that Hoosier Networks does not have any similar networks operating in North America.

Council voted 5-0 to approve the abatement request, with  members Dave Bush and Grace Kestler absent.

The Council also gave its approval to a request from Hoosier Networks to turn the entire city into an economic revitalization area. That allowed the company to seek the tax abatement for its citywide project. Miller pointed out that companies have previously had to ask for individual properties around the city to receive the designation to ask for tax abatements. The decision on the city-wide revitalization area would mean one fewer step for other companies going forward.