Columbus police arrested a wanted man who tried to run from officers Saturday afternoon.

According to reports from the Columbus Police Department, police noticed 40-year-old Travis D. Stephens of Needham in the 1500 block of Grand Avenue at about 5 p.m. Saturday afternoon, and recognized he was wanted on an outstanding warrant.

When police approached him, he ran from the area, into a nearby apartment. Police arrested him after he was found shortly afterwards in a fenced area behind the building.

When they searched Stephens, police found three small bags of methamphetamine. He is facing new preliminary charges of possession of methamphetamine, resisting law enforcement and the outstanding Shelby County warrant.

One Columbus firefighter is moving back to a previous division and is being made an administrative captain. Another is being promoted to lieutenant according to the fire department.

Earlier this month, the department announced that Ben Spencer would be promoted to lieutenant and leave his role as training officer for the department. However, they are announcing that Spencer will be returning to lead the Training Division, an administrative captain’s position. Fire Chief Andy Lay said the change was made in part because of the department’s recent hiring of new probationary firefighters.

With that change, the department has room for a new lieutenant position, and firefighter Bryan Bailey is being promoted.

He joined the department in 2010. He is also president of the Columbus Firefighter’s Union Local 2190 and is the department’s pension secretary. He has also helped lead the Columbus Firemen’s Cheer Fund. He will be serving as Battalion C Lieutenant at Fire Station #2.

INDOT says that finishing a drainage structure replacement project is being delayed due to utility conflicts. That means State Road 135 will remain closed north of Trafalgar in Johnson County.

The department says the work will start again once the utility has been relocated.

INDOT has originally announced in early June that State Road 135 would be closed for up to 60 days for the work.

The official detour is State Road 252 to U.S. 31 to State Road 144 and then State Road 44.

INDOT reminds you to slow down, to drive without distractions and to be alert to worker safety in all work zones.

Bartholomew County is getting close to finalizing the sale of an office building on Fox Pointe Drive bought to house the county health department.

Commissioners say that the planned closing for the medical office building on Fox Pointe Drive is set for tomorrow afternoon. The county bought the property in 2016 for about $450 thousand dollars according to County Auditor Pia O’Connor and is selling it for $625,000.

The health department has since moved across the parking lot and the building was no longer needed. County Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz said that of the three units in the building, the health department filled one and the other two were rented out and provided positive cash flow for the county. But the county commissioners have decided they did not want to compete with private landlords.

Kleinhenz said that appraisals were done on the building to find its value before putting it up for sale. Foreman Investments is purchasing the building. They already own office space in the vicinity.

The Greater Columbus Economic Development Corporation was able to have its first in-person annual meeting in three years on Friday afternoon, touting half a billion dollars in investment and business expansions in the community.

Tony Miller, outgoing board chairman for the the group recapped the struggles of the past three years, during the pandemic.

He  said that in late 2019 and early 2020, unemployment stood at around 2.3 percent in the county with just over 44,000 people employed. Then the pandemic and the shutdowns hit, driving the unemployment rate to 17.5 percent and losing more than 10,000 workers.

But the county has largely recovered with 2.6 percent unemployment and just over 43,000 employed.

Jason Hester, president of the corporation, talked about the continuing problems businesses have recruiting employees.

The corporation is working with employers to help find and retain the employees they need. He said businesses often ask, where are the workers, do they have the skills a business needs and how to hire and keep those workers.

According to the presentation, Bartholomew County has seen almost $82 million in expansion in the Edinburgh area, $140.5 million near Walesboro plus another $17.9 million in other parts of Columbus. Those business expansions led to 2,500 jobs retained and 476 new jobs. Hester coupled that with $260 million in public/private community investments for $500 million in total investments.

Legal Aid will be holding an in-person walk-in clinic in Bartholomew County tomorrow.

If you take part you will have up to a 10-minute consultation with a volunteer attorney to answer general questions, to offer legal information or to receive other advice.

Legal Aid is hosting the walk-in legal clinic from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Legal Aid offices in the Doug Otto United Way Center on 13th Street in Columbus.

From 4 to 5 p.m. there will be a clinic on evictions, where you can get free legal advice on issues such as negotiating with a landlord, rental assistance, damages hearings and sealing of eviction records.

Foundation For Youth, Sans Souci and Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center will be holding their Back to School Palooza event Wednesday afternoon at Ninth Street Park.

The event will include giveaways of ice cream and lunchboxes to the first 100 people, as well as STEM kits from the Columbus Robotics Team, bikes from Lincoln-Central and school clothes from Sans Souci.

The celebration will be from 5 to 7 p.m. in the afternoon, weather permitting.

A motorcyclist was seriously injured in a crash last week on Interstate 65 near Seymour.

According to reports from the Indiana State Police, a trooper in southern Bartholomew County noticed a southbound motorcyclist driving erratically on the interstate at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday and alerted troopers who were working to the south.

A trooper tried to stop the vehicle about two miles north of the Seymour exit for the erratic driving and for having a registration violation, but the cyclist sped up and tried to flee. But as he tried to pass a car on the shoulder, hit the vehicle and was thrown from the bike . The motorcycle continued on to hit another vehicle and then caught fire.

The cyclist was identified as 26-year-old Robert Pettry of Franklin County. He suffered traumatic injuries in the crash and Pettry was airlifted to a Louisville-area hospital.

The southbound lanes of the interstate were closed for nearly three hours for crash investigation and cleanup. State Police say the investigation is ongoing and toxicology tests are pending.

Photo courtesy of Indiana State Police

Bartholomew County school board voters will have many choices to make in November’s general election with only two uncontested races in the county school districts.

Filing for the school board seats wrapped up at noon Friday.

In Bartholomew Consolidated Schools, there is a three way race for the District 1 seat on the board, with newcomers Anakarina Hurtado, Jason A. Major and David Vincent running for the seat. Incumbent Jill Shedd did not file for re-election.

In District 2 incumbent Rich Stenner will be running against Dona Lynn Owings and Roy West.

For the District 4 race, Eric Grow is running against Dale Nowlin. Incumbent Julie Bilz is not seeking re-election.

Incumbent Kathy Dayhoff-Dwyer is seeking re-election to the District 6 seat, in a four-way race against challengers Mark Douglas, Cheryl K. Miles-Vieth and Logan K. Schultz.

In Flatrock-Hawcreek schools, incumbent Chad Miller is running against David J. O’Neill for the Flatrock District seat and incumbents John Harker and Pat Walters are both running unopposed for their seats in the Hawcreek District and as an at-large member, respectively.

Two Kentucky residents were arrested after an early-morning traffic stop on Jonathan Moore Pike in Bartholomew County.

According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department reports, a deputy stopped a vehicle in the 3000 block of West Jonathan Moore Pike at about 1:14 a.m. Thursday morning. While a deputy spoke with the occupants, a police dog alerted to the odor of narcotics inside the vehicle.

A search revealed a large amount of drugs, drug related items and about $8,900 in cash. Police took 44-year-old Jason Lee and 42-year-old Marissa R. Shockey, both of Russell Springs, Kentucky into custody.

Police also found out that the two had additional narcotics at a hotel where they were staying.

Lee is being accused of dealing in and possessing marijuana as well as for possessing methamphetamine, a controlled substance and a legend drug. Shockey is facing preliminary charges of dealing in and possessing marijuana and for possessing a controlled substance and legend drug.