Developers have received their first approvals to bring up to a half million square foot Kings Hawaiian bakery to northwestern Bartholomew County.

Company officials said that the company is looking at several sites around the country and landed on Bartholomew County as an ideal location. The development would be built on an 88-acre parcel on North County Road 200W near Taylorsville. That will be just north of the the intersection of U.S. 31 and Interstate 65.

Joe Leonardo led the site search for the company and explained the choice to the Bartholomew County Board of Zoning Appeals this week.

Leonardo explained the project to the board, calling its ties to King’s Hawaiian a terribly kept secret.

Called “Project Whiteboard” in its planning documents, the Kings Hawaiian plant would be the company’s third facility in the country. Leonardo said the company already operates plants in California and Georgia and the Bartholomew County facility would be a state-of-the art facility.

Initial plans call for a  380,000 square foot plant with future phases to include a cold storage facility and a possible second plant on the site with an estimated investment of $180 million dollars. If all the phases are built, it would eventually bring more than 140 jobs to the county.

The company asked for several accommodations at this week’s zoning board meeting including allowing portions of the building to be 100 feet tall, 50 feet taller than allowed under the current zoning. They also asked for variances on wellfield protection requirements and requested larger than normal signage. Eastern Bartholomew Water Corp operates a wellfield just to the southeast of the proposed facility and county ordinances require safeguarding clean drinking water by those who want to build within a wellfield protection area.

The zoning board gave its approval to the height variance and the wellwater request with eight conditions suggested by the company including working with Eastern Bartholomew water to ensure safety of the wellfield.

The signage request was continued while the company gets its proposal lined up.

An early July lightning strike at the Bartholomew County Emergency Operations Center caused more than $25,000 in damages.

Scott Mayes, the county IT director, said the lightning strike came with early July’s severe thunderstorms and damaged several systems in the county dispatch center. Workers have been pulling apart the damaged equipment and salvaging what they can, Mayes said. The effort has completely emptied his supply of spare parts.

Mayes said among the systems damaged is the the card reader that opens the doors at the center. Also damaged was the video surveillance system, which destroyed a camera and the recording system, and the building’s entire intercom system. The contract with Koorsen Fire & Security to replace the equipment came to $25,147. They were the only bidder for the replacement project.

Bartholomew County Commissioners approved the expense to replace equipment yesterday. While the money is coming from the 911 center budget, the hope is that insurance will eventually cover the cost.

Columbus Regional Health will be hosting “Discover CRH: Connect Your Skills to Healthcare” in September.

The two-day open house will give you a chance to explore, and even try simulations for a variety of jobs and experiences within the hospital. You will be able to talk with employees and volunteers, learn about the jobs at the hospital, and find out about available educational and training opportunities.

The opportunity fair is from 3 to 6 p.m. on September 6th, and from 8:30 a.m. to noon on September 7th in the Innovation Center on the lower level of the hospital on 17th Street in Columbus.

You are encouraged to reserve a time frame for your visit. To register and for more information, you can  go to https://www.crh.org/events/discover-crh

Government offices will be closed on Monday due to the Labor Day holiday.

In Columbus, there will be no city trash, recycling or yard waste collections on Monday. Instead, routes will run a day late all week, with normal Monday routes running on Tuesday and normal Friday routes being picked up on Saturday. You should have your Toters to the curb by 7 a.m. on your delayed collection day.

Columbus City Utilities offices will also be closed. If you have a problem with your water or sewer service, you can call 812-372-8861 and follow the prompts.

Applications are now being taken for those interested in taking part in Bartholomew County Works next week-long Job Readiness Training Workshop.

Bartholomew County Works is a program committed to helping members improve their lives, gain full-time employment, and achieve economic self-sufficiency. A support team provides resources to those accepted into the program in a wide range of areas including finances, transportation, attire, and more. The services continue for at least the first year on the job.

The workshop will be from Monday September 18th through Friday the 22nd. The workshop runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Yes Cinema in downtown Columbus.

There will be an orientation session on Sept 14th from 10 to 11:30.

If you want to sign up or would like more information, call 812-378-2638 or email at [email protected].

The Bartholomew County Highway Department is warning of several paving projects this week that will tie up traffic.

According to the department, on Wedesday, Milestone Contractors will be paving Mulligan Lane from County Road 525W to the western end and Artesian Court from County Road 250E to the eastern end.

On Thursday the work will move to County Road 1050S between roads 150W and 200W.

You should find another route or expect delays.

Columbus police say a drunk driver was arrested over the weekend after driving the wrong way down Second Street.

According to the police department, an off-duty officer saw a driver headed the wrong way down Second Street at about 5:20 a.m. in the morning Saturday. The officer pulled the vehicle over and noticed that the driver, 26-year-old Alamin A. Yusuf of Columbus had alcohol on his breath. after failing several field sobriety tests, a breath test showed Yusuf had a blood alcohol content of .17 percent, more than twice the legal limit.

He was arrested on charges of driving a vehicle while intoxicated with a blood-alcohol level of more than .15 percent.

A Madison woman is under arrest after a stabbing Saturday in Jennings County.

According to the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were called to a home in Campbell Township Saturday evening about a woman with a knife. Officers soon found 36-year-old Hannah Tice of Madison and took her into custody.

A deputy found a female victim who was bleeding heavily from her arm. The deputy applied a tourniquet until medics arrived on the scene. The victim was flown to a Louisville trauma center for treatment of her injuries.

Tice is facing charges of battery with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily harm and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.

The incident remains under investigation and more charges are possible.

Deputies were also assisted at the scene by Indiana conservation officers.

The Indiana Department of Health says they are concerned about the spread of the West Nile Virus, which has recently been confirmed in our area.

West Nile Virus has been discovered in someone who lives in Johnson County and in mosquitos tested in Bartholomew County.

The Indiana Department of Health says they have also found the West Nile Virus in mosquitoes across the state. The Department also says they can’t release any more information because of privacy laws.

225 mosquito samples taken from 60 counties have tested positive for West Nile Virus.

“The risk of mosquito-borne disease remains through the first hard freeze, so it is important that Hoosiers take precautions against mosquito bites until then. Mosquito season is far from over, and simple prevention steps can help Hoosiers enjoy the outdoors without putting themselves at unnecessary risk,” said State Health Commissioner Lindsay Weaver, M.D., FACEP.

West Nile virus can cause West Nile fever, which can include fever, headache, body aches, swollen lymph glands or a rash. Some people will develop a more severe form of the disease affecting the nervous system, including inflammation in the brain and spinal cord, muscle paralysis, or even death. People older than 60 years are at higher risk of severe West Nile virus disease.

State health leaders recommend you do the following to prevent mosquito-borne illnesses:

• Apply an EPA-registered insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, or 2-undecanone to clothes and exposed skin
• Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are active (especially early morning, late afternoon, and the hours between dusk and dawn
• Cover exposed skin by wearing a hat, long sleeves and long pants in places where mosquitoes are especially active, such as wooded areas
• Install or repair screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out of the home

Story courtesy of Network Indiana

Graphic courtesy of U.S. Centers for Disease Control

The Greensburg Police Department has temporarily moved its records and administrative offices.

According to the department, ongoing construction required that the offices move out of the building temporarily.

Police say that the lobby of the police department remains open. If you need assistance, you can use the phone on the wall and be connected with dispatch.

All records requests will be handled over the phone or via email during the move. You can call 812-663-3151 or email police at greensburg.in.gov.