Most of downtown Columbus would be open for outdoor dining and drinking at restaurants and other locales under a proposal being considered by the City Council.

The Council gave its first consideration last night to an ordinance establishing a downtown outdoor refreshment area, or DORA, that would stretch from 11th to 1st Streets and the river east to include Franklin Street, the public library and the area around the new Taylor apartments off of Second Street.

Under the proposal, businesses and vendors would have to apply to take part in the social area and would have to follow state and local laws. The social area would be open year round and from 10 a.m. in the morning to midnight.

Many local restaurants have already submitted completed applications to take part and several restaurant owners spoke in favor of the ordinance.

The new ordinance also outlines locations where food and beverage vendors can operate in the downtown area.

The City Council approved an amendment to change the boundaries slightly before voting to give their first approval to the amended ordinance last night and it will be up for a vote again at their Sept. 3rd meeting.

Map provided by city of Columbus.

A reminder that, Our Hospice of South Central Indiana is offering several fundraising events this week leading up to its annual Labor Day weekend concert.

You will be able to buy raffle tickets, baked goods and concert T-shirts Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 5 both days in the parking lot of the Lincoln Park ball diamonds off of 25th Street.

There will also be a fundraising fish fry on Friday from 10:30 to 8:00 at the Elks Lodge 521 on Ray Boll Boulevard.

The concert is Saturday, August 31st and will be held inside the Circle K Fieldhouse at Nexus Park. Tickets are available for $10. You can get more information or buy tickets at www.ourhospice.org/concert.

The Bartholomew County Council is considering ways to encourage department heads and office holders to provide annual merit reviews to county employees.

A plan is being discussed to withholding part of the annual employee raise for those offices which do not provide reviews. County Council members have long pushed for a merit system for raises in the county. Ultimately, the hope is to better reward the county’s good employees and to keep them onboard.

County Councilwoman Leah Beyer offered a plan at yesterday’s budget hearing meeting, to fund a 4 percent raise for all county employees, but to hold back 1 percent of that raise only to departments that complete employee reviews. She called the 1 percent a kicker to incentivize the creation of a review system.

Beyer suggested that next year the department heads could set goals and expectations and then tie raises to those reviews going forward.

Councilman Greg Patterson suggested that the plan further reward good employees by allowing for a higher raise for those who exceed expectations in the annual reviews.

Budget hearings for the county continue this week in the afternoons through Thursday in the council chambers at the Governmental Office Building on Third Street in Columbus.

A local legislator’s bill aimed at helping abused or neglected children younger than three had a ceremonial signing by Gov. Eric Holcomb recently.

Although the bill went into effect July 1st, the governor held the signing ceremony last week for Columbus Rep. Ryan Lauer’s bill launching problem solving courts aimed at helping the youngest children. The court is meant to oversee cases involving children in need of services cases and help expedite their resolution.

According to Court Appointed Special Advocates, about one-third of children in foster care nationally are younger than 5, and babies are least likely among all age groups to exit foster care within a six-month period.

Lauer said that under the new law establishing Safe Baby Courts, “Indiana’s courts have a new tool to expedite the process while focusing more on these families to help get them back on track.”

Lauer said Safe Baby Courts can help advance proceedings and connect families to community services and support to reduce the long-term effects of children being in foster care, and prevent the recurrence of abuse or neglect.

Indiana already offers problem solving courts for drug addiction, mental health and veterans.

Photo courtesy of Rep. Ryan Lauer. Gov. Eric Holcomb ceremonially signs State Rep. Ryan Lauer’s (R-Columbus) law to provide a new problem-solving court focused on children in need of services cases on Thursday at the Statehouse. Seated, from left Lauer, Holcomb and State Sen. Eric Koch (R-Bedford), a sponsor of the new law.

Some customers of Nashville Utilities are under a boil water advisory after a water main break in Brown County Water.

According to the town, the boil water advisory affects some customers on:

• 32-205 Gatesville Rd.
• 50-160 McDonald Dr.
• 5345 Spearsville Rd.
• 11 SR 45 W.
• 4154-4837 Covered Bridge Rd.
• 4501-5069 SR 135 N.

The advisory is in effect until 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon

Under a boil water advisory, you should bring water to a full boil for three to five minutes before drinking it or using it in food preparation.

If you have any questions you can call Nashville Utilities at 812-988-5526.

A 12-sided Shelby County barn is among the state’s most endangered historic structures, according to Indiana Landmarks Association.

The preservation group released its Top 10 list of endangered places yesterday. The group releases the annual list in the hopes of educating communities, advocating for the buildings and stimulating efforts to renovate and revitalize historic structures

The Rudicel-Montgomery Polygonal Barn in Waldron was chosen for this year’s list. In 1910, George Rudicel worked with local carpenters Roy and Earl Henderson to build his polygonal barn, using the lower level to house livestock and the upper level to store hay and straw. The barn is mostly vacant, in need of cost-prohibitive repairs.

Between 1850 and 1936, 67 polygonal barns were built in Indiana, including 18 12-sided barns. Fewer than 10 of the 12-sided barns still stood as of a 1990s survey.

Indiana Landmarks and the Indiana Barn Foundation are funding a study to assess the barn’s condition and rehabilitation needs.

You can get more information here: www.indianalandmarks.org

Photo courtesy of Indiana Landmarks Foundation

Columbus police are asking for your help after an early morning burglary yesterday at a gas station.

According to the department, officers were called to the Circle K gas station on County Road 450S just off of Interstate 65 at Walesboro at about 3:53 a.m. Monday morning. A man displayed a handgun and then stole about $170 in cash, police say. No one was injured.

The suspect is a white man in his late teens or early twenties. He was wearing jeans, a black sweatshirt with bleach stains on it, and a black ski mask.

Video is available of the suspect on our website and on Columbus police social media.

If you have any information you are asked to contact Detective M. McCrary at 812-376-2623.

A reminder that the Bartholomew County Historical Society will be holding the annual Reeves Festival at the Historic Breeding Farm from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The event will feature live music, rides on Reeves steam engines, hands-on history displays, candle making, farm animals, blacksmithing, garden tours and more.

Tickets are $10 per car. You can get more information at bartholomewhistory.org.

The Jennings County prosecutor’s office has found county deputies and North Vernon police were justified in defending themselves after they shot and killed a 23-year-old woman in April.

In a report issued Saturday, Prosecutor Brian Belding announced that a review of the incident had been completed. Jennings County deputies and North Vernon police were called to a disturbance on Thomas Street on April 9th and encountered 23-year-old Danielle Rachel Blake who had been acting erratically including threatening people with a golf club. Officers intended to take Blake to the hospital for a mental health evaluation.

While police tried to talk to Blake, the report says she picked up a large knife and entered a bathroom. Police tried to disarm her and fired several Tasers at her to get her under control. But when she raised the knife, advanced menacingly and told a deputy “I will kill you” North Vernon Police Sgt. Adam Driver and Deputy Ben Seastrom opened fire with their duty weapons.

The officers provided first aid and medics at the scene provided advanced medical treatment, but Blake was pronounced dead by the Jennings County Coroner’s office. Indiana State Police were called in to investigate.

Belding concluded that the officers were justified in using deadly force and there is no criminal liability on the part of police.

Photo courtesy of usda.gov

Seymour police found more than 200 pills in a car last week after a driver was seen driving erratically.

According to the Seymour Police Department, officers stopped the vehicle in the 1200 block of Tipton Street after concluding that the driver could be impaired.

The driver, 39-year-old Andrea Hurley of Seymour appeared to be under the influence and was taken into custody. A search recovered the pills and Hurley was taken to the hospital to have her blood drawn.

She was arrested on preliminary charges including dealing in and possessing the drugs, violating the Legend Drug Act, operating a vehicle while intoxicated and maintaining a common nuisance.