A Seymour man is being accused of ingesting methamphetamine during a traffic stop with Bartholomew County deputies.

According to reports from the sheriff’s department, deputies received information about a possibly impaired driver on State Road 7 at about 3:22 a.m. Sunday morning. Police found the vehicle and tried to stop it near Marr Road and State street. But while the driver slowed, he eventually came to a stop in a parking lot.

A deputy spoke to the driver, identified as 44-year-old Christopher J. Taskey and noticed what appeared to be methamphetamine that Taskey was carrying. But Taskey then ingested the suspected drugs.

He was taken into custody and then to Columbus Regional Health to be checked out before being arrested on preliminary charges of obstruction of justice and resisting law enforcement.

A Shelbyville man is being accused of giving authorities false information that caused police to waste time searching for an injured driver who didn’t exist.

According to reports from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were called to the area of County Roads 700N and 425E near Hope about a vehicle crash at about 5 on Sunday morning.

Deputies found a vehicle with serious front-end damage, that had crashed into and broken a Bartholomew County REMC power pole just west of the intersection.

No one was in the vehicle, however deputies received information that 24-year-old Joshua W. Marsh of Shelbyville was at a nearby residence. Marsh told deputies that he had been a passenger in the vehicle and had no idea where the driver was.

Authorities made an extensive search of the area, including bring in the Columbus Fire Department to use the agency’s drone to look for the driver who was believed to be injured.

However, Marsh eventually admitted that he had been the driver. He was arrested on preliminary charges of false informing and operating a vehicle while under the influence.

Road and bridge work on Interstate 65 will be tying up traffic north and south of Bartholomew County for the next few weeks.

You could run into some bridge work if you are traveling through southeastern Indiana on Interstate 65 over the next few weeks.

INDOT says that crews will be doing bridge repairs and maintenance on bridges in Clark, Scott and Jackson counties.

The work is scheduled to start today and will include bridges up to State Road 250 at Uniontown, in southern Jackson County.

The work is expected to be completed by mid-October, weather permitting.

There will be overnight lane closures on I-65 in Shelby and Johnson counties starting tonight.

INDOT says that lanes will be closed from 6 at night until 6 in the morning, starting today and lasting until mid-November, weather permitting. The work will be done on Mondays through Thursdays as crews patch and rehabilitate pavement between State Road 252 north of Edinburgh and State Road 44 at Franklin.

Work will begin in the southbound lanes of I-65, then move to the northbound.

INDOT reminds you to slow down, to use extra caution, and to drive without distractions in and near construction zones. The schedule is dependent on the weather.

INDOT reminds you to slow down, to use extra caution, and to drive without distractions in and near construction zones.

A death investigation is underway in Shelby County.

A body was found Sunday afternoon in woods in the 29-hundred-block of Old Franklin Road in Shelbyville. Police have not yet said if foul play is suspected.

Story courtesy of TTWN Media Networks Inc. 

The Bartholomew County Health Department will be offering a drive-thru flu clinic from 10 to 4 Tuesday at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds.

According to the agency, everyone six months old or older should get a flu vaccine.

The health department will be charging $20 for Quadrivalent, and $55 for high dose for ages 65 and older or for FluBlok for those who are immunocompromised. Most insurances can be billed for flu vaccines. If you are uninsured or your insurance does not pay for flu vaccines, you are eligible to receive a free vaccine.

Children under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian present.

You can get more information at 812-379-1555, option 1.

Xenia Simons Miller is among this year’s inductees into the Columbus North Bulldog Hall of Fame.

Miller, a major Columbus philanthropist and wife of Cummins executive J. Irwin Miller, was a class of 1934 graduate. She will be inducted along with:

• Opera singer Jane Dutton, class of 1984.
• World War II test pilot Jeanne Lewellen Norbeck, Class of 1929.
• Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Jerry Records, class of 1956.
• Choral conductor and professor at Butler University, Eric Stark, class of 1984.
• Kay Nichols Stepp, class of 1963, the first woman to serve as president and CEO of an electric utility in the U.S.

The induction ceremony, which would normally be held on homecoming weekend, has been suspended again this year due to COVID-19 concerns.

Columbus North High School. Photo courtesy of BCSC.

A  crack down on drunk and impaired driving around Labor Day led to 10 arrests by Bartholomew County deputies.

The sheriff’s department is reporting that the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign ran between August 18 and Labor Day. Deputies issued 145 citations during the three-week blitz.

Among the charges of those arrested, were driving while a habitual traffic violator, interfering with an emergency incident, resisting arrest, possession of methamphetamine, paraphernalia, a syringe and marijuana, false informing, three outstanding warrants on drug-related offenses and carrying a handgun without a license.

More than 200 law enforcement agencies participated in the statewide crackdown. The effort was supported with funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration distributed by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.

Investigators now believe a man found dead last week by a Jennings County highway may have been struck and killed earlier in the week.

According to Indiana State Police reports, investigators believe 27-year-old Joseph T. Gill was possibly struck while walking along State Road 3 between 3 and 6 in the morning Tuesday. His body was discovered by an INDOT crew Thursday morning near the Jennings and Decatur County line.

Investigators are asking if you traveled through the area and saw something, or believe you may have struck something in the roadway, to contact the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department.

They are also asking anyone with home video surveillance in that area who may have captured State Road 3 traffic to contact the sheriff’s office.

You can reach the sheriff’s department at (812)346-4911.

An autopsy is scheduled for today.

Photo courtesy of Indiana State Police

Organizations throughout South Central Indiana are partnering in $378 million dollars in projects to stimulate housing, regional amenities, workforce training and innovation in the region.

To that goal, the group announced yesterday that it would be applying for a $49.5 million dollar grant from the State of Indiana.

The South Central Indiana Talent Region includes the communities of Columbus, Seymour, North Vernon and Edinburgh, and their counties of Bartholomew, Jackson, Jennings and portions of Shelby and Johnson counties. That includes about 156,000 residents.

The organizations put together a 187-page grant proposal offering details on 25 projects and initiatives to be implemented in the region. Those include:

1. Mobility Test Park & Proving Ground — Columbus, $31.8 million.
2.  Propeller Innovation Center & Venture Studio — Columbus, $6.7 million.
3. Seymour High School Career & Technical Program Extension — Seymour, $10 million.
4. AirPark Columbus College Campus Access & Success Project — Columbus, $19.8 million.
5. Jackson County Learning Center Expansion — Seymour, $2 million
6. Panther Technology Education Center — North Vernon, $10 million.
7. Arvin Manufacturing Blight Elimination Project — North Vernon, $1.6 million.
8. Country Squire Lakes Housing Redevelopment — North Vernon, $17 million.
9. Downtown Columbus Housing & Urban Grocer — Columbus, $40 million.
10. Edinburgh Housing and Road Extension Project — Edinburgh, $8.5 million.
11. Housing Developer Incentives Program — Regionwide, $7 million.
12. Jennings County Broadband Expansion — Jennings County, $6.8 million.
13. Land Bank of South Central Indiana — Regionwide, $10 million.
14. North Vernon Knobstone Subdivision — North Vernon, $28.6 million.
15. Uniontown Sewer Expansion — Uniontown, $8 million.
16. “Welcome Home” Talent Attraction Program — Regionwide, $1 million.
17. Workforce/Affordable Multi-Generational Housing — Seymour, $13 million.
18. Chateau de Pique — Jackson County, $3 million.
19. Columbus Riverfront Project — Columbus, $10 million.
20. Downtown Hotel & Conference Center — Columbus, $44 million.
21. Downtown Revitalization Fund — Regionwide, $5 million.
22. NexusPark — Columbus, $78 million.
23. Quarry Adventure Park — North Vernon, $5 million.
24.  Schneck Cancer Center Linear Accelerator Project — Seymour, $7 million.
25. Shared Arts-Based Placemaking Programming — Regionwide, $600,000.

The group is applying for funding through the state’s READI grant program, or Regional Economic Acceleration Development Initiative which was first announced in May. The program requires all READI funds be matched on a dollar for dollar basis by local governments or other public sources. The program established 18 regions, with the possibility of up to $50 million in grants for each and the hopes of attracting $2 billion in private and public investment.

You can read more about the plan here.

The Meridian Kiwanis Club recently presented seven members with Legion of Honor awards for their long service to the organization.

Chuck Vanatta has been a charter member of the club for 60 years. Cited for 30 years or more of service were: Tom Currens, John Asel, Mike Kell, Ken Kaiser, Larry Schuyler and Jeff Blasdell.