Columbus City Council gave its first approval last night to the long-term plan of how roads and streets will develop in the community in the years ahead.

The city is updating its thoroughfare plan, which anticipates road and street additions in the future and how those streets will be classified. The classification determines the qualities of the street, such as whether a suburban street needs curbs and gutters, or if it can be considered a rural road, requiring only a drainage ditch.

City planning department director Jeff Bergman said the biggest change in the plan would be the route of a proposed north-south road that would parallel State Road 11 from Jonathan Moore Pike to County Road 450S but further to the west. Bergman said the benefits of a new road would be that it could be built to remain flooding free, while State Road 11 floods easily near Garden City, and the new road could be built wide enough to allow for bike and pedestrian improvements that would be nearly impossible along the existing State Road 11.

Bergman said that parcels along the proposed route can be protected from development, once the thoroughfare plan is approved.

An attempted theft of a vehicle at the Interstate 65 rest stop in Bartholomew County led to the arrest of the vehicle’s passenger for an outstanding warrant.

According to the Bartholomew County sheriff’s department, deputies were called to the northbound rest stop at about 9:52 p.m. Monday night after a car was stolen. The driver and a passenger had left the vehicle with the keys inside but as they came out of the rest stop, they saw a man taking off in the vehicle.

The driver then crashed the stolen vehicle into a curb and ran away, taking personal items that had been in the car, according to deputies.

As deputies talked to the owner and passenger, 21-year-old Cade Bean of Avilla, Indiana, they found that Bean was wanted on an outstanding warrant from another county. And they also found that Bean had a no-contact order protecting the driver of the vehicle from him.

He was arrested on a preliminary charge of invasion of privacy, as well as for the outstanding warrant.

Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

Cummins is reporting a major financial rebound compared to 2020’s pandemic-affected slump.

The company this morning reported first quarter revenues of $6.1 billion, a 22 percent increase from the first quarter of 2020. International revenues are up 45 percent, with the company attributing that to strong demand across all of its markets, but also new product sales in China and India.

Earnings grew, with $980 million before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, compared to $846 million in the first quarter last year.

Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger said the strength of the rebound has surpassed the company’s original expectations showing strong sales and solid profitability. Based on that, Cummins is raising its full year 2021 revenue guidance to 20 to 24 percent.

Linebarger said Cummins continues to take necessary precautions at all of its facilities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. He said the company’s focus remains on the health and safety of its employees.

The Columbus Farmer’s Market, organized by the city parks and recreation department, will kick off again this weekend.

Jacob Hendricks with the city parks department says the goal is to adapt the lessons learned during last year’s COVID-19 limited markets and apply them to this year’s events.

Restrictions will include social distancing in the spacing of booths and mask requirements if you are in close contact with someone not from your household.

The market will be held Saturdays from 9 to 12:30 behind Columbus City Hall.

Parking will be available on First Street, as well as behind the former Republic building, now home to IU’s J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program on Second Street.

Columbus Regional Health is getting rid of some property it no longer expects to use for future development along 19th Street.

The Bartholomew County Commissioners approved the sale of a home in the 2600 block of 19th Street yesterday morning, with hospital officials saying that they expect to have more to be sold soon.

David Lenart, director of facilities and materials for the hospital, said that the property to the northeast of the main hospital campus was acquired when the hospital planned to expand in that direction. However, with current plans concentrating on the west side of the city and at the former Fair Oaks Mall site, those properties are no longer needed for the hospital’s goals.

County Commissioner President Larry Kleinhenz said that the hospital would eventually have up to 13 properties to sell. He also stressed that it is a good time for the county-owned hospital to sell properties, with the tight home real estate market and high prices being commanded for homes now.

Each of the properties will come before the commissioners for approval as they are sold.

Columbus City Council will be considering changes to the long-term plan of how roads and streets will develop in the community in the years ahead, when the council meets tonight.

The city is considering an update to its thoroughfare plan, which sets rules for every city street, but also anticipates improvements in the future. For example, different types of streets have different limits on how far structures must be set back from property lines, how far apart driveways must be placed and how the streets must be designed.

Among the major changes would be designating new development heading toward Interstate 65 as suburban/urban rather than rural, updating the maps to reflect the railroad overpass heading into downtown, and refining a possible future north-south road that would roughly parallel State Road 11 from Jonathan Moore Pike to County Road 200S.

The city plan commission already signed off on the changes last month and is recommending the council make the updates. The plan was last updated in 2010.

City Council meets at 6 tonight at Columbus City Hall. You can watch the meeting streaming on the city’s website at columbus.in.gov/video.

Columbus police recovered a stolen vehicle and arrested a woman Friday.

According to police reports, a man said that his SUV had been stolen from the 1000 block of Fifth Street at about 7:15 a.m. Friday morning. He said he likely left the vehicle unlocked and had an extra key fob inside.

Police tracked the vehicle using a GPS device and found it was near Elizabethtown. With Bartholomew County deputies, the vehicle was found parked at a home in the 7600 block of County Road 800N. After an investigation police arrested 24-year-old Alexus R. Jenkins of Columbus. During a search officers also discovered marijuana concealed in her clothes.

She was arrested on preliminary charges of auto theft and possession of marijuana.

A Columbus motorcyclist was seriously injured in a Friday afternoon crash.

Bartholomew County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the crash at 5:09 p.m. Friday at Henry Lakes Boulevard and Daniel Drive. According to deputies, 31-year-old Alex Garcia of Columbus was driving the motorcycle when he struck a vehicle driven by 38-year-old Melissa Pass of Edinburgh as she attempted to turn onto Daniel Drive.

Garcia was thrown from the motorcycle and was flown to an Indianapolis hospital by IU Lifeline helicopter. Pass was not injured.

Sheriff Matt Myers says that May is National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. He said that everyone needs to do their part.

Myers said “We can safely share the road together by following the rules of the road and looking out for one another.”

Seymour police say that they have not found any credible information about a real threat to Seymour High School, but they continue to investigate a threatening post made over social media.

At about 10:53 p.m. Saturday night, Seymour Police were alerted to a threat against the school, posted on Instagram. The post was quickly taken down or deleted.

Seymour police say that they have been in constant contact with Seymour Community Schools officials. Extra security measures are in place and police are planning a stronger presence at the high school.

Seymour police are still investigating to find the source of the threat. If you have any information on the threatening post, you can contact Seymour Police Department at 812-522-1234.