Columbus police have released a photo of a suspect in a weekend spree of spray painting that left the logo of a white supremacist group on downtown Columbus buildings.

Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop said that authorities believe there is a single suspect who acted alone. Police describe the man as a white male, wearing eye glasses, a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans, and a black backpack.

Lienhoop released a statement saying that the symbols in no way represent our community.

“In Columbus we welcome people of all colors, nationalities and ethnicities, who bring with them a rich culture and diversity that benefits us all. These contributions have not only enriched our community, but have allowed our community to flourish economically, enabling us to continue to bring in a dynamic workforce to support local, regional, national, and international companies. Columbus celebrates this diversity…”

If you have any information on the suspect’s identity, you can  call the Columbus Police Department at 812-376-2600.  Tips and information can be submitted anonymously.

Previously:

A downtown Columbus vandalism spree over the weekend left white supremacist graffiti on several landmark buildings.

The Republic newspaper reports that spray-painted stencils with a logo for a Texas white supremacist group were found on buildings Saturday including First Presbyterian Church and the Cummins corporate office building.

According to the newspaper, graffiti was also found in Friendship Alley between Fourth and Fifth streets downtown and on the Jackson Street parking garage.

First Presbyterian Minister Felipe N Martinez said on social media that the spray painted symbols damaged banners and windows, including two which displayed the LGBTQ pride flag and the transgender flag. He said “We are an Easter people, and we will not be intimidated by violent and sinful displays of hate, white supremacy or anti-LGBTQ prejudice.”

The incidents are under investigation by Columbus police.

You can read more about the incidents at The Republic.

The statewide mask mandate expires tomorrow, but local health officials are asking you to continue to wear masks and to take other precautions to fight the spread of COVID-19.

Kelsey DeClue, spokeswoman for Columbus Regional Health, said the health system and the Bartholomew County COVID-19 Task Force continue to encourage the use of masks.

For its part, Columbus Regional Health will continue to require masks in its facilities, for patients, staff and medical professionals.

DeClue said it is also important to continue social distancing and frequently washing your hands.

As of Sunday’s update from the Indiana State Department of Health, Bartholomew County had 8 new cases of COVID-19, and had a 7-day test positivity rate of 5 percent. In neighboring counties, Johnson had 25 new cases, Shelby four, Decatur and Jennings each had 1, Jackson 11 and no new cases were reported in Brown County.

There were no new deaths from the disease reported statewide on Sunday and 952 new positive cases.

The National Weather Service has issued a freeze watch for counties in our area through Saturday morning. In our area the watch includes Jackson and Jennings counties.

The agency says that temperatures of as low as 30 are possible tonight. You should take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.

To prevent freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes they should be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. If you have an in-ground sprinkler system you should drain that and cover above-
ground pipes to protect them from freezing.

Very southern Indiana is under a freeze warning tonight with temperatures as low as 28 tonight.

According to the National Weather Service in Indianapolis, the normal last freeze date is April 12 in Columbus, with the latest last freeze coming on May 27th in 1965. The earliest last freeze in Columbus was on March 25th, in 2005.

Cummins is taking a stand against voter suppression laws being proposed in statehouses across the country.

Cummins CEO Tom Linebarger issued a statement today saying that Cummins is active in, and supports “efforts to advance voter accessibility and to make this fundamental right more broadly available.”

He said that company officials believe efforts to restrict voting access are discriminatory, largely aimed at Black and brown citizens, and have no place in the inclusive communities the company is committed to building.”

Linebarger also looked back at the company’s history, saying that Cummins advocates for inclusion and equity, as the company did in 1963 when then CEO J. Irwin Miller supported Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington.

Linebarger called on elected officials – at the federal, state and local levels – to advance efforts to provide greater voting access.

The Indiana State Museum will be hosting a display of paintings of Columbus residents completed in the 70s and 80s by artist Carole Wantz.

Wantz worked in a primitive style inspired by Grandma Moses and completed about 150 paintings of Columbus residents and their lives. Her art is a who’s who of prominent Columbus residents of the time.

She said her work really took off when she was commissioned to do a painting of Cummins executive J. Irwin Miller as a gift for a Chamber of Commerce function.

The museum will have 30 of her paintings on display. The show kicks off on Saturday and runs through July 25th at the museum’s Thomas A. King Bridge Gallery.

You can get more information at indianamuseum.org.

Legal Aid is holding a free phone clinic from 3 to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Legal aid offers the clinics for low-income residents of its eight=county district which includes Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson, Rush, and Shelby Counties.

If you take part you will have a brief consultation with a volunteer attorney to answer general questions, to offer legal information or to receive other advice over the phone.

To take part, you must first register between noon and 2 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon by calling 812-378-0358.

Bartholomew County Road 250E will be closing between State Street and County Road 400S Monday through Thursday next week for paving work.

Bartholomew County Highway Department says that the asphalt overlay will close the road between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day.

You should see crews fixing Columbus city streets starting today. The city engineer’s office is announcing that the annual crack sealing and filling program is scheduled to start today, weather permitting.

According to the city, filling the cracks helps keep water from penetrating the pavement. That means fewer potholes and longer-lasting streets.

Work is set to begin on Rocky Ford Road and then move to other areas. Those include, in order:

• Sawin Drive – Taylor Road to 625’ East of Boca Grande Blvd.
• Lockerbie Drive – 25th Street to Regency Drive
• Tulip Drive – Fairlawn Drive to Beech Drive
• Beech Drive – 29th Street to 31st Street
• 26th Street – Taylor Road to Fairlawn Drive
• Greenbriar Drive – Rocky Ford Road to 3723 Greenbriar Drive
• Monterey Drive – High Vista Way to 3953 Greenbriar Drive
• High View Way – Rocky Ford Road to Sawin Drive
• Premier Drive – High Vista Drive to Monterey Drive
• High Vista Drive – High View Way to Greenbriar Drive
• Sycamore Bend – Marr Road to Sycamore Bend Way N

Upon completion of these streets, another media release will be sent out listing the remaining locations.

The day before the crews begin work in your area, the streets will be posted with no parking signs. You must have your vehicle moved by 8 in the morning of the work, or it will be towed.

Contractors from National Pavement Maintenance LLC will be doing the work in Columbus and the schedule calls for the project to be finished by June 1st.

Schneck Medical Center and Schneck Physician Practices will continue to require all patients, visitors, and staff to wear masks even after the statewide mandate ends on Tuesday.

Dr. Ryan Stone, chief medical officer at Schneck, said that masks are proven to be effective in lowering the risk of transmission. He said that it is the hospital’s duty to create the safest environment possible for those seeking care in Schneck’s facilities and for the hospital’s caregivers.

He said the hospital will continue to follow CDC guidelines. The hospital is encouraging to follow the steps of wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing and frequent hand washing as a way to stop the spread of the disease.

The 62nd Annual Community Easter Egg Hunt is returning to Donner Park in Columbus on Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. in the morning.

The event will feature four areas for egg-hunting, organized by age with spaces for children up to the age of 8. Children should have their own bags or baskets to carry their eggs.

There will also be vehicles and equipment on display from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Columbus Fire Department and Columbus Police.

The event is sponsored and organized by Columbus Parks and Recreation and News Talk 1010 WCSI and 98.1 FM.