The second annual Nature Store Open House will be held at the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center this weekend. Visitor Center Spokesperson Donna Stanley says the Open House will be held on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. She says the Open House will feature big discounts on the non-profit stores merchandise, along with refreshments and a children’s craft.

Stanley says the Muscatatuck Nature Store has wonderful educational items including wildlife guides, children’s books, and all kinds of holiday gifts and stocking stuffers for nature lovers of all ages. She adds that all proceeds from Nature Store sales go to the Muscatatuck Wildlife Society and benefit the programs of Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge. Stanley went on to say that Muscatatuck Wildlife Society members receive a 10% discount of store merchandise.

For more information on this Open House, call (812) 524-1953.

Chickens are not yet allowed to be kept inside of Columbus City limits, but there is a chance that an ordinance change may allow them in the near-future. However, any potential changes won’t be addressed for another three months.

The Columbus City Council heard arguments from both sides of the issue during its meeting Tuesday night. Back in August, the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) reversed a decision made last spring by a Code Enforcement Officer citing a pair residents for having the birds within city limits. In overturning that decision, the BZA also said that city residents could keep up to four chickens as pets. Under the ordinance, as written, farm animals can only be kept if the property they are on is in excess of five-acres. At issue is the designation “farm animals” versus “domestic animals.” Some owners of chickens say that their birds are pets, just like a cat or a dog. The BZA said they were hopeful that the City Council would address the issue to determine whether or not chickens could be considered domestic animals.

The Council ultimately decided to take the matter under advisement. The members said that they would hold further discussions on the matter, with plans to officially address the issue by late February. Once that is concluded and they have more input from the community, the Council, which will feature three new members, as well as a new Mayor, will decide how to move forward.

An alert off-duty Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department Detective helped take an alleged drunk-driver off the street.

Sheriff’s Department Spokesperson Judy Jackson says that just after 10 p.m. on Monday, Detective Sgt. Chad Swank advised dispatchers of a possible intoxicated driver. She says that Sgt. Swank followed the suspect’s vehicle until Sgt. Jim Stevens was able to intercept it. Deputy Adam Warner initiated a traffic stop which lead to the arrest of 34-year-old Cory Julian, of Hope.

Officials with the Sheriff’s Department say that, despite several warnings, Julian engaged in “disruptive behavior” that also led to him being charged with Disorderly Conduct. Jackson says that Julian was booked in the Bartholomew County Jail on $11,000 bond.

Authorities in Bartholomew County are searching for an escaped prisoner. Edinburgh Police Chief David Mann says that 26-year-old Dustin Evans escaped from an Edinburgh Police Officer in the area of Eighth Street and Central Avenue in Columbus on Tuesday morning.

Mann says that the Officer initially took Evans to the jail, but jail staff refused to accept him due to his medical condition. He says the officer then took Evans to Columbus Regional Hospital to be checked out by medical staff. Once he was released from the hospital, the officer was taking Evans back to the jail when the prisoner complained about getting sick. Mann says the officer pulled over, let Evans out to vomit, then put him back in the patrol car. Mann says Evans got out of the car moments later due to the door not being locked.  Evans reportedly ran through a pair of houses and the officer lost sight oh him.

Evans is a white male, five-feet, five-inches tall and weighs about 160 pounds. He has tattoos on his temple, neck and shoulder. Evans was last seen wearing a grey hoodie, red shirt and blue shorts. He was also in handcuffs.

Evans is wanted on drug-related charges. If you see him, police say you should call 911.

Indiana State Police want to warn you that scammers have spoofed a state police phone number and tried to convince people to send in money to pay for past due taxes or face being jailed.

A person notified the Indiana State Police Monday morning that he received a phone call from 812-867-2079 and the person calling identified himself as a police officer. The caller further explained that he owed taxes and that if he didn’t pay he would be arrested. State Police say this is a common scam and Indiana State Police are not calling residents about their unpaid taxes.

Police say that if you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, you should report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484.

The town of Hope is making the first payments for its fire service this year, agreeing last night to pay about $33,362 in bills for the volunteer department.

But town officials balked at paying for supplies related to a countywide fish fry held at Hauser High School. Last month, the town and the fire department resolved an ongoing dispute that had led the town to hold up funding the fire department all of this year. But the town only agreed to pay the department’s bills directly rather than giving the money directly to the fire department.

Last night the council considered the first of those payments, of about $37,600. But council member said they were opposed to a set of bills related to the fish fry fundraiser. Most agreed that the fire department should pay for the $4,200 in supplies out of the fish fry proceeds rather than ask taxpayers to foot the bill.

The council approved the other bills, pending proper invoices.

A Columbus restaurant was swindled out of $400 in a scam where the con-artists pretended to be employees of Duke Energy.

Columbus Police Department Spokesman Sgt. Matt Harris says the officers are investigating a report from the business. According to the report, at about noon on Saturday, a man wearing a Duke Energy jacket entered the restaurant and made contact with an employee before leaving a short time later. Approximately 45 minutes later, the business owner received a phone call from a woman who advised that the business was behind on its electric bill and that the electricity was going to be shut off if an agreement was not reached.

The owner told police that the caller sounded legitimate and had his personal account information. The caller convinced the business owner to use a prepaid card to pay $400, a portion of the amount owed. After later speaking with a member of Duke Energy management, the owner learned she was a victim of a scam.

“Legitimate businesses do not operate in this fashion” said Sgt. Harris. “Scammers use high pressure tactics and fear that can make a rational person fall victim to this type of fraud.” He went on to say, “Never give out personal information during an unsolicited phone call and report suspicious activity to law enforcement.” Both CPD and Duke Energy say that if you have a question about the status of your electric bill, Duke Energy can be contacted at 1-800- 521-2232.

The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (BCSC) wants to get the word out about an upcoming survey. Bob Abrams, President of BCSC Board of Trustees, says the survey essentially revolves around getting information about what the community expects in a new Superintendent. Current Superintendent Dr. John Quick is retiring at the end of this school year after 13 years.

Abrams says this survey will be available online November 30th through December 18th at the BCSC website. Abrams adds that there will be paper forms available for community members who do not have internet access. The locations where they will be available has not yet been decided.

The State Street Revitalization Project appears to be one step closer to becoming a reality. The Columbus Redevelopment Commission (CRC) gave its unofficial approval to the plan to revitalize the area, from Columbus East High School to the bridge that spans Haw Creek, during its meeting Monday night. Mayor Kristen Brown had called for a meeting of the State Street Implementation Team to review the project and proposed improvements in the neighborhood an hour before the CRC meeting.

The base cost for the project is just over $3.3 million. Mayor Brown says that she is in favor of a number of improvement options that the implementation team has suggested. These enhancement options included the widening of both sides of the Haw Creek bridge, decorative traffic barriers, concrete side paths with paver accents, landscaping, streetscaping and enhanced greenspaces. The projected price tag for the project, with all proposed amenities, is just over $5.7 million.

While the Redevelopment Commission’s endorsement of the project is seen as a positive thing for proponents of the project, it is by no means, binding. The size and scope of the project, if it is approved at all, will be up to the Columbus City Council. Councilman Frank Jerome, who also serves on the CRC, as well as Councilman Dascal Bunch, who worked with the State Street Implementation Team, have both expressed their support for the project.