The Bartholomew County Humane Society is looking for your help with their Santa Paws Holiday Drive.

They are looking for donations to take care of the pets they shelter including dry dog food, dry cat food, non-scoopable clay litter and even cleaning supplies like paper towels, laundry detergent, liquid hand soap and heavy duty trash bags. They also need machine washable blankets, baking soda, copy paper, hand sanitizer, pet bowls, tape and bleach.

The Bartholomew County Humane Society houses about 1,300 animals a year and the cost to prepare an animal for adoption ranges from $153 on average for a dog to $114 for a cat.

You can drop off any donations to Athens Animal Clinic or Best Friends Animal Healthcare in Columbus.

For more info, go to Indyvet.com

Cummins’ joint-venture with Faurecia is moving ahead.

Members of the diesel engine manufacturer’s management team appeared before Tuesday night’s meeting of the Columbus City Council to request a tax abatement on manufacturing equipment being installed at Faurecia’s plant near County Roads 950 West and 450 South.

According to documents given to the city by Cummins, the joint-venture, which was announced in May, will allow Faurecia to retain 1,635 employees and hire an additional 131 by the end of 2017. Cummins also noted that their numbers will not be affected by the joint-venture.
City Council members ultimately approved the abatement request on personal property.

The abatement will last for 10 years, diminishing by ten-percent each year.

The State Street Area Association will be putting on a holiday open house for East Columbus residents from 3 to 6 p.m., Saturday at the recently closed Eastside Community Center.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will be on hand, as well as gifts for children. Chili will be served and the association will be giving its award for the East Columbus holiday decorating contest, which was judged last night. The winner will receive $75 and runners up will receive a ham from Mariah.

The lanes of Interstate 65 from Edinburgh to Greenwood will be cleaning up for the holiday season. The Indiana Department of Transportation says that they will be returning traffic to its normal direction on the northbound and southbound lanes starting Friday or Saturday.

Two newly constructed center lanes will open to traffic between Franklin and Greenwood, allowing the department to close crossovers and shift back to two northbound and two southbound lanes.

Crossovers at the Main Street bridge in Greenwood will remain in place this winter as crews work to rebuild the bridge.

Similarly crossover lanes will close and traffic flow will return to normal from Franklin to Edinburgh. There will be some lane closures Thursday and Friday as they mark the pavement, and remove barriers and temporary pavement markings.

The North Vernon City Council is considering a change to the city’s drug-testing policy.

Clerk-Treasurer Shawn Gerkin told the body that it might be a good idea to broaden the group from which quarterly, random drug-tests are given. Currently, the only city employees subject to these tests are those with a Commercial Drivers License, said Gerkin.

He went on to say that, along with being more fair, updating the policy could also benefit the city financially. Gerkin says that could manifest in lower insurance rates, reduced-risk from lawsuits, personal injuries and more.

Council members seemed receptive to Gerkin’s idea. The body must decide the scope of the change and whether or not to include part-time and seasonal employees, as well as elected officials.

An updated proposal is expected to be unveiled at the council’s final meeting of the year on Dec. 28.

A proposed apartment complex on a portion of the former Golden Casting Foundry site on 10th Street in Columbus is a step closer to reality.

The Columbus City Council voted Tuesday night to give its first approval to issue Economic Development Revenue Bonds, not to exceed $25 million, for the construction of a 209-unit facility on the site’s western end.

Carl Malysz, the city’s Community Development Director, says the complex, called “Ashford Park,” will set aside 40 percent of the units for low-income residents. The remaining units will rent for market value. Herman & Kittle Properties, Inc. is working on the project and will benefit from the issuance of the bonds. The bonds will be repaid by the developer and not the city.

Incoming Mayor Jim Lienhoop initially expressed concerns about possibly opening the city up to liability with the bonds. Councilman Frank Miller also expressed his concerns about what the bonds might mean for the city, as it relates to future bond rates. City Attorney Jeff Logston assured the council that the city would not suffer financially by issuing the bonds.

Council members ultimately approved the request. It will come up for final approval, under a new Mayor and a new city council, in January.

Today is the deadline to sign up for health insurance under Obamacare that will go into effect at the start of the year.

Kevin Counihan, CEO of healthcare.gov said the deadline is midnight tonight to sign up for insurance for the full year.

Kevin Counihan on signups

Counihan said that there is a penalty for those who can afford healthcare, but choose not to sign up for any coverage.

Kevin Counihan on penalties

Bartholomew Consolidated School Board members want to remind you that they still want your thoughts on what the district needs in a new superintendent.

Bob Abrams, president of the school board, said that a survey is available on the district’s website and paper copies can be found at the school district offices on Central Avenue and at the Bartholomew County Public Library.

Bob Abrams on survey

The deadline for the survey is Friday, Dec. 18th.

Abrams explain the next steps after the survey results are compiled:

Bob Abrams on next steps

The current superintendent, Dr. John Quick, is retiring at the end of the school year.

Link to the survey

Three people were arrested and more than a quarter of a million dollars worth of methamphetamine confiscated after a raid Monday on a Bartholomew County trailer park home.

Judy Jackson, spokeswoman for the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, said that the county’s joint narcotics enforcement team served a warrant on a home in the Hilltop Mobile Home Park at U.S. 31 and County Road 650S at about 2:30 p.m. Monday.

According to Jackson, the search revealed about four pounds of meth with a street value of about $250,000. Police also allegedly recovered a gun and drug paraphernalia.

36-year-old Juan L. Chavez of Elizabethtown was arrested on a preliminary charge of dealing methamphetamine. 37-year-old Christina A. Amores is facing a charge of possession of paraphernalia and

21-year-old Bryan M Alvidrez of Moreno Valley, California is being accused of false informing.

The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team is a partnership between the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbus Police Department and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office.

Also assisting at the scene were the Columbus Police Department SWAT team, Seymour Police Chief Bill Abbott, Seymour PD Tactical Team, DEA, and the U. S. Postal Service, Jackson said.

A former North Vernon Detective has been demoted to patrol officer.

The North Vernon City Council voted Monday night to approve the action, which was recommended by the city’s Board of Public Safety and Police Chief James Webster. Chief Webster says that 18-year veteran Brandy Blevins is being disciplined for “internal department rules violations.” He did not specify what those violations were. Webster says that Blevins appeared before the Board of Public Safety on Dec. 10. Her demotion is now in effect.

The council officially approved a position change request, which will cut the former Detective’s pay. Chief Webster says that Blevins was earning $24.18 per hour. As a patrol officer, she will earn $23.02 per hour.