Bartholomew County Commissioners chose to hold off on approving a rezoning at State Road 46 and U.S. 31 east of Columbus yesterday. But the approval could still move forward even if the commissioners choose not to act.

Bruce Nolting asked the commissioners to approve the rezoing of just over 41 acres of property from Agriculture to Commercial. That change, if approved, could allow a future developer to turn the property into a wide range of uses from a retail center or liquor store to a warehouse or museum.

Several neighbors showed up at the commissioners meeting to protest, citing concerns about what that future use could be and said they were surprised that Nolting didn’t talk to them personally before seeking the government’s approval. However Nolting said he had no buyer in mind, so there were no future plans in place to discuss.

The commissioners chose to table the request, urging Nolting to talk with his neighbors first. However, because the request has already been recommended for approval by the county plan commission, planner Jeff Bergman said that it would automatically be approved in 90 days even if the commissioners don’t bring it back for a vote.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis has issued a winter weather advisory for our area for tonight, warning of up to 3 inches of snow overnight.

Snow will increase this evening and spread south, with 2 to 3 inches of snow late tonight and into Tuesday morning. Gusty winds will produce blowing and drifting snow.

Wind chills are expected to drop to near zero Tuesday as temperatures drop into the teens and winds will gust 25 to 30 mph.

A winter weather advisory means that snow and blowing snow will primarily cause traffic problems. You should use caution while driving and be prepared for poor visibility.

The advisory is in effect from 10 p.m. until noon Tuesday.

Cummins announced Monday that three of its plants in the United Kingdom and one in France are the first four sites to achieve “Zero Disposal” status. Jon Mills, Cummins’ director of external communication, explains that Zero Disposal means that “100 percent of a facility’s waste is handled in a truly useful manner according to the company’s waste hierarchy.”

Mills says that means waste doesn’t go to a landfill and can only be incinerated at a waste-to-energy facility after reasonable efforts to reduce, re-use and recycle. Then, the waste must produce more energy than needed to merely sustain combustion.

The first four plants certified by the company as Zero Disposal are Cummins Turbo Technologies (CTT) in Huddersfield, UK; the Darlington Engine Plant in Darlington, UK; the Daventry Engine Plant in Daventry, UK and the Cummins Filtration Plant in Quimper, France, said Mills.

“Congratulations to the leaders and employees at the sites and all the partners that made these outstanding achievements possible,” said Cummins’ Brian Mormino, Executive Director – Worldwide Environmental Strategy & Compliance.

“Achieving Zero Disposal status is truly a team effort that takes a commitment by many people inside and outside of the sites to develop and implement a comprehensive waste strategy,” Mormino added. “The benefits to the environment and the business of these efforts are significant.”

Mills says that as part of its environmental sustainability plan, Cummins has established a goal of increasing its overall recycling rate from about 90 percent in 2014 to 95 percent by 2020. In addition, he adds that the company wants to reach Zero Disposal status at 30 sites by that same year.

“We have several more sites that are very close to achieving Zero Disposal status,” Mormino said. “I’m very encouraged by our start toward reaching this important goal of having 30 sites certified as Zero Disposal by 2020.”

A Columbus woman was arrested over the weekend after an alleged incident of domestic violence.

Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department Spokesperson Judy Jackson

says that just after 4 a.m. on Saturday, deputies were dispatched to the 3000 block of Alan Drive due to an alleged domestic battery that was underway.

Jackson says that as the deputies entered the residence, a man explained that an argument had taken place between he and a female. The alleged victim told deputies that the argument escalated to the point where the woman, 28-year-old Sarah L. De La Cruz Quiroga, battered him.

De La Cruz Quiroga was arrested and booked in the Bartholomew County Jail on preliminary charges of Domestic Battery in the Presence of a Minor and Interfering with Reporting a Crime. Jackson says that De La Cruz Quiroga has since been released on a $12,500 bond.

IUPUC is buying new chemistry and biology equipment after what school officials are calling a very generous grant from Kroot Corporation.

Kroot’s owner, Art Kroot, toured the school last fall and met with chemistry professor James Mendez and student worker Jessica Caldwell, who talked about the importance of a modern lab. After that talk the Kroot family decided to make the donation. The exact amount is not being discussed, but it enabled the school to buy 3D printers, digital balances and a spectrometer, among other equipment.

Dr. George Towers, head of IUPUC’s science division said the gift allows the faculty to expand science education at the school.

Columbus police made two drunk driving arrests on Saturday.

Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the police department says that Saturday morning, police stopped an SUV that was without working taillights near 25th and Gilmore streets. The driver appeared intoxicated and the officer noticed the odor of alcohol.

21-year-old Brandon H. Robertson was found to allegedly have a blood alcohol level of .189, or more than twice the legal limit. He is facing a preliminary charge of operating a vehicle with a blood-alcohol content of  of .15% or greater with a previous conviction.

An Edinburgh man was arrested after witnesses allegedly saw him crashing into curbs and a median in a department store parking lot Saturday afternoon. Police located the vehicle on Cardinal Court, where officers saw the driver strike another vehicle, causing minor damage.

56-year-old James A. Foster allegedly told police that he had taken prescription medicine and he failed several field sobriety tests. He was arrested on a preliminary charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

The Ninth Street Park area Neighborhood Watch group in Columbus will hold a meeting tomorrow night.

That will be at 6:30 p.m. at Second Baptist church and the group will be talking about plans and goals for the upcoming year. The meeting is sponsored by the Lincoln Central Neighborhood Family Center.

For more information you can call 812-379-1630.

Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers will hold a meeting with the Taylorsville Neighborhood Crime Watch starting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday Jan. 20th at the German Township Fire Department, 9428 Main Street, Taylorsville.

Ed Reuter, Director of Bartholomew County Emergency Operations, will speak about the Everbridge Notification System.

The sheriff is inviting you to attend if you are a Taylorsville or German Township area resident.

A Seymour man was being arrested in connection with thefts from vehicles but now is also being charged with hijacking a car to try to run from police.

According to the North Vernon Police Department, officers were called to a store parking lot after a man reportedly broke a vehicle window and stole a phone from inside. The crime was recorded on a security camera and officers were able to identify the man. At about 12:30 p.m.  Friday , officers stopped a vehicle containing the suspect, 31-year-old Christopher Lawrence.

Lawrence allegedly tried to run into nearby woods but was subdued by police. The driver of the vehicle that Lawrence had been in, told police that Lawrence had pulled a knife on the driver and forced him to drive away from officers.

After his arrest, the stolen phone was allegedly recovered from Lawrence, along with items taken in other recent vehicle break-ins.

Lawrence is being held on charges including criminal confinement, resisting law enforcement by fleeing, theft, criminal mischief and possession of stolen property.

A Columbus man is facing new child molesting charges.

Judy Jackson, spokeswoman with the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, says that deputies have filed charges against Christopher Corbin, who was already being held in the Indiana Department of Corrections.

He has previously been listed as one of the county’s most wanted suspects and was arrested on Oct. 8th on Brookside Drive in Columbus. At that time he was wanted on a warrant to revoke his probation for a previous child-molesting sentence.

In another child molesting case, Jackson said deputies arrested a Columbus man on two warrants charging him with child molesting. 60-year-old Timothy E. Crossland of National Road was arrested on Friday.