Bartholomew County has received approval for four more bicentennial projects in the community, bringing the total of locally approved projects up to 13, says Lynn Lucas, the local bicentennial coordinator.

Lucas says that the four most recent projects to win approval from the state commission include: Hope Heritage Days and its Pioneer Village, the Bartholomew County 4-H Fair’s Heritage Building and two projects sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Those are a performance by local elementary school students of “Back Home Again in Indiana” at the end of the bicentennial torch relay’s pass through Columbus and Bartholomew County in September and a Bartholomew County bicentennial lapel pin.

Other approved bicentennial projects in Bartholomew County include:

• Race2Play by the Columbus Park Foundation and Columbus Parks & Recreation
• Spring on the Farm – 200 Years of Indiana History by Bartholomew County Historical Society
• Revitalization of the Historical Hope Town Square by the town of Hope
• Mill Race Marathon and Health & Fitness Expo by Cummins, Inc., Main Source Bank, Columbus Regional Health, Southern Indiana Health
• Saturday Sampler Programs by the Bartholomew County Historical Society
• Vintage Spirits – History and Hooch of Bartholomew County by the Bartholomew County Historical Society
• The Empire Strikes Back – A Bicentennial Celebration of Indiana fashion by the Bartholomew County Historical Society
• Bicentennial Hat Making by the Bartholomew County Historical Society
• Ethnic Expo by the city of Columbus

The Fountain Trust Pipe Band was also approved for a bicentennial project that includes performances in Fountain, Marion and Bartholomew County.

Lucas also says that there are several more projects in the pipeline for approval by the state committee. So far, the committee has been overwhelmed by the number of Hoosier projects that show bicentennial pride. If you have an idea for a bicentennial project you can contact Lucas through the Columbus Area Visitors Center at 812.378.2622 or by e-mail at llucas@columbus.in.us

Lucas also says that organizers are nearing a decision on who will be the bicentennial torch bearers when the torch relay comes through the community on Sept. 18th.

An Indianapolis man was arrested on drug charges in Columbus Wednesday night after a vehicle ran through an intersection, according to Columbus police reports.

Officer Troy Love stopped the vehicle near 7th and Washington Streets at about 8 p.m. Wednesday after seeing the traffic violation, said Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the department. Police called in Officer Branch Schrader and his police dog Argo, who allegedly alerted to the smell of narcotics in the vehicle, Harris said.

Police allegedly discovered drug paraphernalia with methamphetamine residue in the pockets of 22-year-old Dut D. Tong, who was a passenger in the vehicle. He was arrested on preliminary charges including possession of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and a legend drug injection device.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is looking for your help finding its most wanted fugitive this week.

Deputies are searching for 20-year-old Tanner M. Fleetwood of Columbus. He is a white man, five feet nine inches tall and 160 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Authorities say he is wanted on three warrants on charges including obstruction of justice, invasion of privacy, false identity statements and domestic battery.

Deputies say that if you have any information, even something you might consider insignificant, you should call Capt. Dave Steinkoening at 812-565-5940 or the department’s tip Line at 812-379-1712.

Mike Riley is this year’s recipient of the Edna Folger Teaching Award.

The award was presented at the Columbus-area Chamber of Commerce’s annual luncheon. Riley teaches in the C4 program at Columbus North High School.

Marsha VanNahmen of the Center for Teaching and Learning presented the award to Riley:

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Ian Kohen is this year’s recipient of the chamber’s Community Service Award.

Kohen is president of the Columbus Human Rights Commission and the main leader for the annual Turning Point Dance Marathon. The award was presented by Greg Lewis, Columbus East High School teacher and social studies department chairman.

Lewis said that to see Kohen in his element, you just have to stop by the dance marathon this weekend at Central Middle School. Lewis also quoted Aida Ramirez, the director of the Human Rights Commission:

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Other awards included Faurecia as company of the year and the county’s iGrad program as community initiative of the year.

The chamber also presented its annual Maverick Challenge High School Business Planning Competition winners. This year’s winners:

• First place: Nick Glesing and Tyler Heathcote for Truckin’ Good Pancakes.
• Second place: Madisyn Prince and Kelsey LIeberman for M&K Wedding Planning.
• Most innovative award:  Anay Gangal for Deskomp

The early phases of a major road project that will shut down U.S. 31 between Bartholomew and Jackson counties for eight months is set to begin next week.

Harry Maginity, spokesman for the Indiana Department of Transportation, says that the $8.4 million project will replace the bridge over Sand Creek and eventually install a roundabout at the intersection with Bartholomew County Road 400S.

Next week’s work will begin some exploratory drilling at the bridge site and will require flaggers to redirect traffic around the workers, Maginity said.

On March 21st, INDOT’s contractors will begin removing and replacing pavement under the CSX railroad bridge along the route, which will redirect traffic from East County Avenue and Jackson County Road 700N to U.S. 50 and then along Interstate 65 to the Edinburgh exit. That work is expected to take about five days.

Starting on April 4th, contractors will begin demolishing the bridge at Sand Creek, requiring closing U.S. 31 for 240 days

INDOT planners are trying to see if they can include the roundabout work in the 2016 construction season.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says that you are invited to cut certain downed trees at Brown County State Park for firewood, starting Monday and ending April 15.

DNR officials say that they need help removing several downed trees in areas where fiber optic line will be laid later this spring. Individuals willing to cut in those specific areas will be able to obtain a permit at no charge.

Officials say that some trees have died naturally, some have been taken down by DNR staff, while others were downed during storms. They say that specific trees will be available to cut and haul away for $10 per pickup truck load. The available trees are in designated roadside and public-use areas.

DNR officials say that a firewood permit must be obtained for each load at the park office. A permit can be picked-up between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Wood may be cut and removed between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., daily. All wood removed from the park must be for personal use only, say officials.

The DNR says that all revenue from these sales will be used for resource management and restoration efforts in the park. This includes the purchase and planting of replacement trees in campgrounds and picnic areas.

DNR officials say that the ban on transporting ash between Indiana counties is being removed because the emerald ash borer insect is now widespread in the state. However, rules for bringing firewood in to DNR properties remain in place.

For more information, call (812) 988-6406.

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) says that its $1.6 million project to replace the State Road 7 bridge over Little Sand Creek at County Road 525 East in Bartholomew County will get underway next week. INDOT Spokesman Harry Maginity says that the bridge required emergency repairs last summer due to damaged box beams. At that time, load weight restrictions were imposed.

Maginity says that removing and replacing the single-span structure will take place one-half-at-a-time. He adds that the first part of the work will require traffic to be shifted to the west side of the bridge, where lane widths will be restricted to 10-feet.

Maginity says that a new reinforced concrete bulb “T-Beam” structure will measure 90 feet in length with 51 feet of clear roadway side-to-side. INDOT officials anticipate normalizing traffic flow at the bridge in early October. They note that the work is scheduled to be completed by Nov. 15.

Maginity says that, during construction, southbound County Road 525E will experience closures to Elizabethtown. He added that northbound County Road 525E will be less impacted.

This year’s Canstruction raised a record amount of food for local food pantries, according to the United Way of Bartholomew County.

The week-long event at Fair Oaks Mall has teams construct sculptures made of canned goods. After judging and voting by the public, the food is distributed to food pantries at Love Chapel, Community Center of Hope and Salvation Army.

This year’s event raised 38,012 cans of food from eight local teams.

According to the United Way,  competitors included Starving Artists, Columbus Sunrise Rotary Club, Toyota, Dorel Juvenile Group, Hawcreek Hauling, CSA Fodrea 4th Graders, Columbus North C4 Engineering Students and Columbus Young Professionals.

The winner of the judging in the structural ingenuity category was Columbus Sunrise Rotary Club with their design of a Charlie Brown and Snoopy display. To see a complete list of winners, you can go to http://www.uwbarthco.org/2016-canstruction-winners-announced%20

Bartholomew County will spend $39,000 to help ensure the county can keep hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal funding.

The county will contract with DLZ Engineering to inventory all of the county’s buildings, checking how accessible they are to those with disabilities. The company will also come up with a plan on what improvements need to be made to make the buildings more accessible.

If the county doesn’t come up with the plan and recommendations, it would put hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding at risk, county commissioners said. The amount of federal funds that come into the county every year varies. But for example, federal road funding is used for projects like the County Road 600N expansion and for bridge repairs.

Commissioners approved the contract this week.

North Vernon police are saying that speeding contributed to a crash last night that injured a 22-year-old Madison man.

Police report that witnesses saw a pickup truck speeding and striking the curb several times as it drove on State Street at about 10:30 p.m.

After driving past the State Road 3 and State Road 7 split, the driver went left of the centerline, struck the curb and left the roadway before flipping over, police said.

22-year-old Chadwick Dorsey was flown to Louisville for medical care, according to Sgt. Andrew Richmond with the police department.