Bartholomew County Republican voters will be choosing from three candidates today for the District 1 seat on Bartholomew County Commissioners.

Long-time Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz is running against County Councilman Jorge Morales and local landlord Susan Thayer-Fye.

Kleinhenz, 57, is a small business owner and has served on the County Commissioners since 1993. He has been married to his wife Annette, for  36 years and they have six daughters, Megan, Lauren, Hayden, Gwen, Charlie and Nora and five sons, Caleb, Evan, Orrin, Luke and Brigham. Kleinhenz went to Western Kentucky University for a year before leaving on a church mission to Japan. When he returned, he joined his family business, 7K Farms, before branching out into his own projects.

Morales,  71, retired from Cummins where he worked in personnel for 19 years and also in materials organization. He has been married to his wife, Melinda, since 1982. Morales earned his degree from the Krannert School of Business at Purdue University studying  economics, cost accounting and minors in history and labor management. He is in his second term on the Bartholomew County Council.

Thayer-Fye, 62, a real estate manager, has four grown children and two grandchildren, with one on the way. She has a bachelor’s in accounting from Indiana University with a minor in computer science and a masters in business administration from Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. She ran for Columbus City Council but lost to Ryan Brand.  She has previously served on the Columbus Redevelopment Commission and the Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety. She also served as president of Columbus Downtown Inc. and oversaw the dismantling of that organization.

We asked the candidates to talk about what qualities they would bring to the office.

Kleinehnz said:

05-03 Larry Kleinhenz Question 1 FULL

Morales said:

05-03 Jorge Morales Question 1 FULL

Thayer-Fye said:

05-03 Susan Thayer-Fye Question 1 FULL

No Democrats have filed to run for the District 1 seat in the November election.

Incumbent Commissioner Rick Flohr is running unopposed on the Republican ticket for the District 3 seat on the Commissioners and Democrat Brad Woodcock, who is also running unopposed for his party’s nomination, will be facing Flohr in the November election.

It’s primary election day in Indiana and the polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

In Bartholomew County, voters will be casting ballots for races ranging from the presidential primary all the way down to town boards in Hope and Hartsville. Other contested races include seats in the statehouse, Bartholomew Circuit Court judge, two seats on the County Commissioners, Council Council at-large seats and County Coroner.

County election officials say it has already been a record-breaking election. Early voting ended at noon yesterday and more than 6,335 residents cast their ballot, more than double the 3,117 who voted in the 2015 Columbus primary — previously the highest turnout in early voting for a primary.

If you need help getting to the polls today in Bartholomew County, you can call Republican Party Chairwoman Barb Hackman at 812-350-5124 or Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy Ann Brown at 812-350-2855.

In Bartholomew County today, you can vote at one of 18 vote centers around the community.

The vote centers:

1. Flintwood Wesleyan Church

2. St. John’s Masonic Lodge

3. Grace Lutheran Church

4. Healing Waters Church

5. Donner Center

6. East Columbus Fire Station

7. The Commons

8. Main Source Bank

9. Terrace Lake Church

10. Faith Lutheran Church

11. REMC Building

12. Elizabethtown Fire Station

13. Shiloh Baptist Church

14. Hope Moravian Church

15. Clifford Fire Station

16. German Twp. Fire Station

17. Southwest Fire Station

18. White Creek Lutheran Church

A little over six acres near I-65 and County Road 200 South in Columbus has been approved for rezoning by the Columbus City Council.

The owner of the property, which is located between the Woodland Farms and Shadow Creek Farms subdivisions, asked the council for approval to change the property’s zoning from “Agriculture: Preferred” to Residential: Single-Family 2 with Commitments. Jeff Bergman, Bartholomew County Planning Director, explained that the plan for the property is to divide it into four or five lots, comprising at least one-acre each. A pond, nearly one-acre in size, is also on the property. Under zoning rules, that property could be divided into a maximum of 22 lots, said Bergman. However, the property owner told the council that due to the fact that real estate and development is not his main line of work, he wants to keep the process as uncomplicated as possible. There is currently one home on the site, which the property owner says will remain.

Work on the development has yet to begin in earnest, said the owner, as he was awaiting approval from the city council, as well as a topography and land survey. Council members voted unanimously to approve the request.

Closures begin Tuesday for lanes of Interstate 74 in Decatur County. Harry Maginity, Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) spokesman, says that scheduled work requires the closing of one lane in each direction of I-74 at Greensburg as part of a $3,748,040 project to replace the State Road 3 bridge spanning the Interstate.

INDOT says that a 12-foot lane will be open to eastbound and westbound drivers at all times. Officials add that interchange access will be maintained for drivers utilizing crossovers from State Road 3. Maginity notes that these restrictions will be lifted by 2 p.m. Friday. However, he notes that I-74 lane closures will be implemented again next week, beginning Monday, May 9, through Friday, May 13.

INDOT stresses that this work is dependent on the weather.

The contractor for North Vernon Stellar Community construction has scheduled street closures for two of projects associated with the “Stellar Communities” initiative. Harry Maginity, spokesman for the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), says the closings are as follows:

• Madison Avenue will close for three days beginning Monday, May 9, weather permitting, for cleaning, paving and application of thermoplastic pavement markings between the CSX railroad tracks at O & M Avenue and U.S. Highway 50. Maginity says that the work is part of the $2.2 million Streetscape Project and includes full-depth street reconstruction and resurfacing, storm and sanitary sewer installation, placement of ornamental lighting and landscaping. He adds that the project also includes the construction of sidewalks with curb ramps that comply with the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

• Fifth Street will close for up to 120 days beginning Monday, May 16, for pavement removal and replacement between U.S. 50 and the railroad tracks. Maginity says that this $798,594 Fifth Street Project includes ADA-complaint sidewalks, water main, irrigation system, landscaping and decorative lighting.

Maginity explains that funding for Stellar Community projects has been provided by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, the Office of Community and Rural Affairs and INDOT.

A high-speed chase in Jackson County led to the arrest of the driver on Monday afternoon.

A Jackson County Sheriff’s Department Spokesperson says that at 2:48 p.m., a deputy reportedly saw a vehicle run through a stop sign at the intersection of County Roads 100 East and 600 North. That led to the deputy attempting to pull the vehicle over. He says that led to a pursuit with speeds between 60 to 100 mph. Authorities say the chase continued to the intersection of CR 400 East and 600 North, when the vehicle continued north into Cortland, before heading east on State Road 258. The Sheriff’s Department says that the chase came to an end when the driver, Melissa S. Burton, stopped her vehicle on State Road 258 and Bell Ford Drive, just outside of Seymour.

Authorities say that Burton was arrested on a preliminary charge of Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle. She also reportedly had a warrant for her arrest out of Jackson Circuit Court. Burton’s passenger, who was not identified, was not arrested.

The Columbus Area Career Connection (C4) will be holding its annual awards ceremony. C4 is part of the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (BCSC) and provides career and technical education to high school students in Bartholomew, Brown, Jackson and Decatur counties.

BCSC officials say that this year’s ceremony will be held Monday, May 11 at at Southside Elementary School, beginning at 7 p.m. As part of this event, officials will be recognizing outstanding students in the C4 Career and Technical Education classes. Light refreshments will follow.

You are invited. For more information, call C4 at (812) 376-4240.

Columbus Firefighters put out a vehicle fire on the Interstate Monday afternoon. Capt. Mike Wilson, fire department spokesman, says that firefighters were called to the southbound exit ramp of I-65 at State Road 46 at about 2:20 p.m.

Wilson says that firefighters arrived on the scene within minutes to find an SUV on the shoulder of the interstate. He says that responding

firefighters dealt with heavy flames coming from the rear of the vehicle. They were able to put the fire out within five-minutes after using nearly 100 gallons of water, said Wilson.

The owner of the vehicle, Timothy Reshousky, of Frankfort, IN, reportedly told investigators that he was traveling to Tennessee when he noticed an unusual vibration. Moments later, he said that he noticed smoke trailing his vehicle, so he pulled over.

Reshousky told firefighters he was moving to Tennessee and had all of his possessions in the vehicle. Reshousky was traveling with his German Shepard. Luckily, Wilson says that both were uninjured. Wilson added that Reshousky has made arrangements with family members in Tennessee to continue his trip.

Fire officials say that Reshousky’s vehicle is a total loss. The cause of the fire is unknown and the investigation is ongoing. Wilson thanked the

Columbus Police Department and Indiana State Police for providing traffic control and maintaining safety as they fought the blaze.

Indiana State Police continue their investigation into a fatal crash in Monroe County. Curt Durnil, State Police Spokesman, says that just before 9 a.m. on Monday, Troopers responded to a multi-car crash that resulted in a Bloomington man losing his life.

Durnil says that the preliminary investigation a car driven by Ryan M. Kimbrel, 31 of Mitchell, was traveling northbound on State Road 37 approaching Tapp Road. For unknown reasons, investigators say that Kimbrel swerved from the left lane into the right lane where vehicles were stopped for a red light. They say that Kimbrel’s car sideswiped a stopped car, then continued northbound into the intersection, colliding with another Tcar that was traveling through the intersection.

Durnil says that the driver of the vehicle going through the intersection, James F. Sprague, Jr., 69 of Bloomington, was killed in the crash. He notes that the driver of the first vehicle that was struck, Rachel L. Whitson, 31, of Bedford, was not injured.

Both Sprague and Kimbrel were taken to IU Health Bloomington Hospital. State Police are working to find out what caused the crash.

A deer caused a crash on Interstate 65 early Sunday morning.

Judy Jackson, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department Spokesperson, says that just after 3:30 a.m., Deputy Nate Nichols responded to the scene, where he found a vehicle in the median at the southbound 79 mile marker. The driver, Jayson George, 38, of Columbus, told deputies that he was driving south on I-65 when a deer jumped into his path. In his attempted to avoid the deer, authorities say that George’s vehicle crashed into the barrier fence and continued south for about 100 yards.

George was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for cuts on his left leg and hands.

The Sheriff’s Department is thanking the Edinburgh Police Department and German Township Fire Department for their help.