The city of Columbus will be taking more steps to improve State Street in the East Columbus neighborhood this year but it is running into some obstacles.

Mayor Jim Lienhoop explains that the project is not moving as fast as he would like to add bike lanes to the bridge over Haw Creek. The city plans to add a cantilevered section to the bridge to hold bike lanes.

05-16 jim lienhoop state-2

The Columbus Redevelopment Commission will be discussing funding for the State Street project tonight. The commission will consider the funding of Phase I of project which includes the bridge redevelopment, gateway feature and some intersection improvements at McKinley Avenue and State Street

Members of the State Street Area Association are urging residents and others interested in the project to come to tonight’s meeting of the commission. That starts at 6 p.m. at Columbus City Hall.

Brownstown Police are warning about a police impersonator in the area.

According to the police department’s Facebook page, a man in a black SUV with flashing white lights in the front window was operating in the Cortland area yesterday. The driver is described as a white man about 6 feet tall wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.

Brownstown police say that police use red and blue colored lights in Indiana. White flashing lights may be visible but always in combination with red and blue. In general, a police officer will be in a marked police vehicle, be wearing a distinctive police uniform displaying a badge, or both.

If you doubt you are being stopped by an actual police officer you should call 911.

Indiana State Police are crediting a helmet and protective gear with protecting a motorcyclist from serious injuries in a crash on Interstate 65 Friday evening.

Trooper Stephen Wheeles, spokesman for the state police, says the crash happened at about 6 p.m. Friday at the Jonesville State Road 11 exit, about five miles north of Seymour. 65-year-old Linda Ramey of Mansfield Ohio, lost control on the ramp as she was trying to exit onto State Road 11. When she hit loose gravel her cycle skidded, throwing her off and crashing down an embankment.

Ramey suffered scrapes and bruises and possibly a broken arm, Wheeles said. She was transported to Schneck Medical Center for treatment.

Gov. Mike Pence returned to his hometown Friday evening as part of his reelection bid, dubbed the “Start Your Engines Tour.” The Governor, along with Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb, Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop and a few hundred supporters, visited Hackman’s Farm as part of that tour. Pence says that November’s election between he, and Democratic challenger John Gregg, is about a choice, noting that he believes the state is on the right track…

Pence says that Indiana is the pride of the Midwest, in terms of economic, jobs and quality of life. The Governor says that his record on jobs is one that he is proud of, noting that the number of jobs coming to the state, as well as the quality of those jobs, is increasing…

Pence responded to his opponent, Democrat Johnn Gregg, who told supporters on Thursday night that this campaign will be about the Governor’s record over the past four years…

The Governor also responded to Gregg’s who assertion that that Pence has “declared war” on public education…

Pence, who spoke about the importance of pre-kindergarten program, passed off Gregg’s remarks as “political rhetoric.” He told supporters that this election is about what kind of state we want to leave for future generations of Hoosiers.

Pence’s “Start Your Engines Tour” wraps-up on Saturday.

May 16-20th is National Bike to Work Week. Columbus officials are encouraging residents to bike to work as much as possible throughout the week.

People who live and work in Columbus are invited to bike to work with Mayor Jim Lienhoop on Friday. That ride is scheduled to begin at North Christian Church and continue to downtown. City officials say that riders should meet at the Sycamore Street side at 7:10 a.m. The ride is scheduled to begin at 7:15 a.m.

Other groups will be riding from the following locations:

• Westside of Columbus (meet on the People Trail at State Road 46 West and Goeller Blvd.)
• Blackwell Park/Parkside Area (meet in the parking lot west of the soccer fields)
• Donner Park (meet at the Shelter house) – this group will go to Columbus Regional Health
• The Haw Creek Trail – riding to downtown
• Eastside Community Center – riding to downtown.

All groups will depart at 7:15 a.m.

Organizers say that a light breakfast will be provided by CAMPO and the City of Columbus to bicyclists from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at the Cummins Irwin Conference Center Plaza on Fifth Street. For those riders who don’t work downtown and/or employees of Columbus Regional Health, a light breakfast will be provided at Columbus Regional Hospital on the patio outside the cafeteria.

For more on this event, along with a map of routes, visit www.gohealthycolumbus.org.

Construction activities for North Vernon Stellar Community projects will require some street closures on Monday.

Harry Maginity, spokesman for the Indiana Department on Transportation, says that the work has been pushed back by rain delays. He says that MAC Construction plans to pave Madison Avenue, weather permitting, between the CSX railroad tracks at O & M Avenue and U.S. Highway 50. The roadway is scheduled to close Monday morning. Once the paving has been finished, the road will be reopened to traffic. Maginity says that other work is to come in the future, including the installation of thermo-plastic pavement markers. He adds that this work is part of the $2.2 million Streetscape Project, which includes full-depth street reconstruction, storm and sanitary sewer installation, construction of sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps, placement of ornamental lighting and landscaping.

Monday is also the first day of a 120-day closure for Fifth Street reconstruction between the railroad tracks and U.S. 50, says Maginity. He says that crews are being scheduled to remove the pavement. Maginity notes that this $798,594 Fifth Street Project also calls for street construction with ADA-complaint sidewalks, water main, irrigation system, landscaping and decorative lighting.

Funding for Stellar Community projects has been provided by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, the Office of Community and Rural Affairs and the Indiana Department of Transportation.

A Columbus man is facing drug charges after his arrest on Wednesday.

Judy Jackson, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson, says that the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team arrested

Tiburcio Cardoso Garcia, 41, 3087 Rolling Knoll Lane, after several months of investigations. She says that Garcia is facing preliminary charges of two counts of dealing cocaine. As of Friday afternoon, Jackson says that Garcia remains in the Bartholomew County Jail on $550,000 bond.

The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team is a combined unit of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbus Police Department and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office. The team is charged with proactively targeting the manufacturing, sale and abuse of drugs in Bartholomew County.

Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop is reflecting on his first overseas trip as mayor — a trip to Germany to visit Columbus sister city of Löhne, to stop by the headquarters of two German-based companies with Columbus operations and to attend the Hannover Messe trade show.

05-13 jim lienhoop-1

Lienhoop said the trip did not directly grow out of increased funding to the economic development board. The board has been sending representatives to the trade show for years and previous Mayor Fred Armstrong also traveled to Germany.

05-13 jim lienhoop-3

Lienhoop said he believes the visits to German-based Columbus companies, Claas and Lindal are important, especially as companies consider expansions in their American operations.

05-13 jim lienhoop-2

The trip, which also included Jason Hester, head of the Columbus Economic Development Board, concluded last week.

The Heritage Fund — Bartholomew County’s Community Foundation held its annual meeting and awards ceremony Thursday night. The agency is celebrating 40 years in Columbus, where it has distributed nearly $67 million in grants since its founding.

In 2015, the Heritage Fund raised more than $5 million in gifts and awarding more than $3 million in grants and scholarships

Jim Henderson, the last surviving board member from the 1976 creation of the foundation, was the keynote speaker. He presented the annual award named in his honor, the James A. Henderson Award for Fundraising, to Eric Neal for Neal’s work raising money to repair the Hamilton Ice Arena. Henderson talked about Neal’s persistence:

05-13 Jim Henderson-1

The Heritage Fund also recognized three outgoing board members: Jesse Brand, Mark Elwood and Kristen Brown.

Each outgoing board member was asked to choose a local cause and the Heritage Fund donated $1,000 in the board member’s name. Brand chose the effort to keep the Flamenco sculpture in Columbus. Elwood chose Family School Partners. Both former board members also matched the Heritage Fund donation with $1,000 of their own money.

Heritage Fund officials said that Brown, the former Columbus mayor, has not made her preferences known to the foundation.

Correction: An earlier version of this story had the highway location incorrect.

A 3-year-old Seymour girl died this morning in a crash on U.S. 31 near Crothersville, according to the Indiana State Police.

21-year-old Brent Sawyer of Crothersville was driving south on U.S 31 near Jackson County Road 500S at about 12:40 a.m. when he lost control of his SUV and crossed the centerline and crashed head-on into a van driven by 30-year-old Devin P. Bevers.

Bevers’ daughter, 3-year-old Tavaya, was in a car seat in the back seat of the van and was seriously injured. She was taken to Schneck Medical Center in Seymour where she died, says Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, with the state police.

The drivers both sustained minor injuries in the crash and were checked out by medical personnel.