The city of Columbus is in serious need of large tracts of industrial-ready property but a proposal before the City Council tonight would help alleviate that crunch.

The council will be considering final approval of an annexation and rezoning of about 77 acres of property on Deaver Road next to the Woodside Northwest Industrial Park. The project, by Steve Booher, would turn the land from agricultural use to industrial. Annexation would allow the property to tap into city services such as water and sewer.

Mayor Jim Lienhoop said the change is a needed addition of shovel-ready industrial property.

07-19 Jim Lienhoop-1

The mayor said there are several industrial parcels available around town, but they are all in the 10-acre range.

City Council meets at 6 p.m. tonight at Columbus City Hall.

While it wasn’t on the agenda, the Bartholomew Consolidated School Board heard nearly an hour of public comment Monday night on a policy, put in place in 2013, that the school board says is about not allowing discrimination. Specifically, the policy added those with “gender identity” issues as being a protected class.

A number of parents recently began discussing the change and expressed concern about boys and girls sharing the same restrooms and showers. This unidentified mother expresses her concerns, which were repeated by others, that the BCSC Board is more concerned about the minority than what the majority of parents want…

Adam Kerrigan, the father of girl about to enter high-school, told board members that there is a better way…

Public comment seemed to run about 80-percent who were opposed to the change and 20-percent who supported it. Jason Tracy expressed support for the school board…

Dr. Jill Shedd, BCSC board president, told the crowd that the goal of the school corporation is to insure the safety of all students. She noted that this is a new period of societal norms that administrators will have to wrestle with, hinting that the policy could evolve as time goes on. Shedd added that each case is handled in a private manner, with the child, their parents and the principal of that school to find what works best in each situation.

New BCSC Superintendent, Dr. Jim Roberts, said that this is an issue affecting schools all over the state, as well the country. In many of these cases, he says that school boards receive guidance from federal officials. Dr. Roberts also stressed Shedd’s statement that all members of BCSC put the safety of all students first.

No action was taken by the BCSC Board on this issue. While a few parents suggested that they may keep their children out of school as a sign of protest. No speakers publicly made that proclamation.

A Decatur County man was arrested Sunday morning outside of a North Vernon business.

A spokesperson with the North Vernon Police Department says that officers were called to the Lowes Distribution Center at 9:36 a.m. after a man was spotted climbing on the exterior fence. Police say that the suspect, 38-year-old Joshua Lowe, of Westport, was yelling at an employee, talking to himself and refusing to leave.

Lowe was ultimately arrested and is facing preliminary charges of Intimidation with a Deadly Weapon, Resisting Law Enforcement, Disorderly Conduct and Criminal Trespass.

A camper in Brown County State Park was bitten by a copperhead snake on Saturday.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources conservation officers are reporting that 35-year-old Nan Zhang of Carmel and his family were camping in the Taylor Ridge Campground on Saturday evening and were headed to the shower house. That’s when Zhang was bitten by a snake on the foot.

Other campers killed the snake and conservation officers identified it as a copperhead. Zhang was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital in stable condition.

Conservation officers say that copperheads and timber rattlesnakes do live in the park and in southern Indiana but bites to humans are rare. They recommend staying on trails while hiking, looking at the back side of fallen logs before stepping over and wearing sturdy, closed toe footwear.

If you encounter a snake in the woods, simply back away and leave the area. These snakes are not aggressive by nature and rarely, if ever, attack a person.

The city of Columbus is looking at a new bike and pedestrian improvement that would extend the People Trail along Fifth Street, connecting the east side of Columbus to Mill Race Park.

Heather Pope, redevelopment director for the city, says that the Columbus Redevelopment Commission will be considering an architectural agreement tonight with Indianapolis landscape architects Rundell Ernstberger Associates at a cost of almost $50,000 to design a pathway that would lead people past many of the major architectural landmarks in the city including the Bartholomew County Public Library, Lincoln school, First Christian Church and the Irwin Conference Center. Pope called that the most architecturally significant street in Columbus.

07-18 Heather Pope-2

The new trail section would then connect with the work being done along State Street through the new improvements to the Haw Creek bridge.

The Redevelopment Commission meets at 6 p.m. tonight in Columbus City Hall.

An Ivy Tech Columbus faculty member is designing the mural at the new Columbus Kroger store on North National Road.

Allison Horner’s design was chosen by a panel of judges. She said that the people of Columbus were an inspiration for her design:

07-18 Allison Horner-1

Horner said this will be her first large art installation.

07-18 Allison Horner-2

Originally from Youngstown Ohio, Horner earned her bachelors in fine art from the Savannah College of Art & Design. She lives and works in Columbus where she is a faculty member at Ivy Tech Community College in the School of Fine Art and Design.

The art must be finished and installed by mid August.

Tickets for this year’s Rock the Park are now available.

Geri Handley, with the Columbus Arts Council, says that this year’s Rock the Park headliner is KC & The Sunshine Band. The concert is scheduled for Saturday, August 13 at Mill Race Park. The park opens at 5:30 p.m. and gates open at 6:30 p.m. The opening act will be Minefield Neighborhood. Tickets are available at the Circle K located on National Road near Target, as well as online at www.artsincolumbus.org. Handley says they are $20 in advance or $25 at the gate. Beer, wine, and food will be available for purchase. She adds that no pets, outside coolers, food, or drinks are allowed into the park, but you should bring your own lawn chairs and blankets.

Handley says that the Columbus Area Arts Council presents this annual event in an effort to “bring national musical acts to Columbus at an affordable price.” For more information about Rock the Park or other Arts Council programs, call (812) 376-2539 or visit www.artsincolumbus.org.

Correction: An earlier version of this story spelled Amanda Kiel’s name incorrectly. We apologize for the error.

If you are interested in catching Pokemon, stay out of cemeteries. That’s the message from Amanda Kiel, Executive Director of Garland Brook Cemetery in Columbus.

Kiel says that since the release of the game “Pokemon Go,” which tasks players with finding and “catching” virtual monsters in real-world locations, Garland Brook has been overrun by people who shouldn’t be there. In letters to Google, as well as the developer of the game, Niantic, Inc., Kiel writes that the cemetery has been “flooded with thousands of cars per day.” She says that these intrusions are disrespectful to mourners and visitors to the cemetery, adding that their privacy is also being violated.

Kiel’s letters, which includes a plea to pull Garland Brook as a location where the game can be played, adds that players are engaging in dangerous behavior at the cemetery. She says that drivers are looking down at their phones, trying to locate virtual monsters, instead of paying attention to where they are driving. Over the past week, Kiel says that staff members have nearly being hit by vehicles and that monuments have been damaged. She cites one case where a player, oblivious to the fact that a mourner was trying to get to a grave site, caused the visitor’s vehicle to run off of the road and into a monument. Again, Kiel says this was the result of a player looking down at a phone instead of the narrow road.

Kiel says that this problem is not confined to Garland Brook. She says that the problem is nationwide, as other cemeteries have reported much of the same activity. Others say the problem is worldwide, as locations meant to be honored with quiet and solace have been overrun by players who seemingly have little respect for those around them.

Kiel says that players are not welcome on Garland Brook grounds and that signs have been erected around the property informing people to this fact. In addition, Kiel says that the cemetery has been working with the Columbus Police Department to watch the property a bit more intently. If a player is caught on the grounds, Kiel says that he or she will likely face a fine.

Kiel went on to say that, as of the time that this story was published, she has not yet received a response from Google, nor Niantic. Regardless, Kiel says that she won’t stop until mourners and legitimate visitors to Garland Brook can utilize the site in peace and privacy.

A flurry of activity in Indianapolis as lawmakers react to the news that Gov. Mike Pence is officially Donald Trump’s running mate. Pence officially withdrew from the Indiana Governor’s race to run for Vice-President. He faced a deadline of noon on Friday to do so.

Other Republicans, including Congressman Todd Rokita, Congresswoman Susan Brooks and Lt.. Gov. Eric Holcomb have all filed paperwork, withdrawing from their respective campaigns, in bids to become the new Republican nominee for Governor. One name not on the list is Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma. His campaign released a statement that he will not seek the nomination.

The Indiana Republican Party’s Central Committee will select the new nominee within 30 days. That person will face Democrat John Gregg in November.

Likely Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has officially named Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate.

Trump tweeted that Pence is the pick and said there will be a news conference at 11 a.m. Saturday. Trump was supposed to unveil the pick at an event today in New York City, but he postponed it after Thursday night’s deadly terrorist attack in France.