A Seymour man was killed Monday night in a one-vehicle crash in Jackson County. Indiana State Police say that troopers were called US 31 near Commiskey Pike at approximately 11 p.m.

ISP says the initial investigation by Trooper Korry Clark indicated that a car driven by 27-year-old Robert Robbins was traveling north on US 31 near Commiskey Pike, approaching a sharp curve near the I-65 overpass. Police say that Robbins was unable to navigate the curve and his vehicle left the roadway and struck a guardrail. ISP says that Robbins was thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene by Jackson County Coroner Michael Bobb.

Investigators say that speed and alcohol are both believed to be contributing factors in the crash. They add that Robbins was not wearing his seat-belt.

The investigation is ongoing.

Bartholomew County deputies arrested a wanted man last night, but only after he allegedly tried to pass himself off as his own brother.

According to the sheriff’s department, a deputy tried to pull over a vehicle on U.S. 31 but the driver switched lanes, sped up and eventually turned off onto Robin Way before pulling over. The driver identified himself with his brother’s name but the deputy suspected he was really Cody Manvilla, says Judy Jackson, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department.

A second deputy who had prior experiences with Manvilla arrived and confirmed that the 25-year-old Taylorsville man was allegedly misidentifying himself.

Manvilla was wanted on four warrants for failing to appear in court and is now facing new charges of  possession of methamphetamine, false informing, driving while suspended with a prior conviction and operating a vehicle without ever receiving a license.

A Columbus man is under arrest on several charges after a 25-minute police chase last night through downtown and into the county.

The chase started after police noticed a car driving without a license plate in the 1600 block of Franklin Street at about 11:15 p.m. last night. When an officer tried to pull the vehicle over, the driver instead fled, eventually driving through two farm fields before getting stuck in the 3400 block of South County Road 250E. Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the police department, says the driver, 26-year-old Jose Garcia Rodriguez left the vehicle and reached toward his waist as he ran away.

Columbus police dog Argo and his handler Officer Branch Schrader took the man into custody. Rodriguez was treated at the hospital for dog bites before heading to jail.

Rodriguez is facing preliminary charges of possession of meth, resisting law enforcement both in a vehicle and on foot, criminal recklessness and operating a vehicle without a license.

Bartholomew County has found itself in the landlord business.

Through a land swap last fall with Columbus Regional Health, the county government became owners of a medical office building on Fox Pointe Drive that houses part of the county health department. As part of that swap, the county also now owns two other offices in the building that are leased to companies.

Yesterday morning the county commissioners set up a new fund to receive those rental payments and to pay out expenses related to the rental properties, says Commissioners President Carl Lienhoop.

Lienhoop says that since the swap, the rent has still been going to the hospital and that money will be transferred to the county now that the fund has been established. The exact amount of those rental payments aren’t yet known by the county, but the county will be responsible for the property taxes on those two offices, as well as paying an owner’s association fee of more than $5,000 a year to the office park, Lienhoop said.

Last fall, the county swapped the former annex property on State Street for the office building that the hospital owned on Fox Pointe Drive. Prior to the swap, the county had been renting the office space from the hospital.

The nursing division of the health department had been located in the State Street building, which used to be part of the State Street School, until that building was demolished by the county. Originally, the county commissioners had planned to build a new annex building at that location, but county financial problems led to that plan being nixed.

The county also had to find room for the Purdue Extension Office, which had been in the annex building. The county is buying the former Premier Ag headquarters building on Marr Road to house those offices.

Real estate market stats in central Indiana indicate the housing market is still going strong. F.C. Tucker says that January 2017 pending sales were up 11.7 percent compared to January 2016. Similarly, the average year-to-date home price for the 15 county region rose 7.1 percent to $180,866.

According to the report, pending sales in Bartholomew County were down 6.5 percent in January of 2017, compared to January of 2016. Decatur County pending sales dropped by 5.9 percent and Shelby County saw a 6.7 percent decrease in that same period. F.C. Tucker says that Brown County saw a 25 percent increase in pending sales, Jennings County a 15.4 percent increase and Johnson County saw an increase of 14.3 percent in the same period.

F.C. Tucker says that active listings for area counties varied wildly from January 2016 to January 2017. According to the company’s report, Bartholomew County saw a five-percent increase in active listings. Jennings County saw an 80.6 percent increase. Brown County had 20.9 percent decrease in active listings. Decatur County saw a 27.4 percent drop, Johnson County had a 22.4 percent decrease and Shelby County had a 24.9 percent decrease in active listings.

Average sale prices also ran the gamut. F.C. Tucker says that people buying a home in Bartholomew County paid 11.8 percent more in January of 2017 than they did in January of 2016. Last month’s average sale price was $196,906. Johnson County sale prices were up 20.6 percent, averaging $205,007. Sale prices were down 8.1 percent in Brown County, averaging $172,236, according to the report. In addition, Decatur County saw a huge drop. F.C. Tucker says that home sale prices dropped there by 30.9 percent, to an average of $112,400. Jennings County saw a modest decrease of 0.7 percent, with an average sale price of $124,571. Shelby County average sale prices fell by 17.6 percent, to $121,528 for the same period.

Ivy Tech Community College has launched the iGrad high school student success program at Jennings County High School with two Jennings County natives and graduates of the school leading the program.

Ivy Tech officials say that LeAna Matern is serving as the Jennings County High School iGrad Team Leader, and Shelly Perry is the school’s iGrad College and Career Coach. The iGrad program recognizes and removes barriers for 9th-12th grade students to increase academic success through coaching, mentoring and tutoring. The Jennings County iGrad program is specifically focused on preparing students to enter science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) career fields that employers say are vital to regional economic development.

“Our team leaders and coaches in the iGrad program are integral in helping students shape their futures and find success in their education and careers,” iGrad Program Director Laurie Dickerson said. “LeAna and Shelly are very familiar with the Jennings County community, economy and educational system and are well suited to lead the iGrad program at Jennings County High School. Together with our volunteer mentors and tutors, they will provide Jennings County students with focus and determination to advance themselves, complete high school and reach their academic and career goals.”

The iGrad program started as an initiative five years ago through a partnership of the Bartholomew County School Corp., Flatrock-Hawcreek School Corp., the Community Education Coalition, and Ivy Tech Community College and is supported by Cummins Inc. and the Heritage Fund – the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County with the goal of increasing high school graduation rates.

Ivy Tech says it received a $74,724 Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education grant in the summer of 2016 to expand the program to Jennings County High School with a particular focus on guiding students toward STEM-related careers. The college says it offers 31 dual-credit courses at Jennings County High School, including 12 STEM-related courses.

“The new iGrad Program at Jennings County High School is open to all students and is already reaching many of those who may otherwise slip through the cracks,” said Dr. Terry Sargent, Superintendent of Jennings County School Corporation. He adds, “More of our students will graduate from high school and more of them will go on to pursue additional education because of this wonderful program.”

The flu has led to extra precautions being taken at an area hospital. Stephanie Furlow, spokeswoman for Schneck Medical Center in Seymour, explains that the hospital has implemented visitor restrictions in an effort to help protect patients, staff and the community from the spread of influenza.

Furlow says that, until further notice, no more than three visitors may be admitted to a patient’s room at one time. In addition, visitors must also be at least 18-years-old and immediate family members or a significant other, as identified by the patient.

Schneck staff are asking anyone with flu-like symptoms to stay away from hospital patients. These symptoms include:

• Fever and/or chills
• Sore throat
• Muscle aches
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Cough
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea

Furlow adds that all visitors must wash their hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer before and after visiting a patient. She says that hand sanitizer can be found throughout the hospital, as well as outside each patient’s room.

“We’ve seen an increase in the number of people with flu-like symptoms in the last few weeks,” said Stacy East, Infection Preventionist at Schneck. East urges you to get the flu vaccine as soon as possible in order to protect themselves for the rest of the season.

Schneck Medical Center in Seymour and Major Hospital in Shelbyville have been named to the “Top 100 Rural and Community Hospitals” in the nation. That’s according to The National Rural Health Association’s Rural Health Policy Institute, iVantage Health Analytics and The Chartis Center for Rural Health.

Stephanie Furlow, Schneck spokeswoman, says that the release of this list expands on research presented as part of the report: “2017 Rural Relevance Study: Vulnerability to Value” from The Chartis Group. She explains that the hospitals named are top performers in managing risk, achieving higher quality, securing better outcomes, increasing patient satisfaction and operating at a lower cost than their peers.

A Columbus man was hospitalized after a crash with a semi-truck in Jennings County.

Lt. Randall Marshall, spokesman for the North Vernon Police Department, says that officers were called to the intersection of State Road 7 and State Road 750 at 10:41 a.m. Monday. Police say that a car driven by 77-year-old William Thompkins was northbound on State Road 7 and collided with a semi driven by 53-year-old Randy Perkinson, of Vernon, who was traveling west on the 750 Bypass.

Lt. Marshall cites witnesses who say that Thompkins’ vehicle ran a red light, striking the side of the semi’s trailer. The car then became lodged under the trailer and was dragged west of the intersection before the semi could get stopped. He says that both vehicles then caught on fire. North Vernon Police say that several people stopped and helped to fight the blaze until officers and firefighters arrived.

Lt. Marshall says that Thompkins had to be cut from the car. He was to St. Vincent Jennings Hospital before being transferred to St. Vincent’s in Indianapolis. His condition has not been released.

Republicans’ plan to raise gas taxes to pay for roads has passed the House and is headed for the Senate. State Representative Milo Smith, who represents Columbus and most of Bartholomew County, voted in favor of the increase. He says that the bill is targeted to raise $1.6 billion over 20 years…

Smith admits that he has some reservations…

Smith says the bill, which would raise gas taxes 10 cents a gallon immediately, has other benefits…

Smith says the bill is also expected to create up to 10,000 good paying jobs.