The Indiana Department of Transportation will close Yellowwood Road on Monday, June 19th, between State Road 46 and Yellowwood Lake Road.

That is part of a $4.5 million dollar road and bridge project through Yellowwood State Forest west of Nashville. The road will be closed for about four months.

During the 120-day closure, crews will build a 3-span 300-foot bridge over Salt Creek,

Milestone is the state’s prime contractor for this South Access Project which extends 3.6 miles from State Road 46 to the north-end boat dock.
According to INDOT, the project is designed to mitigate flooding, improve erosion control, replace structures and fords, and rebuild or resurface state forest roadways.

Columbus police say that they arrested a local woman on drug charges after she allegedly fled from officers.

Officers report that they saw drug activity going on in the 700 block of California Street at about 9:10 last night and when the officer tried to stop one of the suspects, she took off running.

The woman, 25-year-old Jesse E. Wade, was arrested in the 700 block of Union Street. As officers searched her, they allegedly discovered six syringes, drugs and and other drug paraphernalia in her purse, says Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the police. She was also wanted on two Bartholomew County warrants.

She is facing new charges of resisting law enforcement, possession of methamphetamine, marijuana, legend drug injection devices and drug paraphernalia.

Live on the Plaza is coming up on Friday at the Bartholomew County Public Library Plaza, starting at 7 p.m. That show will feature the The Groovaloos.

The street dance troupe has appeared on several nationally televised dance programs including “Dancing with the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance.”

Bradley Rapier the group’s founder and creative director. He talks about how the group came to blend musical styles, which drew the attention of show producers.

Rapier talks about the group’s appearances on “So You Think You  Can Dance.

Live on the Plaza will start at 7 p.m. on June 16th in front of the library on Fifth Street and you should bring a lawn chair.

For more on this or any of the Arts Council’s events you can go to artsincolumbus.org.

More from our interview with “Shooz” Rapier with News Director John Clark:

Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers will see a raise, starting next month.

That’s due to a state law which ties the sheriff’s minimum salary to other elected officials paid by the state, says Chris Monroe, the County Council’s attorney. Monroe said the sheriff is paid 80 percent of what the county prosecutor makes, which is set during the legislative session. Counties can’t pay their sheriffs less than that amount, he said.

Monroe said that county sheriffs have two options for their pay. They can either take a share of tax warrants, commissary and other funds collected by the sheriff’s department, or they can negotiate a contract with the county, which Myers and previous sheriff’s have done.

While the share of the department’s income would be a larger amount, that pay does not contribute to the retirement accounts, Monroe said..

County Council members approved the pay raise last night. The pay increase amounts to a 2 percent pay raise for the sheriff, bringing his annual salary to $115,310 a year. County prosecutors Circuit Court judges will be making $144, 137 after July 1st.

The Bartholomew County Council has approved a plan to buy security cameras to help protect dispatchers in the county’s emergency operations center.

Julie Pierce, deputy director of the center, said there have been numerous incidents this year that have raised concerns about security at the center, including threats to dispatchers over the phone, strange vehicles in the parking lot and people trying to get into the locked building. She said the cameras haven’t been replaced since the building was constructed.

Last night, the County Council approved the transfer of $13,900 to purchase the new camera equipment.

Marsh Supermarkets in Columbus and Greensburg have found a buyer.

Bankruptcy court documents released yesterday indicate that those stores will be part of a $8 million dollar deal to purchase 15 stores in Ohio and Indiana. Those would be acquired by Findlay, Ohio- based Generative Growth II.

Generative Grow II is the parent company of is the parent company of Fresh Encounters, Great Scot, Community Markets, and Sack n’ Save grocery stores.

Kroger subsidiary Topvalco, Inc. will buy 11 stores, including two stores each in Indy and Zionsville. That would be a $16 million dollar purchase.

Marsh still needs to find owners for 18 stores.

However, our news-gathering partners at Network Indiana are reporting this morning that CVS Pharmacies filed an objection Tuesday to the purchase plans. When Marsh grocery stores made a deal for CVS to buy all of their pharmacies in April, the two companies agreed that if Marsh had a buyer, the new owner could not operate pharmacies in the stores for five years.

CVS wants to stop the sale for three weeks so that lawyers can look the deal over for any possible solutions. If pharmacies were allowed to open in the stores, it would mean competition for the CVS locations that have already begun to take over the business from the closed pharmacies.

An annual fundraiser to help area children with disabilities brought in nearly $19,000. Tom Harpring, director of communications at Developmental Services, Inc., says that last week’s DSI Golf Classic raised $18,900. The outing, which recently completed its 32nd year, was held June 7th at Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus.

Harpring says that Team Mancinos, made up of Columbus residents David Gregory and Damon Gregory, along with Todd Weatherwax, of Greensburg and Daniel Fix, of Osgood, shot a 19-under-par 53 to win the scramble.

DSI officials say that since the first installment of this fundraiser in 1985, the DSI Golf Classic has raised nearly $440,000 for DSI’s Children’s Service. That is the organization that provides therapies for infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities, as well as support and education for families.

You have the opportunity to help area youths receive a “hands-on” learning experience in skills they’ll need for the future. Nathan Larrison is the director of the Boys & Girls Club of Columbus.

Larrison says the space will benefit area youths for years to come.

Larrison says they need $38,000. The good news is that, thanks to a matching grant, the Boys & Girls Club only needs to raise $19,000. For more information on how you can help, visit FoundationForYouth.com or the FFY’s Facebook page.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is looking for your help finding a suspect in a credit-card fraud case.

Deputies have released photos of a woman at a Cork Liquors and Kroger in Columbus, who they say is suspected of credit card-fraud. They also have a photo of a male driving in a Chevy Suburban or Yukon that they believe is related to the case.

If you have any information, you can contact Detective Sgt. Chad Swank at 812-565-5925. Or you can e-mail: cswank@bartholomew.in.gov.

You can also call the sheriff’s department tip line at 812-379-1740. Tips and information can be left anonymously.

A Columbus man was towing his boat in Franklin County Sunday afternoon, when a motorcyclist veered into his path, leading to the biker’s death.

Indiana State Police are reporting that 53-year-old Robert J. Tillison of Milroy was driving his bike west on U.S. 52 at about 4:45 p.m. Sunday, when he crossed into the path of the pickup driven by 26-year-old Ethan T. Hill of Columbus.

Tillison was thrown from the motorcycle and pronounced dead at the scene by the Franklin County Coroner’s office. Hill was uninjured.

The accident remains under investigation.