The North Vernon city pool won’t open this summer. That was the unanimous decision of the North Vernon City Council during its meeting Monday night.

The decision was made as the city continues to examine its options as it relates to the pool. Chad Speer, the city’s director of parks and recreation, explained that the original pool at the city park was fitted with a liner approximately 15 years ago. After the pool was drained last summer, Speer says that an inspection of the liner revealed several cracks and other damage. It will take an estimated $30,000 to repair the liner, which will allow the pool to open for one season. Noting that the pool is already losing money for the city, the parks board voted unanimously last week to recommend not opening pool in 2018.
The city council must now decide on how to proceed. The options include:

Closing the pool permanently;
Replace the entire liner and repair the concrete, extending the life of the pool;
Construct a new pool or water park;
Council members agreed that the issue needs further study.

Early voting kicks off today for the May primary election.

Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps explains that you can now vote at the courthouse.:

Voting  at the courthouse will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. That runs through  noon on May 7th, the Monday before the election. Early voting should move more quickly than it did two years ago, Phelps said.:

Additional early voting satellite locations will open on April 30th at Donner Center, Flintwood Wesleyan Church and at Main Source Bank on Jonathan Moore Pike. Those will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Phelps explains what you need to bring with you to vote early:

The primary election is May 8th and local contested races include the Bartholomew County Sheriff, seats on the County Council and for the statehouse.

For more on early voting, you can go to the county clerk’s website.

Three candidates are vying for the Republican nomination for Bartholomew County Sheriff in the May 8th primary election — incumbent sheriff Matt Myers is facing retired deputy Rob Kittle and retired state trooper Tami Watson.

White River Broadcasting News Director John Clark asked the candidates “What needs to change to improve the safety of the residents of the community and the security of their property?”

Myers said it is all about building better relationships between the community and deputies

Kittle said that it requires more manpower.

Watson said people need to be more engaged in their commmunities.

Improvements on a stretch of U.S. Highway 50 between Jackson County and Jennings County are set to begin next month. Indiana Department of Transportation officials met Monday afternoon with contractor representatives to discuss plans for repairing and repaving 8.3 miles of the road between U.S. 31 at Seymour and the U.S. 50 North Vernon bypass.

INDOT officials say that Dave O’Mara, INDOT’s contractor, will begin patching operations in early May. The contract’s completion date is September 30th. INDOT says this $1.9 million project calls for the milling and replacing pavement after completing full and partial-depth patching. Road and drive approaches will be paved and a sinusoidal wave will function along the center-line to warn drivers of cross-lane hazards.

The U.S. 50 resurfacing project is set to end just west of this summer’s roundabout construction at the U.S. 50/Walnut Street-County Road 400 West interchange, two miles west of North Vernon.

A guest speaker with real-world experience as it relates to drug addiction will be speaking at Wednesday night’s meeting of the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County. David Sheff is an author who wrote books about his family’s experiences as his son, Nic, struggled with drug addiction. Sheff says his family’s story mirrors that of many others.

Sheff says that addiction robs not from only the addict, but the addict’s familiy and friends as well.

As a parent, Sheff says he was focused on the usual things for his children in the hopes that they would have good lives.

Sheff says that it’s easy to be overwhelmed, but there is plenty of room for hope.

Wednesday night’s ASAP’s meeting will be held in the cafeteria at Columbus North High School beginning at 6:30 p.m. It’s free and you’re invited. For more on the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County, visit asapbc.org.

A local woman was arrested early Friday morning after a foot chase on the east side of Columbus. Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus Police Department, says that at approximately 2:30 a.m., Officer Skylar Berry saw 39-year-old Penny N. Leonard, of Columbus, exiting a gas station in the 400 block of Gladstone Avenue. Leonard, who was wanted on a Marion County warrant, allegedly ran away with Officer Berry pursuing on foot. Leonard was eventually caught near CSA Fodrea School. Police reported finding three syringes, drug paraphernalia and heroin while searching Leonard’s purse. In addition to the warrant, Leonard is facing preliminary charges of:

Possession of Heroin (within 500 feet of a school) – Level 5 Felony;
Possession of a Legend Drug Injection Device (prior conviction) – Level 5 Felony;
Resisting Law Enforcement – Class A Misdemeanor;
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – Class C Misdemeanor

Columbus police recovered a stolen car Friday morning, and found the suspect accused of stealing it, sleeping inside.

19-year-old David A. Compton of Columbus is facing preliminary charges of auto theft and unlawful entry of a vehicle.

According to police reports, police were called to a report of a suspicious vehicle beside a home on Werner Avenue at about 10:15 a.m. Friday morning and discovered the car, which had been reported stolen on Thursday. They also found Compton sleeping inside.

A search of the car also revealed packages inside that had been reported stolen. Those were returned to the rightful owner, police report.

A wanted man was found to be carrying a handgun and hundreds of dollars in cash after he was arrested Friday outside of a Columbus store.

Columbus police saw 22 year old Eloy Salinas Jr. walking out of a store on Whitfield Drive at about 9:45 p.m.  Friday evening, according to police reports. After confirming that he was wanted on two outstanding warrants, police took Salinas Jr. into custody. A search revealed a loaded 9mm pistol hidden in his waistband. And he was carrying more than $1,700 in cash, digital scales and methamphetamine, says Lt. Matt Harris with the Columbus police.

In addition to the two outstanding Bartholomew County warrants, Salinas Jr. is now facing new charges of possession of methamphetamine and a firearm by a serious violent felon.

Bartholomew County voters have a three-way decision to make for the Republican candidate for sheriff in the primary election coming up on May 8th. Incumbent Sheriff Matt Myers is being challenged by retired deputy Rob Kittle, a former city and county councilman, and Tami Watson, a retired state trooper and shooting instructor.

White River Broadcasting News Director John Clark asked the candidates to talk about the finances of the sheriff’s department, specifically if the department is funded adequately, if there are unmet needs or if there are areas of waste.

Sheriff Matt Myers said that sheriff’s department has held the line for years, but there are new needs:

Watson explained that there is always more you can do in law enforcement, but she is concerned about the sudden increases in funding for the department:

Kittle said that he spent time on the other side of the budget issue:

No Democrats have filed to run for sheriff.