The Bartholomew County Emergency Management Agency says that you need to be careful about where you’re driving. Authorities say that County Road 225 North between Newbern Road and State Road 9 and South Gladstone Avenue south of the bridge is closed. In addition, the gates at County Road 400 North are closed.

High water is on:

South Gladstone Avenue (south of the bridge);
County Road 620 North (east of the bridge);
County Road 800 North (west of CR 100W);
County Road 400 West (between CR 200S and CR 250S);
County Road 450 North (east of CR 225E and Tally Road);
Newbern Road (north of the bridge);
County Road 850 S (at CR 400W);
County Road 930 S (between CR 300W and CR 400W);
Rockyford Road west of Marr Road;
Tellman Camp Road; County Road 600 East and CR 850S;
County Road 100 West between CR 650S and 700S

Authorities urge you to never try to drive through water. Turn around. Don’t drown.

The Bartholomew County Emergency Management Agency says that you need to be careful about where you’re driving. Authorities say that County Road 225 North between Newbern Road and State Road 9 is closed. In addition the gates at County Road 400 North are closed.

High water is on:

South Gladstone Avenue (south of the bridge);
County Road 620 North (east of the bridge);
County Road 800 North (west of CR 100W);
County Road 400 West (between CR 200S and CR 250S);
County Road 450 North (east of CR 225E and Tally Road);
Newbern Road (north of the bridge);
County Road 850 S (at CR 400W);
County Road 930 S (between CR 300W and CR 400W);
Rockyford Rd west of Marr Road;
Tellman Camp Road

Authorities urge you to never try to drive through water. Turn around. Don’t drown.

The Bartholomew County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team arrested six people yesterday afternoon on drug-related charges as part of the task force’s continuing investigation into local drug dealing.

The joint team served a search warrant at a home on Reo Street yesterday and with the assistance  f the Columbus Police Department’s Intelligence Led Policing Unit and uniformed officers, made five of the arrests.

Police allegedly found marijuana, methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia including syringes, corner cut bags, smoking pipes and digital scale at the home. One syringe contained a mix of methamphetamine and fentanyl according to police.

41-year-old Amie J. Sparks of Indianapolis is facing three preliminary charges of dealing methamphetamine as well as possession of methamphetamine, a syringe and drug paraphernalia, as well as maintaining a common nuisance.

Others arrested include:

• Jeremy T. Calhoun, 27, Columbus; Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of a Syringe, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Maintaining a Common Nuisance.
• Vicky S. Leonard, 57, Columbus; Possession of Methamphetamine; Visiting a Common Nuisance
• Erica P. Cowan, 20, Columbus; Maintaining a Common Nuisance
• Rana L. Franklin, 53, Columbus; Visiting a Common Nuisance

Sheriff’s deputies also arrested 26-year-old Miriam J. Alamo, of Columbus at a separate location.  She had an outstanding Bartholomew County Warrant  on one count of dealing methamphetamine.

Police say the investigation continues.

The Bartholomew County 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. They are targeting the manufacturing and abuse of dangerous drugs in Columbus and Bartholomew County.

The Columbus City Council is expected to give its final approval to an ordinance updating the city’s policies on taxicabs. Mary Ferdon is the city’s director of administration…

Ferdon says the changes include allowing vehicles to have magnets marking them as taxis instead of requiring paint jobs and removing the requirement for two-way radios in the vehicles, so long as the driver has a way to reach dispatch immediately.

Another big change gives the city’s code enforcement officer the authority to inspect taxis. That responsibility currently falls to the police department…

City Council meets Tuesday at 6 p.m. inside city hall and you are invited.

The Indiana Department of Transportation closed State Road 3 Monday at a bridge in Decatur County between South County Road 700 West and South County Road 800 West. Crews have been contracted to remove the existing structure at Turnover Creek, north of Sardinia. INDOT says that a new single-span concrete beam bridge measuring 76 feet in length will be constructed at the site. At the same time, a nearby concrete culvert will be removed and replaced.

Dave O’Mara is the state’s contractor for this $2.6 million project. INDOT officials add that five other small structures will be replaced under this contract, each requiring a closure of up to 20 days. Those culvert locations are:

• S.R. 3 at Wyaloosing Creek in Decatur County, 16.1 miles north of S.R. 7, north of Westport
• S.R. 3 at Poplar Root Creek in Decatur County, 8.6 miles north of S.R. 7, between CR 1300S and CR 1400S
• S.R. 3 over an unnamed creek tributary in Jennings County, 1.9 miles north of S.R. 7, just north of North Vernon
• S.R. 7 over a tributary to Six Mile Creek in Jennings County, 0.3 miles north of the S.R. 3 junction at North Vernon
• S.R. 3 over an unnamed tributary in Jennings County , 2.6 miles south of the S.R. 7 junction at Vernon

Detour signs route motorists around the State Road 3 closure site. This closure will affect more than 2,600 vehicles per day.

Driving without headlights led to the arrest of a driver Sunday morning and his passenger.

Columbus police report that they pulled over a vehicle driven by 25-year-old Yony De La Cruz-Acosta for the violation at just after midnight Sunday morning at National Road and Hawcreek Boulevard. Acosta did not have a valid driver’s license and appeared to have been drinking.

His blood alcohol level tested at .08 percent and he was arrested on drunk driving charges as well as driving without ever receiving license.

The passenger, 29-year-old Rigoberto Jimenez-Mayo was wanted on a warrant and also arrested.

A vehicle driving without a license plate led to the arrest of two people on drug charges early on Sunday morning according to Columbus police.

The incident started at about 12:10 a.m. in the morning on McKinley Avenue at McClure Road when a Columbus police officer noticed the violation. The driver, 21-year-old Randal Davis of Columbus had a suspended drivers license and he was taken into custody, police report. A search of the vehicle revealed a bag of methamphetamine in a door compartment. A passenger, 22 year old Parker C. Dean Harsh was also taken into custody. Officers found marijuana in his wallet and syringes inside the truck, according to police.

Davis is facing charges of possession of a legend drug injection device and driving while suspended. Harsh is facing charges of possession of methamphetamine, marijuana and an injection device.

A matching grant to fund anti-opiate addiction prevention efforts locally has hit its $1 million dollar goal.

Jeff Jones, executive lead of the Alliance foR Substance Abuse progress in Bartholomew County explains that the community response to the challenge by Mark and Wendy Elwood has been nothing short of outstanding.

Jones said that the Alliance is going through a planning process on exactly how that money will be spent, but it will be aimed largely at addiction prevention efforts among area youth.

The ASAP prevention team has already been working to get the message out through materials prepared for the web, classrooms and churches, but the Elwood grant will take it to the next level, Jones said.

The Elwood family, owners of Elwood staffing, announced the matching grant program in October at the six month community update meeting of ASAP in October.

The Indiana Department of Transportation is warning of lane closures on State Road 46  — Jonathan Moore Pike in Columbus — starting this evening, weather permitting

Contractors will be doing a $1.8 million dollar resurfacing project that will require closing the lanes starting at 9 p.m. in the evening and going through 6 a.m. in the morning, That will be taking place between County Road 350W and State Road 11’s railroad tracks as the crews patch the pavement and fix the curb in the median.

The two westbound Interstate 65 lanes and the northbound Interstate 65 on ramp will be closing this week.

The entire project will last through the summer.

The University Library of Columbus will be holding its second annual Comiccon event on Thursday for fans of comic books and graphic novels.

This year’s event will be twice the size of the first event last year says Bethany Messersmith, director of the Ivy Tech library.

The event will have artists and writers of comic books, comic book stores and the Bartholomew County Public Library showing off its graphic novels collection, plus other activities.

The comic convention will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Columbus Learning Center on Central Avenue and it is free to attend.