Bartholomew County REMC has announced planned power outages on May 14th and May 16th in the Waymansville area.

The REMC says those affected will be located south and west of Mt. Healthy Elementary School. This will affect the areas of Lutheran Lake and Hillview Subdivision and other homes in the Waymansville area located west of State Road 58 and south to the Jackson County line. Members who will be out of power will receive a phone notification.

Officials say they must shut off power to make upgrades to the transmission line to prevent future safety and reliability issues. There will be two separate planned outages to complete this work. They are:

The first outage will occur on Tuesday, May 14th from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The second outage will occur on Thursday, May 16th from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The Bartholomew County REMC has supplied the attached map. The red areas on the map shows those that will be affected.

Two people suffered minor injuries in a Thursday night crash that closed southbound I-65 for nearly two hours.

Indiana State Police responded to the scene near the 54 mile marker in Jackson County shortly after 11 p.m. Investigators believe that a semi and trailer driven by James Radford, 32, Stamps, AR was traveling southbound in the right lane of I-65, just south of exit 55. Authorities say that a Mercedes, driven by Armajeet Luthra, 72, Louisville, was traveling on the right shoulder of the interstate, trying to pass the semi.

Both vehicles then entered an area of the construction zone where the lanes shift to the right, eliminating the shoulder. Radford’s trailer collided with Luthra’s vehicle, pinning it against the concrete barrier. Luthra was trapped in the vehicle until emergency personnel freed him. He was taken to Schneck Medical Center for minor injuries. Radford was not injured.

ISP say that no citations have been issued at this time, adding that the investigation is ongoing. No alcohol or drugs are suspected as being factors in the crash.

Columbus police are continuing to search for a young man missing since last May 3rd.

22-year-old Timothy Duckworth of Columbus was last seen at Ceraland Park. His abandoned vehicle was found Saturday, May 4th, at the park.

Authorities searched that area Friday evening, Saturday, and again Tuesday, without locating Duckworth.

Lt. Matt Harris says that foul play can not be ruled out.

If you have seen, heard from, or had any contact with Timothy Duckworth since the evening of May 3, or have any information regarding his whereabouts you are urged to contact the Columbus Police Department at (812) 376-2600.

Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. buses are the first in the state to get new features meant to protect students.

The school district showed off the new safety features yesterday. Karen Wetherald, transportation director for BCSC, explains some of the new equipment.

Those safety features include a collision avoidance system, 360 degree cameras and a computerized stability system that will slow and level buses to keep them from rolling over in a high-speed turn.

The anti-collision equipment uses a camera and computer to scan travel lanes, other vehicles and road signs to provide warnings of upcoming dangers. The 360-degree camera system, with cameras mounted high atop the buses give a seamless view of the area surrounding the bus. The camera view is displayed in the same area as the bus’ rear-view mirror.

The new Thomas Built Buses each costs about $118,000, with less than $5,000 of that amount coming from the new safety features, school officials said. This year, BCSC added eight new buses to its fleet, all equipped with the safety features. Wetherald said that if the features work as well as expected, the district will continue to have the new safety features installed as part of future bus purchases.

School officials say that more than half of the district’s school buses are now equipped with seatbelts, or 76 of the district’s 131 buses. Wetherald said it was determined not to be financially feasible to retrofit older buses with seat belts, but all new buses going forward will have the equipment.

Clifford Zehr, the president of Kerlin Bus Sales and Leasing of Silver Lake said that BCSC is the first district in the state to order buses with the new features. Because of that, the schools got special pricing for the pilot program.

Students will first be transported on the new buses this fall.

The Columbus City Council on Wednesday heard a presentation from Emergency 911 Center Director Todd Noblitt proposing the hiring of six new dispatchers. He noted that he currently has 24 dispatchers, a number that has been largely unchanged, since 2002. Noblitt noted that during this same period, emergency calls went up approximately 58 percent.

Noblitt’s proposal includes two hires this July, two in January of 2020 and the final pair in July of 2020. Under an interlocal agreement between the city and the county, Columbus will pay for 55 percent of these costs, while the county will cover the remaining 45 percent.

Council took no action. The Bartholomew County Council is scheduled to take up the matter at it’s meeting on Tuesday, May 14th. The city council is likely to hold a similar vote the following week. Both bodies would need to agree on the proposal before any hiring can take place.

A new scholarship has been announced. The African American Fund of Bartholomew County, in conjunction with IUPUC, has created a scholarship fund that will provide a student with $1,000 per year for four years to attend IUPUC. The student must be African American, must reside in Bartholomew County, and must be an incoming freshman to IUPUC.

“I am pleased that the African American Fund of Bartholomew County and IUPUC are partnering to establish a program to provide financial and advisory support to Bartholomew County African American students who attend IUPUC,” said Tom Harmon, President, African American Fund of Bartholomew County.

Organizers say the first scholarship is to be awarded for the 2019-2020 academic year. Each year, an additional scholarship will be added for a newly enrolled student, and existing students will be able to renew their scholarship for a total of four years, for a total of $4,000. In addition to the financial aid, students will have the opportunity to be mentored by local community leaders.

“The goal of the program is to help reduce the financial barrier for college attendance and to encourage local students to pursue and earn a college degree where they can receive both financial and non-financial support,” said Harmon.

For more information on scholarship requirements , visit iupuc.edu/aafbc-scholarship. Applications are due by June 1st, 2019.

A one-vehicle crash on US 31 in Jackson County claimed the life of a Seymour woman.

Indiana State Police were called to the scene just before 10 a.m. Thursday. Authorities say the initial investigation indicated that a vehicle driven by Debra J. Wetzel, 61, was southbound on US 31, just south of County Road 700 North. For an unknown reason, Wetzel’s vehicle left the west side of the roadway, then crossed back across both lanes before leaving the east side of the road. After leaving the roadway, Wetzel’s vehicle struck a tree before finally coming to a stop.

Authorities say that Wetzel was transported to Schneck Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

The investigation determined that Wetzel was not wearing a seatbelt.

The investigation is ongoing. State Police say that toxicology results are pending, but neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected as being factors in the crash.

A wanted Columbus man was arrested Tuesday evening after running from deputies, according to police reports.

A Bartholomew County sheriff’s deputy noticed 39-year-old Travis Lay driving a vehicle in the 8000 block of North Devonshire Road at about 6 p.m. Tuesday evening and recognized that Lay was wanted on an outstanding Bartholomew County warrant.

Lay allegedly got out of his vehicle and ran behind homes in the neighborhood, leading deputies on a chase through several back yards before finally being taken into custody.

In addition to the outstanding warrant, he is facing new charges of resisting law enforcement and driving while suspended.

A man is under arrest on burglary charges after a witness noticed the suspect opening car doors in the Shadow Creek subdivision in Columbus.

29-year-old Brent A. Roach of Columbus is facing charges of burglary, unlawful entry into a vehicle and public intoxication in the incident.

The witness noticed a man get into a vehicle on Middle View Drive at about 11:40 p.m. Wednesday night, then use a garage door opener to enter a home. Shortly afterward, he allegedly rode off on a bicycle while carrying an item.

Police stopped the man, identified as Roach, on Parkview Drive and saw him throw an item into the grass. The item turned out to be a cordless drill stolen from the home, along with the bicycle, police say.

Columbus police are urging all residents to remove any valuable items from your vehicle, and to make sure to lock your car doors and to report any suspicious activity by calling the dispatch center at 812-379-1689.

Authorities are warning of a scam targeting members of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce.

According to Columbus police, callers are trying to get businesses to buy ads for school athletic schedules supposedly for Columbus East High School teams.

Columbus police say that the sellers are not affiliated with the local schools and have not contacted the school to gain permission for such sales. There have been reports from around the country about the group targeting Chamber members in other communities with similar sketchy proposals.

Police say that if you have questions about the legitimacy of fundraising efforts for our schools, you should contact the schools directly before making a donation or purchase.