The former site of the St. Bartholomew Catholic Church and surrounding area has been designated an economic development target area. The Columbus City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance unanimously at it’s meeting Wednesday night.

The site, in the 700 block of Sycamore Street, had been targeted for affordable-housing units on at least two occasions. However, developers were unable to obtain the state tax credits necessary to make the projects financially feasible. That, according Robin Hilber, programs coordinator with the city’s office of community development.

Documents provided to the city indicate that Rubicon Development Group is planning a nearly $9.3 million investment to renovate the church building and develop apartments and townhomes. Developers say approximately 60 market-based rate apartment units are expected to be developed. That includes 54 units in newly-constructed buildings, as well as six units in the former church building. Six townhomes would also be developed for purchase.

Second reading of the ordinance is set for May 21st.

Two people were hurt in a Tuesday evening crash on I-65 Southbound near the 47 mile marker in Jackson County.

Indiana State Police investigators say that an SUV driven by Daniel L. Stone, 37, of Seymour, was traveling southbound on I-65 when, for an unknown reason, Stone’s vehicle left the right side of the roadway. After leaving the road, the SUV struck the New Farmington Road overpass. Stone’s vehicle overturned and came to rest in the left lane of Southbound I-65.

Authorities say that Stone sustained serious injuries in the crash. He was transported to Scott County Memorial Hospital before being transferred to the University of Louisville Hospital.

A passenger, Tiffany Stone, 35, also of Seymour, was initially entrapped in the vehicle and had to be extricated by emergency personnel. She was then flown from the scene to University of Louisville Hospital with serious injuries.

I-65 Southbound was shut down for approximately two hours for crash investigation and cleanup.

The investigation is ongoing.

Seymour Mayor Craig Luedeman’s office says that traffic on Freeman Avenue will be impacted next week. A contractor will be performing sewer work in the area beginning Monday, May 13th. Work is scheduled to begin at Walnut Street and continue east. The work is expected to be completed by late June.

Officials say that Freeman Avenue will be closed one lane, block by block, as work progresses with no through traffic. However, residents will have access to their homes, and school buses and trash trucks will be allowed to pass.

The Southern Indiana Center for the Arts in Jackson County has announced that Sean Hildreth will be its next Executive Director. Hildreth is set to lead the center as it works toward the goal of finding the resources to best promote artistic achievement and cultural enrichment in the region.

The Jackson County Visitor Center says that Hildreth, a Seymour native, brings over 15 years of experience in programming, fundraising, and non-profit management. A graduate of Butler University, Hildreth moved back to Seymour to to go to work as the Resource Development Director at Jackson County United Way.

“Sean’s visionary leadership in the community, dedication to supporting the community through his work and civic engagement, and his well-known track record of attracting supporters and developing fundraising campaigns made him a tailor-made choice to lead SICA now,” said Eric DiBlasi Jr., SICA Board Co-President.

Hildreth will assume the directorship of SICA on May 20th.

Three new officers have joined the Columbus Police Department. The officers were sworn in by by Mayor Jim Lienhoop during Wednesday’s Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.

They are:

– Zachary Tingle, 23, from Madison. Tingle has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Informatics from Indiana University. He graduated from the Indiana University Police Academy in 2018.

Jacqueline Recarte, 24, grew up in West Lafayette. Recarte graduated from Indiana University where she majored in Sociology with a minor in Spanish. She graduated from the Indiana University Police Academy in 2018.

Caleb Gramman, 22, from Brookville. Gramman has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Leadership Studies from Ball State. He has also served as a member of the Indiana National Guard since 2017.

Department officials say that all three officers will immediately begin three weeks of training and orientation at the Columbus Police Department. After that, Officers Tingle and Recarte are slated to begin the CPD field training program while Officer Gramman will attend the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.

North Vernon had one contested primary race. Matt York defeated Annie Payne by 19 votes to win the Democrat Party nomination for the At-Large seat on the city council. He’ll be facing incumbent Republican Jerry Lamb.

Races are set for November as incumbent Mayor Mike Ochs, a Republican, will face Democrat Colleen J. Malone.

In city council district 3, incumbent Democrat Connie Rayburn is facing a challenge from Republican Baron Wilder.

The November Seymour elections will see Republican Matthew Nicholson running against Democrat Rexanne Ude for the mayor’s office.

They were the top vote-getters in their party’s primaries Tuesday. That was an eight way race with five Republican candidates and three Democrats.

The clerk-treasurer’s race will see Republican Darrin Boas running against Democrat Robin Carpenter, who both won their primaries.

Chad Hubbard defeated Joshua Dailey in the Republican primary for the District 3 Council race, while Seth Davidson upset incumbent James Rebber for the Republican District 4 nomination.

Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop has won the Republican primary election over his challenger Glenn Petri 71 to 29 percent.

There is no Democrat signed up for the November general election. Lienhoop faced a similar situation four years ago, where he had an uncontested path to mayor after winning the Republican primary.

In other contested primary races in Columbus tonight, incumbent Dascal Bunch has defeated challenger Chris Rutan by 55-44 in the District 1 Council race, while incumbent Dave Bush has defeated Russell Poling 52-48 in the District 3 council race.

In the three way race for the two nominations for the at-large seats on Columbus City Council. Josh Burnett drew the most votes with 43 percent, followed by incumbent Laurie Booher with 38 percent and John Counceller with 19 percent of the vote.

Incumbent Republicans Frank Miller and Tim Shuffett were in uncontested races today, as was Republican District 2 candidate Jim Hartsook and and Clerk-Treasurer Luann Welmer.

There were no contested Democratic races in today’s primary election. Council candidates Elaine Wagner, Michael Schoumacher, Ross Thomas, Grace Kestler and Tom Dell are all headed to the November election.

Just over 4,000 ballots were cast this election, about 14 percent of the 29 thousand registered voters in Columbus.

Four nurses at Schneck Medical Center in Seymour were honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s mission to “recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day.”

Award recipients are: Heidi Wheatley, Intensive Care Unit; Belinda Bowman, Obstetrics; Romy Trueblood, Emergency Department; and Kaylee Massey, 3 North.

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, an auto-immune disease. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.

“We are proud to be among the healthcare organizations participating in The DAISY Award program. Nurses are heroes every day,” said Amy Pettit, Vice President of Nursing Services and Chief Nursing Officer, Schneck Medical Center. “It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that.”

Purdue Polytechnic Columbus will honor its graduating students Wednesday, May 8th at the Columbus Learning Center.

Organizers say that festivities begin at 4:30 p.m. with a pre-commencement celebration. Weather permitting, the Boilermaker Special will be on-hand to give rides to graduates and their families. Commencement begins at 6 p.m.

Students will receive their Bachelor’s degrees in various areas of study, including mechanical engineering technology, computer information technology and robotics engineering technology. School officials say the three students receiving degrees in Robotics Engineering Technology will be the first to receive this degree at Purdue Polytechnic Columbus.

Purdue Polytechnic Columbus – Class of 2019:

COMPUTER AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
Isaiah Lee Bowman, Indianapolis
Aaron P. Jones, Columbus
Nathan Michael Lewis, Columbus*
Raul Luciano Mulato, Shelbyville

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
Christina Marie Douglass, Shelbyville*
Tobi Levi Ferguson, Nineveh
Matthew Lowry Scott, Columbus
Scott Ryan Stuck, Columbus

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
Samuel B. Ayres, Brownstown
Dayne Robert Causey, Needham
Tyler J. Combs, Columbus
Jeremy Scott Fishback, Batesville**
Charles Albert Hendershot, Bargersville
Aubree P. Hilderbrand, Columbus
Levi Dean Johnson, Columbus
Taylor Leslie Johnson, Aurora
Adam Joseph Kurtz, Columbus
Shelby Lynn Kushner, Columbus
Uriel Martin Lopez, Columbus
Leonardo Lua Mendoza, Shelbyville
Paul Robertson Najmon, Brownstown**
Seth M. Niese, Greensburg
Andrew Rediker, Columbus
Jordan Blake Schoenfelder, Seymour
Robert Francis Sullivan, Hayden
Ericka Elizabeth Vega, Columbus
Tristan Andrew Watkins, Columbus

ROBOTICS ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
Cody Michael Getha, Guilford
David Paul Schroeder, Franklin
Cody J. Speaker, Columbus

*Distinction
**Highest distinction