Tony D Shuffitt Jr.; photo courtesy of Columbus Police Dept.
A wanted man was arrested Sunday afternoon after he allegedly tried to from Columbus Police during a traffic stop. Shortly before 2 p.m., officers stopped a vehicle in the 2000 block of Central Avenue driven by Tony D. Shuffitt Jr., 29, of Columbus. The officers confirmed Shuffitt was wanted and asked him to step out of his vehicle. After exiting his vehicle, police say Shuffitt fled on foot.
Officers pursued Shuffitt on foot as he jumped several fences in the 2100 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. He was apprehended in the backyard of a nearby residence a short time later. In addition to the warrant, Shuffitt is facing new preliminary charges of Resisting Law Enforcement and Possession of a Controlled Substance.
Columbus voters will be choosing today between the two Republicans running for the city’s mayor — incumbent mayor Jim Lienhoop and his challenger Glenn Petri.
There is currently no Democratic opponent for the fall election, meaning whoever wins today is likely going to be the mayor, come next January. Lienhoop faced a similar situation four years ago, when he defeated incumbent Kristen Brown during the primary election, and ran unopposed in the fall.
We asked the candidates for any final thoughts on the campaign and their run for election.
Mayor Jim Lienhoop:
Glenn Petri:
Republicans will also be choosing fall candidates in three Columbus City Council races. In District 1, incumbent Dascal Bunch is running against Chris Rutan. Incumbent Dave Bush is running against Russell Poling in District 3. And in the at-large races, Councilwoman Laurie Booher is running against challengers John Counceller and Josh Burnett for the two spots on the November ballot.
There are no contested Democratic primaries in Columbus today.
The polls are open until 6 tonight. There are eight vote centers in the city today, and you can cast your ballot at any of them. They are:
Flintwood Wesleyan Church
St. John’s Masonic Lodge on Rocky Ford Rd
Grace Lutheran Church on Central Ave.
Donner Center
Bible Church of Columbus on Tenth Street
The Commons
German American Bank on W. Jonathan Moore Pike
Terrace Lake Church
We’ll have live election coverage once polls close tonight on News Talk 1010 WCSI and 98-1 FM.
Republicans on the ballot today in Columbus:
Mayor: Jim Lienhoop, Glenn Petri
Clerk-Treasurer: Luann Welmer
Council District 1: Dascal Bunch, Chris Rutan
Council District 2: Jim Hartsook
Council District 3: Dave Bush, Russell Poling
Council District 4: Frank Miller
Council District 5: Tim Shuffett
Council at-large: Laurier Booher, John Counceller, Josh Burnett
Democrats on the ballot today in Columbus:
Mayor: None
Clerk-Treasurer: None
Council District 1: None
Council District 2: Elaine Wagner
Council District 3: Nancy Hoover (although she is pulling out of the fall race)
In North Vernon, there will be only one contested primary race in today’s city elections.
That’s between Democrats Matthew York and Annie Payne. The winner in today’s election will face incumbent Republican Jerry Lamb for the At-Large seat on the council.
While not facing a primary challenge, several incumbents are already facing opposition in the November general election:
Republican Mayor Mike Ochs will face Democrat Colleen J. Malone.
Democrat Councilwoman Connie Rayburn is being challenged by Republican Baron Wilder.
Republican District 1 Councilman Jack Kelley, Democrat District 2 Councilman Trent Wisner and Republican District 4 Councilman Brian Hatfield are all running unopposed. Democrat Clerk-Treasurer Shawn Gerkin also has no challengers.
Five Republicans and three Democrats are facing off in Seymour today for a chance to run as mayor on the November ballot.
Republicans will choose between Bridget Jacobi, Thomas Joray, Matthew Nicholson, Nate Otte and Matt Rowe. The Democratic candidates are Tyler Henkle, James Kelly and Rexanne Ude.
Current Mayor Craig Luedeman announced in November that he would not be seeking re-election. He served for three terms.
In the races for clerk-treasurer in Seymour, Republicans Darrin R. Boas, Sarrah Hodapp and Dovie Stidham are running. Robin Carpenter and Kristine Hackman are running on the Democratic side for clerk-treasurer.
Current Clerk-Treasurer Fred Lewis has held that seat since 1991.
Republicans Joshua Dailey and Chad Hubbard are competing for the City Council District 3 seat, while Seth Davidson is challenging incumbent James Rebber for District 4 in the Republican primary.
Polls are open until 6 tonight for the city elections.
A total of six new hires are proposed for the Emergency 911 Center to work as dispatchers, serving Columbus and Bartholomew County. Director Todd Noblitt explained his proposal during Monday night’s work session of the Bartholomew County Council.
Noblitt noted that, according to some metrics, the E-911 center should have 29 to 52 dispatchers. Currently, he has 24. In addition, Noblitt notes that the same number of dispatchers have seen a 52 percent increase in calls.
Noblitt’s hiring proposal includes two hires this July, two in January of 2020 and the final pair in July of 2020. He explains that these hires will allow him to have one dispatch position covered year-round. Estimated costs, including salaries and benefits for these new hires, would be $73,000 for this year and approximately $378,000 in 2020. Under an inter-local 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.
County council took no action, but Noblitt is scheduled to give a similar presentation to the Columbus City Council on Wednesday for a vote. County council is scheduled to take up the matter at it’s meeting next week. Both bodies would need to agree on the proposal before any hiring can take place.
Early vote totals for Tuesday’s primary for Columbus city elections are low. Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps says that approximately 1,261 absentee ballots have been cast. Based on these totals, Phelps says he anticipates around 10 percent of eligible voters will have cast ballots by the end of voting Tuesday.
For Election Day, the following vote center locations will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.:
Flintwood Wesleyan Church
St. John’s Masonic Lodge on Rocky Ford Rd
Grace Lutheran Church on Central Ave.
Donner Center
Bible Church of Columbus on Tenth Street
The Commons
German American Bank on W. Jonathan Moore Pike
Terrace Lake Church
We’ll have live election coverage, once polls close, on News Talk 1010 WCSI and 98.1 FM.
A cut water main has led to some Southwestern Bartholomew Water Corp. customers in Brown County losing service. Officials say that a contractor accidentally cut the line at about 9 a.m. Monday.
Affected customers are on West State Road 46 in the Stoney Lonesome area. Some customers on Georgetown Road, Baker Hollow Road and in the Bethany area are also impacted.
A Boil Water Advisory will be in effect for these customers once service is restored. The advisory is in effect until 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 9th. Customers should bring water to a full boil for five minutes before consumption or use in cooking and food preparation.
Ivy Tech Community College Columbus will be hosting an information session next week about the Cyber Academy at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center.
The session is set for Thursday, May 16th from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Columbus Learning Center on Central Ave.
The Ivy Tech Columbus Cyber Academy is an 11-month program housed at the Indiana National Guard facility in Jennings County. Students attend class each week day to complete the intensive program toward an associate degree in cyber security and nationally recognized certifications.
The information session will offer an opportunity to learn about the Cyber Academy and talk to instructors and current students.
Timothy Duckworth. Photo courtesy of Columbus Police Department.
Columbus police say that a weekend Silver Alert remains in effect for a missing local man.
The Columbus Police Department and the Bartholomew County Sheriffs Department are looking for 22-year-old Timothy Duckworth, who is believed to be in danger and may require medical assistance.
He is a white male; five foot eight inches; one hundred twenty pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen in the area of Ceraland Park on South County Road 525 East on Friday morning. He was possibly walking in the area.
A Silver Alert was declared Saturday evening by Indiana State Police.
If anyone has information on Timothy Duckworth, you should call 911.
The Columbus Area Arts Council will be holding its 2019 annual meeting, starting at 430 p.m. today at the IU J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program building in downtown Columbus. That’s the former Republic Building on Second Street.
A reception with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra will be followed by remarks from officials and a presentation of “Community Studio at 411” .
