The Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center, a not-for-profit group resource center for those that live in downtown Columbus, will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary on June 8th. Spokeswoman Diane Doup says that the organization is recognizing many of those who’ve helped the organization grow.
Doup encourages you to visit the LCNFC’s Facebook page.
Doup says those featured in the 25 recognitions have contributed to the creation, growth and the present of what the Lincoln-Center Neighborhood Family Center has become.
Lonnie Ball; Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Dept.
An Indianapolis man is behind bars after a traffic stop in Bartholomew County. Just before 1 a.m. Tuesday, a Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputy saw a vehicle traveling without headlights on and initiated a traffic stop near the intersection of U.S. 31 and I-65.
The driver, Lonnie Ball, 50, was found to be driving with a suspended license. After Ball was taken to the Bartholomew County Jail, the deputy who transported him reported finding methamphetamine where Ball had been seated in the back of his vehicle.
Ball is facing preliminary charges of:
– Obstruction of Justice
– Possession of Methamphetamine
– Driving while Suspended with a Prior Conviction
The Indiana Department of Transportation is hosting a public open house tonight in Columbus to get your thoughts on state transportation plans.
The agency is looking for input on the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. STIP is a federally mandated four-year funding and scheduling document for surface transportation projects in Indiana.
Project types involving pavement and bridge facilities, projects addressing safety, congestion, mobility and emergency response can be found in the STIP. In addition, this document includes investment in various modes of transportation including transit, pedestrian trails, and bicycle facilities.
During the open house, INDOT team members will be available to address questions and solicit input related to a variety of topics.
The Columbus open house is being held from 5 to 7 p.m. at Columbus East High School.
Bartholomew County is expanding the area in the northwestern corner of the county that can take advantage of redevelopment tools to lure new businesses to the area.
The County Commissioners, along with the county and Edinburgh plan commissions, signed off on a plan yesterday to dramatically increase the size of the tax increment financing district in what is being called the northern gateway to the county.
County Commissioner Carl Lienhoop explains that the previously existing TIF has been about 240 acres, but the new expansion will take that to about 1,200 acres.
The original TIF area, established four years ago, is between U.S. 31 and Interstate 65, along County Road 800N. This expansion adds property to the north and south of that area.
He said that local officials hope more acreage available in the TIF district will increase the chances of development in the area.
The county redevelopment commission can issue bonds to pay for improvements in a TIF district, and then use rising property tax revenues to pay off those bonds.
The down side is that those increasing tax revenues do not go to other taxing units, siphoning off money that would go to schools, the library, townships and county government.
The county redevelopment commission must hold another public hearing on the proposal before it becomes official. The date for that meeting has not yet been set.
Illustration courtesy of Columbus/Bartholomew County Planning Department
Bartholomew Consolidated Schools are looking at issuing a $4.7 million dollar bond to improve energy efficiency in schools throughout the district.
Brett Boezeman, director of operations for the school district, said that the annual cost savings could approach half a million dollars. He made a presentation to the school board this week.
The biggest single expense would be replacing existing lighting throughout the school district with LED lighting, at a cost of about $1.7 million dollars.
District studies show that the administration building is the least energy efficient building in the district. However it is a relatively small building, Boezeman said.
The biggest cost savings would come from tackling problems at Northside Middle School. That could include solar panels and climate controls for the school.
The bond issue will be up for a hearing at the June school board meeting.
A Seymour man died after a crash on Interstate 65 yesterday afternoon near Uniontown.
72-year-old Randall F. Carr was pronounced dead by the Jackson County coroner’s office after the crash at just before 5 p.m. yesterday near the 40 mile marker.
State Police investigators say that Carr was driving southbound when his pickup left the west side of the road, struck an embankment and flipped over, landing in a field.
Bartholomew County United Way recently closed its 2-1-1 Center, but that shouldn’t affect those who rely on the service. That’s from Alicia Monroe director of the former center.
Monroe explained that the calls that would have come in to Bartholomew County are being picked up by other centers. According to the United Way, In 2017, 2-1-1 answered over 17,000 calls for help and made over 34,000 referrals to human service assistance.
The local closure resulted in four people losing their jobs. Monroe says that two of them have found employment elsewhere.
2-1-1 is a free and confidential phone service that helps residents across the state find resources and referrals. The service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
A request from the Bartholomew County Health Department for an additional appropriation to make a part-time nurse a full-time position made no traction at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Bartholomew County Council.
The department requested $25,328 to cover the additional costs that would be incurred for this year by making the change. Health department staff point to a marked increase over the past three years in HIV testing and STD investigations as a major reason for the request. Council members agree that the need may be real, but now is not the time to request a new full-time position. Councilman Mark Gorbett explains.
The request for an additional appropriation failed to garner a motion at Tuesday night’s meeting. Gorbett says the council needs more data.
Council members say that, as of now, they are anticipating that department heads will be asking for 11 new positions across government. They stress that there is no way the county can afford each request, as they would cost an additional $700,000 to $1 million annually.
Gorbett says that work on next year’s budget begins in earnest in late July or early August.
Columbus Police are investigating after a body was found in a lake at CERAland Park Tuesday morning. Authorities say that officers were notified at approximately 11:20 a.m., that a person was seen floating in a lake.
Authorities say that the adult body has not yet been identified. The Bartholomew County Death Investigation Team is conducting the investigation. The team is made up of CPD, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, the Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office, and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office.
Investigators are trying to determine if the body belongs to a local man who’s been missing since early this month. Timothy Duckworth, 22, was last seen inside Ceraland in the early morning hours of May 4th.
Indiana State Police issued a silver alert for Duckworth. He is described as a white male standing 5’8″ tall with brown hair and brown eyes.
We will have more details as they become available.
Bartholomew Consolidated schools said goodbye to 47 retiring staff members last night — a group who has collectively given more than 1,200 years of service to the students in the school district.
Superintendent Jim Roberts says that shows incredible dedication to the students of Bartholomew County.
He praised the skills of the teachers and staff that are departing the school district.
Among the retiring staff recognized Monday night, with the most years of service were Jim Darnell, a Rockcreek Elementary counselor with 50 years, bus driver Nancy Mahoney with 46 years, Terri Bord, a second grade teacher at Taylorsville with 42 and a half years. Those with 41 years included bus driver Anthony Harden, Columbus North music instructor Bill Stultz and North PE teacher Debbie Riga. And Kay Gorday, a Columbus East health science and nursing instructor, is retiring after 40 years.
Roberts talked about the significance of so many staff members putting in more than 40 years of service.
Roberts said that BCSC staff have already started working to replace those critical staff members. He said it has become common to see about a 10 percent turnover each year in the teaching staff.
