The Columbus SWAT team was called out Saturday morning to serve a search warrant at a downtown house suspected of being used for drug dealing.

The investigation found that the home in the 1200 block of California Street had a large number of people visiting and was equipped with motion-activated security cameras. The SWAT team, made up of Columbus officers and Bartholomew County deputies, raided the home at about 4 a.m. Saturday.

The search revealed methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia along with two handguns. Two people were arrested.

25-year-old Jamontrae D. Bennett of Columbus is facing preliminary charges of dealing in cocaine and marijuana, possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, maintaining a common nuisance, possession of marijuana as well as an outstanding Bartholomew County warrant.

26-year-old Paige E. Hawksworth, also of Columbus is accused of dealing in cocaine, possession of drugs including cocaine, methamphetamine, a controlled substance, marijuana as well as drug paraphernalia and maintaining a common nuisance.

An iconic Columbus restaurant could be returning to life as early as next month.

The son of the last owner of Lucas Bros. Sandwich Shop plans a revival of the diner in Fair Oaks Mall. William Broaddus says that he fondly remembers the restaurant operated by his grandmother Donna Cannon, and his mother Cheri Perkins.

William Broaddus says that he still has the original grill used by his grandmother  and his mother. He is even planning to use the same recipes for community favorite dishes such as the onion hamburgers and chili.

City officials are still negotiating with Broadus for the use of the mall space formerly occupied by Special Dogs & More. He said he is attracted to that location because of its retro diner feel and believes the restaurant would be enough of a draw to get people to come back to the mall.

The restaurant operated in Columbus for more than 75 years, opening in the 1930s and closing in 2013 at its final location on State Street.

He hopes to have the restaurant open again by early March.

A Missouri man was arrested by Seymour Police over the weekend on drug-related charges after allegedly fleeing from a traffic stop.

According to police reports, officers saw the Missouri vehicle Saturday evening and suspected it was involved in drug dealing. After seeing the driver make a traffic infraction, police tried to pull the vehicle over, but the driver took off. After stopping briefly at a truck stop, he fled up Interstate 65. The driver crashed near County Road 700N in the construction zone and then allegedly ran into the woods.

Drugs and paraphernalia were found in the vehicle and the driver, 40-year-old Marlo R. James of St. Louis, Missouri was soon caught by police. James was booked into the Jackson County Jail at about 6:52 p.m. Saturday on charges including resisting law enforcement, drug and drug paraphernalia possession, prescription fraud and reckless driving.

Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and Indiana State Police assisted in the investigation.

Correction: A previous version of this story had the date wrong for the first session. It was held Feb. 6th.

The Bartholomew Consolidated School Board gave its approval last month for a property tax hike referendum to address teacher and staff pay. That will appear on the May primary ballot.

Now the school district will begin making its case to the public.

BCSC has scheduled a series of public information sessions on the referendum to give out details and to answer questions from residents.

The referendum would add just over 15 and a half cents per $100 to local property taxes. School officials estimate that the proposal would add $7 dollars and 79 cents a month to the property taxes of the average homeowner in the district. Nearly 87 percent of the new revenue would go to add pay boosts for teachers and support staff, with the remaining 13 percent going to school security measures.

Upcoming public information sessions include:

• Thursday, Feb. 20, 6 p.m.  at Columbus North High School
• Thursday, Feb. 27, 6 p.m.  at Rockcreek Elementary
• Tuesday, March 24, 6 p.m.  at Mt. Healthy Elementary
• Tuesday, March 31, 6 p.m.  M at Central Middle School

You can get more information on the referendum on the BCSC website at bcsc.k12.in.us.

All of the state representatives representing Bartholomew County will be seeing challengers this year. The deadline to file for the May primary election was Friday.

State Rep. Ryan Lauer, of Columbus, who represents the largest portion of Bartholomew County including Columbus is unopposed in the Republican primary for the District 59 seat, while two Democrats Dale Nowlin and Cynthia Wirth are running for a chance to oppose him in the fall.

State Rep. Sean Eberhart of Shelbyville, who represents northeastern Bartholomew County in District 57, has a challenger in the Republican primary: Edward K. Comstock II.

Republican State Rep. Jim Lucas of Seymour who represents southern Bartholomew County in District 69 is unopposed in the primary. Democrat Jeffrey Prewitt will be running against Lucas in the fall.

State Sen. Eric Koch, whose Bedford district includes part of Bartholomew County, is unopposed in the Republican primary or the fall general election.

In Congress, freshman Rep. Greg Pence has a challenger for the Republican primary, Mike Campbell. Three Democrats hope to face the winner of that race, with George Holland, Jeanine Lee Lake and Barry Welsh running in that primary race.

Four candidates will be competing in the Republican primary to replace Judge Kitty Coriden on the bench of Bartholomew Superior Court 2. The filing deadline for the May primary election was noon on Friday.

Several Republican primaries will be crowded, with the four candidates for judge, along with seven running for the three at-large seats on Bartholomew County Council, and three running for County Commissioner in District 3.

The four running for judge will be attorneys Scott  Andrews, Dom Glover, Joe Meek and Jon Rohde.

Three Republicans are running to replace County Commissioner Rick Flohr, who is not seeking re-election. Those are Dan Arnholt, JoAnne Flohr and Tony London.

In the crowded at-large race for Bartholomew County Council, Republican incumbents Bill Lentz, Matt Miller and Evelyn Pence will be joined by Andrew Brunni, Laura DeDomenic, Derick Olson and Bill Read. DeDomenic already holds the District 2 seat on the council, representing most of Columbus and northwestern Bartholomew County, but wanted to run at-large so she could move out of her district.

Bartholomew County Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz, Coroner Clayton Nolting and Surveyor E.R. Gray are all unopposed in their Republican primary races and no Democrats have filed for those or any other of the countywide races.

In Hope, Town Councilman and Democrat Ed Johnson is unopposed for his Ward 1 seat, and Republican Councilman Ohmer Miller has no opponent for the Ward 3 seat. Incumbent Councilwoman Democrat Nellie Meek will be running against Republican Jon Walstad in the fall, but neither will have primary opponents.

Columbus police arrested two people after counterfeit money was found during a traffic stop Thursday evening.

Officers were called to a store on North National Road at about 7 p.m. that night on a report of two people acting suspiciously inside the store. An officer followed the suspects’ vehicle as it left the parking lot and determined that the license plate had been stolen from Noblesville earlier this year.

The two suspects, 34-year-old John M. Sebastian and 29-year-old Tawnee F. Lathrop were taken into custody. A search of the vehicle and the suspects uncovered counterfeit money in the glove compartment and in Lathrop’s purse. Officers also located methamphetamine, a scanner/printer, several printer cartridges, and a paper cutter inside the vehicle.

Lathrop is facing preliminary charges of theft, forgery or counterfeiting and possession of methamphetamine. Sebastian is accused of theft, false informing, forgery or counterfeiting and was also wanted on a Marion County warrant.

The city of Columbus will be having its final public input session next week, to gather your thoughts on the Fair Oaks Mall property.

The project will be a new joint use of the building to be shared by the city parks and recreation department, Columbus Regional Health and commercial establishments. The goal is to move some Columbus Parks and Recreation functions to the mall property, to develop sports and recreation opportunities and to use the facility for community wellness purposes.

The public input session will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday evening in the empty mall storefront across from the former J. Nicole store.

You can find more information on the mall project at reimaginefairoaksmall.com

The annual gala Carvivale fundraiser for kidscommons is coming up Saturday evening with a theme of Monte Carlo Masquerade.

Ben Wagner, executive director of kidscommons explains:

Wagner says that they moved venues this year, and will be hosting the event at The Commons in downtown Columbus.

The event includes live and silent auctions, food prepared by Chef Gethin Thomas of Henry Social Club, dancing and entertainment by the Toy Factory.

Tickets are $80 per person and available in advance on-line at kids commons dot org. Tickets will also be available at the door.

Proceeds will benefit Kidscommons, the children’s museum on Washington Street in downtown Columbus. The museum is a not-for-profit group and does not receive money from city, county, or state funds or taxes.

The 21-and-older event will be held from 7 to 10 at The Commons in downtown Columbus.

Jackson County deputies arrested a man wanted on a warrant, but only after fishing him out of East Fork White River.

Sheriff Rick Meyer says that deputies received word that 36-year-old Jeremy S. Dillman of Medora was at a home in the Shieldstown area Thursday afternoon. Deputies found a vehicle Dillman had reportedly been driving but he was nowhere to be found. Footprints led from the home along the riverbank.

When a deputy found Dillman about a quarter mile away, he jumped into the river, swam 15-20 feet away and then grabbed onto a log. Indiana conservation officers and Brownstown Fire Department were called in and a fire department hovercraft with a deputy onboard, pulled Dillman from the water.

He was checked out for hypothermia at Schneck Medical Center before being taken to the Jackson County Jail on a felony warrant for domestic battery in the presence of a child. He is now facing new charges of resisting law enforcement.