The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles is going to begin taking appointments for driving skills exams starting today in select communities.
The BMV began rescheduling exams in late June for anyone who had an appointment canceled due to the public health emergency. Once all customers with a previously canceled appointment have had the opportunity to reschedule, the BMV will open appointments across the state. All branches will be offering appointments by July 24.
There will be health and safety requirements for driving tests including a health screening questionnaire, wearing a mask and having two vehicle windows opened slight. If you can’t comply, you will have to reschedule your screening.
Driving skills exams must be scheduled a minimum of 48 hours and maximum of 3 weeks in advance. Appointment information and expectations can be viewed on the BMV website, here: https://www.in.gov/bmv/2568.htm.
Deputy Leah Burton and Bravo. Photo courtesy of Columbus Police Department.
A Bartholomew County police dog is facing a $7,000 veterinarian’s bill to repair his damaged knees. But without health insurance or the canine equivalent of workman’s compensation, and without a budget for such an expense, it isn’t clear where the money will come from, according to department officials.
Chief Deputy Major Chris Lane said that the department is determined to get the dog, Bravo, the care he needs. The injuries are believed to be related to Bravo’s work with the department. A Belgian Malinois, he started with the department in September as the canine partner of Deputy Leah Burton. Bravo is one of three police dogs on the sheriff’s department force.
Since he arrived in Bartholomew County, he has been on five foot chases, located illegal drugs 86 times and helped deputies with warrant services. He has participated in inter-agency operations with the Bartholomew County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team and the Columbus Police Intelligence Led Policing Unit and other agencies outside the county.
Sheriff Matt Myers said that Bravo has been instrumental in helping fight illegal drugs coming into the community.
The sheriff’s department has relied on donations in the past to purchase police dogs and maintains a K9 Donation Fund. If you are interested in helping with the cost of the surgery for Bravo, you can contact the sheriff’s department at 812-379-1740 or email sheriff@bartholomew.in.gov.
Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop says the city is putting the brakes on plans to get rid of Greenbelt Golf Course.
The mayor announced yesterday afternoon that the city would be adding about 60 days to the decision timeline all allow for the consideration of other options and proposals. Under the original timeline, City Council could have received a recommendation to close Greenbelt next week and the parks and recreation board would have considered that proposal in early August.
But Lienhoop said that the delay shows that there is no “done deal” to close Greenbelt.
Ultimately though, the mayor said that the public showed it was more interested in maintain the mission of Greenbelt than the financial or other factors being weighed in closing it.
The city will be seeking proposals on the operations of Greenbelt, and Lienhoop said that they would consider any serious proposals. He said there are no serious proposals on the table yet, but there have been people express serious interest in making a proposal.
The parks department is expected to release details of its request for proposals by Friday, July 24th.
Columbus City Utilities will be considering a rate hike when the Utility Service Board meets today.
As outlined in a public hearing last week, Columbus City Utilities is looking to increase its rates, in large part to replace aging water mains some of which are more than 100 years old.
The new rates, if approved, would be phased in and for an average residential customer using 4,000 gallons of water a month, would go from $9.82 a month for water service to $17.97 a month after all the increases are phased in.
The increased revenue will be used to improve the service over 20 years. A recent survey of the city’s 300 miles of water pipes shows that much of the infrastructure is aging. A third of the city water mains are more than 50 years old, and 10 percent are 100 years old or older The proposed rate increase would allow the city to replace just under two miles of water main a year.
Under a tentative time line, if approved today, the rate increase would go before City Council at their July 21st meeting for their first consideration. After that it would go before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission for approval. The first increases would go into effect in August of next year.
The Utility Service Board is meeting at 11:30 a.m. today in the Cal Brand Meeting room at Columbus City Hall.
Bartholomew County will be going forward with a plan to buy body cameras and car cameras for county deputies.
The County Council unanimously approved the plan to spend just over $308,000 dollars to provide the cameras this year. That’s after County Commissioners offered up funds that had originally been allocated for maintenance projects on the County Courthouse.
Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz said that the county has done more than $300,000 in immediately necessary maintenance on the courthouse this year, and had about $700,000 more in projects planned. But those could be deferred.
Laura DeDomenic. Photo courtesy of Laura DeDomenic.
Previously, council members had expressed concerns about the expected upcoming revenue slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic led drop in income taxes. But with the alternative funding source, County Councilwoman Laura DeDomenic made the motion to go ahead with the purchase.
Council president Matt Miller praised the commissioners for offering up the maintenance funds to make the sheriff’s department project happen.
Matt Miller. Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County.
The sheriff’s department proposed buying Axon cameras, the same used by the Columbus Police Department at a first year cost of just over $280 thousand dollars including installation. The county IT department also estimated it would need $25 thousand dollars to help implement the camera installation.
Although there had been talk of separating the body cameras from the car cameras, Capt. Brandon Slate explained that the remote internet access point installed in each deputy’s vehicle would allow footage to be uploaded in near real time while still in the field. Without that infrastructure, the deputies would have to spend 20 to 30 minutes at the end of each shift, uploading their day’s video to cloud storage. Slate estimated that they would use about 5 terabytes of bandwidth a month, with the county government having to increase its internet capacity to allow that.
Now that a funding source is secured, the sheriff’s department will now go out to seek formal bids for the project.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is declaring an Ozone Action Day today for part of our area including Jackson County.
Anyone sensitive to changes in air quality may find it hard to breathe when ozone levels are high. Children, the elderly and anyone with heart or lung conditions should reduce or avoid exertion and heavy work outdoors. If you have to be outside, drink plenty of water and take frequent breaks.
IDEM recommends that you take actions to lower ozone levels, including:
Walking, biking, carpooling or using public transportation
Avoid going through drive-thrus
If your vehicle is going to be idling for more than 30 seconds, shut it off
Combine your errands into one trip
Avoid refueling your vehicle or using gas-powered lawn equipment until after 7 p.m. tonight.
Ivy Tech Community College in Columbus is hosting a virtual Express Enrollment Day on Thursday, July 23rd. The event provides an opportunity for prospective students to complete their enrollment before classes start again in August.
Students will be able to meet virtually with Columbus campus staff, get answers to financial aid questions and talk with an academic adviser.
A majority of classes at Ivy Tech Columbus will be offered virtually or online this fall. However, a limited number of classes will meet in person on campus. Students will have the option to attend some of these classes virtually while the class is being taught, view video lectures, and connect with faculty when needed.
Chanceton M. Daniels. Photo courtesy of Columbus Police Department
Columbus police say that a Hope man crashed into a tree Monday morning, leading to his arrest on drug-related charges.
The incident happened Monday morning at just before 8 a.m., when officers responded to reports of an unconscious driver in a car stopped in the middle of the street near 15th and Washington streets.
As police arrived, they saw the vehicle strike a tree in the 300 block of 15th Street. The driver, 27-year-old Chanceton M. Daniels, then moved into the passenger seat. Daniels was taken into custody and a search revealed two glass pipes and what appeared to be marijuana, but actually was not.
He is facing preliminary charges of driving while suspended with a prior conviction, possession of a lookalike substance and drug paraphernalia, along with an outstanding Bartholomew County warrant.
Sgt. Julie Quesenbery, a Columbus Police Department School Resource officer at Columbus East High School and Fodrea Elementary, has been recognized with an award from the National Association of School Resource Officers.
Earlier this month, Quesenbery was chosen for the Regional Service Award for Region 5 which includes Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas. She has been a school resource officer since 2014 and is the co-author of the Situational Awareness for Everyday, or SAFE, program which teaches high school seniors to be safe in and away from school.
The program has been taught locally for five years and Quesenbery will be presenting the program at a conference later this month. She hopes to make the program available to officers statewide.
Columbus Fire Department helped remove an overturned mower from Haw Creek yesterday afternoon.
Firefighters were called to the 2400 block of 17th Street at about 1:05 p.m. and found that the operator of the skid steer mower was out of the water an uninjured. He was working for a mowing company that contracted with Columbus Regional Health, mowing the east bank when the ground gave way and the mower rolled over onto its side at the edge of the water.
A small amount of diesel fuel and hydraulic fluid entered the water but firefighters used collection devices to clean the material from the water.
31 Wrecker Service used a crane to lift the mower from the water.
The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles is going to begin taking appointments for driving skills exams starting today in select communities.
