More than 200 police agencies around the state are taking part in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign aimed at catching drunk and impaired drivers. That includes the Indiana State Police, Columbus and Franklin police and the Bartholomew and Jennings County sheriff’s departments.

Through Labor Day, officers will be conducting overtime patrols seeking out dangerous and impaired drivers. The overtime costs are supported by funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration distributed by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.

For over 20 years, law enforcement agencies across Indiana have been participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.

Police say that if you plan to consume alcohol this weekend, you should ensure you have a plan to get you home safely. If you encounter what appears to be an impaired driver on the road, you are encouraged to call 911.

Property owners hoping to build an equipment rental company on a rural section of U.S. 31 got the go-ahead from Columbus City Council this week.

Bright Property Management sought the rezoning of an eight acre piece of property on U.S. 31 between Base Road and County Road 300 E from light industrial uses to community commercial zoning. The lot is immediately north of Columbus Pawn on North National Road. The developers said in their application to the city that they plan to operate a Bobcat sales and rental store on the property.

The property is actually outside of the city limits, but falls within the city’s enhanced zoning jurisdiction. City County Planning Director Jeff Bergman explained to the council that when the area was under Bartholomew County zoning ordinances, it was designated for roadside businesses, however when it fell under city control, that transferred most closely to the light industrial zoning it has now.

The council unanimously approved the zoning change.

Seymour police are investigating a shooting Tuesday night on South Vine Street.

According to a witness, they heard a knock on the door at around 9:43 p.m. that night and a person wearing a hoodie displayed a weapon. That person then opened fire, shooting through the closed door several times.

Two people were shot. They were flown by medical helicopter to the University of Louisville Hospital. Their conditions are not available and their names have not been released.

After obtaining a search warrant for the home at 330 South Vine Street, police investigators discovered bullet casings, bullets and bullet fragments at the scene. They say they have also recovered other evidence.

The incident remains under investigation. If you have any information regarding the incident, you can contact the Seymour Police Department at 812-522-1234.

A Columbus woman is facing drug and gun charges after a traffic stop Monday afternoon.

Columbus police say that the department’s Intelligence Led Policing Unit stopped the vehicle at about 2 Monday afternoon near Second and Brown Streets. Columbus Police Dog Bane alerted to the odor of drugs inside the vehicle.

A search revealed nearly seven grams of methamphetamine, 12 grams of Xanax pills, drug paraphernalia, a loaded handgun and more than $5,500 in cash,.

35-year-old Jessica L. Olson was arrested on preliminary charges of dealing methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance and of paraphernalia, and carrying a handgun without a license.

The Columbus Police Department’s Intelligence Led Policing Unit is made of up members of the city police and Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.

There is still time to submit your suggestions for activities and events surrounding the Columbus Bicentennial Celebration. You can fill out a survey with your suggestions until Friday.

The bicentennial steering committee has chosen the theme for next year’s 200th anniversary as “Common Ground.” The committee is looking to endorse and to be involved in a variety of events highlighting the greater Columbus area and its culture, diversity, heritage, people, arts, commerce and agriculture.

You can find a link to the survey at www.columbus.in.gov/bicentennial or go to the Columbus Bicentennial Facebook page.

Tickets are available, starting today, for the Bartholomew County Historical Society’s upcoming Opening Gates tour.

A variation on the Open Door Tour that has been held in previous years, the Opening Gates tour will feature six outdoor sites around the Columbus area including two gardens designed by landscape architect Dan Kiley. Those will be at the Hamilton and Miller houses.

Other sites on the tour will include the Inn at Irwin Gardens, the Henry Breeding Farm Master Gardeners garden, the Columbus City Cemetery and North Christian Church, which also features Kiley-designed landscaping.

The tour will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 19th. Tickets are $25 and they go on sale today at the Historical Society Museum on Third Street, Viewpoint Books, The Columbus Area Visitors Center and through the society website at bartholomewhistory.org. Tickets available through EventBrite.com

A proposed parking lot beside St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in downtown Columbus drew some concerns from members of Columbus City Council when its rezoning came before the council last night.

St. Peter’s was asking to rezone four properties along Fourth Street from residential and commercial community uses to public facilities use. The properties, just east of Chestnut Street would be turned into a parking lot with just over 40 parking spaces to support the neighboring church, school and outreach center.

Organizers of the church proposal pointed out that the property is contaminated and is too close to underground storage tanks to allow for residential use, especially if a FHA loan were involved in building a home. Remediation would require major investment and overhaul of the site, including perhaps incinerating the contaminated dirt at the site and bringing in clean soil.

Councilman Tom Dell took exception to the idea of putting a new parking lot so close to the area being developed under Envision Columbus. Dell also disputed the neighborhood support exhibited by letters, saying that few of those actually lived in the neighborhood and instead represented landlords who do not live in the area.

Councilwoman Elaine Hilber said she was concerned about double standards. Two weeks ago the council approved the use of property in Garden City for residential use despite it being an actual Superfund site. Now, the council was asked to assume that no homes could be built on the St. Peters site, making it most useful as parking space. She also said she was concerned that the proposal did not meet the recommendations of Envision Columbus.

Councilman Dave Bush, who serves on the plan commission, pointed out that Envision Columbus does not hold the force of city law and is more of a vision for the future.

With Councilwoman Grace Kestler abstaining from the vote, the council deadlocked on approval of the rezoning and the issue will come before the council again at its next meeting.