Bartholomew County officials are going to explore ways to bring broadband internet to every corner of the county.

The Bartholomew County Commissioners yesterday created a new Bartholomew County Broadband Initiative that will explore ways to find grant money, to use CARES Act funding and to bring private investment to the problem of rural areas without stable, fast internet speed in the county.

Commissioners stressed that their long-time goal for rural broadband has been for the private sector to step up and provide service. But for many remote areas in the county, that has not happened. The initiative will not lead to the county becoming an internet provider itself, commissioners said.

Auditor Pia O’Connor pointed out that the most recent county budget has allocated $450 thousand dollars toward improving broadband access in the county.

The board overseeing the initiative will be led by incoming County Commissioner Tony London. London pointed out that for many residents, there is only one provider of internet service and for some, there are no viable options for broadband internet. The group could hold its first meetings as early as this week and will have a March 15th deadline for their final recommendations.

Long-time local attorney David Nowak will be the next magistrate for Bartholomew Superior Court 2 according to judge-elect Jon Rohde.

Rohde announced yesterday that appointing the court’s magistrate would be one of his first duties when he takes office in January and after talking with people involved in the local judicial system, he concluded that Nowak would be the perfect person to fill the position.

Nowak has previously served as a deputy in the Indiana attorney general’s office and in private practice in Bartholomew County, where he has spent 26 years as a public defender. He graduated from Ball State University with a degree in political science, and from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan.

The Superior Court 2 magistrate handles many of the county’s traffic cases, ordinance violations, and small claims court cases.

The Bartholomew County Assessor’s Office has shut down after a worker there came down with COVID-19 over the weekend.

Bartholomew County Commissioners made the announcement yesterday that the physical office will be closed while staff members quarantine, following the positive case. Other workers in the office are being tested for the virus. Workers will still be working remotely, and assisting customers as possible, according to the commissioners.

County offices have been limited to appointment only. as of last week, due to the increasing cases of COVID-19 cases.

Bartholomew County is setting new records for coronavirus cases, according to the Bartholomew County and Columbus COVID-19 Community Task Force.

The county added 68 new positive test cases in the most recent numbers, which is down slightly from weekend highs, but the per capita rate of 92.8 per 100,000 residents and a 23 percent positive test rate are new highs. There are also 43 people hospitalized in Bartholomew County due to COVID-19, also a new high.

The Indiana State Department of Health is reporting 5,218 new cases of COVID-19 in the state as of Monday afternoon’s update. That is a positivity rate of 11.7 percent with 26 more deaths across the state. The number of new cases is down from this weekend, when those topped 8 thousand instances, but still substantially higher than any day before early November.

According to state figures, just over 48 percent of the ICU hospital beds in south central Indiana’s District 8 are available, with 23 percent of the occupied beds being used for COVID-19 patients and almost 29 percent being used for other patients.

Bartholomew, Brown, Johnson, Shelby, Jennings and Jackson counties are all showing high spread of the virus according to the state. Decatur County remains in the severe spread category.

Columbus City Utilities is issuing a boil water advisory for customers staring at 8 a.m. this morning due to water system improvements in the area.

That area includes Reed St from 8th to 10 Streets, Short Wilson St from 10th to 9th Streets, Wilson Street from 10th to 9th Streets, 10th Street from Reed to Wilson Streets and 9th St from Wilson to Reed Streets.

The utility says that you should boil any water for five minutes before you consume it or use it in food preparation.

The boil water advisory is in effect until the water has passed laboratory testing and residents will be notified when the order is lifted.

If you have any questions you can call the Columbus City Utilities Water Service Hotline at 812-418-6435.

Local hospitals are re-prioritizing surgical procedures because of the surge in local cases of COVID-19.

Columbus Regional Health and Schneck Medical Center in Seymour are announcing that they will be re-evaluating procedures that require an overnight or inpatient stay. Patients scheduled for surgeries will be contacted by their physician’s office if the procedure must be delayed.

The goal is to ensure an adequate number of beds for those who need urgent inpatient care.

The prioritization will be based on factors including the patient’s medical condition, the risks for further progress of a disease, the capacity level of the facility and the availability of equipment, supplies, staff and hospital beds.

State figures also show that just over half of the ICU beds in the southern Indiana district 8 are free right now, with less than 20 percent being used to tread COVID-19 patients.

Most Columbus city government buildings are closing to the public starting today, through at least Nov. 29th.

Buildings that will be closed to the public and available by appointment only include City Hall, Donner Center, City Utilities, Animal Care Services, the Department of Public Works and airport aviation offices. Hamilton Center Ice Arena remains open as do city parks. ColumBUS transit buses will continue to run on their normal schedule.

You should call or email individual departments if you need to meet with a staff member.

Bartholomew County has new limits in place that went into effect over the weekend due to COVID-19.

According to an order issued by County Health Officer Dr. Brian Niedbalski, effective at midnight on Saturday, bars, nightclubs, and bar seating at restaurants are limited to 50 percent capacity and to social distancing guidelines. Movie theaters, bowling alleys and similar facilities are also limited to 50 percent capacity and social distancing. Food service dining areas can operate at 75 percent capacity.

Social gatherings, meetings and events are now limited to no more than 50 people. Winter indoor school events are limited to 25 percent capacity.

Gyms, fitness centers, personal services, and similar facilities must screen employees daily and wear face coverings. Class sizes and equipment must be spaced to accommodate social distancing. Equipment must be cleaned after each use and between uses.

Residents should continue to use face coverings, social distancing, frequent hand washing and to sanitize frequently touched surfaces to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

It was more record-breaking days for COVID-19 in Indiana over the weekend.

The Indiana State Department of Health is reporting 6,844 new positive cases on Sunday, for a positivity rate of 11.3 percent of those tested over the past week. There are also 22 newly reported deaths bringing the state total to 4,660 since the pandemic started. The highest day so far for positive results was Saturday’s report, which showed 8,315 new cases.

Bartholomew County added 115 new positive cases in Sunday’s numbers with a positivity rate of 10.4 percent, another record-setting day locally. That brings the total cases since the pandemic started to 2,378 in Bartholomew County. Bartholomew County has had 61 deaths, the most recent last Monday.

Bartholomew and surrounding counties Shelby, Johnson, Brown, Jackson and Jennings are all ranked as orange on the state color coded map, which shows a high community spread for the disease. Decatur County is in the red, or severe spread category.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated as of Nov. 16th.

Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department police dog Diesel was killed Saturday afternoon while working near Interstate 65.

According to the sheriff’s department, deputies were working on a domestic battery call at about 4:20 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The suspect was found near County Roads 600S and 650W and after a short vehicle pursuit, the suspect ran away.

Diesel was released by his handler to pursue the suspect, while deputies stayed behind to deal with two other occupants of the vehicle. The dog chased the suspect into the woods near the interstate. Shortly afterwards, Diesel was found dead in the travel lanes of the highway. The suspect, 36-year-old Michael Stephens of Columbus, was found hiding in a ditch.

Authorities do not yet know what led to the dog’s death. He was taken to the sheriff’s department where his handler and family were given time with him.

The domestic battery victim was taken to the hospital for her injuries.

Stephens is facing new preliminary charges of cruelty to a law-enforcement animal, resisting law enforcement, domestic battery, strangulation and intimidation as well as two outstanding warrants for domestic battery.

Diesel joined the sheriff’s department in December 2016, after $18,000 for his purchase was raised by then-dispatcher and current deputy Dylan Prather. Real World Testing provided the majority of the money for Diesel’s purchase and gave him his name.

Sheriff Matt Myers said the incident remains under investigation and the department is looking for anyone who witnessed the events near the 62-mile marker of Interstate 65 between 4 and 4:30 Saturday afternoon. If you have any information you can call 812-379-1650 to speak with Lt. Chad Swank.

Photo above: Diesel receiving his badge at a ceremony in December 2016 at the Bartholomew County Commissioners meeting.