The Columbus North Counseling Department will host a short informational meeting for high-school juniors and their parents to discuss the start of their senior year. The meeting is at 6 p.m. Wednesday inside the cafeteria.
Items to be discussed include college applications, scholarship applications, SAT and ACT tests and senior projects. The counseling department will host a similar meeting in August.
Garden plots are still available in the Community Garden located off Cessna Drive in Columbus. City officials say that small plots are $15 and large plots are $25. City residents can plant flowers, vegetables, and herbs. Water and mulch are provided free of charge.
For more information on obtaining a plot, visit the Office of Community Development on the second floor of City Hall or call (812) 376-2520.
Cummins is receiving kudos for its diversity in the workplace. DiversityInc has named the Columbus-based power supplier as one of the Top 50 Companies for Diversity for a 12th consecutive year. Cummins ranked 12th on the 2018 annual list, which included more than 1,000 participating companies.
“The more we grow and expand globally, the more important it is that we attract and develop employees from around the world who have the knowledge and skills to work effectively in the markets in which we do business,” said Kelley Bertoux Creveling, Executive Director – Global Diversity and Right Environment. “We’re at our best when we fully include those unique perspectives, experiences and languages – truly leveraging the power of diversity and inclusion.”
The DiversityInc Top 50 list, issued yearly since 2001, recognizes the nation’s top companies for diversity and inclusion management. These companies excel in such areas as hiring, retaining and promoting women, minorities, people with disabilities, LGBT and veterans. The DiversityInc Top 50 ranking is based on data obtained through organizations that fill out a survey.
This year in addition to making the Top 50 list, Cummins was named to three of DiversityInc’s specialty lists:
• #9 for Top Companies for Supplier Diversity
• #7 for Top Companies for Executive Women
• #20 for Top Companies for Executive Diversity Councils
A Bartholomew County man was arrested Sunday night for auto theft. Judy Jackson, spokeswoman for the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, says that at approximately 10:39 p.m., Deputy Adam Warner was dispatched to a possible stolen vehicle report in the 300 block of North Jackson Street in Hartsville.
Deputy Warner observed a vehicle sitting on the side of the road and made contact with the driver, 32-year-old Nicholas L. Porter, of Columbus. Authorities say that they learned that Porter had an outstanding Bartholomew County warrant.
Porter was arrested on new preliminary charges of Auto Theft and Receiving Stolen Property.
The Columbus Indiana Philharmonic SALUTE! concert is Friday night and downtown traffic will be affected. The Indiana Department of Transportation issued a permit allowing the city to restrict traffic on State Road 46 between Franklin and Brown Streets Friday evening. INDOT says that, beginning at 5:30 p.m., traffic will be routed from eastbound State Road 46 / Second Street to First Street. The south lane of westbound State Road 46 / Third Street will also close at that time. This traffic pattern is scheduled to continue until 11 p.m.
Friday night’s concert begins at 7 p.m. and will be held on the Bartholomew County Memorial for Veterans lawn. This is a free event and you are invited.
A Missouri man was arrested Sunday night in Jennings County on drunk-driving charges.
The North Vernon Police Department says that at 8:48 p.m., officers responded to a call about suspicious activity in the 2400 block of North State Road 3. When police arrived, they reported finding a vehicle leaving the area. Officers executed a traffic stop and arrested 60-year-old Nicholas Andal, of Chillicothe, on a preliminary charge of Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated.
The city of Columbus will help fund renovations of the former offices of “The Republic” if a plan approved Monday by the Redevelopment Commission receives city council approval. Indiana University’s School of Art, Architecture and Design plans to open the J. Irwin Miller Master of Architecture program in the building this fall. The school is asking for local help of $2 million toward the renovations, with half of that coming from the city and half from other community partners.
Mayor Jim Lienhoop says that IU is pouring millions of dollars into the program locally. He explains that it is important for the city to demonstrate that it is willing to form partnerships and “buy-in” to project such as these. Lienhoop says that the program will shine a brighter light on the architecture of Columbus while furthering the city’s goal of expanding employment opportunities.
The Redevelopment Commission voted 4-0 to approve funding $1 million for the work out of the city’s downtown TIF district. Don Trapp abstained. Since the commission cannot spend more than $500,000 on a project without city council approval, the council is expected to consider the proposal at its next meeting on June 5th.
Work continues towards groundbreaking for the new overpass taking vehicle traffic over the railroad tracks at State Road 11 and Jonathan Moore Pike in Columbus. George Dutro is a member of the Railroad Community Committee.
Dutro says that there are five property owners being notified. He says that two are public entities and three private ones.
Dutro says that at this stage, the project is in the hands of the state. He says there is nothing the city could do at this point to expedite the project along any quicker.
Dutro talks about what happens next…
Dutro gave the update during the close of Monday’s meeting of the Columbus Redevelopment Commission. No official action on the overpass was taken.
A Columbus tow truck driver accused of rear-ending a vehicle on Jonathan Moore Pike causing a death has been charged after a blood test showed he was under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the crash.
Our news-gathering partners at “The Republic” are reporting that 49-year-old Ruel P. Pedigo III was arrested Thursday on a warrant for Reckless Homicide, Causing a Death while Operating a Motor Vehicle with a Controlled Substance in the Blood and Causing Serious Bodily Injury when Operating a Motor Vehicle with a Controlled Substance in the Blood.
The paper is reporting that the charges stem from a multi-vehicle accident on Jan. 27th on Jonathan Moore Pike near Johnson Boulevard. The crash killed 35-year-old Patrick N. Bowman, of Brown County.
For more on this story, visit therepublic.com.
The Columbus Redevelopment Commission is set to consider a request for one-million dollars to help refurbish and update the former offices of “The Republic.” The building, across the streets from city hall and the Bartholomew County Courthouse, will house Indiana University’s School of Art, Architecture and Design’s J. Irwin Miller Master of Architecture program. Total renovations are expected to cost $2 million, with half of that amount coming from other area partners.
Mayor Jim Lienhoop says that IU is spending millions of dollars locally to establish the program. He adds that it’s important for the community to become a partner in projects like this, whenever possible, to show those who are investing in Columbus that those investments are not a one-way street.
Heather Pope, the city’s redevelopment director, says this funding request is above what the commission can spend without city council approval. If approval is received Monday, the request will go to city council for consideration at its meeting on June 5th.