Bartholomew County Democrats are gearing up for election season. Officials say that more than 100 people gathered at party headquarters on January 6th to hear their party slogan for the 2018 campaign, as well as announcements from candidates.

The party’s campaign slogan is “Government that Works for All of Us!” Party Chairman Bob Hyatt says that Democrats are opposed to the Republican idea that government is the problem. He says that Democrats “understand that government has provided important solutions such as Social Security, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act that have rescued the lives of millions of Americans.”

Democrats say that they will be focusing on:

– Supporting comprehensive healthcare and a fair tax system for everyone at the national level;
– Supporting public education;
– Taking care of our children and seniors;
– Outlawing hate;
– Establishing a fair redistricting system at the state level;
– Ending one-party government;
– Tackling issues that affect families at the local level.

Candidates making announcements at the event included:

– Ross Thomas, candidate for District 41 State Senate;
– Steve Schoettmer, candidate for District 69 State Representative;
– Dale Nowlin, candidate for District 59 State Representative;
– Hanna Omar, candidate for District One County Council;
– Lynne Fleming, candidate for District Four County Council.

Hyatt says that several others are considering running for office. If you think you might like to run for office as a Democrat, you are invited to an open house on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at party headquarters, located at 1417 Chestnut Street in Columbus.

Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The Columbus Area Arts Council will be celebrating with a special event. Kathryn Armstrong explains the performance is called “Struggle for Freedom.”

Armstrong says that all members of the community are welcome.

For more information about Arts Council programming, visit artsincolumbus.org.

Work continues on the North Vernon solar project. While giving an update on the project during this week’s city council meeting, Johnson-Melloh Vice President Kurt Schneider thanked city officials for their patience…

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Schneider has been consistent for months that completing individual parcels, as well as the project as a whole, would be impacted by Duke Energy. He explains that the utility has to sign-off on all portions that require a changeover from conventional to solar power. There are 32 components to the project, says Schneider. He notes that while 29 of those interconnections have been approved by Duke, 20 of them only came in the last three weeks.

Schneider adds that he took steps to make sure North Vernon got the best bang for its buck…

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As for when the project will be completely finished, Schneider is anticipating by the end of summer.

The American Red Cross is asking you to take time out of your day Thursday to help with an important cause. Donna Watson is a spokeswoman for the organization. She explains that Thursday is the “City-County Blood Drive” in Bartholomew County, adding that it’s an important one.

Watson says that all are welcome, but you need to make sure that you are physically able to donate.

Watson explains that those who donate give one-pint of blood, adding that a donation will temporarily weaken your immune system.

Thursday’s blood drive will be held at The Commons from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit redcross.org.

The Bartholomew County Council approved an additional appropriation of just over $1.9 million to create a fund to address public safety needs. That money is coming from the increase in the local income tax rate. Barb Hackman, county auditor, explains where this money is going.

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Councilwoman Laura DeDomenic explains that in an effort to simplify the budget process, the council chose to fund youth services directly out of a new fund created to capture the proceeds of the income tax increase.

Based on certified figures provided by the state, Bartholomew County is expecting around $2.3 million in additional revenue from the tax increase. New council president Mark Gorbett noted the additional funds received will be going into this newly created fund to tackle future public safety needs. As for what exactly the money will be spent on, he says that the council will need to weigh its options and make additional appropriations this year on a case-by-case basis in the anticipation of budgeting these new funds more accurately in 2019.

The Indiana Supreme Court will decide whether a teenager who made violent threats against his school can be adjudicated as a delinquent for both attempted and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery after it hears oral arguments in the Jackson County case this week.

TheIndianaLawyer.com is reporting that the high court has granted transfer to B.T.E. v. State of Indiana and will hear oral arguments in the Seymour juvenile delinquency case on Thursday. In the fall of 2015, two Seymour High School students, identified only as B.T.E. and M.V., began planning an attack on their school on April 20, 2018, the anniversary of the Columbine shootings.

The court says that the students discussed their strategy, which included making pipe bombs and a diagram of the school targeting a specific student’s assigned seat, on social media. They also shared their plans with classmates. One of those classmates reported the threats to the school, which lead to an investigation by the Seymour Police Department.

After police interviewed the students and examined their Facebook accounts, M.V. was adjudicated, or found guilty by a judge, as a delinquent for conspiracy to commit aggravated battery, while B.T.E. was adjudicated for conspiracy to commit and attempted aggravated battery. But a divided panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals overturned B.T.E.’s adjudication on the attempt charge, finding his actions constituted only preparation for the attack, not a “substantial step” toward carrying it out.

The justices will consider B.T.E.’s adjudications at 9 a.m. on Thursday.

A historical site in Brown County is receiving a $44,000 grant. The Indiana Historical Society announced the grant on Tuesday, which will go to the Friends of T. C. Steele State Historic Site. The organization, a nonprofit that supports projects and programs at the historic site, received a Heritage Support Grant to recreate the painter’s studio wagon.

Organizers say that Steele used his wagon to work as he traveled through Indiana with his family. Acquired in 1896, the wagon had a small cooking stove and large windows that Steele could look through while painting.

“The original studio wagon burned in a fire in 1913,” said Cate Whetzel, project manager and program developer at the historic site. “The new studio wagon will be a permanent outdoor exhibit at the T. C. Steele State Historic Site, open to visitors three seasons of the year. We hope to welcome guests to an unveiling party by the end of the summer.”

IHS officials say that this $44,000 grant is the first awarded to a Brown County organization and one of 13 bestowed statewide as part of IHS’s fourth round of Heritage Support Grants. These grants were made possible by Lilly Endowment, Inc.

Jennings County officials are reportedly giving strong consideration to building a new jail on property in North Vernon and city officials aren’t happy about it. The city council went as far as passing a resolution Monday night essentially condemning the county’s pursuit.

City officials say they have issues with the proposed property, approximately 12 acres inside the North Vernon Industrial Park. That property is part of the city’s Tax-Increment Financing (TIF) District. The council’s resolution states that the city’s redevelopment commission “made a substantial financial investment for the sole purpose of creating economic growth and opportunities within the community which should result in a substantial return on the investment in the way of job creation and additional tax revenues.” Using property within the TIF district would result in the redevelopment commission failing to make any return on its investment, says the city. The resolution notes that both the city and county would lose future revenue as government facilities don’t pay property taxes and that utilizing this property will take away from private businesses that would bring new jobs and tax revenue with it.

Council members also noted their displeasure at what they perceive to be an unwillingness of county officials to work with them to address a number of longstanding issues that affect both government entities. During the last quarter of 2017, Mayor Mike Ochs and members of the city council spoke several times about the need to collaborate with the county and instructed their attorney, Larry Greathouse, to help facilitate discussions. One of the items to be discussed in the coming weeks was the issue of the jail. Council members say they wanted to work with the county to help locate a site that would benefit both sides. That meeting is now cancelled. “They slammed the door on us,” said an exasperated Ochs. He again decried the lack of communication, noting that he found out about the county’s plans by reading the news.

The city council passed the resolution unanimously on a vote of 5-0. Members say the vote will hopefully get the attention of Jennings County Commissioners and encourage them to accept the city’s offer to try to work together to address the numerous issues affecting both units of government.