Bartholomew County Road 50 North, between 850 E and 1000 E, is closed until around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 23rd. County Highway Department officials say crews are replacing pipe in the are.

You should avoid the area.

If you are looking for more traffic information, download the WAZE app for your smartphone and join the WCSI Traffic team. You can find updated traffic information on our website, on-air and on the app.

The Jennings County Clerk’s Office has released the polling locations for this North Vernon City Primary on May 7th. They are:

– Precinct NV-1A and NV-1B: Prior Mayor’s Office, 275 E Main St; This location changed from the Solid Rock Youth Center.
– Precinct NV-2A and NV-2B: Bethel Baptist Church, 77 Norris Ave; In a previous story, we incorrectly reported that this location would not be open.
– Precinct NV-3A and NV-3B: First United Methodist Church, 240 W Poplar St
– Precinct NV-4A and NV-4B: St Mary’s Parish Center, 212 Washington St

Elections officials say that early voting will be available for two days, April 27th and May 4th from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Jennings County Courthouse in Vernon.

A Hartsville man was arrested after a police chase on Sunday. At about 7:30 p.m., Columbus Police were dispatched to a possible intoxicated driver headed east on 25th Street. When CPD attempted a traffic stop, the suspect refused to pull over.

Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputy Brandon Sellers and Deputy Frank Munoz saw the suspect vehicle traveling at a high rate and pursued it to the intersection of State Road 9 and East State Road 46 where it collided with a guardrail.

The driver, 68 year-old Steven Jordan, was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for minor injuries before being booked on preliminary charges of Operating a Motor Vehicle while Intoxicated-Endangerment, Reckless Driving and Resisting Law Enforcement with a Vehicle. Authorities say he has since been released.

“This man put himself, my deputies and the public in danger by not stopping as the law requires,” said Sheriff Matt Myers. He added, “I am glad that no one was seriously injured.”

The 60th Annual Community Easter Egg Hunt has been moved inside Donner Center due to the threat of poor weather.

The Community Easter Egg Hunt begins at 10 a.m. Saturday and is sponsored by the Columbus Parks and Recreation Dept., the Meridian Kiwanis Club and News/Talk 1010 WCSI & 98.1 FM.

The Egg-Ceptional Easter Egg hunt for children with special needs begins at 11 a.m. It is sponsored by WKKG and Columbus Parks and Recreation Department.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department says that State Road 235 is closed from Medora to State Road 135 South. Sheriff Rick Meyer says the road has collapsed between the covered bridge and County Road 460 West, making it unsafe for travel.

The road will be closed until further notice.

If you are looking for more traffic information, download the WAZE app for your smartphone and join the WCSI Traffic team. You can find updated traffic information on our website, on-air and on the app.

The Columbus Area Arts Council has released the schedule for the 2019 JCB Neighborfest.

Neighborfest gives the community a chance to gather downtown and enjoy live music in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The concerts take place Thursdays monthly from May through Septemeber from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the 300 block of Washington Street. These events are free thanks to the sponsorship of JCB and are suitable for the entire family

JCB Neighborfest 2019 Lineup:
● May 23 // Rusty Bladen & The Unstoppables
● June 6 // The Woomblies Rock Orchestra
● July 11 // Bigger is Better Band
● August 1 // The Jackson Way
● September 5 // Tic Tac Flow

For more on these, and other arts council-related events, go to artsincolumbus.org.

Two North Vernon teens are facing arson and other charges after a Wednesday morning incident. The Jennings County Sheriff’s Department says that they responded to a residential fire in Country Squire Lakes at about 10:22 a.m. While deputies were responding, dispatch advised that witnesses saw a silver Jeep Liberty speeding away from the scene.

Upon arrival, a deputy saw the Jeep leaving the area. He tried to stop the vehicle, which allegedly sped away. After a short chase, the Jeep ran off the roadway and crashed, leading three people inside to flee on foot. Deputies were able to take a passenger, 19-year-old Delaney Smith, into custody. North Vernon Police, who had also responded to the area, were able to arrest the driver, 18-year-old Mikell Hardesty. A third suspect, believed to be a juvenile, was not apprehended.

Investigators say a small fire under a mobile home had extinguished itself after the fire burnt into water lines under the home. Neighbors were able to make contact with a mother and small child who then evacuated the home. No injuries were reported.

Hardesty is facing the following charges:
Arson- Level 4 Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement – Level 6 Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement – A Misdemeanor
Possession of Meth- Level 6 Felony

Smith is charged with:
Arson- Level 4 Felony
Resisting Law Enforcement- A Misdemeanor
Obstruction of Justice- Level 6 Felony

Hardesty and Smith are each being held on $25,500 bond.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department arrested a man wanted in Texas. Authorities say that at approximately 12:12 p.m. on Wednesday, deputies responded to the 4500 block of North Long Road after Bartholomew County Sexual Violent Offender Registry Coordinator Rudy Olivo determined that 34-year-old Joel Johnson, of Seymour, was working at an area business. Authorities say Johnson was wanted in a felony case against a child.

Deputies arrived and quickly arrested Johnson without incident. He was booked in the Bartholomew County Jail on the charge of Child Molesting. Johnson is awaiting extradition to Texas.

The Sheriff’s Department gave much credit to Olivio. They also noted that changes to the sheriff sales has freed up resources. “Due to the recent implementation of SRI, Rudy has more time to dedicate to Sex Offender checks and investigations, which led to the discovery of this Texas warrant,” said Capt. Brandon Slate.

Columbus city officials say that they are seeing fewer abandoned, unlicensed and inoperable vehicles in the city.

Code Enforcement Coordinator Fred Barnett says that violations have dropped  since 2015. That year, there were 420 violations for offending vehicles on public and private property. Those were resolved 25 percent of the time, Barnett said.

In 2018, there were 224 combined vehicle violations, Barnett says. They were resolved 76 percent of the time. As of April 15th of this year, Barnett says there’s been a combined 60 violations. Forty-seven of them have been resolved.

Barnett credits changes made to the ordinance that “put teeth” into enforcement efforts. He adds that another factor that’s improved compliance was the city’s insistence on establishing, and maintaining, a landlord directory. Barnett says that in most cases, landlords have been receptive to calls and notices from him informing them of violations on their property.

Last night, Columbus City Council approved an amendment to the city code on abandoned, unlicensed and inoperable vehicles. Mary Ferdon, the city’s director of administration, says the change would keep the city in compliance with a recent change in state statute requiring vehicles to displace their registration sticker. Additionally, Ferdon says that the change will also help the city’s code enforcement do its job.

The Bartholomew County Highway Department says that County Roads 525E and Base Road are closed to through traffic while a culvert is being replaced. This closure is expected to last through 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 17th. That will affect Base Road from 410 East to 650 East. County Road 525E is impacted from 50N to 100S.

Officials are asking that you avoid the area and find an alternative route.

If you are looking for more traffic information, download the WAZE app for your smartphone and join the WCSI Traffic team powered by Crew Car Wash. You can find updated traffic information on our website, on-air and on the app.