INDOT drivers spent time today pre-treating interstates, highways and state roads in advance of tonight’s expected winter weather.

A Winter Weather Advisory will be in effect through 7 a.m. Snow will arrive and transition to freezing rain and rain. Light icing is possible along with total snow amounts of around an inch in the south and up to of 3 inches in the north.

INDOT will have a full call out of more than 130 drivers in Southeast Indiana beginning around 8 p.m. Drivers will be treating routes and plowing as needed until conditions improve. Motorists should should give INDOT yellow trucks plenty of room.

INDOT says that travel may be difficult late tonight through the Wednesday morning commute, with conditions improving by late morning as temperatures warm. If you have to travel tonight or Wednesday morning, you should slow down and allow extra time to reach your destination.

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.

Schneck Medical Center has received a 5-star rating—the highest possible rating for quality of care, customer experience, and value of care received—from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for Overall Hospital Quality.

Schneck was the only hospital in the area to receive five stars and one of only 15 in Indiana.

“This honor belongs to our providers and staff for their continued focus on quality care for our patients and community,” said Warren Forgey, President/CEO of Schneck. “This rating means Schneck stands among the best hospitals in the nation for quality of care.”

The report reflects comprehensive quality of care in our nation’s hospitals. The assessment comes from a hospital rating system based on 59 quality measures and shows how well each hospital performs, on average, compared to other hospitals in the U.S. The more stars, the better a hospital performs with the most common overall rating being three stars.

City officials hope to have a better idea on how to proceed with the Columbus Riverfront development after they meet with state officials. The project is meant to provide recreational opportunities in a scenic setting, while connecting to the city’s People Trail system.

The issue, says Redevelopment Director Heather Pope, is that an element of Indiana Department of Natural Resources is hesitant to support the placement of artificial structures in the water and on the banks. Currently, the design calls for the low-head dam in the East Fork of the White River between Second and Third streets to be removed. In-river structures would be added to maintain water levels near Mill Race Park.

Pope says her office will be meeting with IDNR officials on Thursday.

Efforts to modernize Columbus’ two parking garages are ongoing. The Redevelopment Commission voted Monday to approve the project with Duke Energy to retrofit existing fixtures with LED bulbs.

City officials say the garage at Jackson Street currently has 120 of the 150-watt metal halide bulbs on the inside of the structure and a dozen 40-watt halogen bulbs on the outside.

The garage at Second Street 80 of the 100-watt metal halide bulbs on the inside and nine 250-watt halogen bulbs on the outside.

Under the proposal approved Monday, Duke will be paid $8,899.51 to retrofit both garages with LED bulbs. Estimated annual cost savings for both garages is over $25,000 per year.

Redevelopment officials can’t say when the retrofit work will get underway, but they don’t expect it will take long. Duke still has to schedule the work.

Indiana Conservation Officer Robert Klakamp has been selected the 2018 District 6 Officer of the Year.

Klakamp, who was raised in Jackson County, is currently assigned to Brown County. He has been a conservation officer for just over two years. Klakamp serves the division as a certified breath test operator and venomous snake handler, and is a certified EMT.

The nine-county district covers Brown, Monroe, Bartholomew, Morgan, Johnson, Shelby, Hancock, Marion and Hendricks counties.

Klakamp is now in the running for the Pitzer Award, which is given to the top overall Conservation Officer in the state of Indiana and selected from the 10 district award winners.

The Pitzer award is named after Conservation Officer James D. Pitzer, who was fatally shot while investigating illegal hunting activity Jan. 1, 1961 in Jay County.

Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Whipker recently completed training for a train/railroad safety program called “Operation Lifesaver”.

Deputy Whipker is now available to give presentations to community residents of all ages, businesses, organizations, groups, schools, social clubs, etc.

Anyone who would like to schedule a presentation, may contact the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, 812-379-1650.

The group tasked with figuring out the city of Columbus’s plans for the Fair Oaks mall property held it’s first meeting Friday afternoon. The Fair Oaks Community Development Corporation’s Design Committee held its first meeting inside the mall property, which was purchased in December.

The committee agreed to terms for Requests for Proposals that would transform the 36 acres from mall property to a “great community asset.” The RFPs should include plans for an indoor space, outdoor space and connectivity between the two.

The scope of the work is being broke down into four sections.

Section 1 – Existing property and ideas for the future, with focus on the needs and desires of facilities for Columbus Parks and Rec and Columbus Regional Health.

Section 2 – Focus on surrounding areas and how to best integrate the mall property. These include items like People Trails, parks, sidewalks, etc.

Section 3 – Making the property compatible with a revitalized 25th Street.

Section 4 – Address the future of Donner Center once most operations move to the mall property.

The Design Committee will formalize the RFP with the understanding that firms must have them submitted by March 20th. A sub-committee will then go over the proposals with a recommendation to the full board, who will decide how to proceed. Prospective firms will then be interviewed by the board by April 18th.

The Design Committee will then make its recommendation to the Fair Oaks Community Development Corporation.

Columbus Police arrested two people on theft and drug charges Wednesday afternoon. At approximately 1:25 p.m., officers were dispatched to Target in the 1800 block of North National Road. The store security guard advised officers that he was battered while attempting to stop a woman, later identified as Jennifer L. Bunting, 27, of Columbus, who was suspected of stealing merchandise from the store.

CPD officers located the suspect’s vehicle on Middle Road and stopped it a short time later. Bunting, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was taken into custody. Officers reportedly found stolen merchandise in her possession and also inside the vehicle that was driven by Damon L. Bailey, 20, of Columbus. In addition, the officers reported finding two syringes as well as drug paraphernalia inside the car.

Bunting’s infant child, who was also in the vehicle, was cared for by Child Protective Services who responded to assist the officers.

Bailey and Bunting were both arrested on preliminary charges of Theft, Possession of a Syringe and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Bunting is also facing a charge of Battery.

The Columbus Regional Health Joint and Spine Center will be hosting a free joint pain seminar.

The session will take place from noon to 1 p.m., February 18 at Mill Race Center. Dr. Darryl A. Tannenbaum, a board certified orthopedic surgeon, is an ankle, elbow, foot, hand, hip, joint replacement or revision, knee, shoulder, sports medicine, and wrist Specialist. He’s slated to discuss the latest research on pain management, surgery and getting the best outcomes for returning to an active lifestyle.

This seminar is free, however, registration is required. For more information or to register, visit crh.org/events.

New State Rep. Ryan Lauer, a Columbus Republican representing District 59, successfully got his first bill passed in the Indiana House of Representatives. The body voted unanimously in support of Lauer’s legislation imposing tougher penalties on government officials and employees who are convicted of stealing public funds.

Lauer says House Bill 1192 would require public servants who steal public funds to reimburse the stolen amount through their pensions, if they cannot pay the amount back themselves. Currently, a person cannot be required to use their pension to pay off debt, even if it would be used to repay stolen tax dollars.

Lauer says this bill would be an important deterrent to discourage officials from violating public trust. “We need to protect taxpayers by ensuring offenders are held responsible when theft occurs,” Lauer said. “Many times, thieves spend the stolen money before they are caught. This legislation would help enable communities to get their public funds back even when offenders no longer have the money.”