A driver was arrested last week for his role in a January police chase and crash into a Columbus police car.

Columbus police report that they arrested 24-year-old Tyler S. Houchens Thursday afternoon near Ohio and McShane avenues. Houchens is accused of being the driver who stole a vehicle and crashed into a Columbus police patrol car on January 23rd on Brookside Court. Officers were on the scene that morning on a reported disturbance.

Police found the stolen vehicle speeding on State Road 11 heading into Columbus but called off the chase at the time due to the volume of early morning traffic.

Houchens was arrested on a Bartholomew County warrant and is being held on a parole violation on charges of auto theft and leaving the scene of a property damage accident.

There is still a bit of time to vote in person early in Bartholomew County.

There is one early voting location at Donner Center open from 8 a.m. to noon today.

Most Bartholomew County voters will be deciding on a referendum for Bartholomew Consolidated Schools to raise teachers’ pay, as well as the Democratic candidates for this fall’s Statehouse race and Republican races for Superior Court judge, County Commissioner and County Council at large.

Bartholomew County Democrats have one contested race on the ballot, for the statehouse seat that represents most of the county and Columbus. Dale Nowlin and Cinde Wirth are running to challenge incumbent State Rep. Ryan Lauer in November.

On the Republican ballot, voters will be choosing between four candidates for Superior Court judge with Scott Andrews, Dominic Glover, Joe Meek and Jon Rohde; Three candidates for County Commissioner District 3 seat, Dan Arnholt, Jo Flohr and Tony London. And seven candidates running for the three at-large seats on the Bartholomew County Council: Andrew Brunni, Laura DeDomenic, Bill Lentz, Matt Miller, Derick Olson, Evelyn Pence and Bill Read.

County Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz, Coroner Clayton Nolting and Surveyor E.R. Gray are all running unopposed on the Bartholomew County Republican ballot.

The primary election is Tuesday and you can cast ballots at one of 8 vote centers in the county from 6 to 6.

Those vote centers will be at at Flintwood Wesleyan Church, Donner Center, Terrace Lake Church, Elizabethtown Fire Station, Ogilville United Methodist Church, Hope Moravian Church, German Township Fire Station and St. John’s Masonic Lodge.

Bartholomew County has reached a new landmark for COVID-19 cases confirmed in the county.

According to the most recent update from the Indiana State Department of Health,Bartholomew County has 500 confirmed cases and there have been 34 deaths from COVID-19 in Bartholomew County.

Statewide there are 33,558 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Indiana, an increase of 521 cases since Thursday’s report.

There have been 1,946 deaths in Indiana as of this afternoon’s update, an increase of 40 deaths from the previous numbers.

In other area counties, Decatur County has had 224 cases and 31 deaths, Jennings 130 cases and 4 deaths, Jackson 379 cases and 1 death, Brown 33 cases and 1 death, Johnson 1,093 cases and 108 deaths an increase of two since yesterday and Shelby 368 cases and 22 deaths.

Indiana is making more than $4.3 million available in Bartholomew County to cover expenses from the COVID-19 pandemic, local state legislators Rep. Ryan Lauer and Rep. Sean Eberhart announced Thursday.

Bartholomew County is eligible for nearly $2.7 million in funding, Columbus $1.5 million and other county towns are receiving funds including:  Clifford $7,883; Elizabethtown $17,097; Hartsville $12,880; Hope $71,311; and Jonesville $6,229.

Lauer said the the pandemic brought a financial burden to communities including medical supplies and testing centers. The relief funds are to help offset their unexpected COVID-19 related costs.”

Indiana allocated $300 million in federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economics Security, or CARES Act to counties and communities for reimbursement. Lauer said the funding cannot be used to replace lost tax revenue.

The Indiana Finance Authority is in charge of guidelines on how each county, city and town can use the funding.

Columbus tenant restaurants in The Commons and the city-owned parking garage on Fourth and Jackson Streets will see a break in their rent through the end of the year. The Columbus Redevelopment Commission agreed to a proposal to continue to not charge rent to its businesses tenants in June and July and to only charge 25 percent rent for the rest of the year.

Heather Pope, director of redevelopment for the city, explained that the downtown restaurants are an essential element of making the area vibrant and attractive for redevelopment efforts.

Sarah Cannon, president of the Redevelopment Commission explains:

Several of the business owners expressed the difficulties they are facing include a huge drop in revenue and increased costs from takeout service.

Steve Leach with the Garage Pub and Grill says that is heartbreaking to the business owners to have to ask for help:

Leach praised the partnership between the city and the tenant restaurants that has helped revitalize downtown Columbus.

The affected businesses include Lucabe Coffee Co., Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt, Luciana’s Mexican Restaurant, Bucceto’s Smiling Teeth, Subway, and The Garage Pub and Grill.

Ethnic Expo will not be held this year in downtown Columbus.

Mayor Jim Lienhoop made the announcement today that the multi-cultural event, originally scheduled for Oct. 9th and 10th, has been canceled.

This would have been the 37th year for the downtown festival.

Lienhoop said that organizers “want to ensure that we are not putting our residents, neighbors, and our most vulnerable at risk. It was a difficult decision to not hold Ethnic Expo this year, but we want to be responsible in keeping the community safe.”

First Financial Bank has been the presenting sponsor of the event for the past 10 years.

Tuesday is primary election day in Indiana and early voting is underway in Bartholomew County at Donner Center.

The vote center will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Saturday, and then from 8 a.m. until noon on Monday.

Most Bartholomew County voters will be deciding on a referendum for Bartholomew Consolidated Schools to raise teachers’ pay, as well as the Democratic candidates for this fall’s Statehouse race and Republican races for Superior Court judge, County Commissioner and County Council at large.

Bartholomew County Democrats have one contested race on the ballot, for the statehouse seat that represents most of the county and Columbus. Dale Nowlin and Cinde Wirth are running to challenge incumbent State Rep. Ryan Lauer in November.

On the Republican ballot, voters will be choosing between four candidates for Superior Court judge with Scott Andrews, Dominic Glover, Joe Meek and Jon Rohde; Three candidates for County Commissioner District 3 seat, Dan Arnholt, Jo Flohr and Tony London. And seven candidates running for the three at-large seats on the Bartholomew County Council: Andrew Brunni, Laura DeDomenic, Bill Lentz, Matt Miller, Derick Olson, Evelyn Pence and Bill Read.

County Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz, Coroner Clayton Nolting and Surveyor E.R. Gray are all running unopposed on the Bartholomew County Republican ballot.

Election Day is Tuesday, June 2nd and because of poll worker shortages in Bartholomew County, and a reduction in the number of locations willing to host poll stations, you will see only eight vote center locations on election day. Those will be at Flintwood Wesleyan Church, Donner Center, Terrace Lake Church, Elizabethtown Fire Station, Ogilville United Methodist Church, Hope Moravian Church, German Township Fire Station and St. John’s Masonic Lodge.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Hope will be honoring Hauser High School’s graduating seniors Friday afternoon with a parade through the town.

Aleesa Dickerson, the school’s ag teacher and FFA advisor is helping organize the event. She said that the Class of 2020 has missed out on so much, that organizers wanted to recognize them for their accomplishments.

Dickerson said that the former students she has talked to have seemed excited and plan to participate.

Dickerson has encouraged the graduates to wear the prom dresses or sports uniforms that they never got a chance to wear this spring.

The in-vehicle parade will form up at the High School with a start time of 5 p.m. Students should be one per car and should not be driving so they can wave to the well wishers, Dickerson said.

Those wishing to watch the parade should line up in their vehicles along the parade route which heads up Elm Street, along Jackson and around the Town Square before ending at the Community Center.

The grand marshals of the parade will be retiring teachers Wanda Siebert and Kathy Kramer

Organizers of the Jackson County Fair have called off this year’s event, originally scheduled for July 26th through Aug. 1st.

In a letter to the community, the fair organizers said that while Indiana’s Back on Track plan would allow for an event the size of the fair under Stage 5, the restrictions would have been unworkable and there is no guarantee that the state will have moved to Stage 5 of the plan in time for the fair.

Changes would have required only allowing livestock on the grounds the day of the fair; food stands, rides and other walkways would have had to maintain six feet of social distancing between those in line; fair buildings would have only been allowed to have one-way travel and there would have been limits on the number of people allowed inside.

Organizers ultimately determined that a large gathering in July would have posed risk to the visitors and volunteers, churches, schools and businesses that take part.

Planning is underway to transition the 4-H exhibitions usually held at the fair to a virtual format.

Bartholomew County has had another death from COVID-19.

According to the most recent update from the Indiana State Department of Health, there are 32,437 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Indiana, an increase of 370 cases since Tuesday’s report.

There have been 1,871 deaths in Indiana as of Wednesday afternoon’s update, an increase of 18 deaths from the previous numbers.

Bartholomew County has 486 confirmed cases and there have been 34 deaths from COVID-19 in Bartholomew County, an increase of one since yesterday.

In other area counties, Decatur County has had 224 cases and 31 deaths, Jennings 128 cases and 4 deaths, Jackson 368 cases and 1 death, Brown 33 cases and 1 death, Johnson 1,092 cases and 104 deaths, Shelby 321 cases and 21 deaths.