An Indianapolis truck driver died Thursday morning in a crash on northbound Interstate 65 near the Edinburgh exit.

49-year-old James W. Oden Jr, 49, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash by the Bartholomew County Coroners office.

Deputies were called to the crash at about 9:58 a.m. Thursday morning after Oden’s truck overturned on the interstate and flattened a guardrail. A passenger car was also involved in the crash. 21-year-old Blaine Pheral and 22-year-old Rachelle Pheral, both of Columbus were taken to Columbus Regional Hospital and treated for minor injuries.

The highway reopened after about six hours Thursday. The accident remains under investigation.

The Columbus Parks and Recreation Department is announcing that it will not be opening the Donner Aquatic Center this summer. The Columbus Parks and Recreation Board voted unanimously Thursday afternoon to keep the pool closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Significant restrictions would have had to be imposed to open the pool including reduced hours, closures to sanitize, elimination of parties and swim lessons and reduced numbers of people allowed in the facility. The board decided that the restrictions would be so great and so inconvenient to the public that there was no benefit the community in opening.

The parks department says that the safety of the staff and community is its top priority.

A Columbus police dog helped arrest a man who allegedly broke into a house Wednesday afternoon in downtown Columbus.

Columbus police were called to a home in the 700 block of Wilson Street at 3:35 p.m. Wednesday on a report of a possible break-in Officers discovered signs of a forced entry and contacted the homeowner, who said no one should be at home at that time.

After warning anyone inside the home to step outside, with no response, police released police dog Bane into the home along with several officers. They discovered 35-year-old Christopher A. Yarber of Columbus trying to hide in the basement.

After getting bitten in the shoulder by the dog, Yarber was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for treatment and then to jail on a preliminary charge of residential entry. He was also wanted on a Bartholomew County warrant for a probation violation.

Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is reporting a fatal accident this morning involving a semi on northbound Interstate 65 near the Edinburgh exit. Few details are available at this time but lanes have been shut down and Sheriff Matt Myers said the highway is likely to remain closed for several hours.

Bartholomew County deputies are working with German Township Volunteer Firefighters, Columbus Fire Department’s Squad 2 and Indiana State Police at the scene.

You should avoid the area if you can and find an alternative route.

The Columbus/Bartholomew Recycling Center is planning to reopen on Tuesday at 7:30 in the morning.

When visiting the Columbus/Bartholomew Recycling Center drive-thru for recycling or household hazardous waste disposal, all customers must stay in their vehicle. You should stow the items separate from people inside the vehicle, such as in in the back seat, trunk, or bed of a truck. Recycling center staff will unload the items.

All recyclable materials must be empty, clean, dry, and sorted by the type to speed up the drop-off process. Household hazardous waste must be in the original container with label for proper identification.

When visiting any of the Bartholomew County Solid Waste Management District facilities, you should plan to remain six feet away from other people and to stay home if you are sick.

According to the most recent update from the Indiana State Department of Health, there are 25,127 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Indiana, an increase of 566 cases since Monday’s report.

There have been 1,444 deaths in Indiana as of this afternoon’s update, an increase of 33 deaths from Monday’s numbers.

Bartholomew County has 367 confirmed cases, an increase of 7 since Monday. There have been 27 deaths so far from the coronavirus in Bartholomew County, which is up by 1. There have been 3,131 county residents tested with 2,326 negative and 475 tests pending.

In other area counties, Decatur has 215 cases and has had 29 deaths, Jennings 98 cases and 3 deaths; Jackson 285 cases and 1 death; Brown 28 cases and 1 death; Johnson 840 cases and 91 deaths; and Shelby 272 cases and 17 deaths.

Updated: Missing teen found safe.

Earlier:

Columbus Police Department is searching for a missing 17-year old girl, Elizabeth Jacobs. She is possibly enroute to Indianapolis and is believed to be in danger. She is four feet, eleven inches tall and one hundred pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a red sweatshirt and pants with no shoes. Police say she was last seen in the area of Poshard Drive and Central Avenue in Columbus at about 10 this morning. If you have any information or know her location, you should call 9-1-1.

An autopsy has revealed that a Columbus business woman was killed by a single gunshot to the head last week.

Bartholomew County Coroner Clayton Nolting said that 45-year-old Cassondra M. Wilson was killed Friday night at the Spruce Ridge Apartments on Picea Place on the west side of Columbus. An autopsy was performed Sunday at Columbus Regional Hospital.

Her ex-husband, 44-year-old Troy A. Wilson, was a person of interest in the death investigation. But local authorities were told by Indianapolis police that Troy Wilson was found dead in the city Saturday afternoon.

The Republic newspaper is reporting that she had a protective order against her former husband.

Cassondra Wilson was the CEO of TrainerConnect.

Lt. Matt Harris with the Columbus Police Department says officers were called to the 3700 block of Picea Place at about 9 p.m. Friday on a report of person being shot. Officers found Wilson dead inside the apartment.

Columbus firefighters battled a garage fire early this morning in downtown Columbus.

Firefighters were called to the 2200 block of Sixth Street at 5:43 a.m. this morning to a detached garage that was fully engulfed in flames. The fire was extinguished and no one was injured.

The fire did damage a nearby utility pole, knocking out power to several homes in the area. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The National Weather Service has issued a frost advisory for early Tuesday morning. The frost advisory is in effect from 2 until 8 a.m. tomorrow morning as temperatures dip to near freezing. Forecasters warn that the low temperatures could kill sensitive outdoor vegetation if left uncovered. You should take steps to protect tender plants from the cold.