The Relay for Life in Hope will be from 8 a.m. n the morning to 11 p.m. Saturday evening on the Hope Town Square.

Activities will include music by Night Owl Country Band from 7 to 8:30 p.m., a fish fry from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., a silent auction and an luminaria ceremony that starts at 9 p.m. in the evening.

All proceeds go to benefit the American Cancer Society.

Interstate 65 drivers should see a change in the traffic pattern near Jonesville Sunday night.

INDOT says that southbound traffic will be be move to the northbound side of the interstate for about five miles in that area. A crossover north of the Able Ditch will revert the traffic to the southbound lanes. The switch will let paving work continue in the existing southbound lanes.

Northbound crossover traffic to southbound lanes will remain unchanged.

This is all part of the project to widen Interstate 65 to six lanes between Columbus and Seymour. INDOT warns that drivers should continue to use caution in the construction zone between the cities.

The change is dependent on the weather.

A group of local volunteer dentists will be performing free procedures tomorrow for those in need. The charity event is in celebration of Free Dentistry Day and the doctors will provide up to one filling, extraction or cleaning for those in need.

Participating dentists will include Dr. Steven Bollinger and the team at Dental Care at Columbus Crossing, Dr. Erica Hunt of Southern Indiana Smiles, Dr. Keegan Bakus of Landmark Dental Care, and Dr. Jane Harrison of Dentistry Plus.

Free Dentistry Day recognizes a crisis in the lack of dental insurance for many in the country. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 108 million Americans go without dental insurance.

The event will be held at Dental Care at Columbus Crossing, 2145 West Jonathan Moore Pike, from 8 a.m. until noon. Patients will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

The city of Columbus is moving ahead with plans to purchase the former co-op gas station on Second Street at a price of up to $340,000.

The less than one-acre property is at the corner of Central Avenue, Second and State streets and has been abandoned for years. City officials say the building is deteriorating and has been the subject of vandalism over the years. When the store closed, products on the shelves were left to rot inside, says Heather Pope, redevelopment director for the city.

Pope said the property does have several fiberglass underground storage tanks and the city will be applying for grant funds to have those removed. Testing has shown no leaking from those tanks that would have to be cleaned up.

Mayor Jim Lienhoop said that two appraisals were done, showing a value of between $290,000 and $340,000, for an average of $317,000.

Redevelopment Commission member and City Councilwoman Laurie Booher asked why the city was willing to pay a price higher than the lower the appraisal. Lienhoop explained that the state has given redevelopment commissions that ability.

Lienhoop said that sometimes to complete a larger project, redevelopment commissions need the ability to pay the asking price for a property. But this project is within a few percentage points from the average., he said.

In this case, putting all of the property in the area under the ownership of the city, could make for an enticing package for a would-be developer, the mayor said. The area is a key location for future development.

The redevelopment commission voted to approve negotiations to buy the property, which is now owned by Rickers.

Two Jackson County residents were arrested on drug related charges following a traffic stop and search warrant in Seymour on Tuesday.

The investigation began shortly after 2:30 pm when an Indiana State Police trooper stopped a car for a traffic violation on Sprenger Road. During the stop, the trooper began to suspect criminal activity was taking place.

Trooper Randel Miller and police dog Jinx responded to assist. Jinx alerted to the odor of illegal drugs coming from the vehicle. A search of the vehicle allegedly uncovered approximately 50 grams of suspected methamphetamine.

The driver of the vehicle, Derrick N. Broshears, 34, Brownstown, was arrested on preliminary charges of Dealing Methamphetamine and Possession of Methamphetamine.

Troopers then responded to a room at the Motel 6 in Seymour that was rented by Broshears. Inside the room, troopers found April R. Williams, 38, Crothersville. Troopers obtained a search warrant for the room and allegedly uncovered syringes, drug paraphernalia, a legend drug and additional evidence of Dealing Methamphetamine.

Williams was arrested on preliminary charges of Dealing Methamphetamine, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Syringe, Possession of a Legend Drug and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

North Vernon City Council approved changes affecting parking on High Street and the speed limit on West Walnut Street.

Under the ordinances approved Wednesday night, parking will be prohibited on the south side of High Street from the intersection with State Road 3 to the intersection with Stockwell Street. Council members say they’ve personally driven on this section of road and realize that the street simply isn’t wide enough to allow the safe flow of traffic without the new restriction.

Under the ordinance, vehicles that are parked on the south side of this section of High Street are subject to fines and towing.

Council also voted 4-0 to lower the speed limit on West Walnut Street. From the intersection of State Road 3 to the intersection with Norris Avenue, the speed limit is now 30 MPH. From Norris Avenue to Hayden Pike, the speed limit is 35 MPH. West Walnut Street from the intersection of Hayden Pike to the western city limits now has a speed limit of 45 MPH.

North Vernon officials noted that this portion of road used to be under state control and had a speed limit of 55 MPH. Since control has reverted to the city, North Vernon Police and the city engineer analyzed traffic activity and determined that the lower speed limits would benefit area residents

New speed limit signs are expected to be posted in the coming weeks.

The city of Seymour has won a lawsuit over billboards in a downtown park.

“The Seymour Tribune” is reporting that the Lousiana-based company which owns the four billboards in Crossroads Community Park has until June 30th to take them down.

The billboards were on a lease with previous property owner that renewed every five years.

When the three-acre site was sold to GM Development in 2017 for $3.5 million to develop the park for the city, Mayor Craig Luedeman signed a letter asking the company to cancel the lease and remove the billboards.

The company refused and had the case moved to federal court.

Luedeman told the paper that the company is scheduled to start work on June 23rd.

For more on this story, visit tribtown.com.

A local man was arrested on a drug possession charge after he allegedly refused to stop for police officers on Wednesday. Shortly before noon, an off duty Columbus police officer saw Robert D. Zambrano, 46, driving a vehicle on Second Street. The officer knew that Zambrano had a suspended driver’s license and reportedly fled from officers on a motorcycle the previous day.

A short time later, officers attempted to stop Zambrano’s vehicle near 25th Street and California Street, however, they say he refused to pull over. They followed Zambrano’s vehicle for several blocks until he finally pulled over in a parking lot in the 1500 block of 25th Street.

Once Zambrano was safely in custody, officers searched his vehicle. They reported finding a small bag of methamphetamine in the vehicle’s console.

Zambrano is facing preliminary charges of Possession of Methamphetamine, Resisting Law Enforcement in a Vehicle and Driving While Suspended.

North Vernon City Council gave final approval for an ordinance regulating UTVs on city streets during its meeting Wednesday night. Council members say the understand the popularity of these types of vehicle and wanted to encourage their safe operation within city limits.

Under the ordinance, operators must have a valid drivers license and proof of financial responsibility in order to legally operate.

Council is also restricting the use of these vehicles on highways including U.S. 50, State Road 3 and State Road 7, except to cross at a 90-degree angle.

Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers and former Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson have been elected by fellow lawmen to help develop and lead the non-profit Indiana Sheriffs’ Youth Ranch.

Recently purchased with private donations and no tax dollars, the Youth Ranch will be a permanent venue for sheriffs and deputies from across the state to mentor future law enforcement officers, bond with at-risk kids and help young witnesses and victims of crime. These include siblings, sons and daughters of fallen first responders.

Through private donations, Indiana sheriffs and deputies bought the property in Brazil, in western Indiana, to create the Indiana Sheriffs’ Youth Ranch.

“Sheriff Myers and Former Sheriff Anderson will be ideal board members for our Youth Ranch,” said ISYR President John Layton, also a former Marion County Sheriff. “Our deputies, police officers and state troopers want the right young people to go into law enforcement for the right reasons, mentored by the right people in the right way. Matt and Frank are exactly the right people.”

For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation of materials, services or money to help develop the Youth Ranch, call 833-IN-RANCH.