The town of Hope has a new company based there. Studebaker International announced last night that it is bringing its parts distribution business to Hope and will eventually have 11 to 12 employees there.

The company will be relocating to an Aiken Street building once occupied by the Bartholomew County Historical Society as the Hawcreek Heritage Center. Jim Lime, the company’s co-owner, explains the decision to move:

LIme says the company was founded more than 25 years ago by Ed Reynolds, whose father had been a Studebaker engineer.

The company ships parts all over the world and has more than 25,000 people subscribed to its catalogs. Lime estimates that 85 percent of the parts it ships will come from Hope.

The company is relocating from Greenfield, but will continue to maintain a facility for larger parts in Shelbyville and a few employees in South Bend.

Company officials credited Hope Town Manager J.T. Doane for his help and enthusiasm making the move possible.

State Road 258 is scheduled to close at Seymour the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 9 through the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 10th to facilitate railroad crossing rehabilitation and track realignment work. The Indiana Department of Transportation says that Louisville & Indiana Railroad crews plan to being crossing work at 6 p.m. Tuesday, weather permitting. INDOT officials say State Road 258/Sixth Street should reopen to traffic by 6 p.m. the following day.

A state highway detour will route motorists around the State Road 258 crossing closure via State Road 11, U.S. Highway 50 and State Road 135.

INDOT says that motorists should notice improved smoothness—especially on the east side of State Road 258 once the work has been completed.

Two North Vernon residents were arrested early Wednesday morning on theft and drug charges.

North Vernon Police say they were called to the area of Jackson Street at 4:18 a.m. in reference to vehicles possibly being broken into. When officers arrived, they found two people in the area. After an investigation, 27-year-old Jordan Ferris was arrested on a preliminary charge of Possession of Methamphetamine and 18-year-old Ezra Engle 18 was arrested on a charge of Theft.

A historic home in North Vernon was facing the wrecking ball. Now, it has a new lease on life. Greg Sekula is the Indiana Landmarks Southern Regional Director. His group was able to save the former home of businessman Joseph Cone, located at the corner of Jennings and State Streets.

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Sekulah says the house has been transformed over the last several weeks.

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The house was designed by George F. Barber, a Knoxville, TN, architect know for the elaborate residential designs he marketed through mail-order catalogs. The house has fallen into severe disrepair over the years and the last homeowner was unable to maintain it. Sekula says that once adequate repairs are made, the house will be put on the market and whoever buys it will be responsible for final renovations and maintenance.

Tuesday is the deadline to register to vote for November’s general election. Early voting begins the following day.

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Jay Phelps, Bartholomew County Clerk, says that additional early voting locations will be open Oct. 22-27 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at German American Bank on Columbus’ west side, Donner Center and Flintwood Wesleyan Church. On Election Day, there will be voting centers open throughout Bartholomew County. Phelps says they will be in the same locations they were in for the 2016 election.

For more information, or if you have questions about your voter registration status, call the Voter Registration Office at (812) 379-1676.

Indiana State Police say that they have caught two Columbus men who broke into a vehicle owned by a trooper’s family.

The investigation started on Sept. 28th when a trooper, Sgt. Eric Streeval, noticed a man inside the trooper’s family vehicle in the driveway at their Columbus home at about quarter til five in the morning. The man ran away and Streeval ended up talking to a nearby man who was waiting near a car.

The trooper soon discovered that his daughter’s debit card had been stolen from the family vehicle. And that someone was using it at the National Road Kroger store at about 6 in the morning. Streeval arrived at the parking lot and recognized the same car there. He began talking to two men, before one of them, identified as 24-year-old Thomas McFall allegedly attacked the trooper and ran away. McFall was eventually caught in the Lowe’s parking lot.

Both the trooper and McFall were treated at Columbus Regional Hospital for minor injuries.

The second man allegedly jumped in the car and took off. Through surveillance video, police identified that man as 23-year-old Jackson Nolting. On Tuesday, Columbus police stopped the same car and arrested Nolting on drug-related charges. But officers also allegedly found items that had been stolen from the trooper’s vehicle, as well as items bought with the daughter’s credit card.

McFall is facing charges of battery on law enforcement with injury, resisting law enforcement, obstruction of justice, fraud, theft, false informing, unauthorized entry into a vehicle, and Bartholomew County warrants for conversion, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Nolting is being accused of fraud, resisting law enforcement in a vehicle, and theft.

Friday is the last day to take the Welcoming Community survey being organized by Heritage Fund: The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County.

The is the third welcoming community survey by the community foundation since the Welcoming Community Initiative started in 2004. Community leaders at the time highlighted the importance of nurturing a diverse community where everyone could feel welcome.

You can find links to the survey at heritagefundbc.org, on the Heritage Fund Facebook page, or paper copies are available at the Heritage Fund offices, the Bartholomew County Public Library and Mill Race Center.

Cummins says that it is looking into possible partnerships with Isuzu.

The company announced this morning that a long-term partnership would enable both companies to grow globally. Under a letter of intent, the companies agreed to jointly evaluate opportunities to deliver globally competitive products.

Over the next few months, the companies will assign a team of individuals to explore potential opportunities in product technology development, service and other areas of collaboration. That would have the potential for a longer-term partnership for the next generation of diesel and natural gas based internal combustion powertrains. The companies could also be looking at new powertrain technologies such as electrification.

The Columbus based engine manufacturer says that diesel engines will continue to be the power leader for the foreseeable future in commercial vehicle and off-highway markets.

For more on the announcement, click here.

Bartholomew County voters will have several contested races on their ballots this fall, but far from a full slate. All of the countywide races, now held by Republicans, are unopposed in the Nov. 6th election.

Among the races that are contested:

In the County Council District 1 seat, Republican Scott Bonnell will face Democrat Hanna Omar, while the County Council District 4 seat will have Republican incumbent Jorge Morales running against Democrat Lynne Fleming.

There are four candidates running for the two at-large seats on the Hope Town Council. Incumbent Republican Clyde Compton and incumbent Democrat Jerry Bragg are running against Republican Lou K. and Democrat Chelsea Warriner.

There will be three contested statehouse races in Bartholomew County with Republican incumbent Senator Greg Walker running against Democrat Ross Thomas for the senate seat representing most of the county. Republican Ryan Lauer, Democrat Dale Nowlin and Libertarian Clyde D. Myers are running for state representative district 59 representing most of the county.

Republican State Rep. Jim Lucas is seeking re-election against Democrat Steve Schoettmer. in the Seymour centered District 69 which includes the very southern part of Bartholomew County.

Bartholomew County voters will also have a vote in hotly contested Congressional races. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly is facing Republican Mike Braun for the U.S. Senate and Republican Greg Pence is facing Democrat Jeanine Lake for the District 6th congressional seat now held by Republican Rep. Luke Messer.

Among the uncontested races:

• Superior Court I Judge Jim Worton
• Prosecutor Bill Nash
• Clerk Jay Phelps
• Auditor Pia O’Connor
• Recorder Tami Hines
• Treasurer Barb Hackman
• Sheriff Matt Myers
• Assessor Ginny Whipple
• County Commissioner Carl H. Lienhoop.

Republican State Sen. Chip Perfect and State Rep. Sean R. Eberhart are both running unopposed. Eberhart’s Shelbyville district also includes northeastern Bartholomew County and Perfect’s senate seat also covers eastern Bartholomew County.

Local school board races are all unopposed on Nov. 6th.  Dr. Jill Shedd, Rich Stenner and Kathy Dayhoff-Dwyer will all win re-election to their seats on the Bartholomew Consolidated School Board, along with Julie Bilz who is running for the first time and is also unopposed. Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Board seats will be filled by incumbents Dr. John Harker and Pat Walters, along with Chad Miller.

You can download the complete Bartholomew County ballot list from the voter registration office here (PDF format)