Local law enforcement is joining more than 230 other agencies around the state to crack down on impaired driving between now and Labor Day weekend. Operation Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over will be looking for impaired drivers and you can expect to see increased sobriety checkpoints and more patrols.

The efforts, which include Columbus police, Bartholomew County deputies and the Indiana State Police, are funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.

Those two organizations recently purchased more than 2,600 portable breath tests to assist 150 Indiana law-enforcement agencies with establishing probable cause in arresting drunk drivers.

The Yellow Trail Museum in Hope is adding its first full time museum manager.

The not for profit museum features history displays and artifacts from the town’s earliest days. It also operates a branch of the Columbus Area Visitors Center.

The museum’s board of directors announced this week that they have hired Lizzie Flora for the role. She is a graduate of the University of Evansville with a degree in archaeology and art history. Most recently she worked at the Indiana State Museum.

Board president Erin Anderson says that Flora will be taking care of daily operations, developing exhibits and programs, cataloging the museum’s collection and ensuring proper preservation of the materials.

Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers is announcing the next of his series of neighborhood meetings, this time in Clay Township.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 22nd, at the Clay Township Volunteer Fire Station in Petersville. That is on rural 25th Street, east of Columbus

The sheriff says the meetings allow residents to discuss issues that they find important and for him to see how the sheriff’s department can better serve the community.

The neighborhood meeting is open to all residents of Bartholomew County. You do not have to be a Clay Township resident to attend.

There will be a free outdoor concert tonight in Seymour.

Seymour Main Street is organizing the performance by Darn the Torpedoes Tom Petty tribute band. The show will be in the new Crossroads Community park downtown. You can buy food from The Pines starting at 6 p.m. and the music will start at 6:30 p.m.

The Georg Utz facility in Edinburgh received tax breaks from Bartholomew County officials this week, allowing it to go ahead with a $2.9 million dollar expansion. The company appeared before the County Council this week to ask for the tax break on upcoming equipment purchase.

Tom Heller, an audience member, suggested that the council might want to reconsider tax abatements going forward, in light of the recent changes to federal taxes that were aimed a businesses.

The county council approved a five year tax abatement plan for the business, which means property taxes on the new equipment purchases would be phased in. There would be no taxes paid in the first year, and a growing percentage over the next four years.

Bartholomew County officials are going forward with plans to upgrade the security system in the county jail, at a cost of just over $1 million dollars.

The cost would all come out of income tax revenue with half coming from the County Commissioners-controlled economic development income taxes and half from unallocated newly instituted income taxes controlled by the County Council. Those new income taxes are accumulating in the county’s general fund.

Scott Mayes, the county IT director, said that the original winning bid came in at about $1.4 million dollars but by taking various options, the county whittled the cost down to just over $1 million. He also asked the County Council and Commissioners this week to include an additional 10 percent contingency fund, in case the project required any additional unexpected expenditures or ran into problems in the jail.

Councilman Jorge Morales expressed some frustration at the purchase of such technological equipment, as he says it seems to go obsolete practically as soon as it is installed.

The security system expansion would allow the jail to begin surveilling parts of the old jail building, whose cells have not been used for prisoners since the new section opened. The sheriff would like to expand the use of that section to ease overcrowding.

The installation of the new surveillance equipment is expected to take about 8 months.

Two Louisville men were arrested on drug charges, and  a pistol was found, during a traffic stop on Interstate 65 in Columbus Tuesday.

Columbus police stopped a vehicle with an expired license plate just south of the Columbus exit at about 11:50 p.m. Tuesday night. The two men inside appeared nervous and a search of the vehicle allegedly found the handgun in the glove compartment, two pounds of marijuana in the trunk and numerous syringes.

The driver, 46-year-old James R. Graham, is facing preliminary charges of possession of a handgun without a license , a legend drug injection device, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

A passenger, 28-year-old Michael D. Lewis was arrested on charges of dealing marijuana, along with possession of a legend drug injection device, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Two people were arrested, including a wanted Shelbyville man, after a traffic stop Tuesday evening on U.S. 31.

According to police reports, a Bartholomew County deputy stopped a vehicle near U.S. 31 and West County Road 550N at about 7:40 p.m., Tuesday evening. A passenger, 30-year-old Joshua Hartford of Shelbyville was found to have an outstanding Bartholomew County warrant.

A search of Hartford allegedly revealed methamphetamine and marijuana and paraphernalia were found inside the vehicle where he had been sitting. The paraphernalia included digital scales, packaged drugs and a pipe.

Hartford was arrested on preliminary charges of possession of methamphetamine and paraphernalia, along with the outstanding warrant.

The driver, 40-year-old David W. Smith of Columbus, was also arrested. He is facing preliminary charges of dealing marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A Butlerville woman was arrested after a traffic stop on U.S. 31 by Bartholomew County deputies.

34-year-old Megan Ison was arrested after her vehicle was pulled over at about 11:45 a.m. in the morning on Tuesday by a deputy responding to a reported impaired driver.

The deputy reported smelling marijuana inside the vehicle and Ison allegedly handed over a hand-rolled cigarette with a green leafy substance. She also allegedly showed the deputy other drug related items inside her vehicle.

She is facing preliminary charges of possession of possession of a controlled substance, marijuana, and paraphernalia, along with driving while intoxicated and driving with a prior suspended license.

Columbus City Council will be poring over the city’s $61 million dollar budget for 2019, starting this afternoon.

The total proposed budget for 2019 is up about $440,000 over the 2018 budget, according to numbers provided by the city. However, In the general fund, which the council has the most control over, the 2019 proposed budget is down about $1.9 million from the 2018 budget. That is a $36.7 million dollar proposal for next year, compared to this year’s $38.6 million dollar budget.

Jamie Brinegar, the city’s finance director, said that the biggest change year over year will be made to accommodate the changes recommended by a recently completed salary study.

The council will hold two special meetings today and tomorrow to consider the 2019 budget. Both start at 1 p.m. and will be held in the council chambers at Columbus City Hall.