YIR January

1

Matt Myers was sworn in as the 55th sheriff in Bartholomew County history by Superior Court 1 Judge James Worton.

2

Bistro 310 closed five days before Christmas and will not return. Owner Robin Maiani said the restaurant closed for “purely financial reasons.” The restaurant originally opened in 2004 and reopened in 2009 after being closed for a year-and-a-half.

3

About a dozen area veterans were surprised to find Veterans Affairs doesn’t plan to pay for some of their medical services provided through civilian providers. The veterans each accumulated thousands of dollars in medical bills the VA said they must pay out of their own pockets, Bartholomew County Veterans Service Officer Tm Crawford said.

4

Recycling has become a mission for students at two Columbus Signature Academy campuses who are trying to make their facilities no-waste schools. Fifth- and sixth-graders at Lincoln and freshman and seniors at New Tech High School are using guidance from Cummins Inc. on the projects.

5

The Columbus Police Department had only five civilian complaints filed by mid-December, and only one was found to be partially substantiated.

6

The Columbus Food Co-op, a member-owned grocery that began as an idea in 2010, achieved a major milestone in November when it signed a lease on a building after a four-year search.

7

Columbus City Council members said they want more information before deciding whether to spend $70,000 for body cameras and computer system upgrades for the police department.

8

Hope town officials, worried about the viability of the local volunteer fire department, held off on renewing their fire-protection service contract and sought alternatives.

9

A plan to more than double the number of trains passing through Columbus would not have a significant impact on the city, according to a federal agency examining the proposed project, but city officials expressed concerns.

10

A Northside Middle School administrative assistant was accused of taking thousands of dollars from the school’s extracurricular account during the past six years.

11

Columbus residents prepared to place their trash toters out on different days. The new routes combined weekly trash, compost, brush and leaf pickup with the city’s new biweekly recycling program.

12

Columbus police officers were preparing to carry a medication kit to help reverse drug overdoses. Officers were trained to administer Narcan to overdose victims through nasal spray.

13

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department began testing and studying body cameras to determine how effective they are and what would be required to include all officers.

14

Gov. Mike Pence heralded the health of Indiana’s economy in his State of the State speech, while saying future progress depends on getting more students into high-quality schools.

15

A test run for the planned online ISTEP+ failed miserably in the eyes of one administrator after only 21 out of 2,453 Bartholomew County School Corp. computers were able to load the practice test Jan. 13.

16

Columbus-based diesel engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. unveiled the new 2016 Nissan Titan XD full-sized pickup, which will be powered by a 5-liter V8 Cummins Turbo Diesel built at the Columbus plant.

17

Mayor Kristen Brown opened her campaign for a second term as Columbus’ mayor before more then 450 supporters.

18

Area Realtors and foreclosure counselors said the housing market in Bartholomew County improved significantly last year and has nearly recovered from the 2008 financial crisis and housing collapse that tumbled the nation into recession.

19

A family who lost a 2-year-old son to leukemia asked the community to help young people who are battling the disease by participating in the second Chillin’ for Chase’s Comrades, a dinner and 5K run and walk in memory of Chase Galbraith.

20

Mary Howard-Hamilton, the keynote speaker for IUPUC’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day event talked about the importance of not giving up and realizing the impact of every act, however small, when fighting for social justice.

21

The Columbus Capital Foundation Inc. decided to market the historic Crump Theatre in downtown Columbus and began establishing the best way to advertise the performance venue.

22

Donald R. “Randy” Bailey, who headed the Hope Police Department from 1989 until his arrest in August 2013, was charged with a Class D felony misconduct charge of false informing.

23

Data showed that Columbus renters paid the second-highest apartment rates in Indiana, and the city’s apartment prices were driven by a growing number of employees working at the headquarters and manufacturing facilities of Cummins.

24

Denise Lynch, 54, and her daughter Elizabeth, 24, both Ivy Tech Community College students, planned to travel to Georgia to begin a 2,182.2-mile trek north to Maine, on foot, then turn around and walk from Maine to Georgia.

25

U.S. Rep. Luke Messer, a Republican who represents Indiana’s 6th District, said he would meet with Columbus Mayor Kristen Brown and other area mayors to reach the best decision or solution for Columbus, Franklin, Greenwood and Seymour and for two railroads planning to increase high-speed train traffic through those communities.

26

Jessica Pendleton took over as D.A.R.E. officer, replacing 30-year department veteran Pat Bryant, who retired Dec. 31 after serving 23 years in the program. Pendleton was promoted to full-time road patrol officer in August 2009 and became the department’s K-9 officer in 2001.

27

Bartholomew County sheriff’s deputies recovered four guns stolen from a home in the 500 block of Poplar Street in Jonesville.

28

Bartholomew County learned it would gain $1 million to $2 million a year in tax revenue if state legislators passed a commuter tax proposed by state lawmakers.

29

Cummins Inc. said it planned to use he 62,800-square-foot former Sears property, owned by Columbus Capital Foundation, to eventually accommodate up to 400 high-paying jobs.

30

Bartholomew County officials said the allocated $3.25 million approved for a new county annex office building wasn’t enough and that borrowing money was being considered.

31

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department said it was seeking grant funding to obtain a drug often described as an antidote to heroin overdoses.