Columbus police officers arrested a local man on a warrant and a drug possession charge after he was observed on a bicycle Wednesday morning.

Columbus police saw Thomas E. Childers, 36, Columbus, riding a bike at 11:30 a.m. near a home in the 1300 block of Lafayette Avenue. Officers confirmed a Marion County
warrant for Childers arrest and he was taken into custody, said Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman.

While searching Childers’ clothing, officers reportedly located heroin inside a clear bag, Harris said. Childers was transported to the Bartholomew County Jail where
he was being held on the preliminary charges of a Marion County warrant and possession of heroin.

For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.

JENNINGS COUNTY — Dave O’Mara Contractor Inc. will begin patching a 9.7-mile section of U.S. 50 in Jennings County on Monday, weather permitting, as part of a $3.1 million patching and paving project.

Work will take place from approximately two miles east of State Road 3 to nine miles west of U.S. 421.

Patching will be followed by milling and paving. The project is expected to be complete by Oct. 31.

Motorists should expect delays due to lane closures along the route. Flaggers will be present to maintain traffic. Please use caution throughout the work zone and watch for crews and equipment.

Staff Reports

EVANSVILLE — Old National Bancorp reported second quarter 2019 net income of $63 million, or 36 cents per share, an increase of 43% from the second quarter of 2018.

Old National Bancorp, the holding company of Old National Bank, reported that net interest income on a fully taxable equivalent basis was $158.5 million, up 5.5%. Net interest margin on fully taxable equivalent basis was 3.66%.

“This was a quarter that saw Old National report record net income, strong loan production, good fee income and excellent credit metrics, all of which allowed us to continue to generate positive operating leverage, said Old National CEO Jim Ryan. “While loan prepayments and planned exits impacted overall balance sheet growth, activity levels were robust and we successfully covnerted our KleinBank-Minnesota branches during the quarter.”

Ryan said the company’s granular loan portfolio and low-risk profile again resulted in very low credit costs and Old National remains on a high performance path.

Pre-provision net revenue was reported at $81.6 million with non-interest expense at $128.1 million.

End-of-period loans were $12,084.5 million and second-quarter total commercial production was a record $628.0 million, the company reported.

Included in the second quarter were pre-tax charges of $3.2 million for merger and integration activity. Excluding these charges from the current quarter and netting out debt securities gains, adjusted net income was $64.5 million, or 37 cents per diluted share.

The company, with $20.1 billion in assets, is a top 100 U.S. bank, the largest Indiana-based bank and has been recognized as a World’s Most Ethical Company by the Ethisphere Institute for eight consecutive years. The company has locations in Indiana, including Columbus, along with Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

For more information, visit oldnational.com.