The trial for a former reserve Nashville police officer accused of two misdemeanors in a pursuit of a motorcycle that ended in a fatality has been delayed. Our news-gathering partners at “The Republic” are reporting that the new bench trial date for 25-year-old Leonard Burch, of Columbus, is set for June 29 in Bartholomew Superior Court 2.

Burch is accused of taking part in a high-speed chase of 18-year-old Xavier Scrogham, of Hope, last August. Scrogham later crashed and died.

The paper is reporting that Burch was charged with False Informing and Reckless Driving, both misdemeanors, and could spend up to 240 days in jail.

For more, visit www.therepublic.com.

An expert in the heroin and opiate drug epidemic has a simple suggestion for ways you can make a difference in the situation — get rid of excess and old prescriptions you have at home.

Dr. Kendall Stewart, chief medical officer for the Southern Ohio Medical Center, was the featured speaker at the community kickoff event last night for Bartholomew County’s new anti-opiate drug initiative.

He said one thing people can do immediately to help stop the epidemic is to dispose of any unused medications in your drug cabinet. Those can be tempting targets for theft by children or those with addictions. Stewart said that disposing of the drugs will help keep them off the street.

Beth Morris, with Healthy Communities, said that the Walgreens on Beam Road in Columbus is the only local location certified for public drug drop off. You can also drop them off at the Columbus Regional Hospital emergency room, hospital staff said.

You are urged not to flush them down the drain as the chemicals end up in the water supply.

Bartholomew County officials kicked off their efforts to stem the heroin and opiate epidemic with an event last night that drew a huge amount of community support. The kickoff event at The Commons was attended by hundreds of people and introduced the new Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress, or ASAP initiative.

The Town of Hope is seeing some success in cleaning up the community with a new ordinance.

The law enacted earlier this year allows the town to flag properties that are covered with junk, debris or are unsanitary. Those receiving the red card warning door hanger then have to clean up the property or face a $25 a day fine.

Town Manager J.T. Doane explains how it is going so far

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One of the remaining two asked for help from the town, saying that he was unable to do the work because of health problems.

So far no fines have been issued. Doane said the town is working through a list of about 30 properties that need to be addressed.

Bartholomew County officials kicked off their efforts to stem the heroin and opiate epidemic with an event last night that drew a huge amount of community support.

Jeff Jones, a retired Cummins executive, has been appointed by the city and county governments to head up the effort. He announced that the program will be called the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County, or ASAP in BC.

It will consist of a three-pronged approach to address the drug problems:

Those will include a legal team headed by Circuit Court Judge Kelly Benjamin, and teams for treatment and recovery headed by Columbus Regional Hospital’s Julie Abedian and a prevention team led by Beth Morris of the hospital’s Healthy Communities program.

Jones said he was encouraged by the leadership in the community dedicated to solving the problem.

Jones said he thought our community was as well equipped to deal with this problem as any other.

Hundreds of people turned out to the kickoff event at The Commons. During the quesiton and answer period, several told very personal stories of the drug struggles they or their family members have faced. Requests for an in-patient rehab facility, better mental health programs, a needle exchange and a crisis center all drew loud support from the audience.

Seymour police are looking for two people who robbed a market at knifepoint Monday night.

The police say that a man and woman robbed the Morales Market on East Tipton Street at about 10:53 p.m. Monday. They displayed knives and held a knife to an employee’s throat while they ordered him to turn over money. They were both wearing hooded sweatshirts and ski masks.

Police say they don’t know which direction the two fled.

If you have any information you should contact the Seymour police at (812)-522-1234

Work on determining the best use of the former airport in Walesboro is ongoing. Jeff Bergman, city county planning director, explains…

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Bergman talks about the flooding issue at the site…

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Bergman asked for the Columbus Redevelopment Commission this week to approve a resolution to have a surveying company conduct a tributary topographic survey of the property.

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Bergman says the survey should be done this spring.

The Redevelopment Commission approved the request.

Student groups from Decatur County and Shelby County were among those that joined the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority for the 2016-17 My Community, My Vision event Wednesday afternoon. Each of the five student groups, with support from graduate students from Ball State University’s School of Urban Planning, presented their community vision plans during a luncheon in downtown Indianapolis.

“The students did an excellent job of identifying opportunities for their communities to invest,” said IHCDA Executive Director Jacob Sipe. “We look forward to supporting these five municipalities as they implement all or portions of these plans in the coming months.”

Last September, local units of government were encouraged to identify high school students in their community to participate in the program. Organizers say that over the past several months, students from Greensburg and Shelbyville worked alongside their city leaders, IHCDA staff and Ball State University faculty and students to outline their ideas for enhancing the development and quality of life in their hometowns.

“Young people should always have a seat at the table when municipalities – both small and large – identify strategies to make their communities better,” said Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch who serves as board chair of IHCDA. “I’m excited to see the plans presented today and visit these communities in the future to see some of the projects become a reality.”

Officials say that the MCMV was developed so that young people in Indiana won’t feel that they have to leave their hometowns in order to achieve their dreams.

Other students taking part in Wednesday’s event were from Crawfordsville, Fort Wayne and Greenfield.

Schneck Medical Center has been awarded The Advisory Board Company’s 2017 Workplace of the Year Award. The annual award recognizes hospitals and health systems nationwide that have outstanding levels of employee engagement.

Schneck officials say that the Seymour hospital is one of twenty organizations nationwide to receive the award. This marks the second consecutive year Schneck has been honored.

“We’re honored to receive this award, especially for a second consecutive year. We are proud to be recognized for having a healthcare team that go above and beyond, and live Schneck’s mission to improve the health of our communities,” said Kathy Covert, MSM, CHM, Vice President of Workforce and Organizational Development. “It’s a celebration of the individuals who work at Schneck and a testament to their dedication and commitment.”

Engaged employees, as defined by The Advisory Board Company, are those who exhibit both loyalty and commitment to the organization.

A driver was arrested on drug charges after allegedly switching lanes without a turn signal in front of a Bartholomew County deputy yesterday afternoon.

29-year-old Shane Medaris of Columbus is facing preliminary charges of possession of Heroin and driving while suspended.

The sheriff’s department reports that Deputy Matt Bush was driving north on U.S. 31 near Taylorsville about 3:06 yesterday afternoon when he noticed a car pull out of a convenience store and switch lanes without using a turn signal. The driver then allegedly did it again, pulling off onto Heflin Park Road into another convenience store.

Bush’s police dog partner Diesel alerted to the smell of narcotics inside the vehicle and the deputy allegedly found a baggie of heroin in a coffee cup Medaris was sipping from.

Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers is urging community members to attend tonight’s “Moving the Needle” workshop. That’s on the heels of yet another suspected heroin overdose in the community.

This time the incident happened in the Taylorsville area yesterday afternoon.

Deputies report that witnesses noticed a vehicle had been sitting in the area of the 11 thousand block of North U.S. 31 for about 45 minutes. Although they initially saw a man and woman in the vehicle, when deputies arrived only the man remained and he was unconscious with his keys in the ignition.

The victim received four doses of Narcan before starting to breath again. He was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital.

Community leaders in Bartholomew County will be kicking off a new effort tonight to deal with the ongoing heroin epidemic. The event will feature Dr. Kendall Stewart from southern Ohio and a video presentation by author Sam Quinones

Stewart is the chief medical officer at Portsmouth, Ohio’s Southern Ohio Medical Center. Portsmouth was the town at the epicenter of the heroin epidemic outlined in Quinones’ book “Dreamland.”

Stewart said that the heroin epidemic defies simple solutions, but he thinks Bartholomew County is on the right track.

The event begins at 6:30 tonight at The Commons.