Advocates for Children welcomed six new Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers this week.

Janet Ward, representing the National CASA Association, welcomed the incoming volunteers. She reminded them that they are now part of something bigger than themselves. “You are a part of national movement,” Ward said. “From coast to coast, thousands of CASA volunteers are stepping forward to give these children the opportunities they deserve. But there are also still thousands of children who need people like you to lift up their lives, so your work is essential.”

Organizers say that Indiana’s drug epidemic, especially drug abuse by parents, has led to a massive spike in the number of children entering the child protection system. Over the last five years, they say that the annual number of these children served by Advocates for Children has nearly doubled, reaching an all time high of 841 served in 2016.

“These are our community’s most vulnerable children,” said Rick Scalf, Community Outreach Coordinator for Advocates for Children. “And were it not for their CASA volunteers, they might be without a consistent and stable adult influence during one of the most difficult times in their young lives.” Scalf says that CASA volunteers maintain contact with the children, their caseworkers, parents and others in order to “create a holistic picture of the child’s circumstances and make recommendations to the courts about what course of action will be in that child’s best interest.”

Scalf says that with another 300 children on the agency’s waiting list, Advocates for Children is already preparing for it’s next training class, which begins next week. He says that there is still time to sign up. “There’s no simpler way to put it,” Scalf continued. “Our children need you. They need your voice. With a commitment of only a few hours a week, this is a chance to make a difference in a way that will impact our community for generations.”

Advocates for Children provides CASA volunteers for children in Bartholomew, Decatur and Jennings counties. If you would like to learn more, or sign up for a class, visit the agency’s website at apowerfulvoice.org/casa, or call (877) 604-9402.

The Town of Hope will be having a community cleanup day on May 20th, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dumpsters will be available at the Hope Utilities Garage at 529 Mill Street. You will be able to get rid of trash, cardboard, computers, printers, glass, plastic and up to four tires without rims.

The event may end early if the dumpsters fill up.

The cleanup day is being organized by Main Street of Hope.

The town of Hartsville will also have a community cleanup day on May 20th. Councilman Steve Rucker said that on that day, a dumpster will be brought in so residents can dispose of trash and other debris on their properties or in their own homes.

Police are saying that they took a major heroin dealer off the street after a traffic stop Tuesday night.

The Bartholomew County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team has been investigating 34-year-old Matthew “Matty” Zook of Columbus, who they believe has been bringing heroin into the community from the Cincinnati area, says Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus police.

Harris said they developed the information after anonymous tips, and interviews with witnesses and overdose victims.

On Tuesday night, JNET officers saw Zook driving on County Road 800N and pulled him over for a traffic violation. A Columbus police dog smelled around the vehicle and allegedly alerted to the smell of drugs, inside, Harris says. A search allegedly uncovered 34 grams of heroin, two grams of methamphetamine, marijuana, suboxone strips, money and a handgun.

Zook and a passenger, 34-year-old Tasha L. Barnes of Columbus, were arrested on preliminary charges of dealing heroin and possessing heroin, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and a controlled substance. Zook is also facing charges for the unlicensed firearm.

The Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team is made up of Bartholomew County sheriff’s deputies, Columbus police and the county prosecutor’s office.

Larry Perkinson, the student services director for Bartholomew Consolidated Schools will be honored tonight at the Columbus Human Rights Commission’s annual dinner.

Perkinson will be the recipient of this year’s William R. Laws Human Rights Award. Commissioners say they selected Perkinson for “his commitment to the community and his advocacy of all students.”

Former Columbus Police Chief Jasom Maddox submitted a nomination for Perkinson. In this letter, Maddox said “Larry views every student as a unique human being with God-given talents . . . [and] Larry is the voice for the nearly 400 students in our community who are either homeless or between stable homes.”

This marks another recent accolade for Perkinson, who was inducted into the BCSC Education Hall of Fame last year.

Sheila Suess Kennedy, a professor of law and public policy at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI, will be the featured speaker.

The dinner starts at 6:30 p.m.

Business and community leaders in Columbus recently rediscoverd that a special designation for the State Street area, could mean a leg up for businesses dealing with the federal government.

Cindy Frey, president of the Columbus-area Chamber of Commerce said that the area was long ago designated as a Historically Underutilized Business area.

The chamber along with the federal Small Business Administration, SCORE and the Indiana SMall Business Development Center will be holding a workshop tomorrow morning to explain how the designation could benefit businesses in that area.

Frey said that the groups will be going over the details of how to use the zone designation to take advantage of federal opportunities.

The meeting will start at 8 at Dorel Juvenile Group. You can enter off of Cherry Street and you don’t have to be a Chamber member to attend.

The Columbus Indiana Philharmonic will be bringing TV and movie stars to the city for its Christmas Cabaret show.

The orchestra made the announcement this morning that TV and movie star Jane Lynch will be appearing with Kate Flannery from the Office and Tim Davis from Glee, along with  the Tony Guerrero Quintet, at the cabaret show on Dec. 7th at The Commons

Lynch has appeared in many movies and TV shows including “The 40-year-old Virgin” and “Glee.” Flannery played Meredith on “The Office” and Davis served as a conductor and vocal arranger on Glee for six seasons.

The show will be in the style of a World War II USO show and will also perform  1960’s Christmas specials and Christmas classics

The performance is sponsored by Victoria Craig Griffin and Christopher Raskob with the piano sponsor, the Third Street McDonald’s , and a reception sponsorship from The Tony London Co.

Tickets are available starting at 9 this morning. Tickets are $75, $50 or $30.  You can get tickets by calling 812-376-2638 or you can order online here.

You can get more information at thecip.org

Congressman Luke Messer, a Republican representing Indiana’s sixth congressional district, was in Columbus this week meeting with area students. Messer returns to Capitol Hill next week after an Easter recess meeting with constituents. The Congressman talks about his initial impressions of how government is working under President Trump.

Messer says he believes the current shake-up in Washington is something that his constituents are happy to see.

Messer says that the Affordable Care Act has been a disaster for working families…

Congressman Messer says the fight over repealing Obamacare is still in its early stages and that that there is still a long way to go before the Affordable Care Act will be fully repealed.

Messer added that he believed that his colleagues in the Senate will follow through on their promises to do away with the Affordable Care Act and replace it with something better.

The Seymour Police Department announced Wednesday that it will be participation in the next “Click It or Ticket” enforcement effort, set to run from May 13 to June 4. Chief Bill Abbott says his officers will join more than 250 state and local law enforcement agencies, and thousands more across the country, to conduct high-visibility patrols encouraging drivers and passengers to buckle up.

“Wearing your seat belt, either as a driver or passenger, is the essential beginning for staying safe on the road,” said Chief Abbott. “Increasing public awareness and heightening enforcement through our participation in this campaign is a great way to boost the importance of seat belt safety. If you are unbelted, we will pull you over.”

Click It or Ticket is an annual enforcement effort supported by federal funding allocated to local departments from the Traffic Safety division of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. The Seymour Police Department says that more than 10 of its officers will work overtime to conduct seat belt patrols around the clock. According to ICJI, in 2016, there were 827 people killed on Indiana roadways. Of those fatalities, 36 percent were found to be unrestrained.

“I am grateful for all the agencies involved in this campaign, which is vital to encouraging people to buckle up,” said Dave Murtaugh, director of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. “We will continue to spread the message of how crucial seat belt use is in saving lives and reducing injuries.”

Indiana law enforcement agencies have been actively involved in the Click It or Ticket campaign for over 20 years. In addition, for 2017, Indiana agencies are set to join those from across the Eastern half of the country in a combined “Border to Border” mobilization. On May 22, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., organizers say this joint mobilization will “be a driving force for seat belt safety, and unbelted, whether driving or riding, will result in a ticket.”

For more information on the Click It or Ticket campaign, visit: www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/ciot/index.html.

Be ready for possible traffic delays on Interstate 65 in Johnson County, beginning Thursday night. The Indiana Department of Transportation says that round-the-clock work on a full-depth pavement replacement project with added travel lanes will last through May 25th. INDOT says that single lanes will close during daytime hours, while double lanes will close at night.

Milestone is slated to begin work Thursday night prepping southbound I-65 lanes between Whiteland Road and State Road 44/Franklin. The schedule is as follows:

• 3 p.m. — SB I-65 left lane closes between mile markers 95.0 and 88.5
• 8 p.m. — SB I-65 middle lane closes between mile markers 94.5 and 88.5; left lane remains closed
• 6 a.m. — SB I-65 middle lane reopens; left lane remains closed

INDOT says that work on both the northbound and southbound lanes will begin on Saturday. In addition, double lane restrictions begin on northbound I-65 Saturday night. A single northbound lane will remain closed during daytime hours.

This work is dependent on the weather.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is asking for your help finding its most-wanted suspect. Deputies are searching for Benjamin Cody Liddle. He is described as a white male, standing 5’8″ tall and weighing 188 pounds. Liddle has blond hair, blue eyes and multiple tattoos. Authorities say that Liddle is wanted on four outstanding warrants.

If you have any information on Liddle’s whereabouts, you are asked to contact Capt. Dave Steinkoenig at (8122) 565-5940. You can also call the Sheriff’s Department Tip Line at (812) 379-1712 or send an email to sheriff@bartholomew.in.gov.

Tips and information can be left anonymously.