The Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County is coming up on the six month anniversary of its efforts to tackle the opioid epidemic in the community.

The teams will be holding a public forum next week at The Commons to unveil new programs and new initiatives to address the epidemic as well as the providing new resources for those with family members or friends trapped in addiction.

Bartholomew Circuit Court Judge Kelly Benjamin has been heading up the intervention team, which is looking into the law enforcement, courts and jail efforts in the community.

She said that the number of drug and drug paraphernalia possession cases have doubled since 2014.

She said that increase has been putting pressure on the already stressed judicial system in the county.

She said that the judicial system lacks the programs to get people into treatment. That is leading to a new trend in family members of those with drug problems.

The forum will be at 6:30 p.m. the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 24th at The Commons.

A Seymour driver is being accused of fleeing from a police traffic stop at speeds of up to 100 mph Saturday.

36 year old Benjamin Tipton is facing preliminary charges of resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, criminal recklessness, and reckless driving.

According to reports from the Seymour police, an officer saw a vehicle commit several traffic infractions at about 10:15 p.m. that evening near East Tipton and South Broadway streets. The officer tried to pull the car over, but instead of stopping, the driver took off, eventually leading police into Jennings County and then back into Jackson County.

Police dropped stop sticks that deflated the vehicle’s tires and the driver eventually stopped at the intersection of East Tipton Street and Marley Lane, where he was arrested.

The March of Dimes is holding its “Signature Chefs Auction” this week in downtown Columbus.

Derek Richey, a spokesman for the March of Dimes, says  that Thursday night’s event begins at 6 p.m. at the Commons.

Richey explains that Thursday night’s event includes a speech from Mayor Jim Lienhoop talking about the good work done by Columbus Regional Health and the March of Dimes to help lower premature births.

The evening includes a 90-minute session where you can taste creations from all of the chefs. After that, there will be a live auction with proceeds going to benefit the mission of the March of Dimes.

Richey says the live auction includes a number of intriguing items:

The featured chefs will include

• Jeff Karr, Catering by Karr
• Gethin Thomas, Henry’s Social Club
•  Alexa Lemley, 240Sweet
• Rosa Kelly, Silver Oaks Health Center
• Aubrey Smith, Ashlynn Leigh Cakes
• Carrie Douglas, C4 Instructor
•  Stephen Manning, Rails Craft Brew and Eatery
•  Ric Camu, Saladmaster

For more information, you can visit the March of Dimes website.

A traffic stop in North Vernon led to an arrest on drug-dealing charges Sunday. That’s after police dog Heros alerted to the odor of narcotics inside the vehicle.

Police say they recovered five grams of methamphetamine, broken up into five separate bags They also recovered digital scales, extra bags, a smoking pipe, snorting tube and other paraphernalia, says Sgt. Andrew Richmond, spokesman for the North Vernon Police Department.

24-year-old Jarod H. Schwacke, of North Vernon is facing preliminary charges of dealing methamphetamine and possession of both methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

The city of Columbus is starting its fall leaf pickup program today. Leaves will be picked up curbside for residents. That will be on the same day as your normal trash pickup.

The city garage asks that you have the leaves at the curb by 7 a.m. But also do not rake your leaves into the street, as that can clog storm drains causing flooding.

The city does not collect bagged leaves. If you want to bag your leaves, you will need to bring those to the compost site at 720 S. Mapleton next door to the city garage. You will have to dump the bags yourself.

Leaf collection will run through December 15th

If you need any more information you can go to the Department of Public Works link on the city’s website  or call (812) 376-2508.

The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation is preparing to strengthen its effort to address mental wellness. BCSC Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts explains that the school corporation has received notice that it will receive $1.1 million from the Lilly Endowment as part of the it’s comprehensive counseling initiative for students in kindergarten through grade 12…

Dr. Roberts says that BCSC is not looking at adding additional counselors, but rather in developing a holistic approach to mental health that will benefit all students and help them achieve academic and career success. He notes that the role of the school counselor has changed drastically over the years…

Roberts says that BCSC is not looking at adding additional counselors, but will instead concentrate on developing a holistic approach to mental health that will benefit all students.

Roberts says this gift would not have been possible without the help of community partners…

Roberts adds that this grant will fund the BCSC initiative for four years.

A Columbus man was arrested on drug charges after a traffic stop last night by Columbus police.

44-year-old Kevin D. Calvert is facing preliminary charges of operating a motor vehicle under the influence, as well as possession of methamphetamine, a controlled substance, marijuana and drug paraphernalia. That’s on top of warrants from Decatur and Bartholomew counties for failing to show up for court.

Officers stopped the vehicle at about 5:40 near 10th and Pearl streets. Calvert appeared to be falling asleep while talking to the officer and was taken into custody for the outstanding warrants says Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus police.

Officers allegedly found the drugs inside Calvert’s vehicle, Harris said.

Ethnic Expo kicks off this morning in downtown Columbus.

Events get underway in the streets around City Hall at 11 a.m. and are scheduled to run until about 10 p.m. tonight and Saturday.

Mayor Jim Lienhoop talks about why this long-running event is important:

First Financial Bank is the title sponsor for this year’s Ethnic Expo, the eighth year that the bank has assumed that role. Zac Nelson with First Financial Bank explains why the bank supports this event.

Tonight’s entertainment includes Celtica on the City Hall plaza from 7 to 8 p.m., the Jay Fox Band from 8-9 p.m. on the First Street stage and Colin Matthews playing in the Biergarten starting at 9 p.m.

Velvet Caravan will be the headline act at City Hall from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday with fireworks at 9 p.m.

Germany is this year’s host country. The Ethnic Expo parade starts at 11 a.m. Saturday.

The mayor talks about his  highlights for the parade:

The parade route will be:

• East on Eighth Street
• South on Washington Street
• West on Third Street
• North on Brown Street

For more information, go to ethnicexpo.org

The City of Columbus will begin marketing the Inoperable Vehicle Abatement Program next week. Robin Hilber, with the city’s Office of Community Development, says that the city has already successfully piloted this program. She explains that Columbus paid the towing fee for two vehicles while the vehicle owner received the full scrap metal value of the vehicle, each about $200.

Columbus residents who are interested should call the Office of Community Development at (812) 376-2520. Those wishing to take part must have a clear title on the vehicle they wish to have scrapped. While there is no obligation to participate, city officials are reminding residents that the city council recently passed an Inoperable Vehicle Ordinance, which can result in fines for having unsightly, inoperable vehicles on private property.

The Thrive Alliance and city officials want to set the record straight about a proposed project aimed at addressing Columbus’ homeless problem. Mark Lindenlaub with Thrive Alliance took part in Thursday night’s forum at the Roby and America Anderson Community Center on the city’s east side. He says that there have been false reports in the media that mis-characterize the proposed project, which would likely be housed at the Victory Church at 17th Street and Home Avenue.

Lindenlaub explains that the “Housing First” model allows people to have a place to live, which would then enable residents to address other issues. He says that currently, most renters require to you have any personal issues resolved before they will consider renting to you.

Lindenlaub talks about the focus of the proposed project.

Area residents turned out to express concerns about the proposal. Many argued that, while there needs to be a solution, the location under consideration isn’t a good fit. Lindenlaub says that an in-depth presentation will be presented to the community on the evening of Nov. 6th. A location for that meeting has not yet been established.

For more on the mission of Thrive Alliance, visit thrive-alliance.org.