Monthly Archives: January 2018

Anti-drug group hopes for big 2018

The Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County plans to make an impact on the opiate drug epidemic in the coming months.

Jeff Jones is the executive lead for the joint effort between Columbus, Bartholomew County and Columbus Regional Health.

“I believe that the community is rallying around this crisis,” Jones said. “We are taking it very seriously. Our team feels good about all the support, the encouragement we are getting from the citizens of our county.”

The alliance formally started its efforts in April of last year by researching the problem and possible solutions.

Jones says that now it is about execution. Various projects are being developed to battle the drug problem, and should come to fruition in 2018, Jones says.

That includes opening the old portion of the county jail to allow for drug treatment there, the creation of a drug court to handle the influx of cases, and the recruitment of treatment centers to the county.

“We are committed to action,” Jones said. “It is a crisis.”

You can here more from the interview with Jones on News & Views, our weekend news show. It is available here.

 

Hope museum adds winter hours

The Yellow Trail Museum in Hope is going to be open for winter hours for the first time. That’s because of the new satellite office for the Columbus Area Visitors Center that was opened in the building last year.

Barb Johnson, director of the museum, says that in previous years, the museum shut down from January to April.

Under the new schedule, the research area will be open Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The museum itself will be open Tuesdays from 10 to 2, Thursdays and Fridays from 11 to 5 and Saturdays from 1 to 5.

The museum is on the northwest side of the Hope Town Square on State Road 9 in northeastern Bartholomew County.

For more information, you can call 812-371-7969.