The first official steps to create and fund and an advisory board to help tackle the opioid epidemic in Bartholomew County passed its first step Tuesday night. The board would be comprised of officials from the city, county, Columbus Regional Health and other stakeholders in determining what projects and programs would benefit from public funding. Mary Ferdon, the city’s director of administration, says that work began over one year ago.

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Ferdon says this is a defining moment for Columbus.

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Ferdon says the need to address the epidemic is not only humanitarian, but fiscally responsible as well.

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The city council voted 6-0 to approve the ordinances creating and funding the bodies. Elaine Wagner was not present.

Ferdon explains that the measure now goes to the county commissioners for their approval. Once both the city and county give final approval, an agreement linking the two bodies would need to be approved. Ferdon says that is likely still months away. She stresses that any use of city tax-dollars would need to be approved by the city council. To aid in that, the council also created a non-reverting fund from which money could be drawn for future projects related to the opioid fight. Mayor Jim Lienhoop noted that, during last year’s budget negotiations, the city agreed to set aside $250,000 for this endeavor.

A female juvenile was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Scott County after threats were allegedly made at Austin High School Monday and on social media Monday evening.

Indiana State Police Spokesman Jerry Goodin says that the Sellersburg Post was called to the school after a student had allegedly threat to harm others. ISP Detective Matt Busick investigated with the help of the school system and the Austin City Police. As he was investigating that alleged threat, the juvenile allegedly posted other threats on social media.

Detective Busick completed his investigation and presented it to the Scott County Prosecutor’s Office Tuesday morning. An order was granted by the Scott County Circuit Court and the female was arrested and transported to the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center in Jeffersonville. She was charged with three counts of Juvenile Delinquency / Intimidation.

Goodin says that Indiana State Police want school children and their parents to know that any and all real or perceived threats towards a school and / or students will be dealt with. He adds that threats will not be tolerated.

A Columbus East High School student is in trouble after he allegedly made a threat against the school on social media. BCSC sent out an alert at 2:09 p.m. Tuesday that indicated that the threat was made in a group Snapchat post. That post was subsequently reported by other students.

BCSC officials said in the post that the student responsible for making the threat had been “identified and isolated.” The Columbus Police Department was called and Lt. Matt Harris, department spokesman, says that the unidentified juvenile was taken into custody at the school and taken to the Bartholomew County Youth Services Center. Harris says the suspect is facing a preliminary charge of Intimidation, a Level Six Felony.

The investigation is ongoing.

A former Decatur County dispatcher and Decatur County Memorial Hospital registrar has been arrested, accused of leaking sensitive information to friends.

33-year-old Young S. Sung of Greensburg is facing charges of official misconduct and offenses against intellectual property. .

The Indiana State Police report that the investigation started in January. Sung had been working as a dispatcher between September and December of last year. State police say that he took confidential information from electronic criminal investigation files used by the city police and sheriff’s department. He then shared the info, including photos, with acquaintances.

Further investigation revealed that Sung had mishandled information while he was working at the hospital, also, according to the state police.

State police arrested Sung yesterday.

Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop says that we are closing in on having an idea whether the city is fairly compensating its employees.

The city is undergoing a comprehensive review of what city government employees are paid compared to their peers.

The mayor says that initial indications are that the city is at about 90 percent of where it The mayor said the review has been a lengthy process because while employees in different cities may have the same job title, their duties could be different.

The mayor says it is important for the city to be competitive in the job marketplace so that it can retain good employees to do the people’s business.

Most years, the city council simply approves an across the board cost of living raise to the pay ranges of city employees.

Lienhoop said he hopes to have a presentation before the city council by next month. City Council meets at 6 p.m. tonight at Columbus City Hall.

The city of Columbus wants your thoughts on what the Commons playground should look like in the future. The city has an online survey available and will be holding a public meeting next week to gather your thoughts.

The public meeting will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on February 26th in the lower lobby of The Commons. The goal will be to come up with the public’s vision on future development and a redesign of the playground. The meeting will be led by Hitchcock Design Group.

If you can’t make the meeting you can fill out an online survey at thecommonsplayground.com/survey. That will be available through March 9th.

The Columbus Redevelopment Commission has approved just under half a million dollars in a contract to begin the design and permitting work for a new downtown riverfront project.

The area in question is between the bridges on Second and Third Street. Last month, the commission heard a presentation on a plan by the Hitchcock Design Group for that area.

Last night, the commission formally adopted the plan and agreed to pay for further development at a cost of just over $496,000 dollars.  Heather Pope, the city’s redevelopment director explained.

The costs would include $219,000 for Phase I, preliminary design services, and $260,000 for Phase II, design development and permitting. There is also a fee for other services of $17,900.

The Redevelopment Commission has a $500,000 upper limit on the spending it can authorize before needing the approval of City Council Although the commission is under the $500,000 cutoff, they still plan to get city council approval for the spending, said Pope.

Pope cautioned that the contract would take the project right up to the point where applications can be made to regulatory bodies that control the riverfront.

But after that, there is no guarantee that the city’s plans would be approved.

Money for the project would come from revenue in the city’s tax increment financing district — a portion of property taxes paid by owners in the district that are scooped up by the commission for development projects.

Pope said the contracts would next go to the City Council for approval, likely next month.

INDOT contractors will be outlining its upcoming Interstate 65 expansion project at a public meeting tomorrow at the Seymour Holiday Inn Express.

The $143 million dollar project will rebuild the 17 miles of highway between Columbus and Seymour, turning it into a six lane road. Operations are expected to begin soon.

Officials will outline the timeline, project details and traffic restrictions at the meeting. The meeting at the hotel on Sandy Creek Drive will start at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Bartholomew County deputies say that a routine traffic stop turned into a drug arrest over the weekend.

31-year-old Michael Tanner of Cherry Street in Columbus was arrested on charges of possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia.

Deputies report that they pulled Tanner over on County Road 100W at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon because he was driving without a license plate. He said he had just purchased the vehicle, but he was also found to have a suspended driver’s license. Tanner also told deputies that he was carrying the drugs, according to reports.

A man found unconscious in Edinburgh Saturday morning is now facing drug charges.

24 year old Bryan Lambert of Prosser Drive in Edinburgh is facing charges of possession of a legend drug injection device, marijuana and paraphernalia as well as outstanding arrest warrants after the Saturday morning incident.

Deputies say they were called to Branton Drive at about 6:11 a.m. and discovered Lambert unconscious. He said he was sleeping. As he was being arrested on the warrants, deputies allegedly discovered the contraband.