Columbus police say that a woman who crashed into a house Monday night is facing drunk driving charges as well as being accused of attacking hospital staff.

The crash happened at about 9:35 p.m. last night at Sycamore and Eighth Street when 35 year old Clarissa D. Johnson lost control of her car, struck a pedestrian crossing sign, a utility pole, a street sign and a stop sign before finally crashing into a porch.

Police said that the noticed the strong smell of alcohol on her breath, her speech was slurred and she had poor balance. Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the police department, says that Johnson was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital to be checked out and to have a blood test done. But while there, she allegedly began fighting with hospital staff and security.

She was arrested on preliminary charges of battery on a public safety official and operating a vehicle while intoxicated with endangerment.

The Bartholomew Consolidated School board will have at least one new member after the next election.

Bob Abrams said last night that he will not be seeking re-election to his seat on the board. Abrams has served for 11 years and now that his children and grandchildren have moved from the area, he said it is time to scale back on his work and to move closer to the family.

Abrams represents District 4 on the board, which covers the former East Columbus and a strip to the west. He said that in his memory, all of the school board members to hold that seat have been from that westward strip, and he hoped his replacement would finally come from the East Columbus area.

Julie Bilz, a resident of the former East Columbus, head of the State Street Area Association and active with the Robie and America Anderson Community Center, said at last night’s school board meeting that she plans to run for that seat. Bilz is a faculty member at Ivy Tech Community College.

Other incumbents announcing their re-election intentions last night were Jill Shedd, Kathy Dayhoff-Dwer and Rich Stenner, all of whom said they would seek re-election.

Shedd represents District 1, Stenner is in District 2 and Dayhoff-Dwyer represents District 6.

All four of the districts were uncontested in the 2014 election, with only one candidate.

Jay Phelps, Bartholomew County clerk, says that school board filing starts on July 25th and runs through Aug. 24th at noon.

A drug take-back event in Columbus produced a “significant haul.”That’s according to Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill.

The AG says that an event on July 12 produced approximately 400 pounds of expired, unused and/or otherwise unwanted prescription drugs. The event, held at a Kroger store, was a collaborative effort by the Office of the Attorney General, Indiana State Police, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office and the Columbus Police Department. Hill says the 400 pounds was a record amount for a single event and brings the total collected by his office this year to 1,463 pounds.

“Abuse of prescription medicine is a big part of our overall drug crisis,” Attorney General Hill said. “Across the United States, more than 6 million people abuse controlled prescription drugs. Here in Indiana, nearly 1 in 20 Hoosiers report having used opioid pain relievers for non-medical uses, and a majority of abused medication comes from family and friends of users. We’re doing good work whenever we get these drugs out of people’s medicine cabinets and properly discarded.”

The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation is set to receive additional money from the city of Columbus to help students prepare for life after the classroom.

Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts explains that the city’s redevelopment commission approved a resolution to provide a workforce development grant to BCSC. Along with iGrad, the funding will benefit the school corporation’s STEM programs.

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Roberts adds that this funding will also help with training and learning opportunities to help special-needs students transfer to the workforce. This $750,000 will come out of the city’s central tax-increment financing allocation area. This marks the third year that the city has provided such a grant.

The redevelopment commission voted unanimously to approve the request.

Two years ago, then Gov. Mike Pence was campaigning at the Bartholomew 4-H County Fair, just days away from being announced as the running mate of President Donald Trump.

On Friday evening, his older brother Greg was campaigning at the same fair for Congress, in his first run at elected office. He talks about making the circuit of the fairs in the 6th Congressional  District, which his brother previously represented.

Pence talks about the concerns he is hearing from the public during his circuit of the fairs in the 6th Congressional district.

Veterans’ issues have also been high on the list along with job concerns.

And while job creation concerns are being mentioned, Pence said that area farmers are taking a wait-and- see approach to ongoing retaliatory tariffs being levied on agricultural products by countries like China.

Pence will be facing Democrat Jeannine Lake in the November general election.

Columbus police say they have made an arrest in a shooting Sunday afternoon that sent an Edinburgh man to an Indianapolis hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.

The incident happened shortly after 2:20 p.m. in the Quail Run apartments. The victim, 32-year-old Joshua Music, was first taken to Columbus Regional Health by a family member. He was later later flown to IU Methodist Hospital.

The accused shooter, 34-year-old John Cornett, of Columbus, was arrested at the apartment. Authorities say he is facing a preliminary charge of Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon. Cornett is behind bars on a 48-hour hold as the investigation continues.

Ivy Tech Community College has appointed a new Director of K-12 Initiatives at the College’s Columbus Campus.

Mark Schneider began in his new role on July 9. The Director of K-12 Initiatives at Ivy Tech Columbus serves on the campus chancellor’s executive cabinet, which helps lead the campus, shape policy, and develop education initiatives.

As Director of K-12 Initiatives, Schneider will coordinate and manage the daily operations of K-12 initiatives, including alignment of high school dual-credit offerings with Ivy Tech dual enrollment, additional high school outreach and initiatives, and all evolving K-14 partnerships.

“Our partnerships with area school corporations offer students an outstanding opportunity to start the pathway toward a degree and better prepare for their futures while still in high school,” Ivy Tech Columbus Chancellor Steven Combs said. “Mark’s experience will help us continue to build upon our already strong relationships with these schools to ensure we are providing the best experience possible for these students.”

Schneider’s previous experience includes a number of positions at Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. He also serves on the City of Columbus Board of Zoning Appeals.

“Ivy Tech provides such an important resource in our community for students who want to advance their education,” Schneider said. “I look forward to joining their efforts and partnering with our area schools to help students chart their futures and get a step ahead through Ivy Tech.”

A former Funeral Home Director in Jackson County was recently charged with numerous felonies related to the thefts of money from the funeral trust funds of several people.

Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, spokesman for the Indiana State Police, says the investigation began in August of 2017 when an alleged victim reported that money given to the Winklepleck-Weesner Funeral Home for the purpose of establishing a pre-need trust was missing. Over the course of the next few months, numerous individuals reported they had paid Funeral Home Director James D. Weesner Jr. payments meant to be applied to trusts at a local Brownstown bank. When the victims checked with the bank, they were informed that no trusts existed. The trusts were intended to be established to pay for future funeral expenses through the funeral home. Investigators believe that Weesner never established the trusts and kept the money, totaling approximately $200,000 from 20 victims, for personal use.

Authorities say that Weesner, who lives in Indianapolis, was charged with 25 level felony counts of Wrongful Disbursement of Funeral Trust Funds and one felony count of Corrupt Business Influence. This case is still pending in the Jackson County Circuit Court.

Officials have been saying that you should not be driving slow in the fast lane of the interstate — But that is especially if you are carrying drugs in your car.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s office arrested two people early this morning after a deputy saw a vehicle driving under the speed limit in the fast lane at about 12:25 a.m.  on I-65 near Edinburgh. And the driver was refusing to switch lanes to allow other drivers to pass.

The deputy pulled over the vehicle and noticed what appeared to be narcotics inside, along with the smell of marijuana. Deputies allegedly found marijuana, cocaine and paraphernalia during a search

The driver, 25-year-old Carlos Gutierrez of Chicago and a passenger, Oscar Ledezma of Bensenville Illinois were both arrested on drug related charges.

Gutierrez is facing preliminary charges of driving while under the influence of drugs, along with possessing marijuana and cocaine. Ledezma is being accused of possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana.

The new school year for BCSC students begins in less than four weeks. Superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts says that they have looked into security at school buildings. He says that Paul Tim, a nationally-renowned school safety expert, toured Columbus North High School and Schmitt Elementary in late May.

Roberts couldn’t get into the specifics of the security measures.

The superintendent says that Tim’s suggestions to improve security were taken to heart. Roberts is set to give a presentation about these security updates during Monday evening’s meeting of the school board. That’ll be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Administration Building on Central Avenue. You are welcome to attend.