If you have unwanted or expired medications in your home, you have the opportunity to get rid of them, while helping a Columbus North student with her senior project.

On Saturday, October 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Healthy Communities, the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress, Indiana Attorney General’s Office and the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department will be joining student Sveni Thalorin her effort to prevent drug abuse and theft.

You are invited to bring your medications for disposal to the Doug Otto United Way Center, located at 1351 13th Street in Columbus. They cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps. Only pills and patches are being accepted. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Organizers say this effort is being led by Thalor, as part of her senior project to aid in decreasing the availability of prescription medications and provide environmentally safe drug disposal options.

Participants in this Drug Take Back Day will receive a home disposal kit provided by DisposeRX. The first 50 participants will receive a $5 dollar gift card for their disposal to local businesses, Lucabe Coffee, and Papa’s Deli. The gift certificates have been provided by Johnson Witkemper Insurance Services.

A traffic stop in Jennings County on Wednesday night ended with the arrest of a North Vernon woman on drug charges.

The Jennings County Sheriff’s Department says that a deputy stopped an SUV on South State Street or a registration violation. During the course of the stop, the deputy became suspicious of possible drug activity. Sgt. Cody Low and his K-9 Partner Axel arrived on the scene. Axel was deployed and alerted to the odor of narcotics coming from the vehicle.

During a search of the vehicle, deputies reported finding marijuana, paraphernalia, methamphetamine, pills and approximately two grams of fentanyl. The driver, 30-year-old Hannah Comb is facing preliminary charges of:

Possession of Marijuana – Level 6 Felony
Possession of Paraphernalia – Level 6 Felony
Violation of Legend Drug – Level 6 Felony
Possession of Methamphetamine – Level 6 Felony
Possession of Controlled Substance – Level 6 Felony
Possession of Narcotic Drug – Level 6 Felony

A Columbus man is facing charges after going into a condemned home early this morning.

Columbus police report that they spotted 48-year-old Timothy K. David inside the Union Street home at about 4 this morning. The home, in the 1500 block, was recently condemned.

Officers found methamphetamine, marijuana and pills on David. He was arrested on charges of residential entry and drug possession.

Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers will be at the Columbus Kroger store on National Road this Saturday and next, encouraging you do donate non-perishable food items to help feed the hungry.

The sheriff’s department is holding its fifth annual Pack-A-Patrol-Car food drive through Nov. 15th. Donated food will be given to Love Chapel and Salvation Army food pantries.

The sheriff will be at Kroger from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday Oct. 19th and 26th.

Collection boxes are set up in the lobby of the Sheriff’s Department offices on Second Street in Columbus. Containers will also be set up in the Bartholomew County Courthouse and the County Governmental Office Building on at Third and Franklin streets.

Authorities have issued a Silver Alert for a missing southern Indiana man.

The Sellersburg Police Department is investigating the disappearance of 28-year-old Adam Seth Persons. He is a white man, 5 feet 10 inches tall and 145 pounds with brown hair with hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt, black sweatpants and Fila shoes, and driving a green 2003 Toyota Camry with Indiana license plate number 614RJY.

Adam is missing from Georgetown, Indiana. He is believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance.

If you have any information on Adam Seth Persons, you can contact the Sellersburg Police Department at 812-246-6996 or call 911.

North Vernon police recovered a stolen Jeep and arrested two Michigan men in an incident earlier this week.

According to police department reports, an officer pulled over the vehicle at 9:11 p.m. Tuesday night at a bank on North State and Franklin streets for an equipment violation. But after briefly stopping, the driver then took off down an alley.

The officer began driving down Elm Street to catch the vehicle when he saw two people running across the street and through yards. They were taken into custody and were tied to items left behind in the Jeep that had been abandoned in the back yard of a home. The Jeep had been reported stolen from Michigan and had damage to its steering column.

36-year-old Dustin N. Stump, of Quincy, Michigan and 33-year-old Matthew W. Farlin of Bronson, Michigan were arrested on charges including resisting law enforcement in a vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, criminal trespass, disorderly conduct, criminal mischief and possession of a device to cheat a drug screen.

Inside the Jeep, police found a bottle of urine, which is illegal in Indiana.

The Hope Town Square will be the site again for Goodies, Goblins and Ghost Stories an all-ages Halloween event.

That will be from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, October 25th. The festival includes a trunk-or-treat, hay ride, weird science demonstrations, pumpkin decorating, smores over a campfire and other activities.

The Yellow Trail Museum will be offering free tours during its Haunted Night at the Museum festivities, which features actors taking on the role of famous Hope residents of the past. The tours will start at 5:30 pm. and begin every 15 minutes until 7:30 p.m.

Cummins Inc. announced on Thursday that Melina Kennedy has been named Vice President – Product Compliance and Regulatory Affairs. In this newly-created role, Kennedy will oversee engine emission certification, product compliance, and regulations related to Cummins products. Kennedy will report to Cummins Chairman and CEO, Tom Linebarger.

Cummins officials say that Kennedy will lead the Product Compliance and Regulatory Affairs organization in focusing on strengthening Cummins’ collaboration with environmental agencies. The company says this new organization will function independently from, and provide oversight to, Cummins’ product development teams and business units.

“Melina brings tireless energy, strategic leadership and a deep commitment to excellence that is needed to launch this new organization,” said Linebarger. “She has proven herself to be a capable leader who understands our people, our customers and their needs, and our business. With more than two decades of experience in law, government and business, Melina has the ideal combination of experience and skill needed to make this organization a success.”

Kennedy lives with her family in Indianapolis.

Ramp closures are scheduled to begin next week at the State Road 3 / I-74 interchange (Exit 134) in Greensburg. Crews with Dave O’Mara Contractor Inc. will complete milling and paving on four ramps to and from I-74.

The following ramps will be closed beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 21, weather permitting:

• S.R. 3 SB to I-74 EB
• S.R. 3 NB to I-74 WB
• I-74 WB to S.R. 3 SB
• I-74 EB to S.R. 3 NB

All ramps are expected to reopen by end of day on Monday, October 28. Start and end dates will be shifted in the event of bad weather. The detour for the closures will follow U.S. 421 at Exit 132 to S.R. 3 in Greensburg.

Also beginning Monday, the ramp from southbound State Road 3 to westbound I-74 is scheduled to close for a separate asphalt patching project in Decatur County. The closure is expected to last up to ten days, weather permitting. Lane closures will also be in effect on I-74 from State Road 3 at Greensburg to Exit 123 (St. Paul / Middletown) through late November into early December.

IUPUC has announced that nominations are now being accepted for the 2020 Edna V. Folger Outstanding Teacher Award. The deadline for nominations is 4 p.m. on Friday, January 24, 2020.

Organizers say this annual award is designed to raise awareness about the influence educators have on their students, as well as recognize the image of educators as important community role models. Any full-time elementary or secondary school teacher or educator working in a public, private, or parochial school in Bartholomew County is eligible to receive the award. This includes classroom, special education, certified educators, counselors and administrators.

Any individual or group may nominate a classroom teacher or educator to receive this award. Nominations should include biographical information, reasons for nomination, letters of recommendation and support materials. The award, sponsored by Faurecia Clean Mobility, the Community Education Coalition and the IUPUC Center for Teaching and Learning, will be presented at the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting.

Nomination instructions are available from the IUPUC Center for Teaching and Learning, the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation Administrative Offices, and in the main office of schools throughout Bartholomew County. Nomination forms may also be downloaded at iupuc.edu/ctl.