A live baby was found in a plastic bag on the side of the road in Seymour yesterday afternoon.

Our news-gathering partners at Network Indiana are reporting that a person walking their dog called the police just before 4 p.m. Tuesday and said they found the infant on South Jackson Park Drive, according to Detective Sgt. C.J. Foster.

The infant was found alive along a fence row about 20 yards from the road, police said. The child was taken for an examination at Schneck Medical Center and determined to be healthy.

Foster says that the department wants to remind residents that the city has a Safe Haven Baby Box at Seymour Fire Station 3. It became available to residents in June.

No arrests have been made and police are investigating

Work continues on the overpass project in downtown Columbus. City Council approved a resolution Tuesday night to authorize the Redevelopment Commission to transfer $4,662,005 into the Railroad Overpass Fund to pay towards the project. This should cover city’s final payment to INDOT, which is due December 1st.

The Redevelopment Commission approved making the payment out of funds from the Central Tax Increment Financing area on Sept. 16. However this expenditure exceeds the commission’s spending authority, so the City Council needed to sign off on the proposal.

City Engineer Dave Hayward explained that bids for the project came in last week.

Hayward adds that these bids are lower than the overall projected cost of the project.

Council approved the measure unanimously.

The overpass project is expected to be finished by the fourth quarter of 2020.

Turning Point Domestic Violence Services is once again calling upon the men and others in the community to take a stand against domestic violence. The seventh annual “Men Take A Stand” event will be held Oct. 24th from 5 to 6 p.m. at the “Thank You, Next Exhibit Columbus” downtown on Washington Street between Sixth and Seventh streets in Columbus.

All are welcome as the program opens with remarks and the presentation of the annual Stand Up Award. The gathering is meant to promote and model healthy relationships to colleagues, peers, and local youth.

Immediately following the program, all are invited to join the “100 Men + Friends Move to End Violence” campaign and tailgate party at the Coca Cola Bottling Co. at 1334 Washington Street.

For more on this event, visit turningpointdv.org.

The IUPUC Office for Women invites you to unite on the steps of the Bartholomew County Courthouse for an event Thursday evening called “Take Back the Night.” Lesley Bradley is the coordinator for the Office for Women at IUPUC.

Organizers say that events began in the 1960’s in Belgium and England with protests about how women were not able to be safe walking down the street alone. The mission of the international organization is to end sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual abuse and all other forms of sexual violence.

Bradley explains that while Take Back the Night is an international organization, the mission is local.

Bradley says the event begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on the steps of the Bartholomew County Courthouse.

For more information about the event, contact Lesley Bradley in the IUPUC Office for Women, lbradle@iu.edu.

A man was arrested yesterday on drunk driving charges in Bartholomew County after he toppled off his motorcycle at a stop sign.

Bartholomew County deputies including Sheriff Matt Myers were called to the accident scene at West Deaver Road and West Nasby Trail at 7:06 p.m. in the evening and found 61-year-old Larry Lowe of Columbus lying on the ground.

He was arrested on a preliminary charge of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.

Columbus police are reporting that a passenger was arrested on drug-related charges after a traffic stop early this morning.

Police pulled over a vehicle at 16th Street and Home Avenue at about 12:15 a.m. this morning. A police dog was brought to the scene and alerted to the odor of narcotics inside the vehicle.

Officers searched the vehicle and allegedly found drug paraphernalia, syringes and a small amount of methamphetamine near where 32-year-old Holly A. Caldwell of Columbus was sitting.

She was arrested on preliminary charges for possessing those items.

A Johnson County man was injured over the weekend in a tree-stand accident. Conservation Officers were called to the scene in Morgan County Saturday morning to investigate the incident, which injured 33-year-old Bradley Wise, of Whiteland.

Investigators say that Wise began climbing his ladder tree stand shortly before 10 a.m. When he got to the last step of the stand, Wise reportedly got dizzy and passed out. When Wise regained consciousness, he was on the ground and in pain. After several minutes, Wise was able to reach his cellphone and call for help from a friend who hunting the same property.

Investigators say Wise fell about twelve feet. He was wearing a safety harness, but it was not attached to a safety lanyard.

Wise was transported to Methodist Hospital by I.U. Life Line with multiple broken bones and spinal fractures.

The Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress announced upcoming Volunteer Orientation Sessions for the ASAP Hub. The hub is designed to provide immediate help for those looking to get better from drug-use disorders.

Examples of ASAP Hub volunteer roles are: Front Desk Reception, Case Management, Recovery Coach, and Life and Employment Skills Educators, among others.

Volunteer Orientation Sessions will be held as follows at the ASAP Hub (1531 13th Street, Columbus):

– Tuesday, October 15th 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
– Monday, October 28th 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.

For more information, contact Volunteer Services Manager Tracey Clark at tclark@asapbc.org or (812) 418-8705.

Stephanie Flinn, a longtime Seymour resident, has been named executive director of the Schneck Foundation.

In her new role, Flinn will be responsible for building community relationships, promoting organizational awareness, and garnering support for Schneck Medical Center and its efforts. She succeeds Rexanne Ude, who will retire later this year.

“We are very pleased to have someone of Stephanie’s caliber and character leading the Foundation to connect donors and supporters with the mission of Schneck,” said Warren Forgey, President/CEO of Schneck Medical Center. “Under her leadership, I know the Foundation will continue to flourish and support the Medical Center in new and extraordinary ways.”

Flinn is a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing. She currently serves as chairperson for the Seymour Chamber of Commerce and Clarity.

“Seymour is my home and I am proud to be part of an organization that is such a vital part of the community I love,” said Flinn. “It will be a privilege to work alongside the dedicated leadership, staff, volunteers and donors of Schneck.”

Work on State Road 7 in Jennings County continues. The current closure is expected to move north on or after Wednesday, October 16th. Crews will begin work on the fourth and final box culvert between Vernon and the Jefferson County line.

Officials with the Indiana Department of Transportation say State Road 7 will close 5.71 miles north of the county line on Wednesday, just south of the junction of State Road 3/State Road 7 near Vernon for box culvert maintenance and repair. The road will reopen at the previous culvert location, where crews have been working since mid-September.

INDOT says the official state detour for the closure is State Road 3 to State Road 256. Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and use caution near the work zone.

The project is currently expected to be complete by October 31st. However, all work is dependent on the weather.