The leader of Love Chapel is retiring. Elizabeth Kestler, who has served as executive director of the Christian nonprofit agency since August 1999 is retiring in January.

A special event takes place Saturday to mark a half-century of service for Love Chapel. Kestler explains…

Kestler says there will be plenty of food as well. Saturday’s event is being held at the Commons from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Kestler adds that everyone is invited, especially those who’ve benefited from Love Chapel and the hundreds of volunteers that have helped over the years.

The Indiana Department of Transportation plans to close U.S. Highway 50 next week at the railroad crossing located in Seymour between Indianapolis Avenue and East Street. The closure is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday through 6 p.m. Thursday.

A state highway detour routes motorists around this U.S. 50 rail closure via U.S. 31, State Road 250 and State Road 11. Louisville & Indiana Railroad crews will replace existing rubber panels at the U.S. 50 crossing with new concrete panels. This involves removing tracks and adjusting the elevation.

A local man was arrested Wednesday night after a scuffle with officers. Columbus Police noticed a man in the 300 block of Fourth Street at about 6:20 p.m. who was a suspect in a battery that happened on Tuesday. Authorities say the man, 37-year-old Brandon Gray of Columbus, initially gave them a fake name.

Police figured out who he was and placed him in handcuffs. Gray allegedly broke away and charged at another officer. He was taken to the ground and after a brief struggle with the officers, Gray was placed under arrest. Three officers received minor cuts and scrapes during the incident.

Gray was taken to Columbus Regional Health for medical clearance before being jailed on preliminary charges of Domestic Battery, Strangulation, Battery on a Public Safety Official, Resisting Law Enforcement, Theft and False Identity Statement.

New pay ranges for Columbus city employees have received initial approval. The council passed the first reading of the updated salary ordinance, which establishes minimum, midpoint and maximum pay levels.

The ordinance came about after Mayor Jim Lienhoop took office. He cited the need to make the city an attractive place to work in order to recruit and retain the best talent available. To that end, the city took part in a salary study that looked at the duties of city employees, their compensation and how they compare to other Indiana cities of similar sizes. The council approved the pay ranges in July, but the body needed to consider an updated version. Changes include a one-percent increase to the midpoint pay levels, which also affected those jobs’ minimum and maximum pay. Part-time employees will see a three-percent raise. A separate ordinance will see elected city officials receive a three-percent increase for 2019.

The immediate goal, say city officials, is to get public safety employees to their midpoint within two years. All other city employees will have a path to reach their midpoints within three years. However, any increases will be based on employee performance.

The council voted unanimously to approve the measure. The body will consider the ordinance on second reading at its meeting on Sept. 18th.

The city of Columbus will observe the 17th year anniversary of the September 11 attacks with a remembrance ceremony on Tuesday at City Hall. The ceremony will begin at 8:40 a.m.

A moment of silence will be observed to correspond with the attacks, beginning at 8:46 a.m., the time the first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The ceremony will include an emergency responder radio dispatch to honor the first responders and citizens that lost their lives following the attacks at the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Members of the Columbus Fire and Police Department Color Guard will take part in the ceremony, and brief comments will be made by City officials. CSA Central Middle School students will place American Flags on the lawn of City Hall to commemorate the lives lost on that day.

Tuesday’s ceremony is scheduled to last about 30 minutes. You are invited.

The Alliance for a Healthier Indiana is holding an event on Tuesday aimed at helping you and your family be healthier. Beth Morris is director of Community Health Partnerships. She explains that the consortium is comprised of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Indiana Hospital Association and Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, among others. She says that some health metrics in Indiana aren’t as good as they could be.

The consortium will hold a town hall meeting at the Columbus Learning Center on Tuesday morning. You can get breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and the program begins at 8 a.m. It is scheduled to last until 11:30 a.m.

For more information, or to register for this event, visit healthierindiana.org/columbus.

A program meant to tackle drug addiction in Bartholomew County is a step closer to reality after the Columbus City Council voted Tuesday night to support funding it. Bartholomew courts officials are asking for just over $240,000 to fund what they are calling REALM, or the Recovery Enables a Life for Men program. The court-ordered drug treatment program is patterned after a similar program for women called WRAP that the county already has been using. Mary Ferdon, director of administration for the city of Columbus, talks about how we got to this point…

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Rob Gaskill is the director of residential services for Bartholomew County Corrections. He runs down the finances of the proposal…

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Gaskill explains that men in the criminal justice system who meet certain criteria will be given an opportunity to take part in REALM. He says the program lasts 12 months. The first four to six months will be an “intensive in-treatment” program where attendees will be confined to a section of the jail facility. The remaining six to eight months will encompass daily reporting and electronic monitoring to make sure that these men don’t re-engage in criminal activity.

The Substance Abuse Public Funding Board is recommending a 50/50 split between the city and county to cover the costs, which will cover the last three months of this year and all of 2019. The city council voted unanimously to approve the funding on first reading. They will have the second reading on Sept. 18th. The Bartholomew County Council is expected to consider the proposal when it meets next week.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is welcoming its newest deputy. Thirty-eight year-old Robert A. Cooper was sworn-in by Sheriff Matt Myers on Tuesday afternoon.

Deputy Cooper is a native of Franklin. He recently retired from the U.S. Army after 20 years of service.

“Deputy Cooper will be responsible for the enforcement of state and local laws relating to public safety and welfare. He must exercise independent judgment in dealing with dangerous or unusual situations and he will often work under stressful, high-risk conditions,” said Sheriff Myers.

A local woman was arrested on drug charges Monday after officers received a report of several people refusing to leave a Columbus home. Officers responded to the home in the 500 block of Pence Street at 7:20 p.m. and determined that one of the people inside, 34-year-old Stephanie M. Saylor, of Columbus, had an active arrest warrant. Officers reported finding Saylor hiding under a mattress inside the residence and she was placed under arrest. The officers also located a zippered bag that Saylor had with her that allegedly contained several syringes, a digital scale, and methamphetamine.

Saylor was arrested on preliminary charges of Possession of a Legend Drug Injection Device, Possession of Methamphetamine and the warrant out of Jackson County.