You are invited to stop by Chick-Fil-A this Wednesday, Oct. 23, to chat with Columbus Police.

Officers will be on hand from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to speak with the community over a free cup of coffee at the Columbus Chick-Fil-A. The Columbus Police Department began participating in this program in 2016 to have the opportunity to speak to the public away from the police station and in a more relaxed atmosphere.

CPD officers will also be available to answer questions about the department’s hiring process that concludes in November.

A local man was arrested after he allegedly fled from Columbus police officers during a traffic stop on Saturday afternoon. Shortly after 2 p.m., officers attempted to stop a vehicle for an expired license plate near Seventh and Chestnut streets.

Police say the driver, 43-year-old Marlon Cowan Jr., of Columbus, refused to stop and quickly turned into the nearby north/south alley. Cowan continued driving in the alley and later exited his vehicle near the 500 block of Eighth Street and began running on foot.

Cowan ran into a nearby home where he was located a short time later and taken into custody. He’s facing two preliminary charges of Resisting Law Enforcement and one for Driving While Suspended with a Prior Conviction.

The Division of Liberal Arts at IUPUC, in conjunction with the Liberal Arts Department at Ivy Tech Community College in Columbus, and the University Library will be hosting a series of events at the Columbus Learning Center during the week of October 28 – November 1 to celebrate Media Literacy Week.

Tables will be staffed throughout the week on Main Street of the Columbus Learning Center, providing students, faculty and staff with information about media literacy education, as well as answer questions about media and education.

Events include:

— Tuesday, October 29, 12–1 p.m. in the Summerville Room at the Columbus Learning Center – “Talkback: Digital Natives Talk Media with Educators.” A panel of students will tell the audience what they want us to know about their generation’s media use both inside and outside the classroom, and field questions from the audience.

— Thursday, October 31, 12–1 p.m. in the Lecture Hall at the Columbus Learning Center – “What the Internet Knows about You.” Dr. Pamela Morris, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at IUPUC will present areas of online privacy concern, show you how to see what data is known about you, and where possible, how to stop data collection.

Media Literacy Week is sponsored nationally by the National Association for Media Literacy Education with a mission to highlight the power of media literacy education and its essential role in education today.

All events are free and you are invited.

The Bartholomew County Health Department is inviting you to take part their next drive-thru flu clinic.

That’s set for Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the parking lot of the Fair Oaks Mall where the farmers market is usually held. Cash price is $20 or $50 for the high-dose version. Cash, credit cards and debit cards will be accepted.

If are uninsured or if your insurance doesn’t cover the flu-shot, you are eligible to receive a flu-shot at no charge.

The Columbus Park Foundation held its annual Community Meeting Thursday night at the Fair Oaks Mall. Discussions about the mall property dominated the evening.

The city bought the mall property at the end of last year. Parks department offices now located in the aging Donner Center would be relocated to the mall property under preliminary plans. City officials also want to to develop sports and recreation opportunities there and to use the facility for community wellness purposes.

Mark Jones, director of Columbus Parks and Rec., says the work the foundation does is immeasurable.

{10-18 MARK JONES-1} :19.0 Q: we are.

Jones gives his thoughts on how the Fair Oaks project is coming along.

{10-18 MARK JONES-2} :19.0 Q: your community.

City officials expect to have a better idea on how to implement community suggestions at the next public meeting on November 12.

{10-18 MARK JONES-3} :06.6 Q: around it.

You can keep up to date on the Fair Oaks Mall project at reimaginefairoaksmall.com.

For more information on Columbus Park Foundation, go to columbusparkfoundation.org.

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

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.