Ivy Tech Community College is announcing an $8 million dollar grant from the Lilly Endowment to support a program meant to get students ready for the workforce. The school’s new Career Coaching and Employer Connection program will revamp the school’s career development system and focus on career advising and engaging employers.

Each student will have a required career action plan that has milestones , including developing a resume, preparing for interviews, engaging with employers and “work and learn” experiences within their career focus.

The first phase of the new program commenced last fall with six campuses: Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend/Elkhart, Kokomo, Sellersburg, and Madison.

A North Vernon man died over the weekend following a medical emergency while being held prisoner in the Decatur County Jail.

The sheriff’s department reports that 32-year-old Shain Coffey died while at Decatur County Hospital Saturday. He had been a prisoner in the Decatur County Jail on charges of being a serious violent felon in possession of handgun, and possession of methamphetamine, both felonies.

Coffey was found unconscious in his cell Saturday and jail officers along with Greensburg police attempted to revive him. Decatur County paramedics arrived and took Coffey to the hospital, where he died.

Sheriff Dave Durant said that the Indiana State Police have been called in to investigate the incident.

Jennings County authorities arrested three people on methamphetamine-related charges last week as part of the county’s crackdown on dangerous drugs.

Thursday morning, deputies with the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department and federal parole officers raided a home on Road 675N. The homeowner, 65-year-old George Nichols and 58-year-old Judy Nichols were taken into custody after a large amount of methamphetamine were found in the home, along with cash.

They are both facing preliminary charges of possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia and visiting or maintaining a common nuisance. George Nichols was already on federal parole.

Later that afternoon, deputies served an arrest warrant on Shey Richardson on five counts of dealing methamphetamine and possessing methamphetamine. She was already in the Jennings County Jail after a previous drug-dealing arrest.

Hope’s Grubby the Groundhog says we have six more weeks of cold weather.

Grubby was the centerpiece of a celebration on the Hope Town Square Sunday morning. The event featured polka music, an ornate box and the town’s wise men and women gathered together to sagely interpret Grubby’s announcement.

Rick Gardner, a member of the Main Street of Hope board, which organized the event, read a scroll with Grubby’s conclusion.

Grubby is a resident of Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitators. Kathy Hershey with Utopia explains how the groundhog came to live there:

Grubby was seriously hurt in a dog attack when she was very young, Hershey said. And during her rehabilitation she became too friendly with people to be released into the wildy.

Grubby is five years old and began predicting the arrival of spring four years ago, Hershey said.

Hershey said groundhogs are members of the marmot family. They enjoy eating fruits, vegetables, grains and grubs. As of late February, she is still in hibernation and is only active for about an hour a day.

Grubby’s prediction of continuing cold weather contradicted the more famous Punxsutawney Phil, who predicted an early end to winter from his Pennsylvania perch Sunday morning.

Josh Burnett has been appointed as the newest member of the Columbus Parks and Recreation Board.

Mayor Jim Lienhoop appointed Burnett to the role after the resignation of John McCormick earlier this month. McCormick is now serving on the newly reconstituted Otter Creek Management Corporation Board.

Burnett works as communications coordinator for Bartholomew Consolidated Schools and grew up here in Columbus. The tennis courts at Donner park are named after his grandfather, Robert B. Burnett and Josh Burnett coaches parks and rec baseball.

Burnett ran for Columbus City Council at-large last fall as a Republican, but lost to Democrats Tom Dell and Grace Kestler.

Units of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department and Columbus Police arrested two people after neighbors reported suspicious activity at a home Wednesday.

The sheriff’s department reports that the Bartholomew County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team and Columbus Police Intelligence Led Policing Unit served a search warrant and arrest warrants at the home in the 3200 block of Country Brook Street at about 6:20 Wednesday afternoon.

They arrested 29-year-old Kyle S. Goddard and 28-year-old Shelby M. Harsh on preliminary charges of burglary and residential entry. Harsh is also facing a charge of conversion, while Goddard is facing a probation violation out of Decatur County.

Ivy Tech Community College in Columbus is adding a new Workforce Alignment Consultant to collaborate with area employers on their training and educational needs.

The college says that the consultant, will develop partnerships with area employers to understand their specific market. The consultant then will focus on ways to co-develop workforce programs and products.

Jacob Stansbury starts with the college on Monday in the role. Stansbury most recently served as the learning and development leader in human resources at Cummins. While there, he was responsible for the apprenticeship and school-to-work programs.

Dr. Steven Combs, Ivy Tech Columbus chancellor,  said that Stansbury’s experience will be essential to college efforts to connect area employers with a well-educated and well-trained work force.

“Ivy Tech provides significant opportunities for customized training and professional development, and Jacob’s leadership will help us continue to build important relationships with employers that can directly benefit their employees,” Combs said.

Cummins Seymour Engine Plant it being welcomed into the State of Indiana’s Environmental Stewardship Program.

There are 55 other companies in the program. To be part of the program, companies commit to implementing or maintaining measurable environmental improvements. Those could include reducing water or energy use, decreasing solid or hazardous waste, or reducing air emissions.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management says that Cummins Seymour Engine Plant has maintained a standard of environmental compliance, developed and implemented an environmental management system and committed to a variety of environmental improvement projects.

They are in the first year project to reduce energy consumption through LED lighting initiatives, automation of the power-down processes and reclaiming some reverse-osmosis reject water.

IDEM made the announcement Thursday.

Travel on the west side of Columbus will be getting even more snarled starting next week and lasting through the summer.

INDOT says that Carr Hill Road will be shutting down next week as contractors will begin tree clearing operations over I-65 in Bartholomew County . The road will close beginning Monday and reopen by Friday, weather permitting. Nighttime shoulder closures are also planned next week on I-65 near the bridge, located just south of the Columbus exit at State Road 46.

After the tree-clearing, Carr Hill Road will only be open for a few days though, as the bridge is due to be replaced with work starting on Monday, Feb. 10th. Carr Hill Road will be closed from then until mid-July. You will see more lane restrictions on the interstate while the bridge is demolished and replaced.

INDOT says the official detour will be Terrace Lake Road to Goeller Blvd. to State Road. 46.

The total project will cost almost $5 million dollars and will also include the bridge at County Road 200S. Milestone is the contractor for the project. The finish date for the total project is estimated for the end of November.

Columbus police say that a local woman who had no driver’s license fled from a car crash, leading to her arrest.

Shortly before 11:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, Columbus police were called to a two-vehicle accident at Kentucky Avenue and South Mapleton Street. One of the drivers suffered minor injuries, but the second was nowhere to be found.

Witnesses said that the other driver, later identified as 22 year old Allison M. Perdue of Columbus ran away after the crash, into a home in the 300 block of Hege Avenue.

She was arrested on preliminary charges of leaving the scene of an accident and driving without ever receiving a license.