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.

Four vehicles were involved in an early-morning crash in Bartholomew County.

At approximately 5:22 a.m. Thursday, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the intersection of Deaver and Jonesville roads. They found four vehicles involved.

Investigators say that one of the vehicles pulled off of Deaver Road onto Jonesville Road, when it was struck by a vehicle traveling south. Drivers involved were:

Russell Petro, 75, Columbus IN
Jonathon Hoffman, 25, Columbus IN
Heather Babb, 50, Columbus IN
Gregory Snyder, 58, Shelbyville IN

Authorities have not indicated who was at fault.

Sheriff Matt Myers says no one was hurt. “Fortunately, no one was injured in this accident. However, this is just another reminder that motorists must pay close attention to other drivers on our roadways,” said Myers.

State Road 11 and Fourth Street in Seymour will be getting a different traffic pattern today.

INDOT says that they will be adding a second set of stop signs, making that intersection a four-way stop. According to INDOT, the change will increase safety at the intersection. . Message boards will be placed near the intersection alerting drivers to the change.

If you are looking for more traffic information, download the WAZE app for your smartphone and join the WCSI Traffic team. You can find updated traffic information on our website, on-air and on the app.

The North Vernon Vet to Vet program will be having a special meeting tonight to discuss the possibility of a Veterans Day parade for the community.

Anyone interested in helping with the parade project is welcome to attend. The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the ETC building on O&M Avenue.

Indiana State Police say two Indianapolis men are facing drug dealing charges after they ran out of gas on I-65 in Jackson County on Tuesday afternoon.

A trooper became suspicious after stopping to help the stranded car about four miles south of Seymour at about 1 p.m. that afternoon. A search of the car uncovered what police believe was cocaine, controlled substances, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

The driver, 35-year-old Benjamin R. Farr, and a passenger, 25-year-old Daniel M. Pryor, were arrested on preliminary charges of dealing and possessing cocaine, plus possessing the other drugs and paraphernalia.

A Columbus woman caught shoplifting in Walmart is now facing drug-related charges.

Columbus police report that they were called to the Whitfield Drive store at about 4:50 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, after a woman was noticed removing price tags from items and putting them in her purse.

Police say that 32-year-old Lacey C. Campbell tried to leave the store without paying, where she was stopped by police. While recovering the items from her purse, officers reportedly discovered methamphetamine and hydrocodone.

Campbell is facing charges of theft and drug possession.

A California man, clad in a shirt and underwear, was arrested early Tuesday morning in Taylorsville. Deputies with the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department were called to a hotel at 11780 N US 31. The caller claimed the man was making a disturbance.

When deputies arrived, they found 46-year-old Chad Corwin asleep in the lobby. Police say Corwin attempted to walk away several times before he was arrested after a brief struggle. Corwin is facing preliminary charges of:

Public Intoxication
Disorderly Conduct
Resisting Law Enforcement

He has since been released.

It was discovered that Corwin, who told officers that “he was going to his room,” was actually staying in a hotel located on the opposite side of the highway.