A reported overdose in Jennings County led to the arrest of two people Wednesday night.

The North Vernon Police Department says that officers responded to the 300 block of Long Street at 7:38 p.m. after receiving the call. They ultimately arrested 27-year-old Clinton Maschino and 24-year-old Darcey Heitz, both of North Vernon. Police say that pair are facing preliminary charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Paraphernalia, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana and Maintaining a Common Nuisance.

One of the key components for the community plan to address the opioid epidemic in Bartholomew County is a Hub to act as a center making it easier for addicts to get the help they need.

In its six months of research into the local drug problem, the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County recognized that the current system is disjointed and hard to navigate.

Anna Hilycord, adult and family services manager with Centerstone, explains how the current mish-mash makes it hard to navigate for those already with an addiction:

Hilycord explains the current system can be an impenetrable maze for addicts trying to get into a treatment program, even if there is one available.

The idea of a Hub would be to seamlessly move addicts through the various systems they need to get into recovery. She said that the idea would be to staff the center with knowledgeable volunteers.

No location for the Hub has yet been identified, and the services it would provide are still in flux, organizers say.

Columbus city officials say that several propaganda flyers from Midwest Alliance, a white supremacist group, were recently found at area bus stops. Mary Ferdon, the city’s director of administration, says the flyers were found at the ColumBus Depot at Mill Race Center, at bus shelters at Columbus Regional Health, near the west side Walmart and at Franklin and Seventh Street. Another flyer was found on a pole at Seventh and Third Street.

Ferdon says the flyers appeared sometime after bus service ended Saturday night and early Monday morning when the first flier was found at Mill Race. She says that the flyers were immediately removed by city officials. Ferdon adds that the Columbus Police Department is investigating to find who is responsible for putting them up.

A statement from the city reads:

There is no place in the City of Columbus, or society at large, for racist ideology espoused by the group represented on this flyer, or any other white supremacist group. Their views are in direct opposition to the values we live by of equality, justice and fair play.

Our City continues to welcome everyone and is proud to be home to persons of all faiths, races, ancestry, and backgrounds, some from different nations, who bring with them a rich culture and diversity that benefits us all. These contributions have not only enriched our community, but have allowed our community to flourish economically, enabling us to continue to bring in a dynamic workforce to support local, regional, national, and international companies. Recent events and initiatives such as Ethnic Expo, Exhibit Columbus, the Cummins Marathon and celebration of Diwali highlight the benefits of these contributions for all residents. Columbus celebrates this diversity, and this is what makes it the “Unexpected and Unforgettable” community we are proud to call home.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is asking for your help locating this week’s most-wanted fugitive. Judy Jackson, department spokeswoman, says that detectives are looking for 38-year-old Ricky E. Mathews, Jr., who’s last known address was in North Vernon. Mathews is described as a white male, standing 5’11” tall and weighing 130 pounds. He has red hair that is usually shaven or very short, as well as blue eyes. Authorities say that Mathews is wanted on a felony warrant for Petition to Revoke Probation.

If you have any information on Mathews whereabouts, you are asked to contact Det. Jason Williams at (812) 565-5928, or via email at [email protected]. You can also call the department’s tip line at (812) 379-1712. Authorities stress that tips and information can be left anonymously.

A new specialist doctor’s office focused on treating addictions is one of the first goals to stem the opioid epidemic in Bartholomew County.

That was one of the goals outlined last night at the six-month community update from the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County.

ASAP in BC is unveiling new initiatives and priorities to fill in the gaps in the drug prevention and treatment process in Bartholomew County. Speakers at the event last night at The Commons explained that the system we have is hard to navigate, frequently takes too long to get treatment and allows people to fall through the cracks.

They envision a system that is ready to start helping people as soon as those addicts are ready to get help with easy connections to the services they need to get into recovery.

Julie Abedian with Columbus Regional Health heads the treatment team for ASAP.

She explained that the community should soon be getting a specialist doctors office focused on addiction treatment. She compared it to other specialists such as a heart doctor or cancer specialist.

The goal would be to have one or more doctors, along with nurse practitioners and links to other services.

The hospital’s goal is to have that office in place by early next year. One possible holdup could be the sheer lack of those speciality doctors across the country, Abedian said.

Also coming soon could be a new treatment program for single women with young children. That would be an extension of an Indianapolis program, called the Fresh Start Recovery Center, she said.

Other critical needs include treatment programs for men and women, and a one stop shop for addiction services. That would tentatively be called the Hub, but no location has yet been identified.

The agency launched its new website last night, asapbc.org.

Those trying to prevent drug addiction in Bartholomew County will have a new source of funds for that fight. Mark and Wendy Elwood, of Elwood Staffing, have set up a matching grant to provide up to $1 million dollars for addiction prevention in the community.

The Elwoods will match every dollar donated up to $500,000 with the money going toward prevention efforts.

Wendy Elwood explains:

Elwood said that they do not have preconceived ideas on how the money will be spent. They will be relying on the suggestions from the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County, which held its six month community update last night at The Commons.

Elwood said that they are focusing their fundraising on prevention efforts, in the hopes of preventing people from getting addicted in the first place, especially young people.

The fund will be administered through Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County.  Funds donated through March 31st will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $500,000 total.

You can find more information or to make a donation online go to  heritagefundbc.org. You should type “Mark & Wendy Elwood Substance Abuse Prevention Fund” in the “Name” field.

Donations can also be to Heritage Fund via check at 538 Franklin Street, Columbus, IN 47201.

For more information, you can call Heritage Fund at 812-376-7772.

North Vernon city employees will be paying a little more for their health insurance coverage next year. The city uses SIHO as its insurance carrier. Initially, SIHO quoted a premium increase of 7.1 percent over 2017 rates, says Shawn Gerkin, North Vernon clerk-treasurer. Ultimately Gerkin says he was able to negotiate an increase of 3.6 percent.

City officials say that equates to an annual increase of $240 per year for those on an “employee-only” plan, up to a $696 annual increase for employees on the “family” plan. Council members stress that employees won’t have to absorb the entire increase, as the city covers 75 percent of the premium costs. Gerkin says that equates to an actual out-of-pocket increase for employees of $2 to $6 per pay period. Councilwoman Connie Rayburn suggested that the city look into the possibility of the city absorbing the entire rate increase, without passing it on to the employees. Gerkin says that he will crunch the numbers to see if that would be financially feasible and the council is expected to discuss the possibility further at its next meeting on November 6th.

City officials are still waiting to hear from Anthem in regards to any potential rate increases for employee dental and vision insurance. They anticipate a premium increase, but to what extent is unknown. They hope to have that information by the next meeting as well.

The Columbus / Bartholomew County Planning Department is hosting a three-day public workshop to develop the Columbus Central Neighborhood Plan. The first session was held Tuesday night and was framed as “visionary session” aimed at identifying room for improvement for the area just northeast of downtown.

Jeff Bergman, with the city/county planning department, says that the principal players in developing the plan are the community, Design Collective, out of Baltimore, MD and the consulting firm, Green Street. The major points being discussed are:

– Improving access to jobs, recreation and health food options;
– Promote mixed-use and mixed-income redevelopment;
– Mitigate any environmental concerns for the area;
– Examine land use possibly adjusting zoning;
– Recommend roadway improvements;

According to a marketing analysis done by Green Street, residents in the area of the central neighborhood plan make up six-percent of the Columbus population. The area has a higher rate of lower-income residents, with 23 percent living in poverty. Green Street says that, in addition, the incomes of residents living in this area are expected to grow more slowly than the rest of the city. The consulting firm says that the average value of a single-family home is $96,674, considerably less than the Columbus average. In addition, 47 percent of residents in the area pay more than one-third of their income towards housing.

Organizers say that the workshops continue Wednesday and Thursday nights at the United Way Center on 13th Street. Public discussions and open houses are scheduled for both nights, beginning at 6 p.m. In addition, they say that a closing presentation will be offered at the end of Thursday’s session.

Three men were arrested early Tuesday morning after a log splitter was stolen from a Columbus business. Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus Police Department, says that officers were called to Rural King on National Road at approximately 3:15 a.m. in regards to an exterior alarm. When officers arrived, they reportedly found that a log splitter, valued at approximately $1,500, was missing from near the front of the store.

A short time later, Harris says that a Bartholomew

County Sheriff’s deputy stopped a truck carrying a new log splitter on a trailer on Washington Street near Riverside Drive. After confirming the equipment was stolen, the three men inside the truck were arrested. Police arrested 23-years-old Jacob R. Edwards, of Freetown, 25-year-old Paul E. Browder, of Columbus and 41 year-old Michael E. Kelly, of Columbus. Each of the men are facing a preliminary charge of Theft. In addition,

Browder also faces a preliminary charge of Possession of Marijuana.

Bartholomew County deputies are looking for your help solving a church arson from this summer. The sheriff’s  department says that it is still investigating the arson and vandalism at the Ohio Chapel United Methodist Church from July 8th.

Deputies were called to the church on W. County Road 525S, near Ogilville after a caretaker found someone has forced their way in and caused extensive damage.  Windows were broken out, many items were destroyed throughout the church and a room was set on fire. Luckily, the fire burned itself out.

Sheriff Matt Myers says this case is a top priority. He says that “Any arson is very serious” and the department is using all of its resources to solve the crime.

The sheriff says that people talk and you might have overheard the missing information needed to identify the suspect or suspects who burned the church. If you have heard anything, no matter how seemingly insignificant,  you should contact Detective William Kinman at 812-565-5926. Or you can call the sheriff’s department tip line at 812-379-1712