Foundation For Youth teenagers will confront the opioid crisis in Bartholomew County with a message of prevention and hope in a special performance Saturday at Central Middle School.

Organizers say that “WE KNOW,” written and performed by the FFY teens, will address the multifaceted impact of opioid abuse as part of the organization’s programming geared at spreading prevention messages to children and teens.

The performance is supported by a Project Prevent grant from ASAP and Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County.

“WE KNOW” will be presented at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the school’s Grey Boy Theatre, 725 Seventh St., in Columbus. The program is free and open to the public. Parents are encouraged to attend with their children.

Cummins CEO Tom Linebarger has a column in the New York Times today, warning of the dangers of the president’s trade war. The executive for the Columbus based diesel engine manufacturer warns of the dangers to Cummins Seymour plant, where 80 percent of the products manufactured end up going to overseas markets.

Linebarger says that tariffs on imported steel and aluminum are raising the costs of production, and other countries’ tariffs in retaliation will make Cummins engines even more expensive overseas. Further, he said Cummins products that are manufactured overseas could face tariffs bringing them back in to the U.S. market. For example, an engine designed in Seymour but built in China, would face a 25 percent price hike from the tariffs when they are sold here.

He said that the tariffs are hurting negotiations and companies like Cummins are left standing still, unsure of how or where to invest.

Link to Linebarger’s column in the New York Times.

A Bartholomew County man accused of child molesting will remain behind bars until at least Friday morning. Our news-gathering partners at “The Republic” are reporting that a jail hold for 72-year-old Larry Scott has been extended to allow prosecutors more time to prepare and file formal charges.

Scott was arrested over the weekend at Ceraland Park by Indiana State Police after an investigation at the campgrounds. He is facing preliminary charges of child molestation, child exploitation, vicarious sexual gratification, child solicitation, sexual battery and possession of paraphernalia. The newspaper says that Scott is a retired Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Deputy who volunteered with the night-time security detail at Ceraland. According to the report, Scott was also a reserve deputy for the department until Sheriff Matt Myers terminated that relationship after the arrest.

For more on this story, visit therepublic.com.

A wanted Michigan woman was arrested early Wednesday morning after a traffic stop. Caitlyn Gross, spokeswoman for the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, says that at approximately 2:27 a.m., K-9 Deputy Matt Bush was patrolling southbound on I-65 near the 72-mile marker when he saw a car with a Michigan license plate.

Gross says that Deputy Bush received information that the license plate was connected to an active warrant for conspiracy to commit controlled substance delivery manufacturing cocaine, heroin or narcotics out of Ogemaw County, Michigan. Bush then initiated a traffic stop just south of the 68-mile market exit. He made contact with driver, Charla Wolf of Monroe, MI. When police learned that Wolf had an active warrant, she was arrested.

As the investigation continued, Deputy Bush reported smelling marijuana inside the vehicle. As he began to search Wolf, she allegedly grabbed the deputy’s hand to interfere with his search. Bush restrained Wolf and removed a bag of what was believed to be cocaine from her pocket.

During a search of the vehicle, authorities reported finding another large bag containing what was believed to be approximately 100 grams of cocaine, along with marijuana, approximately 39 grams of shrooms, several bags, scales, some pills and drug paraphernalia.

The sheriff’s department says the street value for 100 grams of cocaine is approximately $10,000.

In addition to the outstanding warrant, Wolf was arrested for Dealing in Cocaine, Dealing in a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance, Battery on an Officer, Possession of marijuana, Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Paraphernalia.

Sheriff Matt Myers says that his office will continue to do all it can to fight drugs. “Our county has a major interstate that travels through it, which can lead to an increase in drug trafficking,” said Myers. “This is why we work so closely with other agencies in hopes to eliminate drug activity in our community.”

For Bartholomew County high school students and their families, applications for the 2019 Lilly Endowment Scholarships are now available online.

The Lilly scholarships are awarded to two graduating Bartholomew County students each year and they will cover full tuition along with $900 per year for books and equipment. Students must be planning to go to a four-year bachelor’s degree program at any accredited Indiana public or private college or university.

To qualify, students need to have a 3.5 GPA, be on course to graduate high school and show school involvement, community service, good character and leadership skills and show financial need.

You can find the application at heritagefundbc.org. The deadline to apply is Aug. 31st.

The Columbus Police Department is accepting applications for police officers.

Applicants must be between 21 and 36 years-old. To apply, you must have a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent and complete all aspects of the hiring process and training program. The department is strongly encouraging college graduates, military veterans, and those with law enforcement experience to apply.

Applications can be downloaded online at columbus.in.gov/police. Applications will be accepted until Sept. 24th.

A motorcyclist was injured after being hit by an SUV last night on Bartholomew County Road 450N and Talley Road.

Deputies say that 30-year-old Roy Wasson of Hope was driving the bike east on 450N at 9:16 p.m. Tuesday night when an SUV driven by 66-year-old James Meil of Cleveland Heights, Ohio turned in front of him onto Talley Road. Meil told authorities that he did not see the motorcycle, according to police reports.

Wasson was flown to an Indianapolis hospital with injuries to his hand and leg. He was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash and was conscious and alert when deputies arrived.

Meil and a passenger were uninjured.

INDOT will be closing State Road 7 at North Vernon for almost three weeks, starting tomorrow, as crews replace a culvert.

The state reports that the culver is at Six Mile Creek, about a third of a mile north of the State Road 3 junction.

Motorists will be routed around the construction site to State Road 3 and the U.S. 50 bypass. State Road 7 will be closed for up to 20 days.

The state has already replaced the State Road 7 bridge at Turnover Creek, and several other structures as part of this $2.6 million dollar project. Eventually crews will be replacing two more culverts on State Road 3, in Decatur County

Columbus police say they found a handgun and drugs on a wanted man they arrested Tuesday afternoon in downtown Columbus.

33-year-old Martin E. Porche Jr. of Columbus is facing new preliminary charges of possession of methamphetamine and having a handgun without a license, in addition to three outstanding Bartholomew County warrants.

Police report that they noticed Porche standing outside a restaurant on Third Street at about 1:50 p.m. yesterday afternoon and recognized he was wanted on the warrants. After he was handcuffed, officers say they searched him and allegedly found the 9 mm handgun and the drugs.

Some North Vernon Utilities customers can expect larger sewer bills in the near future. During Monday evening’s meeting of the city council, the body heard a request from the North Vernon Utility Service Board to amend a recently passed ordinance dealing with sewer rates. The need for an amendment came about after city officials realized that some customers with larger meters weren’t being charged the correct minimum amount. That mistake was uncovered when utilities staff realized that they incorrectly calculated the minimum payment. These minimum amounts were approved by the city council back in May as a way to ease customers into a rate-increase over three years as opposed to implementing it all at once.

The new minimum wastewater rates are as follows:

5/8″, 3/4″ and 1″ meters – $29.40/mo.
1.5″ meter – $62.60/mo.
2″ meter – $120.79/mo.
3″ meter – $364.89/mo.
4″ meter – $871.42/mo.
6″ meter – $2,493.92/mo.

City officials stress that most residential customers won’t see an increase in their bill. However, some industries and local government facilities could.

City council members voted unanimously to amend the ordinance. Russell Vaught, Wastewater Department Manager, notes these changes still need to be implemeted into the city’s billing system. He says that any increases can be expected in the September billing cycle.

Additional increases of 1.5 percent are scheduled to be implemented in January of 2019 and 2020.