The Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress in Bartholomew County will be giving a community update tonight at The Commons.

The doors will open at 6 p.m. and the program will start at 6:30 p.m.

ASAP is a partnership between the city of Columbus, Bartholomew County and Columbus Regional Health. The group is transitioning to a not-for-profit role operating the ASAP Hub, a centralized location where those with addictions can access all of the services they need to get into recovery. That center is in the Doug Otto United Way building on 13th Street.

The community update will also include a drug take-back opportunity, organized by the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department. You can turn in unwanted prescriptions and over the counter medications, however liquids or sharps will not be accepted.

And there will be information provided by other drug treatment and substance abuse prevention organizations.

A Columbus man is being accused of sending pornographic images of a child over social media.

39-year-old Nicholas D. Hickman was arrested on preliminary felony charges of child exploitation and sexual battery according to Columbus police reports.

The investigation started Friday morning after Columbus police received a tip about a man sending the images and descriptions of sexual acts involving a child. Detectives traced the information to Hickman and served a search warrant, seizing evidence.

The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information in the case, you are asked to contact the Columbus Police Department at 812-376-2600.

Columbus Regional Health is looking for your thoughts on what services it should be offering at the Fair Oaks Mall location.

The hospital is partnering with the city of Columbus for the revamp of that site.  Jim Bickel, the health system’s president and CEO, talked recently about the future of the Fair Oaks Mall property.

He said the hospital will be using the facility for a community focus on health and wellness and the physicians who will be supporting those efforts.

He said they have been looking at other cities with similar converted facilities.

Public input on what they would like to see at the site will help with the planning process and eventual decisions, Bickel said.

There are several ways to make your voice heard and to find out more about the planning. A storefront in the mall recently opened providing information including design drawings. There will also be two more public forums.

Planners are offering an online survey that is estimated to take 5 minutes to complete. You can take the survey or get more information about the project, at reimaginefairoaksmall.com

To hear more of my interview with Jim Bickel you can check out News & Views on our website at 1010wcsi.com

Indiana State Police will be looking for impaired and dangerous drivers this weekend in Jackson County.

Troopers from the Indiana State Police Versailles Post will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint at an undisclosed location in Jackson County on August 30th and 31st. Those drivers passing through the checkpoint area should have their licenses and registrations ready to present to troopers and will only be detained briefly while troopers determine whether further investigation is necessary.

If you see a vehicle exhibiting erratic driving behavior, call 911 with a description of the vehicle, its location, and direction of travel. These reports can be made anonymously.

A statewide Silver Alert has been declared for a missing southern Indiana man.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the disappearance of 55-year-old Leo T. Moreland. Moreland is  missing from Charlestown and was last seen on Tuesday, at 1:33 p.m. He is believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance.

He is a white man, 5 feet 11 inches tall, 170 pounds with  brown hair and blue eyes, last seen wearing a yellow shirt, blue jeans, light brown cowboy boots and a black backpack.

If you have any information on Leo T. Moreland, contact the Clark County Sheriff’s Office at 812-246-6996 or call 911.

Sen. Todd Young, an Indiana Republican, met Friday afternoon with local farmers at the Bartholomew County REMC to listen to their concerns. Young says that area farmers have been hammered by the weather.

Young adds that the U.S. must do all it can to protect intellectual property rights and curb other abuses by the Chinese government.

One area Sen. Young says can improve the lives of farmers would be the passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement to replace NAFTA.

Young says that Democrats on Capitol Hill aren’t interested in giving President Trump a win, but he holds out hope that the USMCA can get 60 votes in the Senate and that Republicans in the House can get enough Democrats on board to pass the measure.

Dan Arnholt, a local farmer, says that the trade dispute is impacting him and others. Arnholt shares his concerns.

Sen. Young says that federal officials are continuing to work to open up Chinese markets to farmers, while searching for other markets so that U.S. farmers aren’t at the mercy of the Chinese government.

The Jennings County Sheriff’s Department is looking for an area man. Authorities say the incident occurred Thursday in the Hayden area after James Helton allegedly pointed a gun at another person and made threats.

Prior to deputies’ arrival, police say Helton left the area and went to his home in Jackson County near the Jennings County line. Deputies arrived at Helton’s residence and found his vehicle in the driveway, the same vehicle Helton had driven to the incident in Hayden. Deputies attempted to make contact with Helton but could not get a response. After several attempts to call Helton out, members of the Jennings County SRT set up a perimeter around Helton’s residence.

A search warrant was obtained for Helton’s home, a camper. The Indiana State Police was contacted to execute the search warrant. After several attempts to call Helton out, the State Police SWAT made entry into the camper. Helton was not inside.

Jennings County Sheriff Kenny Freeman and Jackson County Sheriff Rick Myers are asking for your help locating Helton, who is wanted on preliminary charges of Intimidation with a Weapon and Pointing a Firearm.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of James Helton, contact the Jennings County Sheriff’s Office at 812-346-5111 or the tip line at 812-346-0342. Tips and information can be left anonymously.

Columbus police originally went to a residence on North County Road 150W to handle a complaint about a loud stereo. But they ended up arresting a wanted man.

Officers were called to the noise complaint at about 7:30 p.m. last night. But while in the area they noticed 23-year-old Larry R. Evans of North Vernon outside of a nearby apartment. Officers recognized Evans as being wanted on an outstanding warrant but when they talked to him, he allegedly gave them a fake name.

In addition to an outstanding Bartholomew County warrant, he is now facing a preliminary charge of false informing.

Closures on State Road 7 in Jennings County will be moving north.

The Indiana Department of Transportation says the current closure, south of Turkey Run, will move north next week as crews begin work on the second of four box culverts between the Jefferson/Jennings County line and Vernon.

On or after Monday, August 26, State Road 7 will close three-and-a-half miles north of the county line at Turkey Run. The road will reopen at the location of the first culvert, about three miles north of the Jefferson/Jennings County line. The new closure is expected to last for approximately 30 days, though the work is dependent on the weather.

The official state detour for the closure is State Road 3 to State Road 256.

Additional closures are planned at the following locations, and will take place after completion of work at each culvert, moving south to north:

– 11.67 miles north of State Road 250, just south of Crosley Fish and Wildlife Area
– 5.71 miles north of Jefferson/Jennings County line, approximately one mile south of State Road 3/ State Road 7 split

The project is expected to be complete by October 31st.

If you drive around high-water barricades in Bartholomew County, the penalty is getting tougher.

If convicted, defendants in Superior Court II who have ignored road closure signs and driven around a barricade will now be given the option to pay a $500 fine or to have their driver’s license suspended for 30 days.

“The Court recognizes the potential dangers and has decided to take this action as an additional incentive,” said Superior Court II Judge Kathleen Coriden.

“This certainly provides another reason for people not to drive around a high water barricade,” said Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers.

“Judge Coriden understands the potential danger, not only for the driver but for my deputies and other first-responders, who have to rescue drivers who ignore high water signs. Sometimes people need a little more motivation. Hopefully we have that now,” added Sheriff Myers.

“Most of the money will go to the state but this remains a bold move, especially when it comes to public safety,” said Myers.

The announcement was made on Thursday, just days after the Bartholomew County Commissioners rejected a proposal to increase the fine. Our news-gathering partners at “The Republic” are reporting that Commissioners Larry Kleinhenz and Rick Flohr voted against the proposal on Monday. Commissioner Carl Lienhoop was not present.