IUPUC is announcing a new director for the Tom & Barbara Schoellkopf Community Counseling Center at the school.

Debolina Ghosh is joining the faculty of the IUPUC Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling program as a Clinical Assistant Professor and director of the center.

Ghosh earned her Master of Social Work from the University of South Florida and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Counselor Education from the University of Florida with a specialization in Marriage and Family Counseling.

Ghosh taught undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Florida and Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. She has been a visiting scholar at universities in Bogota, Columbia, and in Shanghai, China.

Traffic on U.S. 50 in Seymour will be less chaotic starting on Friday.

INDOT says that you will see a change in the traffic pattern as both lanes of westbound U.S. 50 will move to the newly rebuilt westbound corridor. That will be between U.S. 31 through the stoplight at Sandy Creek Dr. After that, traffic will return to the current lane locations in front of Chili’s and before the widened Sandy Creek bridges.

Eastbound lanes will stay the same except at the junction of U.S. 31. Both lanes will be moved about four feet south just before the intersection, allowing for the removal of a sliver of pavement in the middle of the roadway.

Dupont Drive will also be closed for the removal and replacement of the roadway on or after this Friday.

The temporary signals at the interstate ramps will no longer be needed after this week, and all of the ramps at the I-65 and U.S. 50 interchange will be open for regular traffic again.

You are reminded to slow down, to use extra caution and to drive without distractions in all work zones. The schedule is dependent on the weather.

Camp Atterbury has not yet been tapped to shelter Afghan refugees. Despite rumors and misinformation posted to social media, the Indiana National Guard said yesterday that the public and news media will be notified accordingly “if Camp Atterbury in Indiana is approved to support the Afghan evacuee mission.”

The National Guard said that military departments are continuing to identify potential bases to meet potential expanded needs.

The National Guard adds that Fort Lee, Virginia; Fort McCoy, Wisconsin; Fort Bliss, Texas; and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey have been selected to provide temporary housing and support for up to 50,000 at-risk Afghans. There will also be support inside the U.S. for Afghan special immigrant visa applicants, their families, and other at risk individuals at suitable facilities, as quickly as possible.

Bartholomew County deputies say that the statewide Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over initiative led to the arrest of a Greensburg woman on drug charges Tuesday evening.

According to police reports, a deputy pulled over a vehicle with an expired license tag at about 6:28 p.m. Tuesday evening. A passenger allegedly gave police a fake name, but she turned out to be 42-year-old Nicole Schlapp of Greensburg who was wanted on three outstanding warrants from other counties. A search revealed drugs, drug paraphernalia and a 9 mm handgun.

In addition to the outstanding warrants, Schlapp was arrested on charges of false informing, possession of the weapon, methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

More than 200 agencies around Indiana are taking part in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over blitz. Through Labor Day, the high-visibility overtime patrols are being funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.

Tickets are on sale for the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Leadership luncheon, coming up on Sept. 15th at 11 a.m. in The Commons.

The event will honor three local women for their community leadership — Beth Morris, Hannah Omar and Lori Thompson. During the program, each honoree will be given an opportunity to reflect on her professional journey.

Due to COVID-19, guests will be asked to follow social distancing and mask-wearing guidelines during the one-hour program. At the end of the event, a box lunch, prepared by Purely Paula Catering will be distributed for take-out.

The event is sponsored by Century 21 Breeden Realtors.

Tickets are $35 or $160 for a table of 5. You get get more information at https://business.columbusareachamber.com/events/details/women-in-leadership-lunch-2021-3794

A local small business assistance group is being recognized nationwide for its volunteer and client engagement.

The South Central Indiana SCORE recently received the SCORE National Award for its volunteer engagement. The group helped 21 new businesses last year.

The chapter also was nationally recognized for its small business client engagement study, which received one of the highest results in the country.

The local SCORE chapter covers 16 counties including Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings and Shelby counties.

SCORE is sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration to help support the startup, growth and success of small businesses and not-for-profit groups in the area. The local chapter has 29 volunteers with business experience who help mentor and educate small businesses.

You can get more information at https://southcentralindiana.score.org

A reminder that Bartholomew County Health Department will be working with Windrose Health to offer COVID-19 vaccines at Ivy Tech Community College in Columbus from 9 to 11 a.m. on Friday.

The shots will be available in Room 200 at the campus at 4475 Central Avenue in Columbus. Vaccines will be available for those 12 years and older.

The second standalone Ethnic Expo festival will be Saturday on Fourth Street in downtown Columbus with the Chinese Expo.

The event is a partnership between the Columbus Chinese Association, the city of Columbus and the Columbus Area Visitors Center. Saturday’s festivities will include food, games, vendor booths, live music, and a Dragon and Lion Dance performance by members of the Indianapolis Chinese Community Center. A performance by the Cummins Diversity Choir is also planned.

Activities will start at 2 p.m., with the Cummins Diversity Choir performing at 6 p.m. and the Dragon and Lion Dance performance at 7 p.m.

The Columbus Chinese Association has a mission to share Chinese language and culture with the community.

Due to the pandemic, Ethnic Expo has been split into four individual events this year, with the first held on Juneteenth with the Bartholomew County NAACP. Upcoming Ethnic Expo events will be the Ganesh Festival of India on September 11th and Fiesta Latina on October 2nd.

You can get more information at ethnicexpo.org.

Two people were arrested on drug-related charges after a traffic stop early Tuesday morning in Columbus.

According to police reports, a Columbus officer pulled over a vehicle at about 1 this morning near Eighth and Sycamore Streets because its license plate light was out.

Officers discovered that the driver, 28-year-old Makaelin J. Wilks had a suspended driver’s license and was wanted on an outstanding Jackson County warrant.

A police dog alerted to the smell of drugs in the vehicle and a search found two straws containing methamphetamine under the driver’ seat and a piece of aluminum foil with burnt residue in the center console.

Wilks was arrested on preliminary charges of operating a vehicle without ever receiving a license with a previous conviction, driving while suspended with a prior conviction and possession of paraphernalia, along with the Jackson County warrant.

A passenger, 53-year-old Lisa G. Bryant, had a bag containing pills and suboxone, a glass pipe was found where she was sitting and two small bags in her clothing contained methamphetamine and fentanyl.

She is facing charges for possessing the drugs and paraphernalia.

Brutally hot weather continues throughout Indiana today with temperatures that will feel like 106 or more in some places, including Columbus.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis has issued a heat advisory again today that will be in effect from 2 until 8 this afternoon and evening.

The weather service warns that you should take extra precautions if you are planning to spend time outdoors today. When possible you should reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. If you are working outdoors, OSHA recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments.

Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location and call 9-1-1.