Indiana State Police distributed nearly 1,500 informational cards and educated nearly 700 commercial vehicle drivers during the recent awareness campaign about human trafficking.

The state police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division partnered with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance to distribute outreach materials to commercial drivers as part of  inspections during the awareness initiative earlier this month. In total, the division distributed 1,481 wallet cards to drivers of 696 commercial vehicles during the push.

This initiative seeks to pass on information about human trafficking, including how to recognize its signs and what actions to take if you suspect someone is being trafficked. Authorities say commercial drivers are in a unique position to identify potential incidents of human trafficking. That’s because drivers often work in locations where human trafficking may occur, such as truck stop parking lots, rest areas, or facilities that could exploit victims of labor trafficking.

Human traffickers often use violence, fraudulent employment agencies, and fake promises of education and job opportunities to trick and coerce their victims.

To learn more about preventing human trafficking, you can go here: https://cvsa.org/programs/human-trafficking-prevention/

A bill co-authored by Columbus State Rep. Ryan Lauer to aid pediatric cancer research is advancing in the Indiana statehouse.

According to the House Republican press office, the bill would create the Pediatric Cancer Research and Treatment Grant Program which would focus on providing grant funding for innovative research into novel forms of treatment.

Lauer said the bill “could create a new way to boost funding and awareness to this vital area of medical research.”

According to the Indiana Department of Health, more than 300 new cases of pediatric cancer occur each year in Hoosier children and more than 30 children in Indiana die from cancer annually.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness of South Central Indiana will be offering a free, two month long peer-to-peer education program to help adults with mental health conditions.

The program will have eight sessions held on Tuesdays starting on March 18th at the Bartholomew County Public Library. Those will be from 6 to 8 in the evenings on Tuesdays in the library conference room.

Organizers say the program is free and confidential and will be led by peers with mental health conditions. The program is meant to offer respect, understanding, encouragement and hope and build on the strength and resilience of participants.

To register you can e-mail: [email protected] or all  (812) 373-6055 or (301) 641-0980‬‬

Columbus firefighters battled a blaze that heavily damaged a vacant downtown home last week.

According to the Columbus Fire Department, firefighters were called to the scene in the 3100 block of 16th Street at about 11:11 p.m. Thursday night and found heavy smoke coming from inside. Firefighters entered the home and discovered a large amount of fire in the kitchen and found that it had also spread to the attic. After removing the ceiling to get the fire under control, they discovered heavy damage to the roof rafters and decking.

The rental home had been unoccupied for about six months and was up for sale.

The cause of the fire is not yet known. Firefighters plan to work with a home inspector who had recently toured the home after a buyer had made an offer.

No one was injured. Damage to the home is believed to be extensive.

A former daycare worker is facing a felony battery charge after prosecutors say she slapped a child at Kiddie Academy of Greenwood.

The incident happened in November, but the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office announced the charge against 31-year-old Joyce Nicole Perkins on Thursday.

Police say they were called about a daycare teacher hitting a small child. According to court documents, the daycare director fired Perkins immediately after discovering what happened and handed over video footage to investigators.

The video, included in the probable cause affidavit, shows Perkins slapping the child so hard he spun into a cabinet. Perkins told police the child spit at her, and she gave him what she described as a “little small tap.”

“A video like that can be critical,” said Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner. “It really helps the jury see the case for themselves.”

Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner says the maximum sentence for felony battery is two and a half years. However, the judge has the discretion to decide on the punishment, which could include suspending the sentence.

Story courtesy of Network Indiana

An event next week will look back at the architectural design history of Bartholomew County schools focusing on W.D. Richards Elementary.

According to the Landmark Columbus Foundation, writer Glenda Winders has been working on a research project on the Cummins architectural program and its effect on community schools. The program funds the design of public buildings, if the architect is chosen from a list of renowned designers.

Since the 1950s, almost all community schools have been designed by the world-class architects, according to the foundation.

The Columbus Area Visitors Center is hosting the progressive preservation talk with Winders and her research on Richards Elementary at 6:30 p.m. the evening of Thursday January 30th.

The school was designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes and completed in 1965.

There will be a reception with light refreshments ahead of the talk and time for questions afterwards. The event is free and you can sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/progressive-preservation-talks-schools-edition-richards-elementary-school-registration-1112960046459

Photo courtesy of Columbus Area Visitors Center. You can learn more about the architecture of Bartholomew County schools here: https://columbus.in.us/education/

Seymour police have arrested a man accused of impregnating a teen girl.

According to the Seymour Police Department, officers were alerted Wednesday that a 15-year-old girl was pregnant and that a 21-year-old was suspected of being the father.

Their investigation led them to 21-year-old Juan Sebastian Pascual of Seymour. He was arrested on a preliminary charge of sexual misconduct with a minor and was taken to the Jackson County Jail.

Columbus firefighters have been taking part this week in what used to be called fire prevention week.

What is now known as Community Risk Reduction Week runs through Sunday.

According to the Columbus Fire Department, community risk reduction is a process to identify and reduce local risks. The mission of the week has grown past just preventing fires to include risks, hazards and threats to people and property and come up with ways to reduce those risks.

The fire department says the process involves the 5 Es: education, enforcement, economic incentives, engineering and emergency response.

Among the ways to reduce the risks in your own environment:

• Making sure you have working smoke alarms.
• Planning escape routes in case of fires
• Identifying and reducing fall hazards, especially for older adults.
• Keeping medications away from children.

About 100 people attended a workshop yesterday, giving their thoughts on a new plan for downtown Columbus.

The Downtown Columbus 2030 plan is meant to guide the city planners and developers in several specific areas. The plan will expand on previous efforts such as Envision Columbus, which was completed in 2018. Mayor Mary Ferdon said that the goal is to develop actionable items at specifically targeted spots in the city.

The efforts kicked off in November and the city has contracted with the Sasaki engineering firm from Boston and a Chicago financial firm, SB Friedman, to take a fresh look at the city efforts to revitalize the downtown area.

The workshop at the Commons yesterday included the public giving their thoughts on specific problem areas, what they use the downtown for and what they see as the role of downtown. Results from the workshop will be compiled and will guide the new plan, city officials said.

Representatives of Sasaki said that the workshop signals the wrapping up of the analysis and needs assessment phase of the project. next will be the development of the downtown plan in February and March. The study is expected to be completed and presented to the city in June.

You can get more information at downtowncolumbus2030.com.

Photo: About 100 people took part in a workshop to develop a new plan for downtown Columbus Thursday. White River Broadcasting photos.