The Mental Health Matters coalition is touting the community’s use of a new CredibleMind web site to address mental health needs in Bartholomew County.

CredibleMind is billed as a one-stop shop for personalized mental wellbeing. It offers an evidence based platform that allows users to take surveys to assess mental health concerns and then based on that information provide personalized services. The service is available via apps or on a computer.

The remote service is free and available to anyone in the county who needs it. Earlier this year, the Bartholomew County Commissioners and sheriff’s department funded the first three years of county access through jail commissary funds. A grant through Heritage Fund — The Bartholomew County Community Foundation allowed the site to offer Spanish and Haitian Creole languages, in addition to English. And another language will be added, once the community need is determined.

The coalition says that more than 900 users have accessed the local CredibleMind portal since its launch in May, and 112 users have registered and/or created a profile. Mental Health Matters will be providing information cards in all back-to-school folders, in school backpacks distributed through the United Way, through the Safe Dates program, and at other community locations.

You can access the Bartholomew County CredibleMind site at https://mhmbc.crediblemind.com

Registrations are now open for the Bartholomew County DARE program’s annual golf outing.

This year’s event is set for Aug. 2nd at Otter Creek Golf Course. Registration will be $125 per player or $500 per team.

The event will also feature a $100 super ticket which allows teams to participate in contests such as a $50,000 dollar shootout, a hole-in-one-contest with a new vehicle from Country Chevrolet, a $10,000 hole in one contest sponsored by Richard Hawes Insurance and a longest drive and closest to the pin contest for men and women.

The event also features complimentary soft drinks, water and smoothies during the event and a meal afterwards.

The DARE program locally celebrated its 30th anniversary here in 2022. DARE officers teach a one hour class focusing on educating sixth grade students about the dangers of drugs and the importance of making good decisions.

You can register by contacting Columbus police Sgt. Skylar Berry at 812-376-2605 or by email at [email protected]

Columbus will be updating the community on plans for a Talley Road improvement project with an open house Monday.

The project will be on Talley Road between 25th Street and Rocky Ford Road. It will include the installation of curbs and gutters, a 5 foot sidewalk on the west side, and a 10 foot side path on the east side. The project will also totally replaces the existing bridge over Sloane Branch.

At the open house, you will be able to review construction plans and talk to city officials and the consultants for the project, who will answer questions from community members.

The open house will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday at Columbus City Hall.

If you have questions but you can’t attend Monday’s open house, you can  email [email protected].

A Columbus man is facing drug charges after a traffic stop last week

According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, a deputy noticed a vehicle make a traffic violation in the area of North U.S. 31 and North Horizon drive at about 12:07 a.m. the morning of July 2nd. The vehicle also had an equipment violation.

After pulling the vehicle over, the deputy talked to the two occupants and noticed a glass smoking pipe in the center console. The passenger, 48 year old Marlon Cowan Jr admitted that the pipe was his and also told the officer that he had meth in his pants pocket.

A search recovered 19 grams of meth. Cowan was arrested for possessing the drugs and paraphernalia.

Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department

Cummins is announcing a $75 million dollar federal grant that will let it revamp part of the historic Cummins Engine Plant for the production of electric batteries and powertrains.

The company held a ceremony Thursday afternoon at Plant One on Central Avenue to announce the largest grant in the company’s history, directed toward Accelera, the company’s zero emissions business.

Amy Davis, president of Accelera by Cummins, explains the grant:

She says that the grant will  lead to the conversion of 360,000 square feet of the 1.4 million square foot building into electric component production. When it is done, about half of the building will be dedicated to electric component production.

Davis explains what will be produced at the factory, historically dedicated to diesel engines.

Davis says that the grant will allow the company to hire about 250 new employees and retrain existing employees for new roles.

Cummins President and CEO Jennifer Rumsey talks about the importance of electrical vehicles and components to the company.

Among the dignitaries on hand was the Under Secretary for Infrastructure for the U.S. Department of Energy, David Crane. He said the grant is part of a $1.7 billion set of project grants announced Thursday to 11 companies in eight states, to convert auto manufacturing facilities from internal combustion to electric vehicle production.

Crane said the grants were awarded on the strength of the proposals and he said Cummins stood out because of what he called a tripod partnership between the business, labor unions and the community.

Columbus Mayor Mary Ferdon talked about the importance of that partnership.

Photo: Amy Davis, head of Cummins Accelera business, explains the importance of a $75 million grant announced Thursday afternoon. White River Broadcasting Photo.

Columbus police say that there are still a few spots left in a upcoming seminar on how to avoid scams.

Columbus police are partnering with the Indiana Attorney General’s office with the fraud prevention seminar set for July 16th at the Mill Race Center. It will discuss identity theft, typical frauds, market scams and how to protect yourself.

The seminar will start at 11 a.m. on July 16th in the Art Room at Mill Race Center. If you would like to attend, you can call 812-376-9241 to make a reservation.

Thrive Alliance will be offering its Powerful Tools for Caregivers sessions in Seymour, starting later this month.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers is an educational series designed to provide caregivers with the tools they need to take care of those in their care while also taking care of themselves.

This program is is meant to help family caregivers reduce stress, improve self-confidence, communicate feelings better, balance their lives, increase their ability to make tough decisions and locate helpful resources.

The series consists of six sessions held once a week. Classes will be held every Thursday from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., in the Community Room of Crossroads Senior Apartments, on South Poplar Street in Seymour starting on July 25th. Classes run through August 29th.

The program is free and you are invited to attend. You can register by July 22nd by calling 812 372-6918 and going to ext. 2403.

A reported stolen license plate led to the arrest of an Austin man on drug and car theft charges in Columbus on the Fourth of July.

According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were alerted to a vehicle displaying a stolen license plate headed north on South U.S. 31 at about 11:43 p.m. Thursday. A deputy found the vehicle as it entered Columbus and pulled it over near State and North Beatty streets.

Authorities confirmed that the license plate had been stolen out of Louisville and a check revealed the vehicle had been reported stolen from Scottsburg. The driver, 25-year-old Dylan Roberts was taken into custody and a search revealed he was carrying about 19 grams of methamphetamine.

Roberts was arrested on preliminary charges of auto theft, possession of a stolen registration and possession of meth.

In celebration of national Parks and Recreation Month, the Columbus Park Foundation will be hosting a community party this afternoon at Mill Race Park.

The festivities will include water and yard games, activities such as face and rock painting and local food trucks.

The Columbus Parks and Recreation system was founded in 1947 and now operates 23 parks, nearly 1,000 acres of park land and 23 miles of People Trails.

The Park Foundation is encouraging you to donate in support of the local parks system. You can find a link to donate here https://www.columbusparkfoundation.org

The event will be from 4 to 7 p.m., it is free and you are invited to come by.

Cropped photo of Mill Race Park by stickman42 courtesy of Wikipedia, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

The family of a man killed in the 2022 Greenwood Park Mall shooting is now suing mall ownership and the security company tasked with keeping mall customers safe.

Victor Gomez was shot and killed in July 2022 in the food court at the Greenwood Park Mall, owned by Simon Property Group. The Gomez family argues mall ownership was negligent and employees should have been paying attention to security cameras when Jonathan Sapirman walked through the mall with a large, suspicious backpack.

Sapirman walked into the food court restroom, dumped some electronics into the toilet, walked out with a gun and started shooting. He killed Gomez along with Rosa and Pedro Pineda before being shot and killed himself by Eli Dicken of Seymour, a mall customer.

The family of a survivor has also sued Simon Property Group and Allied Security.

Story courtesy of Network Indiana. Greenwood Park Mall photo courtesy of RTV