A fire last night severely damaged two homes, displaced two families and destroyed one family’s hidden stash of Christmas presents.

A teen girl first noticed the fire between the two homes on County Road 150W at about 10 p.m. last night when she got up to use the restroom. She alerted her family and her father, Matthew Goff, woke the next door neighbor, Michael Jones, says Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus fire department.

The fire consumed a wooden privacy fence and crates, before spreading to a garage and the neighboring home’s attic. Columbus firefighters arriving on the scene had to call in for an extra engine and more firefighters as they ended up fighting two home fires simultaneously.

The room above the family’s garage was seriously damaged, which is where the Goff family had been storing the hidden Christmas presents for their five children Wilson said. The family will be working with the Columbus Firemen’s Cheer Fund to replace those presents.

Wilson said that investigators estimated that the fires caused about $40,000 in damage to the first home and about $65,000 to the second home and its contents. The Goff family is being assisted with temporary shelter by the Salvation Army, while Jones is staying with family, Wilson said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

As Christmas approaches, many families find themselves struggling with things like gifts and food.

Whitney Loyd, director of resource development for the United Way of Bartholomew County, says that our community is fortunate to have so many holiday assistance programs.

She says that two programs in particular are aimed at ensuring that needy children in the community don’t go without Christmas presents — The Columbus Firemen’s Cheer Fund and Toys for Tots.

Shop with a Cop also offers help with holiday toys for children, but it is already full for the year, she said.

A Holiday Help Line has been established to aid residents in need of  assistance for food and gifts for children.

If you need holiday assistance, Loyd encourages you to call (812) 375-2216 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more on the United Way of Bartholomew County, visit uwbarthco.org.

Columbus police recovered stolen property after two passengers were arrested on warrants during a traffic stop early Sunday morning in Columbus.

The incident started at about 2 a.m. when an officer stopped a vehicle for a minor traffic violation in the 2100 block of North National Road. But the officer grew suspicioius after the passengers began acting nervous. A check revealed that one, 21-year-old Cody J. Spencer was wanted on a local warrant,

After a short struggle with officers, he was taken into custody, says Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus police.

A front-seat passenger, 19-year-old Ethen A. Robertson was also wanted on a warrant and as he was being arrested, officers discovered that he had items in his pockets believed stolen from a local store, as well as a phone and tablet that had also been reported stolen by their owner.

In addition to the outstanding warrants, Spencer is facing a charge of resisting law enforcement, while Robertson is also facing charges of possession of stolen property.

A driver fleeing from Columbus police at speeds of up to 100 mph crashed early Sunday morning on County Road 200W, according to police reports.

60-year-old Jami Martin is facing charges of resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, maintaining a common nuisance, resisting law enforcement, reckless driving and possession of marijuana after the incident.

Police tried to stop Martin’s vehicle at 11th and Washington streets at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning after suspecting the driver had a suspended driver’s license. But instead of stopping, the driver took off. After running off the road in the 5600 block of County Road 200W, Martin allegedly then tried to run away from police.

Columbus City Utilities will be looking for a rate increase in the face of falling revenue and increasing infrastructure costs.

Keith Reeves, utilities director, gave a preliminary look at the department’s 2018 budget needs during last week’s City Council meeting…

Reeves says that the projected income for 2018 is down 1.5 percent from the 2017 projections.

He adds that there will have to be a rate increase at some point. He says that the utilities department’s 2018 proposed budget includes a rate consultant to help determine what kind of rate increases will be needed, and when.

He says that there is a need for increased capital expenditures in the coming year for the water plants, as well as the wastewater treatment facility.

He says that there is a need for increased capital expenditures in the coming year…

He explains the need for the third centrifuge to help treat wastewater…

He also said that there is a need for more manpower.

Reeves says that there is also an increase in water chemical treatments costs.

The utilities department’s proposed budget is scheduled to be presented in December.

A father and son escaped a Saturday morning house fire in Columbus, but their home was a total loss.

The home on Smith Street was fully engulfed in flames and the first police on scene heard explosions inside, when they arrived at about 12:04 a.m. Saturday morning, according to Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department.

The resident said that the fire started in a recliner and then spread to oxygen equipment, the carpet and drapes. He tried to put the fire out and called for his son’s help, but the home was quickly filled with thick black smoke and they had to evacuate.

The resident said that he is a smoker, but he was not smoking at the time the fire started. Firefighters have classified the cause of the fire as accidental.

Firefighters had the fire out within 13 minutes of their arrival on the scene, Wilson says.

The damage to home and contents is estimated at about $100,000 dollars, Wilson said.

Columbus police are looking for any information about a Saturday afternoon shooting at a Columbus apartment.

Police say one person was shot at the incident at the Arbors at Water’s Edge Apartments at about 3 p.m. Saturday. The victim has been identified as 18-year-old Marquis Corum, of Columbus. He remains in serious condition at an Indianapolis hospital, said Lt Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus police.

A vehicle that was suspected to have been involved was recovered Saturday in Indianapolis, Harris says.

If you have any information, you can contact the police department at 812-376-2600. Information can be left anonymously.

The Mill Race Theatre Company is producing ” A Charlie Brown Christmas,” by Charles M. Schulz next week and you are invited.

Organizers say that the shows will take place at 7 p.m. Dec. 8 and 2 p.m. Dec. 9 at Columbus East High School’s Robbins auditorium.

Tickets for this show are $7.

Organizers say that more than 100 children from across the community will take part in the production, which is directed by Caitlin Smith and produced by Sharon Andrews.

You can get more information or buy tickets online at MillRaceTheatre.org.

If you have overdue library books or media, you can pay off your fines with canned goods.The Bartholomew County Public Library is conducting a “Food for Fines” campaign from Dec. 4th to 17th.

During this time, the library says that you can pay overdue fines by donating non-perishable food items that will go to Love Chapel and the Community Center of Hope Food Pantry.

For every dollar owed in fines, at least one food item must be donated. They cannot be in glass containers, home-canned, expired, rusty, dented or damaged or have bar codes that have been lined or scratched through.

The Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives is becoming part of the Bartholomew County Public Library.

The archives have been housed at the downtown library but were a separate organization. But now the archives work and collections, which contain drawings, models and other relics from the city’s rich architectural heritage, will be absorbed into the larger library organization.

The archives have been housed at the library since the building first opened in 1969. Tricia Gilson, director of the archives, explains that this is a milestone year for the organization.

The architectural archives started 50 years ago, when city planners began curating their collection of architectural materials.

Gilson that change will allow for new partnerships and efforts to make the archives accessible.

Jason Hatton, the library director, says that this is a natural fit for the two organizations and will let the archives expand its work preserving our architectural history..

He said that the missions of the library and the archives dovetail together very well.