A Columbus North High School student is looking for new or gently used stuffed animals that Bartholomew County deputies can hand out to children during critical incidents.

North Senior Cole Hopkins is being mentored by Sgt. Andrew Whipker in the senior project. You will see collection bins at businesses around the community and in the lobby of the Bartholomew County Jail.

On Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cole and Whipker will be stationed in the north lot of the sheriff’s department, weather permitting to accept drive-thru donations for the project.

The National Weather Service says we aren’t out of the sub-freezing temperatures overnights just yet.

After the hard freeze this morning, you can expect another freeze tonight going into Tuesday. You should plan to protect any sensitive vegetation that could be hurt by the temperatures in the low 30s again tonight.

Weather service records going back to 1893 show that the average last freeze of the spring in Columbus is April 11th, April 16th in Seymour and April 17th in Shelbyville. The latest final freeze in Columbus was May 27th in 1965.

The weather will warm up in southern Indiana by mid-week but that will come with a chance for severe storms. Forecasters say that by Wednesday highs will jump into the 70s with high winds. The Weather Service says the change in weather means there is a chance for strong and severe thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon and into Wednesday night.

The American Legion in Columbus will be holding a fish fry today to raise money for legion scholarship programs.

The fish fry will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at the legion post at 2515 25th Street. It will be donation only and will support the awarding of eight scholarships for youth. You can have a meal drive-thru, carry-out or dine-in at the post.

The fundraiser is sponsored by the Legion, the Ladies Auxiliary, the American Legion Riders and the Sons of the American Legion.

The Jennings County sheriff is recognizing deputies and dispatchers who helped in a November investigation into the sexual abuse of a girl.

Sheriff Kenny Freeman recently presented commendations to deputies Garrett Hoppock and Morgan Gabbard. Dispatchers Ammie Loretz and Taylor Anderson were presented with Knights of Justice Awards from the American Police Hall of Fame. The sheriff said the awards were for the employees’ relentless pursuit for justice for the Jennings County juvenile.

The sheriff says that Gabbard and Hoppock began investigating the sexual assault and battery of the girl, which happened in an adjoining county. He said that through the diligent efforts of both deputies and dispatchers, suspects and locations were identified. He said that information along with more details relating to the case were gathered and forwarded to the appropriate agency for prosecution.

Freeman noted that the dispatchers assistance went above and beyond a dispatcher’s job description and what they are asked to do day in and day out.

A Columbus firefighter was injured while fighting a house fire yesterday afternoon.

According to reports from the Columbus Fire Department, firefighters were called to the 4200 block of Mallard Point at about 12:28 p.m. Thursday for a fire in a home’s attached garage. When firefighters arrived they found heavy flames coming from the garage.

Firefighters had the blaze under control within 10 minutes. Three vehicles were damaged in the fire, one of which was parked outside the garage. The fire damage within the garage was significant and the fire did extend into a portion of the home’s living space. Firefighters say that the rapid fire attack prevented the fire from spreading any further.

Investigators talked to the homeowner who said he had been working on the fuel system of a vehicle in the garage when the fuel ignited. He escaped the home but the fire was already well involved.

One firefighter suffered a minor knee injury fighting the fire. After the scene was secured, the firefighter was taken to an urgent care center for further evaluation says Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the fire department.

The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental. Damages to the home, garage and vehicles are estimated at more than $200,000.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department.

The Columbus East Food Pantry will have a community food distribution from 4:30 to 6:30 Friday afternoon.

You can drive up to receive a pre-bagged collection of food. There will be enough on hand for about 200 families. Due to the strong demand no vehicle can receive more than two collections of food.

Columbus Animal Care Services will be distributing limited amounts of pet food. The Bartholomew County Public Library’s Book Express is also expected to be on hand.

The Columbus East Food Pantry is available to the entire community and is not limited to Bartholomew Consolidated school families. The pickup point is at door 31 in the west parking lot behind the school near the tennis courts.

The next food distributions will be April 22nd and May 20th.

A Sunday night traffic stop in Bartholomew County led to the arrest of a Louisville man on numerous charges.

According to reports from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, a deputy pulled over a vehicle at Interstate 65 and U.S. 31 at about 9:46 p.m. Sunday night. While speaking with the occupants, the deputy could smell marijuana in the vehicle. The deputy also discovered that the driver had a valid protective order in place against a passenger, 50-year-old Deon Eiland, of Louisville.

Eiland also admitted to having a firearm in the trunk, concealed in clothing. He was discovered to be a serious violent felon. He was arrested on preliminary charges for being a Serious violent felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a handgun without a license, unlawful possession of a firearm by a domestic batterer and by a dangerous person, invasion of privacy and possession of marijuana.

A revamped gas station, restaurant and convenience store could return to downtown Columbus after a decision this week by the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals.

The owners of the former Marathon gas station property and neighboring Downtown Grocery at 11th and Washington streets received unanimous approval from the board for a variance that would allow them to build a new facility at the location.

The existing gas station was torn down over the winter, but when the owners filed paperwork to rebuild a modern facility, they found a roadblock — the zoning in the Commercial: Neighborhood district does not allow for gas stations. And while they were grandfathered in because the previous station stood at that corner for more than 30 years and once that was torn down they could not rebuild.

The planning department staff had recommended the request be turned down because there are no peculiar conditions that limit the use of the property and there is no unnecessary hardship in a strict application of the zoning rules. However the board members decided that both criteria had been met.

GDS Petroleum, the property’s owner, submitted plans that would put the new convenience store on the very corner of 11th and Washington streets, along with room for a future restaurant. The gas pumps would be located roughly where the Downtown Grocery and its parking lot sits now. It would also include a landscaped buffer strip between the store and neighboring homes, as well as a six foot tall screening fence.

Photo: Design rendering of gas station courtesy of Milestone Design Group.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for East Fork White River at Seymour through Saturday evening.

Minor flooding is expected and minor flooding is ongoing. The river is at 13.15 feet this morning, just over a foot above the 12 foot minor flood stage. The river is expected to crest at 13.8 feet by Friday afternoon.

The river should drop back below flood stage by Saturday morning.

The National Weather Service says you should not drive around barricades or drive vehicles through flooded areas. And you should be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding.

There will be a grand opening and maker fair at the new Columbus Propeller facility on Saturday.

This is part of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce’s Innovation Week events.

Propeller is a 9,000 square foot space at 4760 Ray Boll Boulevard. The facility is home to woodworking and metalworking shops, as well as labs for robotics, electronics and 3D printing. The facility will offer paid individual and family memberships, student memberships, classes, and events that are open to everyone.

The event will include several makers on hand to demonstrate their creative passions.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

You can register to attend here.

The chamber says that the Ignite Columbus event originally scheduled for this afternoon has been postponed. It will be rescheduled for April.