A foundation has offered a $500,000 challenge grant to a local group trying to preserve a historic Columbus church clock tower.

The Jeffris Family Foundation based in Janesville, Wisconsin has offered a $1 match for every $2 pledged for the project to repair the tower at First Christian Church.

The Foundation focuses on projects of national significance in smaller communities in the Midwest. The tower would be the 11th National Historic Landmarks preservation project for the foundation.

The church tower, along with the church, was designed by Eliel Saarinen, in 1942. Since then it has had four major renovations, the last in 1976. Repair costs are estimated at $2.4 million.

The church, with its iconic tower, was the first Modernist architecture project in Columbus.

First Christian Church will be kicking of its local fundraising efforts to save the church tower with an event Wednesday.

The Save Our Tower Campaign event will be at 4 on Wednesday at the church at 531 Fifth Street. It will include a presentation on the church history and a guided architecture tour of the church by J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program Director T. Kelly Wilson.

The Indiana Sheriffs’ Association and Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers are announcing that the 9th Annual Sheriff Robert “Buck” Stogsdill Open Bass Tournament is set for August 28th.

The tournament is named after Stogsdill, the former Brown County Sheriff who passed away in 2011.

The registration fee per team is $125. All proceeds benefit the ISA’s Line of Duty Death Benefit, Youth Leadership Camps and Scholarship Programs funds.

This year’s event will be at Lake Monroe’s Cutright Ramp.

For more information, you can go to www.indianasheriffs.org

Columbus firefighters fought a small fire at Amazing Joe’s restaurant on Central Avenue Saturday morning.

According to the fire department, restaurant workers were preparing to open for lunch when they noticed smoke in the building. Columbus police officers were first on the scene and found smoke and flames visible above the main entrance to the building. All of the occupants were out of the building when firefighters arrived.

Firefighter found the blaze inside a parapet wall on the roof. Inside the building, firefighters put down tarps to protect the furnishings in the seating area, which limited water damage to a small area under the fire.

The fire was under control in less than 10 minutes. Investigators discovered a bird’s nest near an abandoned electrical line in the area of the fire. Investigators believe electrical arcing ignited combustible material, causing the fire. It has been ruled as accidental.

The restaurant was closed until repairs could be made and the Bartholomew County Health Department can conduct an inspection.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department.

Former Vice President and Columbus native Mike Pence was heckled by some Trump supporters.

Pence spoke at a Faith and Freedom Coalition summit in Orlando Friday, and was called a “traitor” by hecklers in the audience. He was speaking as part of an effort by Republicans to take back Congress in the midterms. Some Republicans have been upset with Pence for presiding over the certification of the election that Trump lost to Biden.

The former Vice President is scheduled to appear this week at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. Pence will be the second speaker in the “Time for Choosing” series — which is a new forum for leading voices in the conservative movement to address critical questions facing the future of the Republican Party. The sold out event will be held Thursday.

Report courtesy of our news-gathering partners at TTWN Media Networks Inc.

A Columbus teen died Saturday night while swimming at Tipton Lakes.

17-year-old Tyrell D. Bowers was pronounced dead at the scene by Bartholomew County Coroner Clayton Nolting. Indiana conservation officers say that Bowers was swimming and never resurfaced.

Rescue workers were called to the scene at about 10 p.m. Saturday and recovered his body in about 12 feet of water near a swimming platform.

An autopsy was scheduled for last night.

Several local rivers and streams remain under flood warnings after this weekend’s torrential rains. Those include the Driftwood River, East Fork White River at Seymour and Sugar Creek.

East Fork White River at Seymour crested at 18.98 feet late yesterday afternoon, just two hundredths of an inch below the major flood stage. As of this morning it was still in the moderate flood stage at 17.4 feet. River forecasts estimate it should drop back into minor flooding this afternoon and be out of the flood levels altogether by Wednesday.

In Columbus, East Fork White River crested at 10.75 feet at about 5 p.m. yesterday afternoon. As of this morning it was at 9.1 feet, just above the 9 foot minor flood stage.

Driftwood River at the Hendricks Ford Bridge crested last night at 12.79 feet, in the minor flood stage and was at 12.7 feet this morning. It should drop back below the flood stage this afternoon.

Sugar Creek at Edinburgh crested at 11.17 feet overnight in the minor flood stage. It was at 10.71 this morning and is forecast to drop below flood level by this afternoon.

The rains dropped more than three inches across southern Indiana, with highs of 7.41 inches in Spencer in Owen County and 7.42 inches in Elletsville in Monroe County.

You can check the most recent river updates on our website here.

Last updated: 10:50 a.m. Monday.

The Bartholomew County Emergency Management Agency reports high water over roads at:

• Jonesville Rd (State Road 11) in the S-Curves near County Road 550S
•  

  E County Road 800S, between S. Jonesville Road and S County Road 325E.

Update: 10 p.m.  Saturday

The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings for area rivers.

Those include:

• Moderate flooding is forecast on the East Fork White River near Seymour from this afternoon to Thursday morning. The river will rise above flood stage late this afternoon to 18.3 feet early tomorrow afternoon. It will then fall to 16.6 feet and begin rising again early Monday afternoon. It will rise to 16.7 feet Tuesday morning. It will then fall below flood stage Wednesday evening.
• Moderate flooding is occurring on Haw Creek until Sunday afternoon. Flood stage is 12 feet and the river was at 14.5 feet this evening near Clifford. The river is expected to crest this evening, then to fall back below flood stage tomorrow evening.
• Minor flooding is forecast on the Flatrock River near Columbus from this evening to Monday evening. The river is expected to rise above minor flood stage late this evening to a crest of 14.3 feet early tomorrow afternoon. It will then fall below flood stage early Monday afternoon.
• Minor flooding is forecast on Clifty Creek at Hartsville until further notice. The maximum river depth was 13 feet at 5 p.m. Saturday. Since 1948, Clifty Creek has crested above 13 feet only 3 times, the last time in June 2008. The creek is expected to crest at 12.1 feet late tonight.
• Minor flooding is forecast on the Driftwood River near Edinburgh from late tonight to Tuesday morning. The river is expected to rise above minor flood stage late this evening to a crest of 13.9 feet Monday morning. It will then fall below flood stage early Tuesday morning.
• Minor flooding is forecast on the East Fork White River near Columbus from late tonight to Tuesday morning. The river is expected to rise above flood stage just after midnight tonight to a crest of 11.1 feet Sunday evening. It will then fall below flood stage late Monday evening.
• Minor flooding is happening on the Muscatatuck River at Vernon from this afternoon to early Sunday afternoon. The river was at 22.4 feet at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, more than 5 feet above the 17 foot flood stage. It is expected to crest just after midnight.

You can see updates on many area rivers by clicking here.

Updated: 6 p.m. Saturday

The Bartholomew County Emergency Management Department reports the following roads closed, or with high water as of 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

• County Road 410 N between 1000E and State Road 46 will be closed for several weeks due to a pipe washed out from flooding.

• Just north of 534 N. County Road 500W.

• Bonnell Road between 25th Street and County Road 250E.

• West Lowell Road/ County Road North 500W.

• County Road 500N between State Road 9 and County Road 1000E closed because of high water.

• County Road 800N/Baseline Rd

• County Road 800N west of State Road 9

• County Road 800N at 575E

• County Road 800N west of 325E high water

• County Road 525W just north of Youth Camp Road

• County Road E 450N at 475E

• Old Nashville Road near the transfer station has deep water.

• County Road 500E at 250N

• County Road 500E at 275N

• Wolfcreek Road just south of 194 N. Wolfcreek Road is impassable with high water

• County Road 500N east of State Road 9.

• State Road 9 north of County Road 900N.

• Area of 760 Jonesville Rd.

• Goeller Boulevard west of State Road 46.

• Stafford Road and County Road 900E.

• Raintree Drive northwest of Country Club Rd.

• County Road 400W at 200S

• County Road 200N at 1140E, fast-moving water over the bridge.

• South Gladstone at the bridge south of the “S” curves

• County Road 200N in the area of the Decatur County line.

• Newburn Road at County Road 450N
• Newburn Road at County Road 425N
•  

  Newburn Road at County Road  225N is closed

Updated  6 p.m.

Duke Energy is reporting about 131 customers without power in the Bartholomew/Brown counties area, and about 323 in the Seymour area due to the overnight storms, as of 6 p.m. Saturday.

The utility says that the severity of the damage, coupled with the ongoing storms may slow the pace of restoring power. However, crews will work around the clock until everyone’s service is restored.

Most of the customers in the Bartholomew/Brown counties and Seymour area are expected to have power restored between midnight and 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

Bartholomew County REMC is reporting 5 customers without power.

Southeastern Indiana REMC is reporting 614 customers without power in its coverage area.