Developers working on renovating the former Faith Victory Church was approved for a tax abatement after the Columbus City Council gave final approval to label the site an economic development target area.

Rick Sprague, the owner of the property, says that he plans to offer market-rate apartments at the site in the 1700 block of Home Avenue. A total of 21 units will be available at the completion of the restoration work. Rents are expected to be in the $800 to $1,000 per month range. Sprague says that hundreds of thousands of dollars in rehabilitation and improvements in the nearly century-old building are needed before any potential renters could move in. That work includes roof replacement and foundation stabilization.

The council unanimously approved the 10-year, $1.8 million dollar tax abatement. Robin Hilber, with the city’s Office of Community Development, says that even with the abatement, Columbus will receive approximately $232,000 more over the next decade than what it would get if the building remained vacant.

Sprague says that work will get underway soon with the goal of the building being ready within a year.

A mobile home was heavily damaged in a Monday afternoon fire.

Columbus Firefighters were called to the 2600 Block of Milmar Court at approximately 3:52 p.m. Engine Co. 2, the first fire unit to arrive on the scene, reported heavy smoke conditions. Capt. Mike Wilson, CFD spokesman, says flames had burned through a portion of the roof. Within thirty minutes the fire was deemed under control. Small isolated pockets of fire continued to smolder until crews could remove stored items inside the home. Due to the amount of possessions located in the home, firefighters cut an access point in an exterior wall to aid in removing the items out. As items were being moved out, firefighters were able to locate smoldering pockets of fire and fully extinguish the flames.

The homeowner reportedly told investigators that his adult son was working underneath the home to thaw a frozen water line when smoke was discovered under the home in the area of a dryer vent. After seeing smoke on the exterior of the home, the son entered that trailer to attempt to find the source. That’s when he pulled a dryer away from the wall and saw flames behind it.

The home and contents are considered a total loss with a damage estimate of $70,000. No one was hurt. The cause of the fire is undetermined, but the investigation is ongoing.

Schneck Medical Center is accepting applications for the Dr. Bud Scholarship for registered nursing school students.

Applications for the scholarship are available at schneckmed.org/scholarships. Applications must be completed in their entirety and returned to Schneck no later than May 17th to be eligible for consideration.

The Dr. Bud Scholarship was established in honor of Dr. H.P. “Bud” Graessle (1893-1977). Born in Seymour, Dr. Graessle was a practicing physician and surgeon for 53 years until his retirement in 1971.

Candidates pursuing a course of study to become a registered nurse and have successfully completed their freshman year of registered nursing program at an accredited school and registered in a registered nursing program are encouraged to apply for consideration. Primary consideration will be given to Jackson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington County residents. Acceptance for enrollment at a nursing school is required for the scholarship to be officially awarded.

A program aimed at helping young women be safe as they transition into adulthood is being held locally this week. Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for the Columbus Police Department, explains the SAFE program…

SAFE stands for Situational Awareness for Everyday. The free program includes instructors offering advice and tips on how to stay safe, along with physical tactics training.

A session for 12-grade girls at Columbus East is set for Thursday during the regular school day. CPD adds that 12th grade girls from Columbus Christian School and Hauser High School are welcome to attend

A second class will be held on March 29th for 12th grade girls who attend Columbus North High School.

Cummins announced Monday that it has begun delivering eight Cummins-powered all-electric vehicles to the United States Postal Service. The fully-electric Cummins PowerDrive equipped vans are expected to eliminate vehicle emissions and reduce fuel and maintenance costs.

The pilot program, made possible by a grant from the California Air Resources Board to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and administered by CALSTART, will place the zero-emission vehicles in Fresno and Stockton. Cummins will also provide operator training, vehicle support and data collection to support the program.

“We’re excited to provide the US Postal Service with these fully-electric vehicles for demonstration and testing. Cummins has a storied history of providing dependable, quality innovations to help power a world that is always on,” said Julie Furber, Vice President – Electrified Power, Cummins. “This program demonstrates our ability to help customers do real work in the real world. Cummins is committed to continue as the leading power supplier in all the markets we serve. As infrastructure and customer demand evolve, we’ll have the right technology at the right time.”

The eight Cummins-powered vans are expected to be in service by the end of March. The company says the vans have an all-electric range up to 85 miles with a full load on urban drive cycles typical of USPS collection vehicles.

Company officials say this move is the latest in its ongoing efforts to invest in electrification across many applications, markets and regions.

Local college students are looking to help spruce-up the community. IUPUC has scheduled its annual spring service project, “The Big Event,” for Saturday, April 13th. Crews looking for Columbus-area homeowners in need of yard work such as raking, weeding, and mulching or indoor chores such as washing and window cleaning that the volunteers will perform free of charge.

“We are excited to continue the tradition again this year,” said Bailey Moss, Coordinator of Leadership and Community for the Office of Student Affairs at IUPUC, adding “this is just one example of how IUPUC strives to deepen our commitment to community engagement.”

The Big Event was first initiated in 1982 at Texas A&M University as a way for students to say “Thank You” to the surrounding community. Since then, colleges and universities across the country have begun participating in this day of service.

Columbus-area residents who are interested in having the volunteers come to their homes on April 13th can go to iupuc.edu/events/thebigevent to download and submit an application form. The application forms must be received by April 6th.

A boil advisory has been issued for Eastern Bartholomew Water Corporation customers in Wayne Township, from County Road 650 S to County Rd 900 S & North to County Road 550 S. This includes Waynesville and Jonesville Road.

Customers should bring all water to a rolling boil for at least one-minute before consumption. This boil advisory will be in effect through noon on Thursday, March 7th.

A Columbus man is under arrest on drug charges after a scuffle with police this morning.

Columbus police say that they stopped a vehicle without brake lights at about 1 a.m. this morning near Cherry Street and Wallace Avenue. The driver, 56-year-old Steven E. Adam appeared nervous according to officers and a police dog alerted to the odor of narcotics inside the pickup.

Police ordered Adam out of the vehicle but he refused and police pulled him out of the truck. While searching him they discovered he was carrying methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia. He was taken to jail on drug and paraphernalia possession charges as well as resisting law enforcement.

Columbus police recovered a stolen handgun, drugs and counterfeit money during an early Sunday morning traffic stop.

Police report that they stopped a vehicle that appeared to have a false registration near 17th Street and Cottage Avenue at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning and noticed the smell of marijuana inside the vehicle. A passenger, 27-year-old Terrence A. Tatum, allegedly admitted to smoking the pot.

A search of the vehicle recovered Tatum’s backpack, which contained the handun, reported stolen from Bartholomew County earlier this year, as well as heroin and methamphetamine and the counterfeit money.

Tatum is facing charges for possession of the drugs, theft of a firearm, carrying a handgun without a license, and counterfeiting.

Columbus Indiana Philharmonic is announcing a new matching grant opportunity. Organizers hope to raise $50 thousand dollars to unlock money for the Helen Haddad Music, Arts & Event Center downtown.

The center, first announced last summer, would be an expansion to the Philharmonic’s building on Franklin Street. In addition to providing for performance and practice space for the philharmonic, it would also be used for performances by Dancer’s Studio, Mill Race Theatre and other performing groups. It would also offer more community meeting space in downtown..

The goal is to raise the matching funds by May 31st to be eligible for the grant from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s CreatINg Places program.

You can donate with checks made out to Columbus Indiana Philharmonic with the word “Patronicity” in the memo line (mail to Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, 315 Franklin St., Columbus, IN 47201), by cash at the Philharmonic office, or by credit card using the CreatINg Places crowdfunding platform managed by Patronicity located here.