Cheers to 40 years
When it comes to prosecutors, few compare to Kathy Burns.
Burns, the Bartholomew County Chief Deputy Prosecutor, recently announced retirement after 40 years as an attorney in Indiana.
Burns was a Lake County prosecutor shortly after being admitted to the bar in 1980. She then joined the staff of the Monroe County Prosecutor’s office in 1989, and became Chief Deputy Prosecutor for Bartholomew County in 1995, a position she filled up until her recent retirement.
Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers and county councilman Mark Gorbett proclaimed her an honorary deputy sheriff in appreciation of her work in the court system. A parade by local law enforcement and those who worked with Burns was also held.
Now that she’s retired, Burns says she’s considering becoming a special prosecutor who handles the state’s case when a perceived conflict of interest arises for the usual prosecuting authority. However, The new retiree said she and her husband want to at least experience some leisure time for the moment, as well as concentrate on family business.
The entire county owes Burns a ‘thank you’ for years of service to the community.
Summer fun back on schedule
Foundation for Youth in Columbus recently announced the return of direct service for Summer of Exploration families.
A limited number of registrants were taken for summer programming, with additional health precautions being taken due to COVID-19.
The program will adjust as the state progresses through the stages of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Back on Track Indiana Plan, FFY leaders said. Families chosen were prioritized based on need.
FFY should be applauded for offering kids a summer program when most services are unavailable to them.
Plasma donations making a difference
Columbus Regional Health has administered an experimental blood plasma therapy to more than 40 patients with COVID-19 since mid-April, with well over half of the patients improving after receiving the therapy.
The treatment, called convalescent plasma therapy, involves giving COVID-19 patients an infusion of blood plasma from people who have already recovered from the illness in hopes that antibodies produced by the recovered patient’s immune system will help other patients fight the infection, CRH officials said.
As of May 29, 41 COVID-19 patients at CRH had received the treatment since April 14. A total of 56% of the patients have since been released from the hospital, with another 13% still hospitalized but improving.
The therapy wouldn’t be possible without the volunteers that donated their plasma after recovering from the virus. Both doctors and donors should be commended for the success of the therapy.
