Lending a helping hand
Local youth are helping make Bartholomew County a better place.
Lukas Hoehn, 13, of Boy Scout Troop 557, recently completed an Eagle Scout project to benefit families with young children supported by Turning Point Domestic Violence Services.
Hoehn, an eighth-grader at Northside Middle School, helped organize a pair of donation drives, created an Amazon Wish List for local needs, and helped host a cookout to raise funds and supplies for the local organization.
The teen raised over $5,000 for the organization and also collected 7,000 diapers in addition to baby wipes, blankets, bottles, clothes, car seats, strollers, and other baby needs.
In all, Hoehn and Troop 557 logged 139 hours during the project.
We wish Hoehn well in his pursuit of achieving the Eagle Scout rank, and thank him for dedicating his time to serving in the community.
Stepping up
From school boards to Congressional seats, the voters of Bartholomew County made their voices heard on Nov. 3.
A record 36,673 people voted in the county, surpassing the previous record of 33,198, which was set in 2016.
The final results were a mix of incumbents and newcomers, providing a glimpse of what much of the community would like to see in the future.
Regardless of their outcome, every candidate should be commended for throwing their name in the ring.
It takes a great deal of courage to run for office at any level, and we thank all those that got involved in this election cycle.
Sending reinforcements
The National Guard is now in nursing homes.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb activated the Guard to assist long-term care facilities with surging COVID-19 cases on Nov. 1.
On Monday, nearly 400 soldiers were deployed to 149 of the state’s hardest hit facilities. By mid-November, 1,350 Guard members are expected to be at 534 facilities across the state.
Guard members are to help facility staff with infection prevention and control measures, including daily screenings of staff and visitors; assist in testing patients, residents and staff for the virus; reporting test results to county, state, and federal government agencies; and assisting with cleaning and disinfecting common areas.
While it’s unclear how many Guard members will be coming to local facilities, they will be in Bartholomew County.
It’s troubling that the spread of the virus has increased so rapidly that the Army reserve is needed in nursing homes. Our hope is that the current orders by Holcomb aren’t needed for long, and the National Guard can be soon pulled back due to improving conditions.
