Flying high
While his name wasn’t called during the 2021 NFL Draft, Harry Crider knew that his gridiron dreams weren’t coming to a close on May 1.
Not 30 minutes after the final pick came in, the Columbus native signed a free-agent deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Crider said he had two other offers, but through his conversations with Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland and head coach Nick Sirianni, he felt his best shot at making an NFL roster was in Philadelphia.
The Columbus East and Indiana University grad will work out in Bloomington until leaving for rookie minicamp on May 12.
We wish Crider well on his professional football journey, and thank him for representing our community in a high regard.
Higher accountability
A six-year project aimed at outfitting the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s department with body cameras is nearly complete.
Most all deputies and their patrol cars and trucks are now equipped with body and vehicle cameras. Just six vehicles need to still have cameras installed.
The cameras, made by AXON Enterprise Inc., were shipped last fall, but it has taken months to get deputies trained and the equipment up and running. Part of the delay was due to IT staff installing video conferencing equipment in the courtrooms.
In total, the investment will cost $800,000 over a five-year period.
It has been a long time coming, but we’re glad that all Bartholomew County law enforcement agencies will soon have the devices operational.
Economic gains
Bartholomew County’s largest employer is outperforming its expectations to start the new year.
Cummins Inc. reported higher-than-expected quarterly revenue increases earlier this week.
The company saw first-quarter revenue rise to $6.1 billion from $5 billion a year ago — an increase of 22%. Most analysts predicted that it would reach around $5.34 billion.
Cummins also increased its forecast for company-wide revenue this year to 20% to 24%, up from 8% to 12%, with a stronger outlook in most regions and markets.
The Columbus-based company’s perseverance throughout the pandemic has been impressive, and hopefully the recent numbers are an indication that more local businesses are starting to bounce back.
