Securing his spot
Columbus, Indiana will be represented at the pinnacle of athletic competition next month in Tokyo.
Native Michael Brinegar will swim for Team USA in the 2021 Olympics after a strong pair of finishes last week during trials in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Indiana University red shirt sophomore qualified for the national team by placing second in both the 800- and 1,500-meter freestyle events.
Brinegar, 21, was seeded fourth in both races.
We wish Brinegar the best of luck in Japan, and are confident he will continue to make his hometown and country proud.
Fair fun returns
After pausing in 2020 due to a global pandemic, the Bartholomew County 4-H Fair is back. The 63rd annual event kicked off on Friday and will continue through July 3.
While many beloved traditions have returned, visitors can also look forward to some exciting new changes in 2021.
Perhaps the most noticeable upgrade this year is the newly-remodeled pavilion for 4-H, which is where most livestock and poultry competitions are held.
Also, at the midway, a new company, Kissel Entertainment, has brought an entirely different set of entertainment compared to years past.
Get out and support local 4-Hers and nonprofits this weekend or next week. After a year without the fair, all of the local organizations that rely on the event could use the boost.
Hometown heroes
Coming off a week-long training session on incident command procedures, Columbus firefighters put what they’d learned to the test.
On June 17, firefighters rescued a disabled woman trapped in the back bedroom of a home in the 200 block of South Hinman Street after fire engulfed the residence.
When firefighters arrived, flames and smoke were shooting through a screened-in front porch on the front of the two-bedroom residence.
After rescuing the woman from a mechanical lift device used to move bedridden patients, it took about 10 minutes for firefighters to get the flames under control.
No injuries were reported on the scene, but the house was determined to be a total loss.
It’s reassuring to know that our local first responders are receiving the proper training to respond to dire situations.
