Fairlawn Preschool, 2611 Fairlawn Drive, is accepting applications for the 2015-16 school year for children age 18 months through prekindergarten.
The preschool provides an application-oriented curriculum while encouraging creativity and fun.
For more information, visit fairlawnpc.com or call 812-372-1489 for a tour.
• the Columbus East boys basketball team and coach Brent Chitty for doing the right thing for their community, from an appreciative basketball fan.
• the elementary school basketball parents who cheer on and support the players.
• Gene Rudicel for the calendar and his friendship, from John Tinkey.
• Empty Bowls organizers and supporters for the 17th annual event conducted last Saturday, working to end hunger in Columbus, one bowl at a time, from Turning Point Domestic Violence Services.
• all the prayers, love and support I have received from my church family at the World of Pentecost Church, from Frieda.
• the manager at White Castle for the hamburgers, from Bartholomew County Highway Department.
• the Columbus community for wrapping their arms around the Speidel family and helping to support them during this trying time, from a proud Bull Dog alumnus.
• Grubby the Groundhog, Kathy Hershey, UTOPIA Wildlife, David Webster, Dave Miller, Melina Fox, Joyce Dempsey and Diane Jekel for bringing the Groundhog’s Day program to our school after the program at the Hope Square, from kindergartners and first-graders at Hope Elementary School.
• Mayor Kristen Brown and Animal Care Services for working well together to find loving homes for all adoptable pets, including a stray little pet pig.
• Regina at Walmart for always being so kind to everyone who goes through her checkout line, from Vickie.
• Eldon’s for the way you handle the situation of my car, from Sue.
• the kind couple who returned my phone outside Amazing Joe’s on Monday night.
• Judy at Elite Wellness and Beauty for the wonderful hot stone massage, from a happy client.
• Jeannie Moon for your hospitality, from Vivian White.
• the current administration for signing a five-year lease and letting the tenant walk away a couple of months later.
• the newspaper for not knowing the difference between a plural and a possessive noun in a headline Tuesday.
• grocers who charge $5 or more for a gallon of milk because it is allegedly organic.
• children who do not call their mother or go visit her while she is ill.
• the county highway department that won’t clean the county roads.
• people who think climate change legislation and Obamacare are substantial legislation.
• the gas stations that have raised the price of gas 30 cents overnight.
• people who have to hide behind the names of Ordinary Joe, Ordinary John and Ordinary Jane.
• the student section which taunts and humiliates those who come to support them and the high school administration who condones it.
• those who believe in the global warming fairy tale and when that didn’t work, they changed the name to climate change.
• the person on Facebook for all the drama and lying while pretending to be religious.
• people who have no idea how insurance works when your hospital bills are hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• the agitated council member who gets angry when he doesn’t get his way.
• family members that cannot make decisions but then will complain when someone else makes the decision.
• the county highway department for forgetting some of our roads for snow removal.
• the home-school system that causes a child in the third grade to be unable to read a 5-year-old sibling’s birthday card.
• the school leader who whines about fans having poor sportsmanship at a basketball game; it’s called cheering for your team, from a fan.
• schools for discouraging cheering at elementary basketball games, from fans.
• the restaurant staff that got my order incorrect and did not offer to correct my order after I brought it to their attention.
• the lack of common sense in Columbus.
• the newspaper for printing and the individual who submitted the most insensitive Onion that referenced fundraising for people who have more than adequate health insurance.
• those that think Obamacare is good for this country.
• deciding to delay school two hours at the last possible minute when people were already at school trying to get in.
• Ruby Tays on No. 91, from Lindsey Thompson.
• Taylor Owen Talkington on No. 1, from Grandma and Grandpa Simmons.
• Buzz Hjelter, from Barbie, Mary, Adam, Annie, Dad and Mom.
• Beth Schoettmer, from Issac, Tatum, Dad, Mom, Grandma Jean and Grandma Joan.
• Jan Deaton, from friends at the Moravian Church.
• Gary Huffman, from friends at the Moravian Church.
• Ed Settle, from friends at the Moravian Church.
• Rebecca Eberhart, from friends at the Moravian Church.
• Canaan Bowman.
• Teresa Beavers, from Donita Hoffman.
• Liv on No. 18, from Mom, Dad, Eli and Luke.
• Anna Henrichsen, from Mrs. Erickson.
• Leah George, from Mrs. Erickson.
• Canaan Bowman, from John, Tina, John, Lauryn, Courtney, Keighney and Jazmine.
• Ray Elliott, from Pastor Lewis and The Who So Ever Will Community Church.
• Kiarraa Findley, from Mommy, Daddy, Travis, Brian Jr. and Trever.
• Marjorie Hull, from Joseph Hart Chapter DAR.
• Nancy Scott from Joseph Hart Chapter DAR.
• Katie Clark, from Paul, Kim, Angie and Greg.
• ANOTHER beautiful morning
Super Saturday arrives this weekend.
The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. Elementary Basketball League championship games and cheerleading competitions will be conducted at Columbus East High School, 2:30 S. Marr Road.
Here’s what is on tap.
“The measure of a civilization is how it treats its weakest members.”
— Ghandi.
Approximately one-third of the population does not drive: children, elderly, the disabled, the poor and some by choice, and the number is going up as baby boomers age. The poor simply cannot afford to own and maintain a car, which averages more than $7,000 a year.
This population travels by getting rides, cabs, buses, walking or biking. However, we have designed our roads almost exclusively for the fast-moving car to the detriment of other modes. The engineering institutions have prioritized the convenience of driving over all other modes, even in urban areas where many other modes are commonly used.
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On Dec. 8, Terri Bradtke, 54, was a casualty of this prioritization. She was killed walking across Rocky Ford Road to the bus stop, near the intersection with Candlelight Drive. Bradtke had Asperger’s syndrome and was suffering from bad knees but worked every day at Kindred Health Care.
She would make the daily trek across Rocky Ford at 6:10 a.m. This road has five lanes, and given the current volume of traffic on that section, it is considered by engineering standards as the highest level of service (for cars) — an “A.” However, making it an “A” for cars may make it an “F” for walkers.
Engineer John LaPlante, a major contributor to national engineering standards, says a city should design streets to a level of service no higher than “D”; this provides reasonable service to cars with far less risk to other mode users.
Such a strategy would suggest we repaint Rocky Ford as a three-lane road with a center turn lane and maybe make the outside lanes into bike lanes. Applied citywide, 25th Street, Washington Street, Central Avenue, State Street and 10th Street/south Taylor Road all have four-lane sections that may not be warranted and are hard for walkers to cross. These roads could be repainted to three lanes for substantially improved safety to all users. Studies show around a 29 percent crash reduction with this treatment.
About 40 years ago, a number of European countries on the same track as the U.S. — accommodating cars — saw the light and redirected their engineering institutions to focus on accommodating convenient and safe walking and biking. In The Netherlands, 52 percent of work commutes are made without a car; their child deaths have dropped from more than 400 in 1971 to 14 in 2010, and a person is 15 times less likely to be killed walking there than in the U.S.
The secondary benefits are:
A much healthier and safer population.
A more peaceful, quiet city.
A more dense city where destinations are closer.
Less pollution, oil dependence and family expenses.
More discretionary income that is spent locally.
Those without a car are far less marginalized.
Everybody wins. “Context Sensitive Design” and “Complete Streets” are U.S. programs that emphasize a reprioritization so roads work for all users.
Many feel Bradtke needed to walk down to the corner of Middle and Rocky Ford, adding 850 feet (the equivalent of three football fields) to her walk. However, not only is this inconvenient, but even that intersection is not comfortable to cross.
Tragically, this is Rocky Ford’s second casualty of the vulnerable population. Ten-year-old Logan Thompson also died crossing it near Briar Lane in 2010. Logan would have had to add 1,200 feet (about four football fields) to his travel to use a crosswalk.
Gatlinburg, Tennessee, has provided midblock crosswalks every 200 feet or so to cross the four-lane road that passes through it. Drivers move slowly and stop for pedestrians. A relatively new National Association of City Transportation Oficials standard recommends crosswalks every 300 to 400 feet.
In our own city, Brown Street has numerous mid-block crosswalks. Drivers know to expect pedestrian traffic and tend to drive slower. I’m continuously impressed with how many drivers stop for pedestrians at the midblock crosswalk in front of the jail on Second Street.
A practice of providing midblock crosswalks and enforcing pedestrian rights-of-way within them wherever large gaps exist, while reducing road widths (with paint) where traffic volumes do not warrant the current size, would help us provide safer passage to those most vulnerable in our community.
Laurence Brown is the director of the Columbus Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Local law enforcement today is far more than road patrols, sidearms and handcuffs. Now their tools involve posts and likes and tweets and hashtags.
Police are embracing social media in an effort to connect more directly with the community. In a digital world, that’s a wise decision and an important step to take.
The Columbus Police Department has created a Twitter account and is updating its Facebook page, which it has had for several years. Police Chief Jon Rohde said the initiative is to help officers stay connected with residents and build a higher degree of trust in the community.
Sheriff Matt Myers recently created a Facebook page for his department.
“The public is on social media, so it just makes sense for us to be there as well,” Myers said.
People get so much information online and through social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, that it benefits law enforcement, fire and emergency agencies to embrace the technology.
The Bartholomew County Emergency Operations Center has been at the forefront locally, using Twitter to quickly share information about bad weather and road conditions. The Columbus Fire Department recently launched a Facebook page so it can communicate with residents during emergencies but also share news items and tips.
The benefits of using this technology are multiple. Most importantly, police can get real-time public safety information to residents quickly, such as road conditions and crimes. For example, Myers posted Monday about recent mailbox vandalism on County Road 100W, south of County Road 450S. That’s a handy heads-up notice and could help with residents being on the lookout for such activity.
Equally important, police can keep residents informed about community events. For example, the Columbus Police Department tweeted about Public Safety Day at kidscommons on Jan. 18. That’s the kind of event that attracts children and parents and builds relationships between them and police.
By police, fire and emergency departments engaging the community through social media, residents are more likely to feel a close connection and a sense of “we’re in this together.” This builds trust and with it comes a greater likeliness to turn to these agencies for help or share tips about crimes and suspicious activity.
That’s a benefit for the entire community.
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Columbus Police Department
Facebook page: Columbus Police Department (Indiana)
Twitter handle: @Columbus_Police
Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department
Facebook page: facebook.com/SheriffMattMyers
Columbus Fire Department
Facebook page: facebook.com/pages/Columbus-Fire-Department-Indiana/1558368774405645?ref=hl
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From: Aidan Whitley
Columbus
We soccer players in Columbus really want a indoor soccer training facility. My friends and I really want to play on turf in the winter. Before we went to Disney World for Nationals, we had to practice on a gym floor. Indoor facilities have turf and real goals. The gym floors are hard to run on. Plus we won’t be able to practice on grass or turf. We always travel to different places to play games on turf. It is very annoying and long.
I think all the people in the community should donate at least $1 to build the indoor soccer facility. That would be nice. This would be a very amazing thing because most of the soccer players I know want an indoor facility.
From: Barbara Laffey
Columbus
We cannot express enough our gratitude to the loving, caring staff at Hope Veterinary Clinic with a special heartfelt thanks to Dr. Witt. We are mourning the loss of our 10-year-old Lab, Buddy. Through the entire experience from his cancer diagnosis in December to this past Wednesday when with the assistance of Dr. Witt we “sent Buddy up” to rescue him from his disease, she maintained contact with us, offering compassion and real options to help him enjoy three extra weeks of quality life with us.
We would like to give a shout-out to Dr. Baer, who also lent his expertise to Buddy’s treatment. Thank-you seems so inadequate, but on behalf of our family, and I think Buddy would agree, we want to say thanks for being there for all of us.
His delivery showed that Andrew Peterson was, indeed, different than most in the crowd of about 1,500 students who were locked on his every word in the Columbus East High School gym.
But no one in that crowd Wednesday could have questioned the fact he was special in very positive ways.
Peterson, a national champion Special Olympics track and field athlete, slowly, deliberately told East’s whole-school assembly about his struggles to interact with society after suffering brain damage at birth due to fetal alcohol syndrome.
“In elementary school, most kids couldn’t understand me when I spoke,” the 21-year-old Indianapolis resident said. “They laughed at me and called me names. Other kids walked past me like I didn’t exist. Nothing in life ever has been easy.”
Adopted by running coach Craig Peterson, Andrew Peterson said he gained valuable self-confidence through running that helped him make progress in all aspects of his life. He continues to run and compete, as well as deliver motivational speeches to students throughout Indiana.
“I don’t ever want your pity,” he told the students on Wednesday. “Rather, I need your respect that all people with disabilities deserve. I need the commitment of the students of Columbus East to show respect.”
The program, called Champions Together, was delivered through a partnership between the Indiana High School Athletic Association and Special Olympics Indiana. It is a collaborative partnership that promotes servant leadership among students with the hope of changing their lives in a positive way along with the lives of those with intellectual disabilities.
The program hopes to create awareness and opportunities for inclusion as it relates to all individuals with intellectual disabilities while encouraging volunteerism in the student body.
Last year, the IHSAA sanctioned a Unified Track and Field event conducted before the state high school boys meet at Indiana University. Athletes competed in two sectional-qualifying events before the state meet. Events included were the 100-meter dash, the 400-meter dash, the 4X100 relay, shot put and long jump. Special Olympics Indiana provided technical support to schools participating in Unified Track and Field as well as financial grants to help schools with start-up costs.
Columbus East and Columbus North, which didn’t participate in the first year, both will field teams for this year’s Unified Track and Field event.
“We are very excited to have sports teams which combine students with and without disabilities,” said Karen Lomax, the special education coordinator at Columbus East.
Lomax explained that such a competition took a major step by waiving some IHSAA rules that had prevented all the student-athletes from competing.
After seeing the success of last year’s Unified Track and Field event, East athletics director Bob Gaddis said the school wanted to “jump in completely.”
Columbus East will become a “Banner School,” which meant it would host Wednesday’s assembly to encourage acceptance and understanding throughout the student body toward students with disabilities. East has approximately 180 students with some kind of disability.
“Inclusion and awareness is a big part of public education,” Gaddis said.
East special education instructor Peggy Myers said she had a student last year who wanted to participate on the track team but was not allowed to because the student didn’t take the required six core classes. The Unified Track and Field event clears that hurdle.
“If I don’t win,” Peterson said, “at least let me be brave in the attempt.”
Columbus East senior forward Connor Umphress couldn’t have imagined that 16 games into his final high school season his team would be stuck at average.
But 8-8 is in the books with the Olympians, who were 17-5 a year ago, working hard to produce a special finish to their season and the very talented Umphress’ career.
Umphress, who is averaging 13.2 points after scoring at an 18.6 clip last season, took time Tuesday to talk about his team’s struggles, the hope for a big finish, his ability to be a prolific scorer and his bright future as a member of the University of St. Francis men’s basketball team.
Q. What lessons do you learn when your team struggles during a season?
A. “It hasn’t been perfect. The key is that you have to keep your heads up. You have to keep doing what coach (Brent Chitty) tells you to do. We’ve had some close losses that we can fix. And I think we have learned to battle through adversity. Obviously, we have not had the year we wanted to have.”
Q. Do you consider yourself a shooter?
A. “Yeah, I guess that is where I am at my best. But I have had to adapt my game with this team in that I need to be more of a (all-around) scorer. Generally, when you talk about shooters, you are talking about 15 feet and back. I can shoot from there, but I do wish there is more to my game than that. I hope people say, ‘He is a kid who gets after you at both ends of the floor.'”
Q. Have you been forced to play a more uncomfortable role this season?
A. “No, absolutely not. Basically, I have been playing the same role as I did last year, but we just don’t have as much of an inside presence as we had with Bryce Lienhoop (now at St. Francis). I think there is a little more focus on me. Still, I think we have plenty of guys who can get that job done.”
Q. Your dad, Wiley Umphress, was a real good football player in high school and college. At your size (6-foot-5), why not football for you?
A. “My dad played all three, football, basketball and baseball. He played football at Indiana State. But I guess basketball meant the most to me. I played baseball through eighth grade, and I played wide receiver in eighth grade at Northside and had a successful season, but basketball just meant more.”
Q. We know you are a great shooter, have you ever tried to figure out how many shots you have taken over the years?
A. “Oh gosh, far too many to count. And generally, I have taken a mix of everything when it comes to shots. I’ve tried different moves from every spot.”
Q. If things aren’t going well, do you a spend a lot of time on your own, away from practice, just shooting?
A. “I will shoot until whenever I think I have fixed it. Some days that is 15 minutes and some days it is three hours. My shots weren’t falling real well this season (he is at 38 percent from 3-point range), so I started coming in with (assistant coach) Gary Young and working before practices. I think that really has helped.”
Q. Can you feel if you are going to have a good shooting game?
A. “The best thing for me is getting an early basket or to get to the free-throw line. I have a tendency to have my first shot be a 3-pointer. If I get that early easy basket, it gets my rhythm going. It just helps to see the ball going through the hoop.”
Q. How would you describe when you are locked in shooting?
A. “You just feel like nobody can stop you. It also is a time that can show how much passion you have for the game. You are jumping around and screaming. I think showing that passion is good for your teammates. It lets them know you care.”
Q. How do you get out of a shooting slump?
A. “By working hard when no one else is around. You are not going to get better just by working in practice. Everyone is working hard in practice. And you are going to have those times. There are times when you are not going to knock down shots.”
Q. Is your shooting technique your own, or did it come from somebody?
A. “I think it is mostly my own, with my dad helping me with my shot. He taught me about elevating on my shot and about the follow-through. I have pretty good rotation.”
Q. Who is your favorite basketball player?
A. “Probably Larry Bird. I liked the way he could score the basketball and how he helped build his team around him. He was a good leader, and he didn’t back down to anyone. I also guess, like everyone, I could say Michael Jordan.”
Q. Are you someone who watches a lot of basketball on television?
A. “I watch a lot of college basketball. I think it is way more about team basketball. The NBA is more of a show.”
Q. Does playing basketball in high school leave time for other things? Do you have a hobby?
A. “Basketball does fill my time, and it keeps me busy and on my toes. But I’ve still got plenty of time for my friends. Basketball really is my main hobby, so when I’m not playing basketball, I really want to relax and hang out.”
Q. What is the most enjoyable part of high school basketball for you?
A. “Team and family. Playing basketball absolutely is about building relationships and creating memories. A lot of it is the personal bonds you form. It’s about bus rides and hanging out with the guys.”
Q. You must be looking forward to playing at St. Francis. Do you expect your role in college to be different?
A. “I’m real excited about playing there with two of my best friends (Lienhoop and Columbus North graduate Evan Henry). But I do think my role will be pretty much the same. Everybody’s role going from high school to college does have to change a little, and I am going to a place where the offense is drive and kick, and I won’t be the drive. I just want to do my part as a freshman.”
Q. What has it been like to play for coach Brent Chitty?
A. “It’s been great. Nobody that I know is as passionate about the game. He is up at 3 a.m. scouting other teams for us.”
Q. What are you most proud of having accomplished at Columbus East?
A. “I think how much I’ve improved as far as mental toughness and on the defensive side, as far as being a leader. I think my greatest team memory is probably beating North, and our greatest accomplishments as a team are probably how close we have come at times, how much we improved last season going 17-5 even though we got younger overall and how we have improved not only as players but as people.”
Big sales increases in Cummins Inc.’s Distribution and Components business segments in 2014 helped fuel the company’s record year for revenue.
Here is a recap of the performance by each of the company’s four business units.
Distribution
FULL YEAR: Sales jumped 38 percent compared with 2013, from almost $3.75 billion to nearly $5.2 billion. Acquisitions and stronger demand for parts and service in North America were factors in the success, the company said in a media release. Revenue from the service market increased from $640 million to more than $1 billion, and sales in the parts and filtration market jumped from almost $1.5 billion to more than $1.9 billion. Cummins has been buying its distributors and acquired three during 2014 — Cummins Bridgeway, Cummins Npower and Cummins Power South.
FOURTH QUARTER: The Distribution segment also experienced a fourth-quarter sales increase of nearly 58 percent compared with the same period during 2013.
Components
FULL YEAR: Revenue increased almost 18 percent, from about $4.3 billion in 2013 to nearly $5.1 billion. Notably, sales in the emissions solutions market increased from almost $1.8 billion to more than $2.3 billion. The Components segment’s success resulted from higher demand in on-highway markets in North America, Europe and China, the company said.
FOURTH QUARTER: The segment’s fourth-quarter revenue reflected a 16 percent increase from the same period in 2013.
Engine
FULL YEAR: Cummins’ Engine business — which makes up more than half of the company’s total revenue — also reported increased sales, with a 9.5 percent rise for the year. The engine segment’s year-end sales of nearly $11 billion increased more than 9 percent from the previous year’s total of $10 billion. Notably, sales in the heavy-duty truck market increased from $2.7 billion to $3.1 billion year over year, and revenue in the medium-duty truck and bus market increased from almost $2.2 billion to more than $2.5 billion. Strong demand in on-highway markets in North America offset weakness in Brazil, China and Europe, Cummins said.
FOURTH QUARTER: The Engine business’s fourth-quarter sales improved from more than $2.5 billion in 2013 to more than $2.8 billion last year, nearly an 11 percent jump.
Power Generation
FULL YEAR: This segment was the only one to report a year-over-year decline in 12-month sales. Year-end revenue of nearly $2.9 billion reflected a drop of more than 4 percent from the prior year’s $3 billion. All four of the segment’s markets (power products, power systems, alternators and power solutions) experienced a drop in sales. The company said actions it has taken to lower costs should improve Power Generation earnings going forward. One of those actions was the closure of a plant in Germany.
FOURTH QUARTER: Fourth-quarter sales of $760 million by the Power Generation business were almost identical to its $759 million in revenue for the same quarter of 2013.
