Home Blog Page 22127

North swimmers in position to reclaim sectional

By
Staff Reports
-

When the Columbus North girls swimmers take the pool for Saturday’s North Sectional finals, the Bull Frogs will be an overwhelming favorite to win their fourth consecutive sectional title and their 31st in the past 32 years.

The 15th-ranked Frogs are the only team ranked in the top 40 in the sectional, which begins tonight with preliminaries. Bloomington South is tied for No. 43, and Columbus East is tied for No. 45.

North will be looking to swim fast to set itself up for next weekend’s state meet. The winners in each event, plus any others making the state cut, receive automatic bids to the state finals. If less than 12 non-winners from the state’s 20 sectionals make the state cut in an event, those with the next-best times will be added as call-backs.

“I think these girls are capable of breaking a school record or two in the sectional championship,” North coach Jim Sheridan said. “What we’ve talked about all year with these young women is stepping it up a notch with their heart and figuring out what they really want out of the sport of swimming. It varies among all the different individuals, and that’s what you get in a sport like ours.”

The Bull Frogs are seeded first in nine of the 11 swimming events, including all three relays, and first through third in the 200-yard freestyle and 100 backstroke. They have three of the top four seeds in the 100 butterfly and three of the top five in the 500 freestyle.

Senior Marah Bieger is the No. 1 seed in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke, and sophomore Grace Haskett is the top seed in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke. Junior Mackenzie Fry is seeded No. 1 in the 200 freestyle and No. 2 in the 100 butterfly, while senior Maddie Wyke is No. 1 in the 100 butterfly and No. 2 in the 200 freestyle.

Sophomore Jennifer Gutman and junior Cori Taylor are seeded second and third in the 500 freestyle, and sophomore Alexandra Nusawardhana and Kaitlyn Niebrugge are second and third in the 100 backstroke. Sophomore Darby Coles is third in the 100 freestyle and fourth in the 200 individual medley, senior Karen Wildemann is fourth in the 100 freestyle and fifth in the 50 freestyle, Nusawardhana is fourth in the 100 butterfly, Taylor is fourth in the 100 breaststroke, and senior Kelcie Davie is fifth in the 500 freestyle.

“We have a group of five (Bieger, Haskett, Fry, Wyke and Wildemann) that will continue to taper down for the state championship,” Sheridan said. “The other girls are getting ready for the sectional to give them the best opportunity to move on to the state meet. But the way they’ve trained this year, the opportunity to stay solid between sectional and state is there.”

East’s top seed is Cortney VanLiew, who is No. 3 in both the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly. The Olympians are seeded fourth in the 200 freestyle relay and fifth in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays.

Wrestling regional Saturday

Jennings County will lead area wrestling teams with entrants in 12 of the 14 weight classes in Saturday’s Jeffersonville Regional. The top four in each class advance to the Feb. 14 Evansville Semistate.

Sophomore Andrew Herrin (145 pounds), senior Wes Furgason (160) and junior Peyton Shepherd (182) are No. 1 seeds for the Panthers. Senior Anthony Engelking (138), juniors Cole Chandler (152) and Christian Redmond (195) and sophomore Brendan Sutton (285) are No. 2 seeds. Freshman Dalton Craig (106) and junior Logan Applegate (120) are No. 3 seeds, senior Peyton Gerkin (170) is a No. 4 seed, freshman Brady Shepherd (220) is a No. 5 seed and senior Kyle Lewis (113) is a No. 6 seed.

Columbus East and Columbus North will each be represented in seven weight classes. Freshman Graham Rooks (106) is a No. 1 seed. Freshman Dawson Combest (113) is a No. 2 seed, while junior Coy Park is a No. 3 seed, juniors Quade Greiwe (195) and Sean Galligar (285) are No. 4 seeds, junior Jake Martindale (126) is a No. 6 seed and junior Ben Wilkerson (138) is a No. 8 seed.

“Our regional is a lot of our conference teams, so we’re pretty familiar with all those kids,” East coach Chris Cooper said. “That’s kind of good and bad in that sometimes. This will be the third time we’ve wrestled some of those guys. But in a lot of cases, we’ve beat the guy twice already, so I’m pretty comfortable with where we’re at.”

Columbus North senior Brandon Woods (220) is a No. 3 seed. Freshman Isaiah Peetz (106), sophomore Patrich Shehan (120), junior Brett Bosserman (145) and freshman Andrew Chapman (160) are No. 5 seeds, while senior Braden Hinckley (138) is a No. 6 seed and junior Alex Davidson (152) is a No. 8 seed.

Brown County sophomore Evan Bullock (120) is a No. 1 seed. Senior Jacob Strickland (132) is a No. 3 seed, while freshman Colten Harper (113) is a No. 4 seed. Senior Dakota Patterson (145) and junior Bristen Dial (182) are No. 7 seeds.

Seymour junior Garrett Johnson (132) is a No. 5 seed. Sophomore John Shuffitt (126) and senior Tristan Sitterding (170) are No. 8 seeds.

Hauser freshmen go unbeaten

The future looks bright for the Hauser boys basketball program. The Jets’ freshman team went 17-0 and won the Mid-Hoosier Conference Tournament.

Hauser, coached by Doug Johnson, beat several bigger schools, including Columbus North, Batesville, Shelbyville, Greensburg and Brown County. The Jets won all but two games by double digits.

Team members included Andrew Titus, Mason Sherman, Sam Meek, Bradley Paetzel, Alex Gross, Joe Sweet, Matt Sweet, Jacob Rose, Sam Robinson and Jon Hatton.

Eagles senior signs with Ancilla

Brown County senior Dakota Anderson has signed a letter-of-intent to play softball at Ancilla College.

Anderson, who plays shortstop, third base and left field, has helped the Eagles to two Western Indiana Conference titles and won the Coach’s Award last season. She also plays with the Angels Fastpitch travel team.

“When I went up (to Ancilla) for my visit, the beautiful campus made me feel like I was at home,” Anderson said in a news release.

3 to enter Brown County Hall of Fame

Three former standouts or coaches will be inducted into the Brown County Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Jenny Kulow, Wes Ault and Steve Makurat will be inducted at halftime of Saturday night’s boys basketball game against Greencastle. The varsity game will begin about 7:30 p.m.

Police: Man accused of rape, battery

By
Staff Reports
-

An Edinburgh man was arrested after police said he hit a woman and touched her inappropriately.

Richard Childers, 38, 212 Russell St., was arrested on charges of rape, criminal confinement, domestic battery and disorderly conduct.

A woman reported last Thursday that an acquaintance, later identified as Childers, knocked a cup of soda out of her hand and then punched her in the stomach. After punching her, he made her pull down her pants and assaulted her, according to a police report.

The man later grabbed her head and banged it against the floor, pulling out a clump of her hair in the process, the report said. The woman climbed out a window and ran to a nearby store before going to the police station, the report said.

Police spoke with Childers, who denied that he hit the woman. Officers saw soda splattered on the wall and TV and found the empty cup and a clump of dark-colored hair and arrested Childers, the report said.

He was taken to the Johnson County jail, where he was being held on $35,200 bond.

Around Town – February 5

By
Staff Reports
-

Orchids to …

• the beautiful picture of the Columbus North basketball team in prayer for Josh Speidel, from a proud Christian.

• Bill Schroeder and Dave Whittington for a great Super Bowl party on Sunday, from Dave Forrest.

• the person at Planet Fitness who turned in my iPod.

• Sue, Melissa, Jess, Ashley, Nicole, Darren, Macy at Silver Oaks for taking such good care of me, from Tim Burton.

• Debbie at Columbus City Garage for getting our recycling toter delivered, from Melinda and David Taylor.

• all the home-school parents who care enough to give children a wonderful education, top-grade music lessons and the ability to hold intelligent conversations.

• Dave Clark for Tuesday night’s fundraiser for Josh Speidel and for the to-go boxes, from John.

• Dawn, Suzee and Patty at The Republic’s circulation department for going above and beyond, from a grateful customer.

• the kind woman who found my wallet at Lowe’s and brought it to my home.

• Mr. and Mrs. Schneider for the beautiful crystal snowflake from the elderly lady on West State Road 46.

• Mayor Brown for working well together with the citizens of Columbus and addressing the issues most important to the people she serves.

Onions to …

• outsiders who can’t accept that people who make suicide threats sometimes commit suicide.

• the burglar who broke into our house and stole my pregnant wife’s wedding and engagement rings.

• those who believe that people who have a problem with companies that don’t ever allow their employees to have a day off are obsessed, lazy, unappreciative, don’t pay their bills and don’t support their families.

• the elected official who votes himself a raise then misses two out of three meetings.

• the county sheriff’s deputy for stopping me for my license plate light being out when it was working.

• family members who have nothing better to do than sit around and talk about the problems of other family members.

• the person who is making their decision on whom to vote for based on the Around Town section.

• the person who put in Onions about neighbors dealing drugs out of their house with small children in the house, when that activity should be reported to police.

• the company that promises to pay their team leads a certain amount over regular staff and then gives regular staff a raise but refuses to counteract with a raise for team leads.

• the person who stole the earphones.

• manufacturers that show favoritism to staffing companies that are not treating their employees fairly.

• the lack of regulations for home schooling, therefore dooming tens or possibly hundreds of thousands of children to little or no education.

• the young mother who brought her infant to the nail salon.

• The Republic for messing with the paper and not putting the comics where they usually are.

• the person who put an Onion in the paper for the basketball manager receiving an award.

• the person who moved into the city limits so she could run for city office and start her own good old boys club.

• fundraising for people who have more than adequate health insurance.

• those responsible for the vandalism damage to the Centra ATM in Clifty Crossing shopping center causing it to be out of order.

• the House of Representatives for voting to repeal or undermine Obamacare for the 56th time on taxpayers’ money instead of working on a jobs bill, climate change legislation or anything substantive.

• people who bid on and get the job they claim they really want, then do everything possible to not do that job by joining every committee or volunteering to do work in other departments.

• all the people who turn into the wrong entrance for the Kroger gas station and hold up traffic.

• the tire employee who walked out in front of a car to cross the road Tuesday and yelled and cussed at the person driving in the car.

• the older couple who were talking during the movie.

Happy Birthday to …

• Charlene Klinker, from Marie.

• Blue Bell, on No. 1, from Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters, Grandpa and Aunt Stacie.

• Pam Hull, from Mom.

• Paul Milligan, from your wife, family and friends.

• Jacob Hege, from Grandma Hege and friends at the Moravian Church.

• Wendy Christy, from friends at the Moravian Church.

• Amanda Zeller, from friends at the Moravian Church.

• Julian Baldwin, from friends at the Moravian Church.

• Carolyn Parker Thompson.

• Michael Powell, from friends and family.

• Jeff Whittington.

• Betty Littlejohn, from Bill.

• Glenn Miller, from Mom and family.

• Paul Milligan, from the Clarks.

• Jake Hege, from Beth, Owen, Hallie, Bonnie, your family and Donna.

• Buddy Littlejohn, from Aunt Brenda.

• Glenn Miller, from Aunt Sue.

• Leslie Williams, from Mom and Mike.

• Dane Konetzka.

• Jadyn Burton, from Pastor Lewis and The Who So Ever Will Community Church.

• Angi Robbins-Gianopulos, from Trish.

Belated Wishes to …

• Cathy Barga, from friends at the Moravian Church.

• Brandon Branz.

• Harold Holcomb.

• Brooke Sneed

• Suzie Norman.

Happy Anniversary to …

• Matt and Amanda Zeller, from friends at the Moravian Church.

• Nancy, from Jerry.

• Jeff and Carla Cole.

Nostalgic items find new homes

By
Staff Reports
-

Nostalgia can be evoked by a variety of things, some of them pretty darn unusual. For instance, who can get all weepy at the sight of an old coal stove that was once used to keep soldiers and airmen warm during World War II?

For that matter, one would think it unusual to get excited about an extremely heavy, solid brass writing desk that was once a mainstay in the old Columbus post office at Seventh and Washington streets.

Both items do have special meanings to their current owners, even if they serve different purposes than the ones for which they were originally intended.

The coal stove, originally used in the barracks at Camp Atterbury when it was a major training base for the Army during World War II, is now a centerpiece in a display at the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum at Columbus Municipal Airport.

That’s a pretty close connection with the original purpose, but it’s hard to find a link for the old post office writing desk with its present place of residence, the Bartholomew County Humane Society shelter.

Connected or not, both items have already brought back the old days for a number of local residents.

The stove certainly is a natural fit in the air museum’s display on barracks life during World War II and the Korean War. It’s evocative of simpler times when barracks featured such necessities of life as “butt cans” for smoked cigarettes and army cots with blankets required to be folded so tight that drill sergeants had to be able to bounce a flipped coin on them.

The stove on display at the museum is something of a rarity, although during the war they were commonplace in old wooden barracks. In fact, this particular stove has a direct connection to Camp Atterbury. It was turned over to the museum by Don Bloom, a military retiree who worked several years at Camp Atterbury. He acquired it in a roundabout manner.

“I had been interested in collecting artifacts like this for quite a while,” the Columbus man said. “I remember years ago while I was working at the camp, the sight of trucks hauling away materials when they demolished the old wooden barracks. There must have been hundreds of those old stoves that were tossed onto trucks and hauled away to the dump.”

Word of Don’s interest reached a man named Herman Johnson, whose family was among the original owners of property that was taken over by the military during World War II for construction of the new camp. His family moved into a house near the army base, his home until his death last year. At some point, Herman had acquired the stove that he used as the principal means for heating his house.

“Apparently, Herman found out that I was interested in acquiring one of those old stoves,” Don said. “He didn’t have any family, but he had told a friend of mine, Tom Mitchell of Taylorsville, that when he died he wanted to make sure that the stove went to me. I’m not sure how he arrived at that because I don’t remember ever talking to him about it.”

Tom abided by Herman’s request and contacted Don late last year to make arrangements for the stove to be turned over. As one of the volunteers at the museum, Don immediately knew where it belonged.

“It’s a great addition to the museum, but the really wonderful thing about this is the thoughtfulness of Herman in making sure it had a proper home.”

The humane society’s writing desk also followed an unusual route from the old post office that had been in operation until the opening of the current facility in 1971. Inside the post office lobby, it was where patrons addressed envelopes or filled out questionnaires. Today, individuals seeking to adopt pets use it to fill out forms.

When the Seventh and Washington post office closed in 1971, the desk was acquired by Columbus insurance agent R. Gordon Miller. When he retired in 2012, he donated it to the humane society. It was moved into the new shelter when that building was completed last year.

The desk is a familiar item for many longtime residents.

“People who come to visit (the shelter) recognize the desk from when they used the old post office or accompanied their parents to mail letters,” said the society’s Cheryl Zuckschwerdt.

Unfortunately, the desk did not come complete to the society. “It still had the green felt top and heavy glass surface,” she said. “However, it’s missing the inkwell that sat between the writing surfaces.”

Cheryl and the society staff are hoping that someone in Columbus might have in their possession an inkwell of the era that could fill out the desk.

“The hole for the well is 2.25 inches in diameter, but a smaller inkwell with an overhanging lip edge might fit,” she said. “Should anyone have something like that and be willing to donate it to the society, we’d love to hear from them.”

That could be a tall order, given that inkwells are not exactly household items these days.

Residents have right to be fully informed about budget, actions

By
Staff Reports
-

In a democracy, it is vital that citizens be fully informed about what their elected and appointed officials are doing. Without that information, open and transparent government is undermined.

Last year the Indiana General Assembly removed the requirement that local government agencies publish their proposed budgets and proposed tax rates in newspapers as part of the notice of budget hearings. That change will become effective this year unless legislators reinstate the rule about publishing that information in print.

We urge lawmakers to take that step toward openness in government and help Hoosiers keep better track of what’s going on in local government and to keep tabs on government spending. Keeping public officials accountable is at the heart of the democratic process.

Posting this vital information online makes it available, yes. However, most people won’t take the time to track it down. For some, that’s difficult because of a lack of readily available Internet access.

In addition, electronic information can be altered or removed easily and quickly. The printed page won’t change. It would be easier for people to get back issues of a newspaper to find previous entries than it would be to search a website. Information on websites can be altered or removed easily and quickly. But what’s on the printed page won’t change.

We already know people read legal ads and support their publication in the newspaper. In a survey last year by American Opinion Research, 64 percent of Hoosiers said government bodies should be required to publish legal ads.

For the same reasons, we are also opposed to a proposal to eliminate the publication of the tax sale list of properties.

The state Legislature has a chance to correct this.

We call on lawmakers to reinstate the traditional requirement of proposed budget and tax-rate publication in local newspapers and make a strong statement about open government.

Looking Back – February 5

By
Staff Reports
-

Around Columbus

Feb. 5

 

News around Columbus and the surrounding area as reported on or about this date in the pages of The Evening Republican and The Republic 10, 25 and 50 years ago.

2005

Chautauqua of the Arts Director Jim McDonough decided to move the 2005 festival to Greensburg after the Columbus Area Arts Council and the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department asked to be released from the agreement.

1990

Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. announced a new driver education program would be offered during regular secondary summer school. The popular summer class was canceled in January after teachers who were contracted to offer it cited difficulty in making a profit  and declined to participate.

1965

Higher than expected business and residential growth pushed the total number of telephones in the Columbus area past the 20,000 mark, not including phones in Elizabethtown, Hope, Flat Rock and Edinburgh which were included in the local calling area.

Brian’s picks

By
Staff Reports
-

1) Forget thinking your kid, grandkid, niece or nephew wants to be a pirate. They already are, matey, according to children’s comic performer David Engel. He said he believes they naturally seek adventure, independence and discovery. He brings his Pirate School to Old National Bank’s free First Fridays for Families at 6 p.m. Friday at the Commons, 300 Washington St. in Columbus. With it comes lessons of polite behavior and learning courage. Information: 812-376-2539 or artsincolumbus.org.

2) Actor Jimmy Stewart could have read the phone book onscreen and I would watch today. I never liked older movies much until I saw “It’s a Wonderful Life” with him as the depressed George Bailey. Besides, I’ve gotta love the fact that, in YES Cinemas’ Classic Film Series showing of “The Philadelphia Story,” at 7:01 p.m. Friday, he plays a reporter, though of the tabloid variety, in the romantic comedy. Tickets are $5. Information: yescinema.org.

Go Guide – February 5

By
Staff Reports
-

1) I cannot take my true loves — my fat, furry cats — out on Valentine’s Day because they are not welcome in most dining venues and, truth be told, they are not very well-mannered. But if I could take them out, I would make make reservations at White Castle. Each year on Feb. 14, the hamburger joint morphs into a fancy sit-down restaurant, often with candlelight and fancier table dressings. Reservations are a must, so if you plan to head to the Castle to romance your sweetie, take a heads-up from me and make your reservations now. Information: 812-378-1077.

2) The Bartholomew County Public Library, 536 Fifth St., has kicked off its Romance Book Sale. With the temperatures we’ve been experiencing, now is a great time to load up on books and snuggle in. During the sale, which continues through the rest of February, romance books are 25 cents for paperback and 50 cents for hardcover. Information: 812-379-1266, mybcpl.org.

Renee Connor

By
Staff Reports
-

Columbus

Renee Connor, 51, of Columbus died Monday, February 2, 2015, at her home.

Renee was born in Columbus April 5, 1963, the daughter of Robert M. and Gladys Burnett Burnett. She married Leon Connor April 21, 2007, in Columbus. He preceded her in death May 24, 2013. She was formerly a pharmacy technician at K-Mart in Columbus.

She is survived by sons, Brandon Close, Travis (Lacey) Close and Tyler Close, all of Columbus; daughter, Brittany Watts Harper of Columbus; mother, Gladys Cagle of Columbus; stepfather, G.W. “Jay” Cagle of Columbus; grandchildren, Dallas, Alexa and Myleigh Close and Cayden Harper, all of Columbus; sisters, Toni Burnett of Columbus and Connie Burnett of Taylorsville.

She was preceded in death by her father, her husband and a sister, Vonda Fivecoat.

A gathering of family and friends will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Myers-Reed Chapel on 25th Street.

In keeping with Renee’s wishes, she will be cremated.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.myers-reed.com.

www.myers-reed.com

Not wondering ‘what if?’

By
Jay Heater
-

Brock Greiwe received some great news.

He had a dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor.

While that might seem to be devastating information for an 18-year-old high school senior, it was far better than the alternatives. A “DNET” tumor is benign.

“That’s the best kind to have if you are going to have one,” said Greiwe, who had surgery to cut out most of the “pinky-sized” tumor in November. “Now I am waiting for my skull to heal up.”

Greiwe, one of the state’s top high school defensive linemen at Columbus East, was rushed to the hospital after a seizure at his home Nov. 12 and was later diagnosed with the brain tumor. It took weeks, though, to identify the exact nature of the tumor.

So not only was Greiwe’s high school football career finished as the Olympians headed toward a semistate showdown with eventual champion New Palestine, but his very life was in danger.

Whether Greiwe ever could play football again was in question.

Now, just under three months since his seizure, Greiwe’s life is getting back on track.

On Wednesday, he took a major step during a ceremony at Columbus East by signing a letter of intent to play football at Indiana State.

As Greiwe has worked to rehabilitate his body, his chances of playing college football got brighter. On Jan. 25, he received offers from Indiana State and Marian University to play football.

It all made for an enthusiastic celebration Wednesday as Greiwe chose the Sycamores.

“There was one point where I didn’t think I would have any opportunities,” he said. “Then in the same day, in less than a two-hour period, I had offers from Indiana State and Marian.

“I think they were waiting to see how I would recover, and I had to wait it out. It just means a lot to me to see how other people believe in my abilities. They see something in me and they are willing to take a chance.”

It’s easy to see why Indiana State decided to take a chance. Greiwe was a starter on East’s state championship team as a junior, and he came back to register 64 tackles in 11 games his senior year. He had 13 tackles for loss, and East never lost a game the past two seasons with him in the lineup.

However, East football coach Bob Gaddis said more than football was involved in Indiana State’s decision to take a chance on a player who was recovering from a brain tumor.

Gaddis said it had to do with character.

“It speaks well of the kind of player and person Brock is,” Gaddis said. “People are willing to take a chance on him even though they understand that he is not yet released to play (football). He is just now working out, and he has cleared that hurdle.

“It is going to be great to see where he was and where he is going.”

Greiwe’s father, Keith Greiwe, said it has been an emotionally draining experience.

“I want to say it has been a long road, but it really hasn’t been,” Keith Griewe said. “We met with the (Indiana State) coaches, and they are aware of what Brock has gone through. They will help us with the journey he is on. I feel good about it.”

Brock Greiwe said he must redshirt his freshman year of college to allow his skull time to heal properly. But he will be able to run through drills without contact.

“It is going to take a while to get back to the level where I was,” Greiwe said. “But I think signing has gotten me over the hump. I don’t have to wonder if I will always have to live with this or ‘What if?'”

His father said he is comfortable with his son playing football again.

“We will be assured it is safe before he plays,” Keith Greiwe said. “And Brock is such a motivated individual. I think when you have something taken away from you, you work even harder.”

Two weeks ago, Brock Greiwe had to spend a night in the hospital, but the problems appear to have been medicine related, and he is now off all medication. “My brain waves are back to normal,” he said.

His concentration will turn to regaining his physical conditioning and earning a mechanical engineering degree.

“I’m not worried,” he said. “I’m excited. I’ve always wanted to play college football.”

1...22,12622,12722,128...22,142Page 22,127 of 22,142