Sadness over church closures, a grieving mom and more pools needed

Dear Subscriber,

Thank you for your support of The Dispatch and local journalism. We strive to make your subscription valuable by providing access to some of our most valuable content. First, I'd like to wish you and your loved ones a happy long Memorial Day weekend and take a moment to honor all who have died serving in the U.S. military, making the ultimate sacrifice to secure the country and protect its citizens.As for stories you won't want to have missed:

As pools throughout Columbus opened this weekend, city hall reporter Bill Bush took a deep dive into a draft report that found the city needs to double the number of pools it has to adequately serve its population. Columbus' ratio of one pool for roughly every 100,000 residents is way fewer than many similarly sized cities and suburbs and has led to overcrowding, poor access for residents of some neighborhoods and inadequate resources for swim lessons, competitions and just swimming, the report says.

Keontae Harper, 16, died May 16. He was shot by a classmate a little less than a month earlier. His mother, Katrice Harper, spoke to crime reporter Bethany Bruner about his wit and loving and bright personality that could light up a room. "What are you supposed to do when your life was set up for one purpose and that purpose is gone?" she said.

When legendary Columbus chef Juan "Firpo" Jurado, of Mills Restaurant and later the Granville Inn, died of a heart attack at age 59 in 1961 — while preparing 500 steaks — he left behind a mystery. Immigration reporter Peter Gill connected with his relatives in central Ohio and across the ocean in Spain as they recounted what they all discovered in trying to unravel that mystery — and, believe me, the tale is riveting.

The United States and Columbus is aging, according to new census data released last week, which is probably no surprise to those of us who are aging much faster than we'd like, along with the country. But as experts told growth reporter Mark Ferenchik, that raises an interesting and important question: Is there housing for a grayer central Ohio?

In other big news, the Columbus Diocese came out with its list of 15 parishes, including nine in Franklin County, that it will be closing it says because of a decline in church attendance and a shortage of priests. A team of reporters wrote about the diocese's decision, talked to parishioners of the affected churches about what it will mean for their lives (many expressed frustration and sadness) and also sat down with Bishop Earl Fernandes, who urged worshipers to see new opportunities.

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Encarnacion Pyle

Managing Editor of News