Indiana inmate is proof that death penalty should not be abolished
For the people who want to abolish the death penalty, please tell me why the death penalty is not justified in the case of Tymetri Campbell.
Campbell is an inmate, convicted in 2002 of a triple murder, and currently serving 130 years at a maximum-security prison in Indiana. While imprisoned, Campbell has fatally stabbed one corrections officer and seriously injured another. He has shown that he cannot or will not follow the law.
What more can the government do to this person, give him more years in prison? Explain your reasons for doing away with the death penalty to the family of the corrections officer.
There are people who need to be put to death. Campbell is one of them.
Pete Dunkel, Westerville
The Top Steak House, an East Side institution famous for not changing, is planning a big change.
The 66-year-old restaurant, one of the oldest in central Ohio, is about to start a major expansion of its patio, its first big alteration in at least 30 years.
The patio, which now seats 20 to 30 people, will be expanded to accommodate 82 seats and a bar with 12 stools, said Matt Schoedinger, one of the owners.
"We're tripling the size and also hoping to get closer to a three-season use out of it," Schoedinger said.
Schoedinger said owners were considering expanding the patio before COVID-19, but the pandemic, which has sharply curtailed indoor dining, accelerated the plans.
"We wanted to do it before, without a doubt, and business was great, fantastic," he said. "Then the pandemic hit and we had, uh, a little more time on our hands."
The patio will be expanded on the west side of the 2891 E. Main St. restaurant and include covered and uncovered spots.
The new space, designed by the architecture firm Design Collective, in
cludes outdoor seating that mimics the old-school, semi-circle booths found inside.
“Features such as an outdoor bar, lighting, booths and fountains will create an ambiance that compliments The Top's legendary experience,” Design Collective Principal Brent Lacount said.
“With increased interest in outdoor dining, a dynamic patio environment is a great way to drive business. We believe that this design will place them in the top tier of patios in the Columbus area.”
Schoedinger, whose group has owned the restaurant for 15 years, said he believes this is the first change in the restaurant since at least the 1980s, when an atrium in the front of the restaurant was incorporated into the restaurant.
The Top, which is managed by Regina Adkins and her husband, chef Denver Adkins, celebrates the fact that it hasn't changed much since opening in April 1955. The inside retains the classic midcentury dark wood steak-house style, complete with a piano player next to the bar.
The restaurant installed glass dividers between booths for safety during the pandemic, and loyal customers have allowed the restaurant to remain open, but business has nonetheless been down, Schoedinger said.
He said the restaurant hopes to break ground on the patio by March 1, weather permitting, and complete the project around Memorial Day. jweiker@dispatch.com @Jimweiker