Vigil on Lake Columbia

CITIZEN PATRIOT • ASHLEY MILLER
About 200 friends and family gathered along the shore of Lake Columbia
in Brooklyn Sunday night to remember 19-year-old Broc Fejes, who died Saturday
evening in a boating accident. Fejes loved the water, friends said, and
was supposed to leave for the Coast Guard in August.

The reporting intern and I spent the majority of our Fourth of July weekend on Lake Columbia. Unfortunately, instead of celebrating, we were covering devastating breaking news. A 19-year-old drowned while boating with his friends the afternoon of Saturday, July 2. Two males and two females were passengers on the boat when they said it went airborne, landed and tipped. The recovery effort lasted through Saturday evening and started again early that Sunday. The victim's brave sister gathered his friends and family for a vigil that night, shown above. Alanna and I were warned there would be tragedies to cover this summer, but covering this story hit both of us hard.

Michigan International Speedway | SUNDAY

Michigan International Speedway | SATURDAY

Michigan International Speedway | FRIDAY

NASCAR Circles!

A driver traditionally burns out after winning a race in front of thousands of screaming fans.
What is often overlooked, however, is the circle or “doughnut” the driver leaves imprinted on the track after his celebration.
Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn encompasses thousands of circles. Some are visible, like the track. Others are more subtle, such as the beads of gatorade that pour over the winners.
“There are lots of circles here,” Mike Motil of Kasey Kahne’s pit crew said as he hovered over tires Friday morning in the garage.
Like most races, “NASCAR circles” are not always perfectly shaped.
Lawn chairs previously wrapped in a circle around a campfire will eventually shift as people move around. The top of aluminum cans might get crushed.
As fans and drivers leave Michigan International Speedway this weekend, many of the infield circles will disappear as they exit the track, but the most prominent and outstanding circle — the speedway — will remain next time they roll into Brooklyn.



---Oh man. Kinda cheesy, right? Alright, really cheesy copyblock. But honestly, how do you talk about circles?!