WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Colts quarterbacks Anthony Richardson Sr. and Daniel Jones are starting to string together good days at training camp.

The two quarterbacks are in an open competition for the starting job for the Colts.

That competition has helped Richardson and Jones push each other to improve.

“It helps both of us limit the mistakes that we make because we know what’s on the line,” Richardson said. “It just helps us be able to make plays and just showcase what we can do as quarterbacks for this team.”

“I think it’s been great,” Jones said. “Obviously we’re both competitors and when we’re out here, we’re trying to put our best foot forward as quarterbacks and play well. The communication in the meeting room or whatever it is off the field has been great and I think I’ve learned a lot from him.”

Richardson doesn’t think it’s only helped him. He added that he thinks the competition helps the whole team.

Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter has been impressed with Richardson’s implementation of his offseason training.

“You can see the work that he has put in in the offseason,” Cooter said. “Anthony is diligent about his offseason work habits, and when you’ve been in the league a few years, you start figuring out areas to work on over your offseason.”

“I feel like I have been slightly more consistent when it comes to my footwork, but it’s just me thinking about my reps that I’ve been doing during the offseason, and just thinking about mental cues for myself,” Richardson said.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen has remained consistent, saying there is no timetable for a decision on who will be the Week 1 starter.

The Colts are just nine days away from their first preseason game, in Baltimore against the Ravens.

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GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — Deputies in Johnson County arrested an underage drunk driver they say was caught driving 140 mph on the interstate in Greenwood.

Cohen Frederick, 20, faces several charges, including operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, reckless driving at an unreasonable speed, resisting law enforcement, and consuming alcohol as a minor.

The arrest happened late Wednesday night near Smith Valley Road and Interstate 69.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office says a deputy on traffic control duty clocked Frederick going 140 mph in a 65 mph zone on I-69 northbound. He was also spotted swerving between vehicles.

The deputy activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop but Frederick continued speeding on the highway at varying rates of speed. Frederick also sped off after the deputy pulled up right behind him.

Frederick eventually pulled over on the shoulder of I-69 just north of County Line Road, less than three miles from where the pursuit began.

The deputy spoke with Frederick and his passenger, 20-year-old Joseph Fisher, and soon noticed the smell of alcohol on Frederick’s breath. After failing the field sobriety tests, Cohen took a breathalyzer test which registered his blood alcohol content as .108.

Frederick submitted to a blood draw at a nearby hospital and was then taken into custody. He was booked into the Johnson County jail, but jail records show he bonded out on Wednesday.

Fisher also took a breathalyzer test, his blood alcohol content registering as .04.

The deputy did not arrest Fisher, but requested the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office to review the case as he is underaged.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Today ended up being our hottest day of the year in Indianapolis with a high of 95 degrees. It was our first 95+ high since Aug. 30th last year.

We will have to endure one more hot day before increasing rain and storm chances lead way to fantastic air entering August.

Tuesday night: Mostly clear and warm with lows in the mid 70s.

Wednesday: One last hot day expected before our big and highly anticipated pattern change takes place. Expect highs to push into the low to mid 90s with peak heat indices up to 100+ at times.

By the latter half of Wednesday, especially into early Thursday morning, we’ll see an increase in rain/storm coverage. It is possible for there to be isolated strong to severe storms with damaging wind the primary concern. Local flooding concerns will also be in place.

Thursday: Scattered showers and storms will persist through Thursday as a slow moving front continues to progress through the state. This is where we finally get to embrace some cooler air with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s. However, the muggy meter will still be in the uncomfortable range.

7-Day Forecast: Friday to kick off August is when we see pleasant weather come full circle with upper 70s highs and a tamed muggy meter. This beautiful weather will carry on through the first weekend of August!

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — For most NFL players, training camp marks the unofficial start of the season. For Indianapolis Colts offensive lineman Braden Smith, it means much more than that this year.

The eight-year veteran returns to camp healthy — both physically and mentally — the latter of extra importance after facing mental health struggles last season.

“I’m in a spectacular place, honestly,” Smith said. “This is probably the best I’ve felt in a really long time.”

That wasn’t the case about eight months ago — just before Thanksgiving. Smith arrived to the Colts Complex as normal but turned around and left after reaching the parking lot.

“I felt like I had a mental collapse, and I went home, took a nap. My wife thought when I woke up I was going to be in a better spot, but I just wasn’t there,” Smith said. “It was pretty dark, and that’s when we decided as a collective — like, me and my wife — that I needed to get help.”

Smith shared what he was going through with the Colts offensive line the next day and then opted to end his season early and seek help.

He then spent 48 days in a treatment facility where he was diagnosed with religious scrupulosity — a severe form of OCD. It was in Mexico where Smith finally found medication that worked for him.

“I was just trying to be alive this time this year. I wasn’t thinking about anything,” Smith said. “I just wanted to find joy in life, and for a while there, it didn’t feel like I was going to find that again, so just being out here is a plus for me.”

Mental health awareness has always been a key emphasis for the Colts organization, especially through its award-winning initiative Kicking the Stigma. It’s because of that campaign that Smith felt even more comfortable opening up about what he was going through last season.

“I feel very emboldened to be able to talk about it,” Smith said. “The thing I was going through seems very taboo. You seem like you’re kind of going crazy, and you know, I know that other people are going through the same thing so I want them to feel empowered hearing about my story — like, seeing that I came out of the other side of it, and let them know that they’re not going crazy. That this is very normal. That these things happen.”

Smith felt the support from everyone in the Colts organization — from the Irsays to his coaches and teammates — throughout his entire journey.

“The whole team had his back through the whole thing,” head coach Shane Steichen said. “To have him back out here, what he went through, is great. Obviously, the support from the organization and teammates just shows the family that we’ve got here.”

“You take things for granted until those parts are kind of taken away from you, and you don’t realize how good you have it,” Smith said. “Now, I just have that greater appreciation just being able to come out and play football, hang out with the guys. Every day is awesome.”

Back where he belongs. On the right side of the Colts offensive line.

ARLINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — What started as a quiet June afternoon in a rural Rush County neighborhood ended in heartbreak after a 7-year-old boy died in a house fire.

Now, the mother faces multiple felony charges for her son’s death and for endangering her three other children.

• Rush County mother charged for house fire that killed her 7-year-old child

It happened in the afternoon of June 5.

Investigators say 31-year-old Kirstin Bowers left the home and walked away at the time of the fire, leaving four children by themselves.

She originally told police she helped the three kids get out, but couldn’t get to the fourth – but investigators say surveillance video and witness statements contradict her story.

News 8 spoke who with Nicholas Land, a neighbor who not only witnessed the fire, but gave aid to the woman and her children who escaped.

He says there was some suspicion immediately.

“Like, why? Why couldn’t you get all four kids out at the same time? But you don’t immediately try to point fingers,” he said.

Multiple fire departments in Rush County responded to the fire. Land says the flames were so intense, crews couldn’t enter immediately.

“The mom and three of her children were outside of the house. She was even saying one was inside the house,” he said. “They couldn’t find the child at first, so, an officer came to me and asked me to go look around and see if maybe the kid got out from the back door and maybe hid somewhere. I ran around the neighborhood trying to find the child, and unfortunately, didn’t have any luck.”

Deputies say 7-year-old David Bowers Jr. was found dead inside the home’s living room. His mother claims she fell asleep with a lit cigarette, and then woke up to find her bed on fire.

“The kids didn’t have any shoes on, so me and my wife supplied some shoes for them to keep their feet from getting hurt on the concrete. We helped them and tried to give them water, snacks, some entertainment and toys we had that we didn’t need,” said Land.

Bowers is now facing four charges, including neglect of a dependent resulting in death. She was already in jail on unrelated charges.

Land says the family was pretty normal besides the occasional noise complaint. The children’s father was at work at the time of the fire; the last time Land saw him was the day after.

“While he was out here, I came by and gave him a hug, told him I’m sorry again, and gave him a gift card to Goodwill to help them out. Try to get them back on their feet,” said Land.

Multiple agencies, including in the Rush County Sheriff’s Office, are investigating the case.