I have so many good memories with my grandmother, Marjorie Fields.
From the many trips to her home state of Connecticut to the short trips taking her places she needed to go. I think about going next door and talking with her in the living room or on the front porch.
I also have many funny memories, from the time I forgot her Christmas present to when she was recently in the hospital and the nurse told Nanny she was “cute.”
Those are the things I want to remember forever.
Unfortunately, Nanny passed away July 16, the same day as my parents’ anniversary. Even though she is no longer with us, I think we all still feel like she’s here.

I know she’s still telling all of us to drive carefully, and I know she’s watching us next door every time we come and go from the house. She was always concerned about that. I know she still worries about us and wonders what we are doing.
Before I talked about her during her funeral on July 19, I really didn’t think I could do it. I had many, many memories of her, but I didn’t know if I could hold myself together. But you know what? I did. And now I’m glad I was able to share my fond memories with the people who were there. I’m also glad my stepfather and my brother got up and spoke, and I’m glad Nanny’s sister, Carole Martin, and niece, Jennifer Martin, from Connecticut, and nephew, Larry DeVivo, from Tennessee, all came to the funeral. I’m also glad Jennifer and Larry agreed to be pallbearers. That was an honor for me to do that, and I know it was for them, too.

It helped to have those extra people around. I really think having that helped my mom tremendously. Sure, it’s still hard to accept Nanny is gone. But I’m doing my best to be there for my mom. I love her just as much as I love Nanny.
Nanny doesn’t have any family around here. They are in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Georgia and Tennessee. But the people at her funeral knew Nanny and Grandpa, my mom, my stepdad, my brother and me in one way or another.

One thing I do know is that anyone who was there all had good things to say about Nanny. She was a unique lady, for sure. To me, She was inspiring. She was witty. She was unselfish. She was loving. I loved making her laugh and I loved her smile. Those things resonated every time I saw her. She really brightened up your day.
Even when she was in the hospital, her sense of humor outshined everything that was going on. It was hard watching her go through what she did, but she was tougher and stronger than ever. But I was used to that. She’s always been tough and strong. That’s why I’ve always looked up to her.

But, you know, even though she’s not next door anymore, I know her spirit is alive. Her smile is there. Her laugh can be heard. She will live on forever in my mind, and I will continue to tell people about Nanny and what a wonderful person she was. She was always looking out for others, and that’s an example anyone should live by. I was proud to say she was my grandmother, but she was also a loving mother, wife, aunt, great-grandmother and sister.

Nanny, I love you and always will. Thanks for everything you did for me and countless others, and I will be honored to tell people about the legacy you leave behind.

For a career that spans about four decades and includes 23 albums, I’d call that a success.
I’m talking about the guy who sings “Small Town,” “Pink Houses” and “Cherry Bomb.”
I’m talking about Seymour native singer-songwriter John Mellencamp.

On July 15, Mellencamp released his latest CD, “Live, Death, Love and Freedom.” It starts acoustically with “Longest Days” and follows up with the upbeat “My Sweet Love.” From that point on, it gets pretty dark.
It may be a new sound to Mellenheads and those who know his music from days gone by. But what it does include, like in music of the past, is the realness that is John Mellencamp. He’s real, raw and raspy. That’s what makes this Hoosier rocker stand out.

“My Sweet Love” already has a music video, featuring Karen Fairchild of the country music foursome Little Big Town. She’s featured on four songs on the album, twice as a vocal duet, and she and her bandmates provided background vocals on Mellencamp’s last release, “Freedom’s Road.” “My Sweet Love” is a sweet sounding song, and I thought it sounded radio-ready, and that was before I knew there was a music video. It’s already a hook with me.

The remaining 12 songs are sort of a rollercoaster of emotions, from “If I Die Sudden” to “Don’t Need This Body.” One song that has stuck with me since I first heard it is “Jena,” which is about a 2007 controversial case in Jena, La. It’s a song that condemns racism, and it’s really the only “controversial” song on the album. Some critics of past Mellencamp albums have said he was getting too political and everything, but he doesn’t do that on this album.

That’s one thing that people say about Mellencamp: they may like his music, but they may not agree with his stance on certain things. That’s OK, though. That’s anybody’s right. It’s good that people aren’t afraid to express their opinions. And that’s how Mellencamp has been.

Then there are people who may not like Mellencamp the person. I don’t know Mellencamp and I have never met him, but the way I look at it, I like his music and it’s always a good listen. So I’ll keep listening to it no matter what. I know many people know Mellencamp from his younger days and that’s their reasoning behind their opinion of him. But look at his career.
How many people from small-town southern Indiana could say they’ve had the success that Mellencamp has had? Twenty-three albums and a longlasting career; that’s what many musicians strive for. Plus, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in March, so he was apparently worthy enough of the honor. Someone thought so, and I agree with them.

I’ll continue to support Mellencamp and his music, and I’m glad to say I’m a Mellencamp fan. We should all be proud to call Mellencamp a fellow Hoosier. Anytime I hear a Mellencamp song, especially his hit songs of the past, it really makes me feel good. His new album isn’t as “feel-good,” but it’s worth a listen.
As long as Mellencamp keeps making music, I’ll listen.

Most people know her as Marjorie Fields.
To me, she’s Nanny.

This special person in my life, my grandmother, has always been a strong, tough lady. She’s been the rock of the family, and she’s always thinking of others. She’s very giving and she has done so much for me, my mom, my brother and everyone else.

This past Monday (June 23) at about 1 a.m., my mom was next door at Nanny’s house and she could tell something was wrong. She wasn’t breathing right, and when my mom would say something to her, she wouldn’t respond. So my mom decided to call an ambulance. My mom had noticed a few days recently about her breathing and also how her appetite wasn’t the same. In fact, Nanny’s appetite hasn’t been the same for a few months. In the past year, she hasn’t gotten out and done her usual things, like going to the beauty shop, bingo, the store and even the casino, a place she loves to go. She’s also been using a walker, and she’s been sleeping a lot more.

Well, the ambulance arrived and took her to the hospital in Scottsburg. I’ve had to take my mom to several places lately because she has been having dizzy spells, so this was that much more added stress on her. But getting Nanny better was Mom’s priority. Nurses and doctors ran tests and monitored Nanny, and at first they said it was congestive heart failure. They kept an eye on her until she was stable, and then my mom thought we had to take Nanny to the Seymour hospital because of her doctor. Well, come to find out, that may not have needed to be done. She ended up with another doctor.

So Nanny was taken by ambulance to Seymour and Mom and I drove up after that. Ever since Nanny arrived at Seymour, she has been on three different types of breathing machines. At one point, she seems stable and coherent, but several times she’s had some down moments. She is diabetic, so that was one factor, and her sugar has to be monitored. That got high a couple times, which scared everyone. Her blood pressure and heart rate increased one night because they found out a stimulant, like caffeine, was in the breathing treatment they were giving her. She’s allergic to caffeine.
Then, the doctor told my mom that he thought it may not be congestive heart failure, but that it may be pneumonia. She had a lot of fluid around her heart and lungs, and she still has some. That’s scary to think of because her sister, Jeanette, died about a year or so ago from pneumonia. Jeanette had battled pneumonia sometimes several times a year.

Last night (Thursday), Nanny was sent to the intensive care unit to be monitored for something they had to give her after her numbers changed. So, that put added stress on Nanny and me, Mom and everyone else. Mom called this morning and said the doctor said Nanny still has a “cloud” over her lungs, meaning they may have a little fluid there. So, it’s just like the past week–it’s a wait-and-see period. We don’t know what to expect from day to day.

Through all of this, I have really seen Nanny be stronger than ever. She still laughs and says different things you are used to her saying. I always like to joke with her and make her laugh because that’s what I love about her. Mom said her doctor even said that this morning, that it was surprising to see Nanny be positive despite what’s going on.
I’ve felt bad many times when I’ve gone to see her because I want to talk to her, but with the oxygen mask on her nose, it’s hard to understand her sometimes. But, just being there with her is the main thing.

My mom has been just as strong through this. She has only left the hospital twice. Once was to take her home to get a shower and take a break, since she hadn’t done that in a couple days. We weren’t home for long, though, because she wanted to get back to the hospital. Then two days later, I took her to get some things and get something to eat. Other than that, she has been right by Nanny’s side. That doesn’t surprise me, though. More than 10 years ago, when my great-grandmother was in the nursing home, we always went to see her. It was hard seeing her there, but we were among the few family members who did go to see her. When my great-grandmother ended up in the emergency room, my mom was right there. The moment my great-grandmother passed away, my mom was the only one there. That’s something she’s talked about several times, and it’s something she will always remember. But just the fact that she was there, and she cared and loved her enough to be there, says something about my mom.

And she will definitely be there to do whatever she can to support Nanny, too. She’s done it all her life, and she’s done it all this week. It’s inspiring for me to see two such strong women. And knowing that both of them are in my life makes me grateful for each day. Both of them have done so much for each other and for our family, and I can’t put into words how much I love and respect both of them.

Thinking of all of the family times together, the fondest are the trips to Connecticut, where Nanny is from, being together on all the birthdays and anniversaries and any other moments, even if it’s just a visit next door to Nanny and Grandpa’s. Each thing was special and it’s something I think about a lot.
Nanny and Grandpa have been married 56 years, and six years ago, members of both of their families all joined together to celebrate the golden anniversary. That was a special time, too. They have been great together and have done a lot for so many people. I know I appreciate everything they’ve done for me.
What has been hard to hold back is when my grandpa, Roger, came up to see Nanny. I know it was hard for him to see a woman he’s loved for 56 years in this condition. What broke my heart was when he was leaving to go home for the night, he said three times, “I love my Mod.” He’s called her Modney for a long time, and she calls him Rodney.
Also, when Nanny’s great-granddaughter, 7-month-old Kaylie Brooke, was brought up last night to see Nanny for a little bit, it was hard for me not to cry when Nanny saw her. She just lights up when she sees Kaylie. She’s even got a cute picture of Kaylie, wearing her floppy hat, in her room.
When Kaylie left the room, Nanny told me, “She’s a cutie.” I told Nanny that she was, too, and she said, “Not with my hair like this.”
That’s just the thing I was talking about, with how Nanny is. She likes to joke and just sit around and talk. I always enjoy going next door to see Nanny and Grandpa.

I want Nanny and Grandpa to have 56 more years, and I want our family to stay together forever. I only wish Nanny the best in her recovery, and I have a great feeling she will get through this. She is one tough lady.

I love you, Nanny.

Any other time, lakefront property sure would be a nice thing to have.
Looking at some of the homes in Seymour, Medora, Little Acres, Cortland, Columbus and other area towns recently, we aren’t talking about the same “lakefront property.”
This was muddy, smelly, nasty flood water from the East Fork of the White River after it overflowed its banks and crept into neighboorhoods.

Many residents said it was their first time for dealing with flooding. Others said it was the first time it crept into certain neighborhoods. These are not good firsts by any means.
But thankfully for many of the people, somehow, good came out of what seemed like a disaster. People were notified in good timing of evacuating. People were told where they could go, and emergency shelters were set up fast. Once the flooding was in the neighborhoods, some people were trying to get back to their homes and assess the damage. Then, you heard of friends, family, people from churches, volunteers, police, fire and emergency personnel, city officials and workers and even complete strangers going in and helping others. Isn’t that what community spirit is all about?

Well, that happened in Seymour and it happened in Medora. I know that because I went to these places myself throughout the whole process, between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday. This is going to be on the minds of folks for now, and most likely for a lot longer than that. They are also thinking of what’s next and basically just moving on and doing what they have to do.

When I was called Sunday to come up to do some video, talk to some people and get some pictures, I didn’t know what I was getting to. Neither did the other reporters called up, Aubrey Woods and January Wetzel. I was told by my editor, Dan Davis, that people were evacuated from homes and they had a shelter set up at Seymour High School but they were moving it to Seymour Middle School as they were concerned with the flood waters. I had heard on the news the night before about Interstate 65 being closed for about 60 miles between Seymour and Indianapolis. I thought, “are you serious?” I’ve taken that route many times and never thought water could get up that high, but it sure did.

Once I got up to Seymour, though, I began seeing people everywhere, walking the streets, riding their bicycles and touring the area, people moving furniture and other belongings out of their home and others with cameras and video cameras capturing the moment–the unbelievable moment. That was just in Seymour.

Medora was a different story. While people in Seymour mainly had flooding either in their basements or crawl space or had water around or up to their homes, people in Medora seemed to really get the brunt of it all, especially on one part of town. Everything was just a mess.
I saw a guy kayaking up the street, which is what I saw in Seymour too, people ripping up carpet out of their water-soaked home and others just walking through their homes thinking, “what do I do next?”

I was able to tour one woman’s home. That was just unreal. Floors were buckling, the floor was sinking in another room, carpet was brown from all the water that had been in the home, the carpet and floor was wavy in another room, finish was stripped off a bottom part of her piano and outside she said the mortar was coming out of the bricks on the foundation. Where do you go from there after something like this happens? I just can’t imagine living in a home after all of this, dealing with the smell, mold and other health hazards, let alone dealing with the loss of things in your home, whether it’s furniture or personal belongings that just can’t be replaced. What do you do?

Well, to some of the people, somehow, some way, they are able to just move on. That’s amazing to me. To see the willpower and the forward-thinking in many of the people I talked to, it’s great to see something positive come out of something so negative and unfortunate.
While a few of these people joked about having “lakefront property,” I’m sure it’s not the lakefront property they were hoping for.

But now that a majority of the water has receded, or been pumped elsewhere, it really is time to move on, pick up the pieces and return to some sense of normalcy. I guess that’s what everybody has to do after a disaster. In this case, however, I’m sure these people, at least in Jackson County, are just thankful that no lives were lost and they still have their family, friends and others who helped them through the situation. I can only wish the best to all of those affected. I know these are just words and I can’t understand what they have gone through and what lies ahead. But just being able to move on is something in and of itself.

I can’t believe it’s been a year since I’ve been at The Tribune. Not long after I started last year, among my first assignments was covering local high school graduations. Now here we are again, several stories, videos, photos and cutlines later, and now the Class of 2008 has graduated.

The first Jackson County high school to graduate was Medora High School. The small southwestern Jackson County town’s school graduated 14 this year, which is the same as last year. I’ve heard it is either one of the smallest or it is the smallest school in Indiana. This will be the school’s 108th graduation.

Twenty-six seniors graduated from Trinity Lutheran High School. 2004 was the first graduating class from this Seymour Lutheran school. That’s a big jump from 2006, when it had eight graduates. Last year it had 32.

Brownstown Central High School graduated 132 seniors, exceeding last year by two.

Crothersville High School had its 112th graduation in the gymnasium. The 32 graduates this year is the same as last year.

Seymour High School graduates filed into the school’s gymnasium one last time on Sunday. There was an increase of eight this year, with 262 seniors receiving diplomas at the biggest school in the county.

We’ve written stories, shot photos and took videos at each graduation, so check out tribtown.com for full coverage.

To the graduates, as you think of what the future holds for you, don’t forget to think about the fond memories and the people who have helped you along the way. Those are things and people you will never forget, and they are things and people that you should be thankful for. I know when I graduated, those things were on my mind. Come to think of it, they still are now.

Relay for Life.
It’s something many people in many communities get involved with to benefit the American Cancer Society. Since there are so many people who either have cancer themselves or know someone who has had cancer, it touches a lot of people. It’s unfortunate that it affects so many people, but the fact that there are people out there who do what they can to support a cure, I think that sends a great message.

I recently learned this year there are 35 teams in Jackson County participating in the Relay, which is May 16-17 at Seymour High School’s Bulleit Stadium. Last year, there were about 25, so it has apparently grown over time. Forming of teams began earlier this year, and that’s when teams organized and began thinking of ideas for fundraisers. There are many options for fundraisers, and many of them have done them up to the last minute.

On May 3, Trey’s Team set up lemonade stands at George’s of Seymour, Jay C Food Store and Wal-Mart Supercenter. It was their second fundraiser of the year, and I later learned from Kathy Hohenstreiter that the stands collected $2,000, so that was a success for them and for the American Cancer Society.

Kathy has been a very strong individual throughout the past few years. She organized a Relay team not long after she learned of her son’s (Trey) diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Since the diagnosis on Jan 6. 2006, Trey has undergone 23 spinal taps, 66 bone marrow aspirations, 12-13 blood transfusions, five platelet transfusions and 11 sets of chemo shots in his leg.

Through all of that, somehow, Trey has remained very strong. Kathy said he’s been very understanding of the things he needs to do to get better. His first year of diagnosis, Kathy said, was the most stressful. There were weekly trips to Riley Hospital for Children then. But now, he gets oral chemo daily, Riley once a month for chemo in his chest port and quarterly for spinal taps. He also has to take steroids five days a month. That cycle will continue for the next 11-12 months.
Kathy said it could have been much worse. Trey could have had more of the side effects. The biggest side effect he’s had, she said, is less energy due to the chemo.

“But I’ve never heard him complain,” she said. “He’s never questioned why. We go to Riley and he understands that’s part of it. That’s his life, and he doesn’t know any different.”

Can you imagine? He’s only 6 years old, and he’s undergone this for three and a half years.
But when I was talking to him that day, I asked Trey how many laps he planned on walking or running this year. “One hundred” he initially said. Then he quickly changed his answer to “two,” before settling with “seven” since he’ll be that age on Oct. 25.

Kathy has used a very good approach to dealing with all of this: she relies on family, friends and faith. What a wonderful combination. You’d think with all three of those things, anything would be possible. Really, it’s gone well for Kathy, with those three things on her side. I was impressed when Kathy asked Trey who has helped them get through everything. He responded, “Jesus.”

Kathy, Trey, family, friends and supporters are already looking to the future. May 1, 2009, will be a day all of them are ready for: that’s the day Trey is scheduled to end chemo.
What a relief that will be for Trey and everyone else in support of him. For a year after that, Kathy said, he will visit Riley monthly, then quarterly the second year, every six months the third year and then yearly after that. He will do that until he’s 18.
Also, Kathy is already thinking about an “All-Better Party” for June 2009 to “pay back for the prayers, for the support and for everything.”

But for now, they have this weekend to look forward to with the Relay. Tonight is the Survivor’s Walk. But to Kathy, seeing Trey among those in the Survivor’s Walk, it’s emotional. She would hope he wouldn’t have had to be there in the first place, but then again, she’s seeing him get stronger and battling cancer. So this is more of a celebration of life than anything else, I guess.

So when everyone sees Trey’s Team, clad in their orange shirts with “Trey’s Team” on the front and “Pray for Trey” on the back, people will know who they are. They have been in the Relay for the third year, and they will keep putting forth their efforts for Trey.

To all of the people out there who support Relay for Life, good for you. You are doing a great thing to support a great cause. Hopefully, someday, there will be a time when people can see the end of cancer. If that ever happens, I’m sure Trey’s Team will still wear their orange shirts with pride.

I continue to be totally amazed at how people tied to the primary elections are visiting Indiana, particularly southern Indiana.
First there was news of Bill Clinton making a four-city stop in Columbus, Seymour, Bedford and Bloomington on April 2 to campaign for his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president. Then on April 11, Barack Obama stopped by Columbus East High School to talk about his issues, as well as hold a town hall-style meeting where people could ask questions.
Most recently, former first daughter Chelsea Clinton visited the Jennings Township Volunteer Fire Department in Austin, my hometown, to spend more than an hour answering people’s questions.

Plus, Chelsea and Hillary have visited other area locations, like Jeffersonville and New Albany, and on the same route through Austin, she visited Salem, Columbus and Rushville. It’s just seemed nonstop for this area. I guess, like everyone is saying, Hoosier voters’ vote will actually mean something this year. They are even saying that it could be a deciding factor. Also, last I heard, Clinton and her challenger, Sen. Barack Obama from Illinois, are neck-and-neck in the polls in Indiana.

With Chelsea’s visit, I was just as impressed in her speaking ability as I was when her father visited Seymour. The main difference, however, is that he didn’t field questions from the public. That’s all that she did. I think that makes a big difference, and I think that’s the way all of the visits should be.

At Austin, people asked questions about the Family and Medical Leave Act, paid maternity leave, real estate and the housing crisis, ending the war in Iraq, public and higher education, Social Security, taxes, jobs, trade agreements, health care, autism epidemic, gun control and cost of medical care and prescriptions.

Throughout her talking, Chelsea highlighted the many successes of her mother and father, as he was president and she was first lady and she is a senator now. With FMLA, for example, Chelsea said that was Bill’s first piece of legislation that he signed while in office. Hillary has done a lot of work to expand and extend it, she added.

Chelsea also noted a couple of times the failings of the George W. Bush administration, in relation to the housing crisis, the challenges of Social Security and the debt he will leave when he leaves office (after coming into a $5.6 trillion surplus from Clinton’s time in office).

I talked to people from Jackson and Scott counties afterwards to get their feedback on Chelsea’s words, and why they were going to vote for Hillary.
Donna Bowling of Austin, who was present with other Morgan Foods employees, is glad to see Hillary is thinking of all Americans.
“She will take care of people like us, the blue-collar workers, as well as the poverty-stricken people,” she said. “She is for the people and all the people. Every woman, every man, should get out and vote, and vote Hillary Clinton. I feel she is the most rounded person who is running. She has more of a hold on real issues that are important for all of us.”

Karen Mains, of Crothersville, is a member of the Crothersville Town Council. She is also a cancer survivor, so she was concerned of Hillary’s stance on helping alleviate treatment and drug costs.
“I like the fact that (Hillary) is very conscious of the needs for prescription medicine and lowering the cost,” Mains said. “I’m very impressed with (Hillary) being concerned with everyone having health insurance. I’m lucky to have health insurance. Even though I have it, it’s not enough. If the cost could be lowered, I would be in seventh heaven.”

Charlotte Keith of Retreat and Viola Gay of Uniontown were also concerned of Hillary’s view of health care.
“My vote was already for Hillary Clinton, but she has helped me come over the top with all of her plans and everything that she’s done for health care,” Keith said.

It was good to see a good turnout at the firehouse from people in the community, especially with the news of Chelsea’s visit being on such short notice. Also, seniors from the high school also got to come down and see Chelsea, sit up front as Chelsea spoke and afterwards got to get pictures with her and autographs.
Overall, it was a neat experience for everyone. Some things like this may only happen once, so it’s great to see people take advantage of it when it’s around.

***Check out the full story on tribtown.com. Also, I’ll be working on video from the day as well, so look for that, too.

While I may have traveled to Lexington, Ky., and Indianapolis this weekend (for different reasons), it was all for fun. That may not sound like much of a relaxing weekend since I was going all over the place, but it really was.

On Saturday, my mom and I went to Rupp Arena in Lexington for the “Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride” tour stop featuring Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. It was the last stop of the tour featuring the two country music powerhouses. What was special about this particular show (and I didn’t know it ’til I got there) was that it was the last stop on the tour and they were taping it for a live DVD to be released later. So that was pretty neat to be a part of, and it will be something to purchase later. It was the 107th stop for Keith Urban. Between Carrie and Keith, they put on a four-hour show…that’s right, four hours. I have never been to a show that has lasted that long…but every minute there was definitely worth it.

Carrie Underwood began the show with “Flat on the Floor,” a song she wrote for her newest album, “Carnival Ride.” That was followed by more “Carnival” songs, “Get Out of This Town,” “Just a Dream”
Next came a song about her hometown, Checotah, Okla., “I Ain’t in Checotah Anymore,” which showed various pictures from the small town. Then came “Last Name,” a song reminiscent of “Before He Cheats,” from her debut album, “Some Hearts.”
She then delivered “The Boys I Meet” before slowing the pace down to a hit from her first album, “Don’t Forget to Remember Me.”
Her band gave her a short breather as they demonstrated their abilties on vocals and instruments, before Carrie came back to the stage, as the floor opened up and she came rising up. She came back out with a cover in her set of Guns N’ Roses’ hit “Paradise City,” which got the crowd on its feet as she rocked it out.
Other songs include her smash hit, “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” and new album songs “Twisted,” “So Small” and her current hit “All-American Girl.”

I think Carrie Underwood is one of the great artists of today, and I was very pleased with her performance. Besides the lighting effects in the faster songs, I thought she delivered a great first-half. Then after about a 30-40-minute break, Keith Urban hit the stage.
Urban was onstage about two and a half hours, and I don’t think he left out many of his songs, as he delivered hit after hit.

From his “Golden Road” Album, he sang “Somebody Like You,” “You’ll Think of Me,” “Rainin’ on Sunday” and “Who Wouldn’t Want to Be Me.” Also, he started “You Look Good In My Shirt” onstage, before jumping off stage and walking up into the stands, where he finished the last part of the song. Then he gets out a silver marker, autographs the guitar and gives it to a female fan. How cool was that?

From his “Be Here” album, he delivered “Where the Blacktop Ends,” “Better Life” and “You’re My Better Half.” On “Days Go By,” it featured pictures across the United States I’m guessing that maybe they got from various tour stops or something. It featured people doing a wavy hand motion (which would have to do with how days go by…fast!) in front of different places and things. I thought that was a neat video to go along with the song. Keith also slowed it down and sat at the piano to belt out “Tonight I Wanna Cry,” and sang the emotional “Making Memories of Us.”
Also a neat add-in to Keith’s set was a cover of Stevie Nicks’ “Stop Dragging My Heart Around,” as Carrie joined him onstage for a duet.

With his album, “Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Thing,” he sang “Once In A Lifetime,” “Shine” (one of my personal favorites), “I Told You So” (my second favorite because of the instrumentation toward the end), “Faster Car” and “Stupid Boy” (a great song that country newcomer Sarah Buxton wrote, and Keith sang too).

I would say the best three moments of the night came with the following three songs.
First, as Keith took a moment after singing two or three songs, he stood at the edge of the stage and looked out. He then saw four women with bright orange signs, three of which said “She Wants to Play Your Guitar” with arrows pointing left. On the fourth sign, a girl was holding the sign that said “I Want to Play Your Guitar.” So what does Keith do? He tells the girl to come onstage! She gets up there and says her name is Leslie and she is from Hazard, Ky. He asks her what she knows on the guitar and she said “Raise the Barn,” which is a song on the “Love, Pain…” album featuring country duo Brooks and Dunn. So Keith hands her the guitar and he grabs another one and they play along. The girl was absolutely amazing, and I think Keith was just as amazed. She looked like she would be in middle school or something like that. It sure was impressive.

The other two highlight moments came back-to-back at the end of the show, which was around midnight. He took to the piano again and said he was dedicating a song to his wife, actress Nicole Kidman, and they then put the spotlight on her…she was there at the show to the left of the stage. “Got It Right This Time” was the perfect song for her, as you could tell after all Keith has gone through (including rehab he went through a few months ago) to get to this point in his life, he’s now right where he needs to be.
Finally, he got a little emotional at the end of dedicating the song, “Everybody,” to his fans, as an appreciation to all they have done in support of his career.

Overall, this was one of the best shows that I have been to in a while. Yeah, I have seen many, many good shows over the years, but this was at the top of that list. I don’t know that anyone expected to be at the show for four hours, but I don’t think one minute of that time wasn’t enjoyed by all. “Absolutely amazing show” is all I have to say about this one.
On Sunday, I went with my brother to Indianapolis and Greenwood to look around and eat, so that was a good day, too. So, for me, it was a great weekend.

Not long after I blogged about former President Bill Clinton visiting Seymour, here I am blogging about one of the candidates running for president who visited the area April 11.
Democratic Illinois Senator Barack Obama stopped by Columbus East High School to deliver his spiel on his side of the issues, as well as having a town-hall style meeting where people could ask questions.

Clinton didn’t do that last week. I know he’s not the presidential candidate, but I think that it was much more personal. However, I will say that I enjoyed listening to both Clinton and Obama speak, and I think they both have great speaking skills. I was impressed.

I’ll touch on some of the points Obama made during the stop.
First, he is all for ending the war in Iraq, and I believe he set a time for that being in 2009. He is also looking to win the war in Afghanistan. Another big issue, that Clinton touched on, is the economy. That’s the basis of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, but it’s an issue with both candidates as they both want change.

Another one of Obama’s goals is to provide insurance to the uninsured, and make it available to everyone and the federal government subsidizing it so more people can get access to it.
With his campaign, he said he’s not taking contributions (on the campaign or policy side) from lobbyists, which he said is a big difference between him and Hillary Clinton. He said he’s counting on the American voters to support him.

Obama also touched on the importance of Social Security by saying he would like to see a cap put on workers’ paychecks so it helps the middle class citizens. He said Social Security is “one of the most successful programs we’ve ever devised.”

When it came to audience questions, people asked about health care, education, gay marriage and world issues. There was an estimated 3,000 people at Obama’s visit.

One comment he made during his speech, I thought, really stood out.

“I’m accountable to you,” he said. “It’s not enough to change political parties in the White House. I’ve learned that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they are given the chance. I think unless we get the American people involved we can’t move forward to the critical issues affecting American families.”

It was good to be able to hear Obama speak in the area, and it was a great chance for people to actually see and hear one of the presidential candidates. Who knows if he will come back around this area before Election Day.
It sure will be interesting to see how Election Day pans out. I think I already know who I’m voting for…so don’t hassle me (with cards, nail files or matchbooks) on my way into the polls on May 6. So to everyone out there…get out and vote on Election Day. Let your voice be heard. It’s your right. You could make a difference.

***Check out stories by Aubrey Woods and Dan Davis at www.tribtown.com. There are also some photos posted, and I’ll be working on a video from Obama’s visit. Look for that soon…

It’s not every day that you can say a president is coming to town. But on April 2, Seymour, Columbus, Bedford and Bloomington could say just that.
That’s when the 42nd president of the United States, Bill Clinton, visited the southern Indiana cities to speak on behalf of his wife, Hillary Clinton, who is one of the Democractic candidates for presidency.

Numbers tallied 1,300 at Seymour High School during Clinton’s visit to the school’s auxiliary gym. The house was packed, with a majority of people standing, but it was anticipated that people would flow out into the commons area…but that didn’t happen. After a nearly two-hour delay, Clinton finally arrived and spoke for nearly an hour.
He told the audience that he had arrived in Indiana from Montana at 3:15 a.m. Not long after arriving in the Hoosier State, he learned that Hillary had just taken the lead in Indiana polls.

Clinton shared his wife’s views on the economy, the war in Iraq, health care and veterans affairs. He stated a few times that his wife is the right choice for the job. Here are some quotes I pulled from Tribune reporter Aubrey Woods’ story:

–”Hillary wants your support and knows it can be used to change this country and make the world a better place.”
–”She wants us going forward together. All of us together. She wants us to be a leading force in the world again.”
–”She’s got the best plan to grow the economy,” which includes an energy independence drive, producing more goods in America, re-examining trade agreements and eliminating trade deficits.

It was definitely a busy day for many people, including people at the Tribune.
Aubrey brought along his laptop and jotted down notes and quotes as Clinton spoke. Before everything had begun, Aubrey typed up a timeline as the morning went along, providing online readers information about what was going on throughout the morning. That was kind of a neat addition and service to the online experience.
Sports editor Arv Koontz took pictures during the first part of Clinton’s speech, before heading back to the newsroom to get pictures to Joanne Persinger to get online. He then handed the camera off to Aubrey, who took some shots here and there.
January Wetzel talked to people waiting in line to get in before the speech, and got their comments on the Clintons, the election, voting, etc. Jill Treadway tagged along and got some of those comments on video. Inside, January and Jill were up on the right-hand side of the stage up above the crowd getting pictures and video during and after the speech.
I was at the back of the gym getting video of the entire speech, and I also got a few shots here and there of the crowd, band, etc.

So in all, several Tribuners (yeah, I guess I made that word up just now) got to experience a presidential visit. We were there about five hours, but I would say it was worth it. It had been many, many years since a president came to the area, so it was a good thing for people of all ages to attend and see for themselves.
With something like this, I really don’t think it matters what political party you’re from. Attending something like this will be something you’ll remember for years to come.

***Check out a couple of videos Jill put together on our Web site, tribtown.com. One was posted the day of Clinton’s visit, highlighting some things he said as well as Clinton supporters. The other video is more focused on her and January’s reporting before the speech.
I’ll be working on one highlighting other points of his speech, and other shots I got during the speech. Look for it soon.
We’ll be posting more pictures on our Web site, so look for those as well. Also look for Aubrey’s full story on the speech on our Web site, and January’s story of talking to people from around the area.
***If you’d like to purchase videos or pictures from The Tribune, here’s how to do that:
-pictures: on our Web site under photo galleries (there’s a special gallery of Clinton pictures); or if you’d like, stop by The Tribune, 100 St. Louis Ave., Seymour, and purchase them.
-video: stop by The Tribune or call 522-4871. There will end up being three videos you could purchase if you’d like, including a highlight video, public comments/Clinton fans or the entire speech.

It’s been about a month since I last blogged, so I figured I’d take a few minutes to share some of the things I’ve been up to. The month of March sure has been a busy one, but to me, that’s a good thing. I like staying busy.

To kick off the month, the Lutheran schools in Jackson County celebrated National Lutheran Schools Week March 3-8. Immanuel Lutheran, Lutheran Central, Trinity Lutheran High School and St. John’s Sauers all had activities planned throughout the week. I picked three things to go to. The first was the class cheering competition at Immanuel on Monday. About 17 classes participated and were judged on whose presentation was the best. It was neat to see the different creative things the kids came up with. There were several somersaults, three kids went airborne and were twirled above their classmates, among other things.
On Tuesday, I went over to Brownstown as LCS seventh-graders visited St. Peter’s Preschool as their community service project. Each class had a particular project to do as they visited nursing homes and other locations in town. Later that afternoon, TLHS students visited nursing homes, grade schools and Camp Lakeview to spend some time with kids and the elderly. Serving community and having pride in the opportunity to attend a Lutheran school are two main reasons for the specially-designated week.

The Seymour High School Music Department staged “Beauty and the Beast” as its spring musical. I had the opportunity to attend one of their dress rehearsals early in the month before their performances on March 7 and 9. I have covered the music and choir departments on several occasions and have been equally impressed each time. The students seem genuinely interested in it and are serious about it, and they still find time to have fun with it. “Beauty and the Beast” was no different. The stage designs and the costumes they were able to get were perfect and it really made things stand out. I was able to talk to several of the cast members and also snap some pictures. I will say I was totally impressed with everything. Also, January Wetzel reported on Brownstown Central’s production of “High School Musical.” She, too, got some great photos and wrote up a nice story after having the chance to talk with the cast. Great work to all of these students, directors and volunteers for keeping music and fine arts in the schools and producing a nice show for the school and public to enjoy.

Eleven inches of snow hit the area on March 6, causing schools to close or delay and making a messy situation on the roads. But with schools out, kids got their sleds and headed outside, including Burkart Boulevard hill, and also played in the snow or built a snowman. People also made a trip to the grocery store to stock up on the usual essentials. Reporter Jill Treadway and I got out and got some photos and video. And yes, it was really cold to be doing that, but we had a job to do. The snow canceled things Friday and Saturday. It was my weekend to work, but the scheduled things I was supposed to cover got canceled. So, free weekend for me.

On the morning of March 11, four doctorate students from Indiana University visited Medora Junior-Senior High School for an African studies outreach program. It was a very interesting presentation and display put on by the students. They shared information about Africa’s demographics, language, culture, dancing, clothing and more. It was a good thing for the kids to be involved in as they got to learn and do the gumboot dance and also try on African clothing. Some of the kids even made some African food to serve to the IU students and their fellow classmates. I was very impressed with it all and the students really seemed to enjoy it. It’s nice to see the IU students taking the time to share their relation to Africa (because each of them were from different African countries) and their knowledge on their respective subject.

On March 14, the grand opening was held for the Aisin Holdings of America Inc. Human Resources Development Center. It’s a new center adjacent to Aisin Holdings of America, and just down the road from Aisin USA in Seymour. The new center will be a learning and training facility featuring three state-of-the-art classrooms as well as a skills training area. The skills training area will be a place for others to come in and experience a “simulation of the shop floor.” President of AHA and the president of Aisin’s base plant in Japan were on hand for the ceremony, and they presented a $10,000 donation to the Jackson County Public Library.
That is one thing that has impressed me about Aisin. I attended the grand opening of Aisin Chemical Indiana LLC in Crothersville last year, and it was sort of the same scenario. There, they made a similar donation to the Town of Crothersville and Crothersville Community Schools. I think it’s amazing what Aisin has done for Jackson County. Not only have they provided jobs to people in the county and area with Aisin USA in Seymour and Aisin Chemical and Aisin Drivetrain in Crothersville, but they have provided an economic advantage for the county. Aisin’s business with the county is definitely a good thing, and I think of all places they could choose, they stick with Jackson County. That has a lot to do with local leaders’ efforts as well as Jim Plump’s efforts with Jackson County Industrial Development Corp. in getting companies to the county.

Continuing with successful business in Jackson County, Cerro Wire and Cable Co. Inc. was awarded the Indiana Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program award from the Indiana Department of Labor on March 17 at the plant. It’s a distinct honor, because of the 130,000 employers in Indiana, less than 20 have worked toward this award and earned it. What was neat about this ceremony is that all 93 employees got to attend the ceremony. And they deserved that. Through their dedication toward safety, they earned this and they were really the reason Cerro Wire was getting the award. So great work to all of them, and I’m sure the safe working habits will continue.

On March 18 at Seymour High School, the Taste of Home Cooking School was presented to the public. People here at The Tribune worked hard to pull this all together, and many vendors/sponsors took part in the event. Booths were lined along the hallways of the school and into the cafeteria, handing out and/or selling things, before everyone headed into the auditorium where culinary specialist Dana Elliott prepared and cooked up nine dishes. I took photos and some video of all of the action and January Wetzel wrote up a story. It all turned out to be a very successful show and we got some great feedback from it. I was impressed with how Elliott presented the cooking and interspersed humor throughout.

Finally, Freetown Elementary had a career day and celebration on March 20 after the school received the Four Star School award. This is the second time for FES to receive the great honor. All students gathered in the school’s gym for career day in the afternoon to listen to guest speaker Lee Eldridge, news director at WAVE 3 News in Louisville. He shared his story of how he got to where he is with his job, and what he is responsible for. The kids then got to ask him questions. Many were kind of funny questions not related to his job, but then there were a few asking about what he does. Then, the students headed over to the Freetown Community Center for a celebration with refreshments, cornhole, sandy candy making, coloring, face painting and they had the opportunity to release some energy by jumping in one of the inflatables. It was nice to see the school let all students join in and celebrate all of their hard work. Plus, you have to credit the principal, teachers, community and volunteers from the school for having a hand in the award. Congratulations to all at Freetown.

Wow…I think that’s about it. Of course, there were some other things that came along the way, but this is a good recap for you. I continue to enjoy the stories I get to do, and I enjoy meeting all of the people out there. Let me know if you ever think of something that would be of good news or feature value to our newspaper. I’d be glad to talk with you about it.
I think a majority of the “March Madness” is done as the month of March comes to a wrap.

Until next time…

Well, here I am again blogging about John Mellencamp. It has been a couple of months since I’ve done so, but this time I definitely have a good reason to do it. His induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10 is quickly approaching. In the past week, a suggestion was put before the Seymour Common Council to rename Community Drive in Seymour to John Mellencamp Way. It was on behalf of the Seymour High School Class of 1970, of which Mellencamp was a member. Who knew this would cause so much stir?

If you’re not aware of the “stir,” head on over to tribtown.com and read the reader comments about the four or so stories written on this exact issue. January Wetzel introduced the topic in Monday’s paper (Feb. 25) to let people know what was going to be discussed that night at the council meeting. Then the next day, Mellencamp and the reaction to the renaming from the meeting was the centerpiece in the newspaper. Reader comments quickly began flowing, some approving, and unfortunately, many opposing.
Dan Davis wrote a couple of editorials about it in the opinion section of our paper, and he had another opinion piece in today’s paper (Feb. 29). That’s what prompted me to write this blog.

I couldn’t believe some of the things people were saying. There were:
-People saying he is not deserving of the honor because he’s claimed he is from Bloomington, not Seymour.
-People saying they didn’t like his personality and some of things they say he’s done in the past. Whether they are true or not, who knows?
-People saying changing Community Drive would cause a big inconvenience to the businesses and the church along that street. January personally called those businesses and the church and not a one of them had a problem with it. None of them said it would cause a burden, when it comes to changing things like business cards or letterheads. In fact, one of the businesses mainly uses a post office box. Then, people were saying the school would have to change things. Yeah, the school may be ALONG Community Drive but it has a Second Street address. So basically, just check your facts before you make an argument about this.
-People saying Mellencamp is not “worthy” of the honor. That’s just absurd to me. Look at what he’s accomplished in his life, and the dedication he’s put toward causes like Farm Aid. Locally, he practically gave the building away that now houses the Southern Indiana Center for the Arts. It’s now enjoyed by people near and far. C’mon people…you can’t say he’s not worthy of the honor.

There are so many other things people were saying, and it just totally amazed me. Some things pertained to the argument, and many times, they strayed away from the point of the article. But it’s an open comment area, so I guess you can express your opinion however you want.

What Dan Davis pointed is was a very good point. We have received several letters to the editor from people outside of Seymour, some who used to live in Seymour and some who are just fans, who said they were Mellencamp fans and they support honoring him in some way. Why is it the people outside Seymour can accept that, but those who are here (that may possibly even personally know John) can’t seem to appreciate what John has done? One reader comment posting that I saw drew up an interesting line by saying “Fame is not measured in the number of people that know you but the lives you touch.”
That’s an interesting perspective. I don’t know how many people’s lives John Mellencamp has touched, but I’m sure his music has a strong meaning to his true fans out there. Growing up in Indiana, it’s just music you relate to. It has a feel-good sound and I’ve always thought Mellencamp’s music is good “driving music.” If I like the sound of the music and the lyrics really make the song, then I’m all for it. Mellencamp’s music does that.

So whether you like Mellencamp the person, or you just like his music and not the person, or you do or do not think a street should be named after him, that’s your opinion. You are entitled to an opinion, no doubt about it. But my opinion has always been and will continue to be to support John Mellencamp. I’m for his music, I’m for naming the street after him and most importantly, I’m for Mellencamp the person.

All I can say to John is “Congratulations, you made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
Well-deserved, John, well-deserved.

I always wondered about the entrance sign to my hometown, Austin. It says “Welcome to Austin” across the top and “Where Eagles Soar” at the bottom.
I always thought that had something to do with the school’s mascot, the eagle. I never knew, or even thought, there were eagles in the area.

But what I recently found out, is that actually there are eagles in Indiana, and there are at least two about 10 miles from my house at Hardy Lake. That’s what Zach Walker, interpretive naturalist at Hardy Lake, said.

He visited Starve Hollow State Recreation Area in Vallonia on Feb. 13, and brought along a rehabilitated male bald eagle. The nearly 20 people there were within feet of a live bald eagle. It’s not every day you can get that close to something like that, and the fact that it’s one of our nation’s symbols makes it an even neater opportunity. It made me think, you can go to New York City and see the Statue of Liberty and you can go to Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell. But these local people had the chance to see an eagle, which is something not as easy to do.

What surprised me even more was that at Starve Hollow, anywhere from 10 to 20 eagles can be seen at a time on the lake. But of course, you wouldn’t be within feet of them like people were with the eagle from Hardy Lake.
Walker said the eagle, found in Nebraska, had fallen out of its nest tree when it was half grown. That resulted in a broken wing and leg. The now 4-year-old eagle is immature because eagles aren’t considered mature until they are 5-years-old, Walker said. Hardy Lake obtained the eagle in September 2005 when it was a year and a half old.

Walker said at Hardy Lake’s Raptor Center, at all times, they have at least 13 permanently injured birds of prey that cannot be released back into the wild, like the eagle. But they have some that are coming in getting into rehab to be released back into the wild.
When Hardy Lake first got the eagle, its head was brown, its beak was black, it had black eyes and its body was speckled, Walker said. Those aren’t the characteristics a person would first think of when they picture an eagle.
It’s starting to look much more like an eagle now, as it reaches maturity. By April 2009, it will have a white head, dark wings, a white tail, a yellow beak and yellow eyes. The only difference now is that the lower part of its head is still a little dark, its beak hasn’t quite reached the fullow yellowness and its eyes are dark. Now, the eagle weighs nine pounds and has a six-foot wingspan.
Walker said it’s slowly changing into what we think of our national symbol, our bald eagle.

One thing Walker talked about is, at one time, it may not have been possible to even do what he’s doing. “We came very close to just being able to hold a picture of a bald eagle,” he said. “At one point, our national symbol, the bald eagle, we had less than 300 pairs left out in the wild. Some of the reason was because we were still paying people to shoot our national symbol up in Alaska because of fish.”

He said the people in Alaska who fished for a living weren’t benefiting because the eagles were eating the fish. So in turn, the fishermen would shoot the eagles and make money. The government decided to put a stop to that.
They also learned of the effects of DDT. Walker said when DDT was introduced, it was a good thing for farmers’ crops. But he said, “It would run off the crops and into the streams and the fish would get it in their systems and it wouldn’t hurt the fish. But eagles eat fish and it really hurt our adult eagles that eat the fish.”
With the DDT in the eagles’ bodies, the female eagles would lay eggs that were misshapen and when she would sit on thme to keep them warm, the eggs shattered.
“So for years, we were having all these older eagles dying off with no young ones replacing them,” Walker said. “So that’s why our eagle population was going down and down and down.”

So after all of this, the government made it illegal to shoot the eagles, use, sell or buy DDT in the United States and it was even illegal to keep an eagle feather. Thus, the numbers of eagles gradually increased.
In Indiana, we had not seen a successful eagle nest since the late 1800s, Walker said. But over time, in 1991, the first successful eagle nest in Indiana became reality at Lake Monroe in Bloomington. Nine years later, the goal was to have five nests—but the result was 32.
Flash forward another seven years, in 2007, and Walker said there were more than 70.
“It’s very impressive,” Walker said of the number of nests. “That teaches us a lesson that we can mess up a lot in nautre, we can do a lot of wrong, we can confuse things, we can mess up everything and how equal it is, but a lot of times if we catch it in time, we can bring it back, just like our national symbol. That’s a perfect example right here, a living example.”

Walker said he worked diligently to get the eagle to Hardy Lake. Well, his diligence and persistence obviously paid off. “This one could live to be 25 years old probably in the wild,” he said. “In captivity, with most birds of prey, they say you could double their life expectancy, so this bird could live to be 50 years old.”
Walker began full-time at Hardy Lake in fall 2006, but he worked seasonally the previous two years. He began with the eagle in 2005, and last year, his educational program reached 30,000 people.
Then he noted that the kids at the program Feb. 13 could someday be bringing their kids or grandkids back to see the same eagle.

With Starve Hollow, Laura Rissler, assistant property manager, said she’s happy with the number of eagles on the lake there. But she said with the number of juvenile eagles seen there, it’s possible, as they mature, that they will stay in the area close to the other eagles.

I had never been out to Starve Hollow, and I haven’t been out to Hardy Lake in years. I was impressed by Starve Hollow, and I think it would be neat to go out again someday and search on the lake for eagles. I didn’t do that the day of the program (and I don’t think anybody else did) since it was really cold and we had just received a little bit of snow. Maybe next time, I’ll be able to head right out to the lake and look for some eagles.

Here’s some interesting facts that Walker shared that I thought were pretty interesting:

1. Eagles do not have teeth; they use their beaks for eating purposes.
2. Eagles use their feet/claws/talons as “weapons” to swoop down and pick up food. Walker said people sometimes refer to eagles’ feet as “the business end of the bird.”
3. Eagles can strike as fast with their foot as a snake can strike with its head. Eagles’ talons can sink through skin, muscle and bone.
4. Eagles can see an 18-inch rabbit from two miles away, and they can see fish under the surface of water when flying above.
5. Female eagles, and other birds of prey, typically weigh more and have longer wingspans than the males.
6. The eagle, at one point, may not have been our nation’s symbol. Benjamin Franklin preferred the wild turkey to the eagle, as he saw the turkeys as “noble creatures” and the bald eagle was “a bad, moral character.” Nonetheless, in 1782, the eagle became the nation’s symbol.
7. It’s a Class C felony (the same as stealing a car) to have an eagle feather in your possession. You have to have a permit or license to have one, because the feathers are sometimes sold to the Far East where they buy them and use them to make money.
8. In Indiana in 1991, after nearly 100 years, the first successful eagle nest came about, at Lake Monroe in Bloomington. In 2007, more than 70 active eagle nests were found in Indiana.

***To check out a video of the program at Starve Hollow, go to www.tribtown.com and check out the Local Videos section. Also, do a search for the story that appeared in the newspaper, as well as a couple of photos.

I remember my high school days at Austin High School, going to all of the home girls and boys basketball games season after season. It always seemed like the thing to do, especially on Friday nights. I remember the gym was pretty full, and the the cheer block and the band were both there to energize the players.
But when I went back to a couple of games featuring a Jackson County school playing at Austin, things just weren’t the same. The gym and the band both seemed half the size. The crowds didn’t really seem to get into the game as much. There was a cheer block at one of the games but not the other. It was nothing like I remembered. Ball games sometimes, anymore, seem to be more of a social hour than anything.

Having the opportunity to cover about 20-25 ball games this season for The Tribune, I’ve really enjoyed it. I first had the opportunity last February to cover 11 games for the paper (that’s before I got my job here). I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. It’s become something I look forward to every week, just being able to help out when it’s needed. I’ve mainly covered Brownstown’s game this season, but I’ve also done four or five Crothersville games, a Trinity Lutheran game and a Medora game. I’ve also gone to some games and done video, where some of the games I did only writing and some I did both writing and video.

I like seeing the parents, grandparents, family and friends follow their respective players to home and away games. It’s good to see that following. But what I don’t see at games (at least, like I remember it) is student attendance. Yeah, I have been to several games (especially home games) where there is some sort of “cheer block” and that’s good to see. But some seem to be more concerned about talking on their cell phones or gabbing with their friends than they do about rallying behind their team.

After attending a pep session for the Seymour girls basketball team this past Thursday, I was disappointed in the number of students that were there. Maybe they held a pep session Friday at the school, where all students could go, I don’t know. But the majority of people there Thursday night was parents and family of the players. These girls had won the sectional the week before and were on to a regional game this past weekend. That’s something to be proud of and that’s a big accomplishment because Seymour plays some big, tough schools. The team they were facing Saturday, they had only beat them by one point in the regular season, so it was sure to be a good game. Plus, the two teams they beat in the sectional, they lost to in the regular season.
Anyway, I just remember sectional pep sessions when I was in high school. At the end of the day, either the day of or the day before the big game, all the students in the school would gather in the gym to rally behind the team. They might do something special or just have a good message for the team and coach. But it was just the fact that the pep session truly lived up to its name. It would be good to see that more, but not just at pep sessions. Carry that on to the games as well.

I will say I was impressed by the amount of purple and white I saw Saturday morning at the girls game. There were students there forming some sort of cheer block. But there were no cheerleaders to lead them, and to me, the cheer block wasn’t very vocal. The parents and family of the players were the ones being vocal and cheering on their team. I’m not saying that wins games, by any means, but I just think it’s nice to see the support behind the team and the school. At many of the away games I’ve gone to this year, I’ve not seen one cheerleader or even the hint of a cheer block. But in the stands are the parents, grandparents, family and friends, loyal and true to the team. That’s a good thing, of course.

Some may argue that Class basketball has tarnished this. I’ve read some people say they enjoyed the days when small schools like Austin potentially could potentially play big schools like Seymour in sectional play. The challenge was there, the hype was there and if you defeated a bigger school, it really proved something. Some of that still happens, but I just think a return to all of the hype and hysteria would be nice.

Overall, I just think it’s nice to show the visiting teams how much you support your team. You want them to look and say, “Now that school has some spirit” or “They really rally behind their team.”
Just thinking back to those sectional games I went to in high school, the team spirit as well as the crowd spirit sure were evident. Sitting here now, I can just picture those games in my head. Just overall representation of your school, your team and your community. That’s what Indiana high school sports SHOULD be about.

It’s funny how sometimes, we as reporters, come across stories. A few weeks ago, my editor forwarded me a voicemail from a lady who wanted to tell the story about her dog. I called the lady, Ann Tarter, and set up a time to come by her house so I could see her dog and talk to her about this amazing story.

Tarter lives in Dudleytown, in a rural area off of Indiana 250 through Jackson County. Her border collie Babe, was apparently determined to find her way back to Tarter and be home sweet home. It’s the story of how this happened that has left Tarter and her family amazed.

Through the woods and over the hills, Babe returned to 6730 East County Road 300S after a two and a half month, eight-mile trek. Eight miles may not sound like much, but we’re talking about a dog walking, so I think that makes this story a little different.
Babe was first seen seven months ago along a rural gravel road off of Indiana 250 that eventually leads to Tarter’s home. “Knowing me, I got food to feed her and took the food to her. I did that for three days,” Tarter said.

After the last time visiting the dog, Tarter looked in her rear view mirror.
“Lo and behold, that dog followed me from the bottoms all the way here,” she said. “I called my son and told him to look behind my car,” as she was coming toward the house. She said her son, Chris, was outside just shaking his head.
“The poor dog was starved to death,” she said.

Tarter got Babe well enough to give away, and she put an ad in The Tribune. A couple from Brownstown, who live near the Jackson-Washington State Forest on Indiana 250, gave Babe a good home. Tarter said the couple had just lost their dog, so it was a good fit to give the dog to them.
The couple kept the dog in a kennel at night, and one night in November, the couple’s son let the dog out and that was the last they saw the dog.

“On January 23, I opened up the door of my house to start my car to warm it up for work (at AVI in Seymour) and it was dark out there,” she said. After two and a half months on her own, Tarter said, all of a sudden there was Babe.
“It about scared me to death. I said, ‘oh, baby. Where have you been?’” she said. “She was all tickled and happy to see me, and she was like, ‘hey, I’m back home and did you miss me?’ I was just tickled to death to see her and I was shocked.”

Tarter then called the couple that took Babe and told the wife the story. The lady then asked about coming back to get the dog. “If that dog was determined to get back to me, let it stay here,” Tarter said she told the lady.

Tarter took Babe to St. Francis Animal Hospital in Seymour and Paul Rennekamp, the veterinarian, looked Babe over and it was discovered she had heartworm. But Tarter said Babe is being treated for that, and she also expects to get the dog spayed since it stays outside. Tarter said Rennekamp calls Babe a “miracle dog.”
“I had seen on TV about miracle pets and stuff and I always thought, ‘yeah, right,’” she said. “I was kind of skeptical about that.”
But what Babe did truly is a miracle, and Tarter is still trying to figure out how the dog knew which direction to go and how it even survived that long on its own. Plus, it was hunting season and Babe would have had to have walked through the forestry.

She said she has seen a lot of dogs along the gravel road that people have thrown out. Tarter also rescued a St. Bernard German Shepherd, named Titus, that had a broken leg. Other animals she has are a Labrador named Jack, a cat named Ice, four Yorkies and two horses, Masie and Sera.
“I’ve rescued 10 dogs from that area and me and my daughter have placed them in homes,” Tarter said. Her daughter, Tonya Joseph, operates a kennel along U.S. 31 south of Seymour.

“I just love dogs,” Tarter said. “When it’s cold and I drive by and see them there, I can’t drive by and leave them. There’s nobody out there to feed them. I’ve just got to stop and help.”
In fact, just a few weeks ago, Tarter said they rescued a yellow Labrador and found it a home.
Tarter said putting an ad in the newspaper works and that “there are people out there that would love to have puppies. It costs to adopt. They would love to have a puppy for free. People need to put an ad in the paper and they don’t need to dump them out.”

When Babe returned home, Tarter said Chris made sure Babe had food and she had straw to lie on. To that point, Tarter said, Chris had always been particular about the yard, but not anymore.
“She likes to lay on the porch,” Tarter said, even though Chris made her the special home. “She doesn’t lay out back with the other dogs. She’s treated like a little queen now.”
Babe also likes getting in the pond with the grandchildren at Tarter’s home.
“They didn’t want me to give her away in the first place,” she said. But now that Babe is home and can play with the kids again, “They are just in heaven over that dog. This little dog is amazing. She loves everybody.”

What Tarter has done for these dogs has resulted in costly vet bills at times, but she said it’s all worth it. She recalled the days when she lived on Dunbar Street in Seymour.
“As a child, my mom would holler at me for bringing in stray dogs. I’ve done it all my life,” she said. “I can’t even count the rescued animals I’ve placed in homes. Rescuing them pays off. Every time I think about it, it puts a smile on my face. To think a dog wanted to get back to me, it just makes me feel good. It’s a proven fact that dogs think and they do have feelings.”

So I was just as amazed with this story as the Tarter family was. I’ve heard of cats and dogs doing this before, but it was neat to get the firsthand account of it around here. It just poses so many questions, basically the ones Tarter said she asked herself: the hows, whats and whys definitely come into play. How did Babe do this? How did she survive? What made her want to do this? Why did she do this?

Apparently, Babe didn’t need Mapquest, Rand McNally or even a map from Brownstown to Dudleytown. All she needed, I guess, was her canine capabilities and her love for her owner, her rescuer.

***Look for this article coming up in The Tribune, with some pictures of Tarter and her dogs.

So far, it’s been a busier January than I expected. After talking to one of The Tribune’s veteran writers, January Wetzel, I kind of thought this month would be a slow one. We did have a lot of stories to do around Christmas, but it’s picked up more this month….that’s OK though. I’m not complaining. Just so I have something to keep me busy, I’m good.

But with January being out for her surgery (as of Jan. 17) for about three weeks, I’ve picked up several stories that she’s passed along to me. By the way, if she’s reading this, hope all is well…I’m sure you’re ready to get back to work!?

Anyway, I keep getting off topic. I’ve been busy with a few different stories that I thought were worth blogging about. Hope you enjoy.

First, I was assigned a story about localizing the immigration labor legislation that was introduced by Carmel Republican Sen. Mike Delph. He introduced the senate bill and it was reviewed last week. I believe it just passed a committee and may be going further. Bedford Republican Sen. Brent Steele, whose district covers a good part of Jackson County, was one of more than 10 senators who joined Delph with supporting the legislation. The bill targets employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants (among other points), and it’s looking for a way to punish the employers who do so. That’s a touchy issue in itself, as many people (including those here in the county) have their opinions on it. I talked locally with a human resources director at a manufacturing company in Seymour, as well as the director of a Hispanic social ministry. I also talked by phone to Delph and Steele and got additional comments, so the story was pretty well balanced. The story worked out better than I anticipated. I had never done a story that could be considered “controversial” like this. I figured our online reader comments on our Web site, tribtown.com, would be high. Well, at first there weren’t many, but within a day or so, it gradually increased. Yesterday I looked and 31 people had recommended the story and four pages (yes, four pages) of comments were there. I think the reader comments section can be interesting at times, but you’re always going to have the people on there that either get off topic or they get way into the issue. That’s fine, because that’s the purpose of it…to be an open public forum. But the only thing I don’t agree with (and I’m sure many others don’t) is that you don’t have to put your real name. Hardly anyone does. But I praise the ones that do.

Second, and moving on to a less touchy issue, I visited Emerson Elementary School in Seymour a couple Fridays ago as Mary Sentz’s fifth-grade class presented its Native American Day play. A few months ago I had gone to Native American Day at Brownstown Elementary School and that was a really neat thing to cover. The kids had great things to say during that event and I got to talk to the Emerson kids the next Monday about their play. They had great things to say and they learned a lot by researching and writing about Native Americans. The impressive thing about the play itself was that the kids wrote the entire script and designed their own set. Everything was done by them. Plus, for many of them, this was their first research-based paper they had to write and some of them hadn’t really acted in front of their peers (and their parents and grandparents). So it was an all-around neat thing for everyone. They ended up getting a full-page spread in the Jan. 23 edition of The Tribune, so I hope they all enjoy that. Great work, kids (and Mrs. Sentz)!

Third, I visited Cortland Elementary School last Friday to get some video of the kids during their Skate Time event that’s held annually at the school. January Wetzel had gone earlier in the week to write up a story and she got some really great photos. I got some footage of the kids skating (and some falling!) and I talked to P.E. teacher Sharon Wood about the event and the importance and benefit of skating. It was neat to watch the kids learn how to skate, and for first-graders, they were doing pretty good. Better than I could for sure! I’ve never skated in my life, but I think it’s harder than it looks. Anyway, if you’re interested, check out the video I did on tribtown.com and also read January’s story about the event on the Web site.

Fourth, last weekend was my scheduled weekend to work. There haven’t been many things going on during the weekends (that we know of ) this month, but this last week the Business Professionals of America District Academic Competition was held at Seymour High School. I headed out early in the morning to see what it was all about. Adviser Betsy Davis kind of led me around the school to show me where the Seymour students were preparing for their presentations, tests and speeches and I talked to several of them and also took some pictures. I’ll have to say (and I told Mrs. Davis this as well) that these were some of the most professional high school students I have ever met. They were polite, took time to talk to me and shared a lot of information and they seemed to have a lot of respect. That was totally impressive to me, and it was a great thing to see. After talking to several of the students, I also talked to three of the judges from the event. They were among the 14 from Seymour businesses who were judging students from the 14 schools represented. Overall, I got a couple good stories out of it and I really enjoyed that event.

Finally, I met with Jean Johnson of the Seymour Housing Authority and Steve Farris of Farris Construction as they are leading the charge on getting people together in the county to help Lisa Mudge. Mudge is a Vallonia native who moved to Seymour several years ago. She had lost her husband in 1993 and the next Christmas she found out her daughter had a brain tumor. Her daughter had various health problems from age 3, and she had diabetes insipidus, lung disease and she had a tracheotomy. Last year at age 18, her daughter, Nikki, passed away. Mudge had taken care of Nikki all those years, and it came to the point that Mudge had to stay home and couldn’t work at the same time. So money got tight. She looked for ways to become a first-time homeowner and went thru the USDA inspections and hired another inspector once she found a house, on Sycamore Road in Seymour. That house was approved by both but they they apparently missed the mold problem running rampant in the house. She began noticing her other three children becoming sick and developing pneumonia and bronchitis multiple times. The finances just weren’t there for Mudge so she went to Johnson for help. That’s when she began contacting local people, including Farris, to get something going. Now, they are looking for financial help and physical labor. They are looking for people to step up and possibly donate their time, and if they can’t do that, donate money through a fund set up at Jackson County Bank.
So if you are interested in helping the Mudge family, stop by JCB or call Johnson at 524-2152 or Farris at 525-0125 or 522-2888. Any amount, big or small, will help this family.
I know some people may think that mold is a problem in many homes, but the fact that Mudge has gone through so many things in her life on top of that is just something that needs to be addressed. And it’s good people like Johnson and Farris are taking the time to help others and make a difference in this family’s life.

The overall purpose of this blog is similiar to other ones I’ve done before. I’ve written the blogs about the different things I’ve done in the past week or so before, and it was hard to write about just one of them. It’s also hard to keep up with blogging like I’m supposed to, as it’s been busier than I expected. But I’ve also done the blogs writing about good people doing good things. There’s parts of that in this blog, too. I just enjoy writing about the positive things whenever I can, and the blogging is a good way to do that.

Like I said in the print story in our paper Thursday, Sandra Foster’s diligence has finally paid off.

Foster has gone to the Crothersville town council meetings since October after hearing about a proposed ordinance prohibiting parking on the north side of Moore Street. Foster lives at 208 Moore Street and her home is on the north side of the street. Parking is already not allowed on the south side. Alleged verbal complaints about Foster parking her van on the street pretty much initiated the board to propose the ordinance. Foster’s van is handicapped-accessible, as she has to take her daughter, Lorie, who is in a wheelchair, wherever she needs to go.

The ordinance received its first reading in October, and then its second in November. It was tabled after both meetings, but Sandra and Lorie came to both of those meetings. In December, they returned once again, hoping this would be the final time they would have to do so. Sandra outwardly expressed her disappointment at the final meeting, as she spoke and then said “Shame on this board” for not resolving this issue. At the time, I have to say I felt her frustration. To me, with a town of Crothersville’s size, just work with the people and do what’s best for the greater good. Don’t drag this out to be more of an issue than it truly is.

But I digress….After December’s meeting, Sandra told me she felt confident the new council in the new year just might take action on this and (hopefully) not drag it out any longer.
So Tuesday, Jan. 8 came along and Sandra was ready for this meeting. She came by The Tribune the Friday before the meeting and wanted a copy of a picture I took of her and Lorie, which at the time, I didn’t know she was going to use for a flier to hand out at the town council meeting. That was fine with me…I guess she was just doing everything she thought she could do to get some support.

And support is what she got. There are usually the regular people at the council meetings every month. But this month, every seat was taken and a few people were standing. I think a good majority of the people were there to see what the new board was going to talk about, but also I think they knew the parking issue was going to be on the agenda once again.
Newly elected council President Ardell Mitchell expressed his thoughts on the issue. “My personal feeling is that we don’t act on the ordinance and allow parking on Moore Street and be done with this issue,” he said.

I couldn’t have said it any better. I didn’t mind writing about this issue after every meeting. But it was frustrating to me to have to see Sandra having to bring Lorie every month to the meeting. That was an inconvenience for the both of them, but they were diligent in their efforts to see that this ordinance didn’t pass.
So the council members were finally in agreement to untable the ordinance so they could then turn down the ordinance. But Mitchell did advise Sandra that a citizen could approach the board at any time to add the issue to the agenda, and there could be a proposed ordinance down the road. Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen, so Sandra and Lorie can go on and live their lives the way they did before all of this happened.

It’s finally good to see a decision was made, and it was nice to see Mitchell sort of bring some order to this issue. As a citizen and before he was elected to the council, he attended several town council meetings and voiced his opinions and shared his knowledge on various topics. I could just tell in those meetings that he had good things to say…and they were intelligent things, too.

I’m not saying that the previous board lacked intelligence whatsoever or anything like that. I’m just saying that Mitchell seems to have some great ideas for the council, and I think it was a good decision on outgoing president Bill Nagle’s part to appoint Mitchell as president. I’ve always respected Nagle, ever since I started covering the council meetings near the middle of last year. He’s always very easy to talk to and didn’t mind to answer any questions I had at anytime. I’m glad to see he was re-elected, and to me, that shows the people have continued trust in him. If they didn’t, then why have they re-elected him to be on the board? I mean, he’s been on the board for 12 years, so he’s definitely done something right.

The other council member, Karen Mains, has definitely had her share of ups and downs, especially since August. That’s when she questioned the residency of one of the other candidates for town council, James “Buster” Erwin. She lost that battle, after a vote by the Jackson County Election Board, but she continued on and came across a felony conviction Erwin had in the early ’90s. That was taken to court and the judge voted in Mains’ favor. That was after the election (when Mains wasn’t re-elected, but Erwin was voted in to serve his first term). So the judge named Mains to step up into the council seat, and Erwin was “dethroned.”
That didn’t go over well with some citizens, as some said they didn’t vote Mains in for a reason and they didn’t want her on the board. In fact, citizens at this month’s council meeting said that directly to her face, and that really shocked me. But through talking with her several different times, I know she speaks her mind and says how she feels. You have to respect that. But at the meeting, she never really “fired back” or anything like that. She just remained calm and continued to express her feelings on issues. Kudos to her for taking that that well (as some people wouldn’t have done as well with that).

Through all of this, it honestly surprises me that this much goes on in the small town of more than 1,500 people. But if citizens are that concerned about issues in their town, more power to them. The council is responsible for serving the people and making the best decisions for the town. So with the leadership of these three people, hopefully things will go well and the people of this town will be satisfied with what their representatives do.

Maybe, just maybe, everyone will continue to be on the same page.

When it comes to new year’s resolutions, I usually don’t really think about them. I always hear other people talking about theirs, and I’ve read about people’s resolutions. I guess this year, I’ll try to come up with some resolutions.

I don’t want to sound like everyone else, but I guess the first thing that comes to mind is losing weight. More so, getting fit and trying to be healthier. I may be a tall person and that may help when it comes to my weight (at least that’s what I’ve been told sometimes), but I’ve thought about that if I weighed what I do now and I wasn’t as tall, it wouldn’t be good. But then again…I think of my weight (no matter what my height is) and it’s not a number I want to see much longer…especially after watching “The Biggest Loser.” That show is amazing…anyway…I remember the days when I weighed 280 lbs., then got down near 265 lbs. Well, that was up until this past year or so and I’m afraid to say I’m getting nearer to where I had been for a long time…2-8-0.
So it’s time for me to shape up, literally. When I wasn’t working (from July 2006 to May 2007), I had much more free time. I would go along with my brother to the YMCA in Scottsburg and do a workout. After I did that, I really felt different, but it was a good feeling. When I didn’t go to the Y, I often went to Lake Iola in Scottsburg and walked the “figure 8″ walking path. That is, in my opinion, the neatest place around to walk. It’s quiet and peaceful and even though though you know you are still in town, it really doesn’t seem that way. I enjoyed my days walking around the lake listening to my iPod and walking three to five laps each time. That made me feel good, too. Plus, when I was working at my job at Wal-Mart I always had a job where I was moving around and staying active. Then my last year or so there, I got an office job. I began noticing a difference. Now that I work at the newspaper, I again, for the most part, have a sit-down job. Yeah, we do go out and do stories and whatever, but it feels like a main part is sitting at a computer. I do love the job, but when I think about it that way, it doesn’t help my goal of losing weight. I just need to get in the mindset of just doing it…I’ll never get anywhere if I don’t start sometime.

Moving on to “lighter” resolutions…it’s hard to think of other things. There’s always the resolution of taking more time to spend with your family. I’d like for there to be more times for my mom, stepdad, brother and me to do things together. Even if it’s sitting down at the table together and enjoying a meal for once. That doesn’t happen very often with everyone’s opposite and unpredictable schedules. I remember the days we used to take short weekend trips to here and there and doing different things. Those days seem to be long gone, unfortunately. I always enjoy outings with my brother. He’s gotten me interested in several different things, and we like our trips to Indianapolis or Louisville. It’s just finding the time, especially now that he’s gone back to work after a two-week shutdown. When it comes to outings with my mom, for some reason it always seems to involve work. I go help her clean the office(s) she cleans of where she works. But there’s the occasional time when we go to Seymour, Columbus or Clarksville to look around and eat. When talking to a fellow reporter, Roger Moon, over at the Bedford Times-Mail, he talks about his family and friends getting together for Game Night. Now those days DO seem long gone for my family. We never necessarily had Game Nights, but we’d play the occasional Scattergories, Monopoly or Scrabble. But not anymore. I just think it’s nice his family and friends find the time to do that, and do it often.
Also, I need to visit my grandparents more often. I mean, they live next door. I feel bad sometimes that I don’t get over there more than I do. It only takes a few steps, so I should not make any excuses. They have done a lot for my mom and my family, and we are all forever grateful for that. I do visit them, usually when my mom heads over there and is helping them do stuff on the weekend or taking them dinner. But when I think about it, that’s not enough. I enjoy listening to the stories my grandpa likes to tell, and my grandma always wants to talk about the things I’ve been doing recently. I always like making her laugh and just really talking to both of them. They don’t get many visitors or much company, so they enjoy when we come over. That’s something I definitely need to improve upon.
I guess what it boils down to is that, no matter what you get to do with your family members, enjoy every minute you get.

The only other thing I can think of in terms of resolutions is to be positive in many aspects of life. From everyday relations and happenings to anything involved with work. In the times we live in, the good things sometimes get overlooked. I’ve heard several times that with newspapers, readers tend to buy papers when there’s news of things like a murder or shooting, court cases, something political or any controversial story. When it comes to our online reader comments of the stories, these types of stories draw the most comments. The reporters’ stories about good people doing good things hardly ever get comments. Those are honestly the stories I prefer to do, but when I think about it sometimes, do people read these stories? I enjoy writing them and talking to people about them, but if people aren’t reading them, what can we do to change that? I find it easier to write these types of stories. When it comes to writing about meetings, court cases or other related events, I always feel like I’m going to get something wrong because sometimes there’s so much into one story. I’ve done that a couple times, but sometimes you just have to write these stories or be involved with them somehow. I guess I haven’t dealt with many stories like that, otherwise I may feel differently. Overall, I just wonder if people enjoy reading the “good” stories out there…I really hope so, because I think there needs to be a balance of positive stories, instead of all negative news all the time.

So there are my resolutions (at least the ones I can think of at the moment). I may make more along the way, who knows….
So now I guess it’s time to either go get my Y membership, spend time with my family or write a positive story…I just hope I can find the time. Actually, I just need to MAKE the time.

As of Dec. 13, it’s official: John Mellencamp is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
As soon as we got the news at The Tribune, my editor told me to contact some local people to get their reaction about the hometown rocker’s induction.

Jana Plump, who was John’s classmate at Seymour High School, works at Seymour City Hall. She said, “He’s been in the profession for over 25 years. The market has changed, and he’s tried to change to appeal to new audiences and keep his old audience also. The industry has changed, but his music styles have progressed and he’s not afraid to change.”

I agree with the last statement Plump said. Mellencamp’s music style is what has always drawn me to his music. You always know it’s him when you hear it. As he still goes strong, with writing and recording music, I think it keeps getting better. Of course, I’ll always appreciate his classic hits like “Small Town” and “Jack & Diane” because those are probably his best. But I’m always up for hearing new music from familiar favorites, like Mellencamp. Plus, he’s in the process of writing his 22nd album…that’s amazing for someone to accomplish.

Gerri Lucas works at the Greater Seymour Chamber of Commerce. She’s been a friend of Mellencamp for years. “I know John’s worked very hard to get where he is these days,” she said. “He didn’t just get it by sitting back and letting people get it for him. He’s worked very hard and it’s well deserving. He’s come a long way from here in Seymour. He had dreams playing in high school and playing in little bands, and look at him now.”

There’s proof enough that Mellencamp has worked hard. If he hadn’t, then why is this the third time he’s been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? He’s definitely earned it and he definitely deserves it. I’ve heard the stories of his early days, telling people that he was going to be somebody someday. And like Lucas said, look at him now!
Lucas also told an interesting, heartfelt story about what Mellencamp had done for her brother, Jay Nicholson. Jay and John were good friends, according to Lucas, and John took care of Jay when Jay became ill. Jay has since died.
“He would be very proud of John,” Lucas said of Jay. “They were really good friends and John kind of took care of him when he was ill. A lot of people don’t see that soft side of John.”

Lucas also noted attending many of Mellencamp’s concerts over the years, and she said, “He certainly puts on one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. You can tell he’s into it 100 percent. He shows that in his talent and the way he puts on a top-notch concert and he always has. I think he’s done a fantastic job for his fans.”

I agree. That’s why I continue to be a member of his fan club year after year.

Finally, Plump gave me contact information for Mellencamp’s business manager, Tim Elsner, who is originally from Seymour as well. Elsner has been in that position for 24 years. Elsner echoed Plump’s feelings.
“I would just like to say that it’s about time,” he said. “I think that when you look at other people that are in the Hall of Fame, that certainly he has had a longer career than many and he’s had a more successful career in terms of album sales, and in terms of touring and awards. Just by any criteria, it seems he belongs there. He has all the credentials and I’m happy they’ve finally come around and made the right decision.”

So now that it’s official, Mellencamp will join Madonna, The Ventures, Leonard Cohen and The Dave Clark Five at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s annual induction ceremony March 10 in New York City. The Hall is in Cleveland, Ohio.

As these people were quick to offer Mellencamp congratulations, I will follow suit and say, “Congratulations, John. Very well deserving.”

‘Tis the season of giving, and that’s been very apparent in Jackson County. This is my first Christmas while working for The Tribune, and in the county, and I’m amazed at how many different things are going on in relation to giving during the holiday season.

I’ve covered several different things, and a couple other stories were done by other reporters.
With what I’ve done, the stories are: the ABATE Christmas Party, giving to the Jackson County United Way and Community Foundation of Jackson County, Sertoma Christmas Miracle, New Life Assembly of God’s giving gifts to the children of inmates in the county jail, FFA Toy and Food Drive, Angel Tree adoption by Crothersville third-graders, Salvation Army bell-ringing and even the Indiana Blood Center blood drive earlier in the month at Seymour High School.

All of these moments or events put on quite an impressive display of unselfish giving.

First, the Business Professionals of America group at SHS have organized the blood drive for several years now. Nearly 150 students were signed up to donate blood over two days. The ones I talked to the first day of the drive had simple reasons for helping, from saying it was something that could save someone’s life to saying it was something easy to do for a good cause. IBC also held a blood drive at Brownstown Central High School just days later so students and faculty had a chance to donate as well.

Second, I talked to Linda Lawyer of Human Services Inc. in Seymour about the Salvation Army bell-ringing that goes on during the holidays. HSI serves as an agent for the Salvation Army in Jackson County and they are one of the 21 member agencies of the Jackson County United Way. If you’ve visited Wal-Mart during the holidays, then you’ve most likely seen the little red kettle and heard the bell ringing in front of the store. Other stores sometimes take the initiative to set up their own bucket, such as the Bass Company outlet store at the Seymour Outlet Center. They raised about $150 the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and they set up a bucket, with their own employees ringing bells, this past weekend to raise even more money. Without the efforts and time of community volunteers, the bell-ringing program wouldn’t be as successful as it is. In Jackson County, several school, church and community organization groups volunteered their people throughout the day to ring. The bell-ringing runs from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. nearly every day, so there’s plenty of chances to donate. If you donate, you could be helping your neighbor, friend, family member or someone you don’t even know. All the money stays local and helps local people, so that’s an added benefit of giving. Last year, they raised $23,000 in just a month’s time of bell-ringing. Lawyer said they are hoping to reach, and possibly exceed, that amount this year.

Third, I talked to Ruth Ann Rebber of the Jackson County United Way and Bud Walther of the Community Foundation of Jackson County. Both explained to me the ways you can give to each organization, and the advantages of doing so. There are 21 member agencies represented in the JCUW, and they have various services and purposes–and they are all for the greater good of the county and they serve many people in the county. Walther made a good analogy of giving to the two organizations: the United Way is like a checking account and the Community Foundation is like a savings account. Giving to the United Way most likely helps an immediate need, in other words, it goes to the organizations a little faster. If you give to the Foundation, your money is pooled and it’s invested, whether it benefits a scholarship fund, nonprofit group or other community fund.

Fourth, I went to the ABATE (American Bikers Aimed Toward Education) Christmas Party, which was celebrated after their Toy Run event. ABATE has held a Christmas event for about 30 years, and for the past several years, they have given gifts to students of Head Start and their siblings. To see the children light up when Santa arrived, and as each kid received a gift, it was priceless. There are several Christmas drives that benefit kids, and this is just one fine example of that.

Fifth, I went to the New Life Assembly of God and the Sertoma Club Christmas Miracle headquarters in one night as each were wrapping gifts for two different purposes. At New Life, the past several years, they, along with four other local churches, have given gifts to the children of inmates at the Jackson County Jail. Through the Rev. Stephen Hyer’s involvement with the jail ministry, he saw a need there and filled it. With the Sertoma Miracle, it’s something the club has done for 35 years–and it’s still growing strong. Several club members and volunteers help wrap the gifts for children in the community, and those gifts will be delivered on Christmas Eve.

Sixth, there’s the Crothersville FFA Toy & Food Drive. They began the drive Dec. 3 and it runs through the 21st. It’s the 19th year of them doing the drive, and the students at the Crothersville schools and the community really chip in and make it a successful event. For the third year, the group held a wall-decorating contest for the first-period classes and that was neat to see. The students had an hour to come up with a unique creation, using a minimum of 30 canned or boxed foods. The winner will receive a free breakfast in January, and also a free period out of class. In the elementary, the class that collects the most cans gets an ice cream party. But the real winners are the ones who receive the toys and food. Plus, the FFA, school students and all of those involved in giving or helping truly deserve a big pat on the back. It’s something the FFA continues doing and it helps local people.

Finally, I visited Crothersville once again as the third-graders are doing a very unselfish project. Instead of exchanging gifts with each other, they pick an “angel” off the Angel Tree at the Peoples Bank in town to buy gifts for. The “angel” is a child in need in the community, that by receiving the gifts, may not have otherwise had a Christmas. The kids bring in their own money to give to their teacher to go buy the gifts. What a great idea for these third-graders and much praise goes out to them for their great work. Kudos also goes to their teachers, Sharon Markel and Becky Thomas, for heading the project. Great work.

Wow…that’s at least seven things I’ve done in the past few weeks that truly brings the meaning of Christmas to the forefront. And like I said, a couple other reporters have covered things, too. So that’s really not the end of the list of unselfish giving in Jackson County. So if you are able to give to others during the holiday season, do it. There’s nothing wrong at all with giving…and like they say, it’s sometimes better to give than to receive. It’s good for the mind, heart and soul.