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.

Success has been the theme of the last two speakers of the 21st Century Distinguished Speaker Series events at the Jackson County Education Center in Seymour. The speaker series has featured three speakers, one each from September to November. The most recent one was on Nov. 26 and it featured Kent Benson.

Benson is a former basketball star, and he has accomplished many things in life and on the basketball court. He began his career as a member of the New Castle High School Trojans basketball team. I read where Benson scored 1,496 points and had 1,585 rebounds with the Trojans. I’m sure those rebounds came as a result of his 6′10″ stature. He was named Mr. Basketball in 1973, his senior year.
That success led him to Indiana University to play for Bobby Knight and the Hoosiers from 1973 to 1977. This is where his career really began to take off. As a member of the 1976 undefeated 32-0 NCAA championship team and simply being a part of the Hoosiers team, he earned many awards, including: NCAA Most Outstanding Player (1976), Final Four Outstanding Player (1976), Big Ten Most Valuable Player, National Fellowship of Christian Athletes College Athlete of the Year (1976), Academic All-American (1976 and 1977), Academic All-Big Ten, Olympic team (1976), No. 7 on IU all-time scoring list, one of three IU players with 1,000+ rebounds.

Benson had so much success at IU that he was lucky enough to be drafted No. 1 by the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks in 1977. That carried him into an 11-year professional career in the NBA, as he played for the Bucks, Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers. Before retiring from basketball in 1989, he played overseas for a year in Italy. Also in 1989, he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, and 10 years later, he was named “One of the 50 greatest Indiana basketball players.”

Wow, what remarkable accomplishments. No wonder he speaks to people about success and excellence. He particularly enjoys speaking to today’s youth, but what he talked about can apply to anyone of any age. Since leaving basketball, Benson got into the timber buying and land acquisitions business as well as the high-speed wireless Internet business.

He continues to be an inspiration to those he speaks to, but he is also an inspiration to his four daughters, Andrea, Elizabeth, Gennie and Ashley. Apparently, Benson’s history with sports has carried into his daughters’ lives, at least a couple of them. Gennie attended Vincennes University on a volleyball scholarship and Ashley is now a freshman at IU and a middle blocker for the volleyball team. According to Ashley’s profile on the IU Athletics Web site, she was ranked 17th in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com as a member of the Bloomington North High School team. One of Benson’s messages at his speech was the importance of being positive and encouraging, and that’s what he’s done with his daughters.

I thought Benson’s words were very thoughtful and positive, so I thought I would share his points, from A to Z, with you:
-A-
Avoid negative sources, people, places, things and habits. When you are around negative people, they bring you down. Being average is being the best of the worst or worst of the best.
-B-
Believe in yourself.
-C-
Character is the person you are when you are by yourself, not when you are with people.
-D-
Don’t give up and don’t give in. Some people, in pursuit of their dreams, so many times they want to quit or give up. We learn so much by hanging in there. What it boils down to is desire, determination, dedication and discipline to be the very best.
-E-
Excellence…and enjoying life today as yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come. Live today to the fullest of your abilities.
-F- (particularly my favorite)
Decide who should be in the front row and who should be in the balcony of your life. You become who you associate with.
-G-
Give more than you planned. When you give more than you planned, it will be more beneficial.
-H-
Honesty…look deep down and look yourself in the eye and say “I’m going to strive for excellence.” At the end of the day, before you retire, be totally honest with yourself and say “Did I strive for excellence today?”
-I-
Integrity is so, so important because if you don’t have integrity, you don’t have anything. Also, identify your dreams and goals and identify the obstacles that are holding you back from accomplishing those goals and dreams. You can’t go over, under or around your obstacles, but you can go through your obstacles. Don’t take your eyes off your goals.
-J-
Just do it. If you fear something, do that for which you fear the most. You’ll overcome whatever that fear is.
-K-
Keep trying.
-L-
In order to accomplish great things, love yourself most first after God. We can’t love someone else until we love ourselves.
-M-
Make it happen. It’s up to you and you are the one who makes it happen. You’ve got to rise above that and continue to pursue that excellence.
-N-
If you begin something in faith, never undo in doubt what you’ve begun in faith.
-O-
Open your eyes and see things as they really are and make the corrections that you need to make.
-P-
Practice makes perfect.
-Q-
Quitters never win, winners never quit.
-R-
Are you repairing or are you preparing? It’s important to repair, but not spend all your time, energy and effort in that repairing mode.
-S-
Stop procrastinating. Successful people do the things unsuccessful people want to do.
-T-
Take control of yourself and your destiny and think about what you’re thinking about.
-U-
Understand yourself in order to better understand others.
-V-
Visualize your success…see it, believe it, achieve it.
-W-
Whatever you’re pursuing, want it more than anything. Have a magnificent obsession to accomplish what you’re pursuing and what you want to do.
-X-
Examine your motives and accelerate your effort. We don’t realize what limits we can push ourselves. Constantly push yourself beyond your limit.
-Y-
You are great and you are unique of all God’s creations.
-Z-
Zero in on your target and go for it, whatever your dreams and goals may be. Rise up out of the level of mediocrity.

So what letter(s) apply to you? Did you learn something from this? I like to hear positive things and I try to be as positive about things as I can. So I enjoyed listening to Benson’s words. By the way, his speech was called “The ABCs of Success and Excellence,” and he’s in the process of writing a book of the same name. I’m sure these points will be addressed, with additional personal stories, like playing for Bobby Knight, interspersed throughout.

Like I’ve said before, when the news focuses on the negative, people seem to listen and that’s what seems to sell newspapers. I hope that positive stories, like Benson’s, get heard more and truly become a great news item. That’s how I see it.

This past weekend was my weekend to work, and there were only two major things to cover. But these two things were special ones. Saturday, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1925 hosted a going-away party for the men and women of the Charlie Company, 38th Main Support Battalion of the Indiana Army National Guard, and their families.
The Company has been at Seymour’s Freeman Field for many years, but recently was reorganized and is being transformed into smaller, faster moving units or brigades. But right before they found out they were being transformed, they found out that some of them were going to be deployed to Iraq–80% of them, in fact.

When it comes to being deployed overseas during a time of war, it can be something to look forward to or something to fear. This Company, however, is ready to do what it has to do. First Sgt. Phil Hardwick said that this group has handled the news quite well. He called them a “resilient bunch” and he said he was not only proud to know them, but proud and honored to lead them.

The Company has done work on the coast of Texas and helped with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, but this time they are heading overseas. Some of them have been before, maybe as a part of the Army, and some are going for the very first time. Some aren’t being deployed, but they will have just as much of a responsibility as those being deployed. But what will keep this group strong, wherever they are, is the friendships and camaraderie that has developed among its members. After talking to several of the Company’s members, it was definitely apparent that this is a strong, close group.

Speakers at the event included VFW Post Commander Toby Milroy, Hardwick, Sgt. Steven Campbell, Chaplain Wayne Edwards and Staff Sgt. Michael Buckner. All of these peoples’ words were positive and moving and that’s definitely what the Guardsmen and women and their families needed to hear.
I liked particularly what Buckner said: “If you have not already made lifelong friends, you will. There’s nothing better than the soldier standing next to you, supporting you and helping you. Remember the mission first; it will always be first. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do nothing. This is my third deployment and I’m proud to say it’s my third deployment.”

Best of luck to all the men and women deployed with this unit, and remember to keep them, as well as their families, in your thoughts as they work to defend our country.

On Sunday, the Habitat for Humanity of Jackson County dedicated its 10th home in the county. Over the past 15 years of Habitat’s existence in the county, they have built homes in Medora, Freetown, Seymour and Brownstown. After hard work and dedication of more than 200 volunteers, they can now add Cortland to that list as a home for Kristi Baldwin and her son Dylan was recently completed. They now call 5600 North County Road 250E home.

One thing I didn’t realize with Habitat is that the family becomes a partner family, and they have a hand in working on the home as well. According to board member Lewis Heideman, there are several steps to becoming a partner family.
1. Applications are accepted, once in the spring, once in the fall.
2. Applications go to a selection committee for review and families that qualify are found.
3. The nurture commitee is responsible for getting the family into budget nutrition classes to learn skills, gain support and ask questions.
4. The families become provisional families and put in 50 hours of light community service.
5. Once the board approves the family, they become a partner family.

Also, to qualify in the first place, the potential homeowner must have held a steady job for at least a year. Once the person qualifies and is approved, the building begins. The house payment is interest free, and follow up is done a year, then every three years, after it’s complete. Heideman said it’s a handup, not a handout.

When it comes to the numerous volunteers, their work is very important. From the people who paint, apply siding and frame to the several people who donated volunteer labor, including independent contractors working for free and the churches and businesses in the community chipping in, it’s truly a team effort.
At the dedication, words were shared by Heideman, Executive Director Phyllis Nantz, Dr. Bill Burgess (who began Habitat in the county in 1992 along with his wife, Marie, and Marcia Fuson), the Rev. Don Watts of the Surprise Christian Church (where the Baldwins attend) and Paula Kemp sang a musical blessing. The family also received several gifts from the church as well.

While it was great to see the community volunteers, family and friends gather with Kristi and Dylan, it was also great to see what they have done for themselves and how hard they’ve worked to make this house possible. After living with her parents to this point, Kristi said it’s good to be on her own and work toward being a homeowner. She will, however, still be living near her parents and the property that the new house sits on is owned by her parents. She said, “We’re on home ground now and it’s good to be on my own, yet still be part of the family. We’re now going to move in, sit back, relax and enjoy it.”

That’s exactly what Kristi and Dylan deserve, and it’s great to see that many people pull together for a great cause and we can only wish the Baldwins the absolute best.

So as the Charlie Company leaves home and the Baldwins are, in a sense, coming home, it’s important to recognize the efforts of your fellow citizens and community members. Because of people like them, others will most likely be inspired to do good things as well.

While recently visiting schools for various stories, I thought I would share with you what some of the students have been doing in Jackson County that just seem worth mentioning. They are really learning and doing some interesting things. Of course, I know that’s what they are supposed to do, but I digress.

In the past month or so, I’ve done about three stories related to the arts (music, art, etc.) in county schools. There was the Brownstown Elementary School kids who put on their patriotic fall musical. The school offers a musical throughout the year for each elementary grade. A week or so later, I visited Seymour High School where they were rehearsing for the musical, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Go forward a few more weeks, and I was back at SHS as the students rehearsed for “Messiah,” which is now a biannual event and it brings together SHS, Brownstown Central HS, Trinity Lutheran HS and East Washington HS. That’s more than 150 people onstage singing, either together or in solos.
As I was talking to Stephanie Brock, the choral teacher at BES and Freetown Elementary School, she was very pleased that the school continues its “tradition” of the musicals for the kids. I think back to when I was in elementary, I remember doing the same thing. We also had a day every week when we went to music class and art class. Well, now at Austin Elementary School (where I went to school), the art teacher retired several years ago and they never did replace her. This spring, the high school art teacher is retiring. It makes me wonder if they’ll replace her. I hated seeing art go out of the elementary, but I’m sure they do it in the classroom. I just don’t think it would be the same though. As I see these schools keeping up with music, art and drama, I applaud them 100 percent. Keep it up. These students (and of course, the teachers) work very hard to put on a show and display their talents and abilities, and it also shows that these students have a passion for it as well or they wouldn’t participate. Good for them for keeping the music, art and drama alive in schools.

Another topic related to the schools is applying what you learn in the classroom to fun, educational activities. Take for instance the Pioneer Days at BES a month or so ago. This was held in the school’s own “pioneer fort” in the back of the school. Students from other Jackson County schools visited BES as BES students told the visitors of different things from the pioneer era. Students visited about 18 stations to learn about everything from what food people of that era ate to what they did on a daily basis, like hunting or quilting. They even have a building that they turned into an old one-room schoolhouse for the day. It was an overall great effort by BES for educating the other kids, and it was a great effort on the visitors’ part for wanting to learn about these things as well.
Just this past week, BES had Native American Day. Fourth-graders headed to the school’s gym as Sheryl Hartman of the Piankeshaw Trails Educational Park educated the students on Native Americans in the Hoosier State. Students learned about tomahawks, bows and arrows, artifacts, wigwams, clothing, language, hunting, tanning rawhide and trading. They also got to play a game and work together to build a wigwam. It was a very interactive and educational program, as Hartman got the kids involved in a good portion of what she was teaching. She was very knowledgeable on the subject and she even dressed the part. It was great to see the kids so involved and interested in what she had to say. She made them realize how important Native Americans were then and are now, and that they had a hard life at times, but they thrived and survived for many years.

My final point in relation to the schoolchildren is when fifth-graders from five county elementary schools graduated from the D.A.R.E., which is the Drug Abuse Resistance Education 10-week program. Specially-trained officers from county and city police educate the children about drugs, alcohol and violence. The fifth-graders learn how to say “no” to drugs, resist peer pressure and have courage to make the right decisions as to avoid personal and social consequences. It’s a very positive program, and it’s a collaborative effort from law enforcement, students, teachers, parents, grandparents and guardians to ensure a smooth operation. The program is in its 15th year in Jackson County, and I’m sure it will carry on for many years. One fifth-grader I talked to at Crothersville Elementary School, Ethan Napier, was the winner of his class’ D.A.R.E. essay contest. He said the officers involved were the true motivation to learn, and he learned to stay away from things that will harm his body. But one thing he said truly stood out to me, and it was the first thing he said: “D.A.R.E. is the best thing I’ve ever done.”
For all the things Ethan could have said, he chose this program as the best thing he’s done. I think that says a lot.

To keep the arts, music and drama in schools, and to keep educational programs in schools, like Pioneer Days, Native American Day and D.A.R.E., it is truly important to the kids. Whether the event is a tradition or not, it’s all a beneficial part of the learning process. Like people say, they are the future. So it’s now or never to teach these kids what’s right and wrong so they will make positive decisions and carry on with their lives.
When these kids live out what they have learned, that will prove that these programs work. I have a good feeling that they will do exactly that.
Carry on, kids, carry on.

It’s celebrated every year on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It’s Veterans Day.
I know that was a few days ago, but since the holiday fell on a Sunday this year, programs in schools and communities in Jackson County were held last week and early this week to pay tribute to the men and women who have served and are serving our country. It’s an important thing to do every year.

Last Thursday, Crothersville Junior-Senior High School was the first to honor veterans. The event has been sponsored for several years by the Crothersville FFA. Members participate in the event, and this year, Indiana state officers of FFA were involved. The program included singing by the advanced choir and the playing of “Amazing Grace” by the 12-member high school band. Trent Deckard from Baron Hill’s office shared some words from Hill. Rachel Demaree, one of the state FFA officers, shared a great story about her grandfathers who served in the military and also her thoughts on what it is to be an American. She told the students to be proud to be Americans and say it with strength and courage. She joined the other officers for a short skit called “Ragged Ol’ Flag.” Four veterans were honored at this program, and overall, it was an impressive ceremony.

The next day at Brownstown Central High School, five veterans were honored there. Those five veterans are also teachers at the school. The advanced and freshman choirs took the stage first and sang the great song “God Bless the USA.” Senior Maggie Whittington then did a solo of a song as her own personal tribute to veterans. Three students then shared some information on veterans, Veterans Day and read a message from the secretary of Veterans Affairs. “Taps” was also played after the five teachers who are veterans were brought onstage.

Also that day, fellow reporter January Wetzel visited Emerson Elementary School in Seymour for their annual Veterans Day program. The kids do some patriotic songs, and they made their own star-spangled hats. Nearly 50 veterans were honored at this program. She got some great pictures from the event, and it looks like the kids did a great job honoring the men and women who serve.

On Sunday, the official Veterans Day, a ceremony was held at the American Legion where the Rev. Gary Dyer spoke. His son, Jeremiah Dyer, was also present. Jeremiah, not long ago, returned from service in the Middle East. His brother, Justin, also served but is now back in Seymour. Fellow reporter Jill Treadway did a story and took some photos of this event.

Finally on Monday, there was a ceremony at the courthouse in Brownstown and Seymour High School also had their program. I covered a short ceremony at St. Ambrose Catholic School in Seymour. Students gathered with three veterans around the flagpole. They sang music together and prayed together. “Taps” was also played by two sixth-graders on trumpets. Those present recited the Pledge of Allegiance together as well, and they raised the flag to the top of the pole. The three veterans then visited the classrooms and shared their stories of their military service.

Overall, it was very inspiring to me to see these veterans honored by the young people of today. When I went to high school in Austin, the government teacher, David Lueking, organized a program every year. Many veterans in the community would come to the program, and they would have a picture slideshow of the various veterans there. That was always really neat to see. The band and choir always provided music, as well as a teacher who sang a song she wrote. Government students, who were all seniors, would take part in explaining various things about Veterans Day. I got to welcome those in attendance my senior year, as well as conclude the program. It was always an honor to see the program, but it was something special when you got to take part in such an important ceremony.
I was just glad this year to see how many schools and organizations in Jackson County honor veterans. It’s great to see that practically every school in the county had some type of program. And of course, the great programs in the county.

These programs may have been brief, but the meaning behind them makes every minute a special one. Like I heard a few people say, it may be important to honor veterans every year on Veterans Day, but why not honor and remember them every day?

Just something to think about…

My mom, brother and I traveled up to Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to see Hoosier rocker John Mellencamp live in concert. We were in the front left section in the arena right in the front row. We had the perfect seats because you could see everything so well. It’s great to see Mellencamp, at age 56, still put out great music and continue his successful career. He’s been in the music business for 35 years and he is currently working on his 22nd album. I’m sure it will continue to show his great songwriting skills.

Even though Conseco Fieldhouse is used to hosting Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever games, it’s a great place to see a concert as well. That was the fourth concert I’ve been to at Conseco, but every time I’ve seen Mellencamp, whether it was at Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville or Assembly Hall in Bloomington, his shows are the most enjoyable to me. It’s great to see someone from this area rise to the level of success that he has.

Here’s an article I wrote for The Tribune about the show:

“Anything but a Lonely Ol’ Night”

INDIANAPOLIS–John Mellencamp hasn’t forgotten his Jackson County roots–and he probably never will.
On the third Indiana stop of his 2007 tour, the Seymour native rocked Conseco Fieldhouse in the Hoosier State’s capital Saturday night for nearly an hour and a half with familiar favorites and new and unreleased songs.
At one point while telling about growing up in Seymour and now living in Bloomington, he mentioned the towns of Crothersville, Freetown and Dudleytown before singing a selection from his latest “Freedom’s Road” album called “Ghost Towns Along the Highway,” which explains the issues facing small towns like these three in Jackson County. It delivers the message of how some people of such places move on to bigger and brighter places, but their love carries on.
The 18-song set began with “Pink Houses,” which has a music video that was filmed in Jackson County and surrounding areas, from his 1983 “Uh-Huh” album. The great kickoff was followed by the up-tempo “Paper In Fire,” “I’m Not Running Anymore” and “Check It Out,” which are all featured on his “Words & Music” two-disc hits album.
With those songs focusing on the theme of dreams, understanding, growing up and moving on, Mellencamp turned to “Minutes to Memories,” which tells the story of talking to a man on a train and his vision on life, as the chorus says, “Days turn to minutes/And minutes to memories/Life sweeps away the dreams that we have planned/You are young and you are the future/So suck it up and tough it out/And be the best you can.”
Two unreleased songs, “Ride Back Home” and “Lovers Without Friends,” were next. These songs may very well appear on Mellencamp’s 22nd album scheduled for a 2008 release, which is being produced by T-Bone Burnett at Mellencamp’s Belmont Mall studio near Bloomington. Burnett has also done producing for the tour’s opening act, Los Lobos, a Los Angeles blues-rock-Mexican-American band.
Following the anthem “Small Town,” where the audience joined in on a majority of the lyrics, he carried on the hometown theme with “Ghost Towns Along the Highway,” which he said the little towns are “places that once upon a time…everything was going really good.” Then with “Rain on the Scarecrow,” the plight of farmers is explained, which relates to his 22-year involvement with the annual Farm Aid awareness concert.
More new music came with “Troubled Land,” “If I Die Sudden” and “Jena.” The latter song was written after hearing about the controversial racism incident in Jena, La.
“Our Country” followed, and it was the first release from “Freedom’s Road.” It has gained national attention with use on Chevrolet commercials, but the lyrics to this song ring true to Mellencamp’s signature sound and also his ideals of freedom and standing up for what is right.
Wrapping up the evening, Mellencamp chose four up-tempo favorites to get the crowd going. “It finally comes down to one thing. Are you ready? You just gotta dance–that’s all there is left to do,” he told the audience.
From “Crumblin’ Down” to “Lonely Ol’ Night” to “Jack and Diane,” it was hit after hit.
Mellencamp closed out the set by bringing out former band mates Toby Myers and Moe Z to rock out on “Authority Song,” and he inserted a few lines from The Bobby Fuller Four’s “I Fought the Law” into the song. With authority, he said it’s a “lifelong commitment…that’s why we fight for authority.” The song ends with the lyrics, “Well, I been doing it since I was a young kid, I come out grinnin’.”
Mellencamp has reason to grin as he was recently nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He continues his tour of 15 states and five Canadian provinces through Feb. 19.
He also expressed his appreciation for the fans’ support during his nearly three-decade career.
“We’re just a little Indiana band,” he said, which includes Mike Wanchic on guitar, Andy York on guitar, Dane Clark on drums, John Gunnell on bass, Miriam Sturm on violin and Troye Kinnett on keyboards.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve played Indianapolis. It’s a great opportunity to go all over the world. I appreciate all your guys’ support for the last 35 years.”

Check out more John Mellencamp at mellencamp.com. There, you’ll find news, tour dates, albums, lyrics, videos, photos, all-Mellencamp radio, paintings, store and Club Cherry Bomb fan club information.

I wish Mellencamp the best as he tours the rest of the United States and Canada, and I look forward to his new album and what he has planned for the future. I’m pretty sure I’ll be a fan for a long time.

People continue to amaze me by taking time out to benefit others. That’s happened recently in Seymour while at one event music was played, and at the other event people came together to walk and run for a cause.

On Oct. 13, I came up to Seymour’s Gaiser Park where the newly-formed big band, Sounds of Dreams, was doing a show. They played music of the past that people still enjoy today, and 14 of the 17 members of the band performed at the Saturday show. The people of the group do the music because they enjoy it, but on Saturday it was music and a mission–to raise money for juvenile diabetes research.

10-year-old Meredith Hardy has juvenile or Type 1 diabetes. A freewill offering and the sale of drinks at the concert went to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Meredith’s father, Brian, is a saxophone player in the band. Her mother Staci and sister Ella also attended the show. So it was a special day of music supporting a great cause. Staci’s mother told me at the time that Meredith would be receiving an insulin pump on Oct. 23, so I’m sure they’ve had use of that by now. The OmniPod, Staci said, replaces the shots Meredith currently gets and it’s the newest, most state-of-the-art insulin pump out there.

Even though Sounds of Dreams has just organized and just begun, they have already performed at two events. The first was the Freeman Field World War II pilots reunion in September. Saturday’s show was the second show. They now look forward to Nov. 11 when they play at the Fountain Square Theatre in Indianapolis. So they have received good exposure so far, and I can only wish them the best. I was totally impressed by what I heard, and they sounded so professional. It was great entertainment, no matter what kind of music you like. It’s always good to hear something new and different.

Two Saturdays later, it was my weekend to work. The first of four things I covered was early Saturday morning at Seymour-Jackson Elementary School. It was a 5K run/walk to benefit the school’s Wildcat Habitat. They are raising money to install a handicapped-accessible walkway through the Habitat in honor of 4-year-old Adele “Addie” Bryden, who was in the school’s developmental preschool. She had Cornelia De Lange Syndrome, and she used a wheelchair but she wasn’t confined to it. She developed a staph infection and unfortunately died in May 2007. The school is looking to add the $13,000 walkway to meander through the existing Habitat, which already includes a pond, vegetable garden and more than 500 trees and shrubs. The walkway would allow all students and people in the community to enjoy the Habitat.

At the event Saturday, the race kicked off at 9 a.m. and led around the roads of Freeman Field. It was a cloudy, cold morning but that didn’t keep 240 people from coming out to run, walk or volunteer. I was amazed at the turnout but I was also glad to see that many people cared about this special little girl. People were inspired by her, maybe through hearing her story or actually knowing her.

At the event, I talked to Addie’s aunt and cousin and they noted Addie’s smile and laugh and how she liked to be tickled, she was bouncy and she enjoyed music.
“Even with her disability, she made us see what a good quality of life she had,” Aunt Susie Schnitker said, as Schnitker’s mother, Sarah Benter, added, “She touched a lot of lives in her short time on earth.”
After everyone was back from running or walking, they held a raffle at the school’s shelter house. Donations and gifts from more than 60 businesses and individuals were handed out to participants. One of the most special items handed out was a framed drawing of Addie and Chloe. It was drawn by Susan Bowman, and Addie’s father, Bill Bryden, said the painting won grand champion honors in the art division at this year’s Jackson County Fair. I’m sure the person who won this will treasure it.

After the day was done, I asked Bill and his wife Lois if they would share some comments about the day’s events and about Addie for a video I was doing for our Web site. They thanked all those that were involved, and they were touched and honored that organizers wanted to do the event in Addie’s memory. Lois said of Addie, “Addie never spoke a word but her love just oozed out of her. She had a hearty belly laugh and she loved motion, so swings were her thing, romping around on your back, getting a piggy-back ride. Those were all the things that Addie loved, and I felt she just touched our lives and the lives of many people without saying one word.”

The total raised so far is right over $8,000, and another $5,000 is needed. People can become a Habitat Helper with a donation of $10 or more. Call 522-5709 for more information or visit scsc.k12.in.us and click on Jackson Elementary.

Each participant received a T-shirt commemorating the event as well as a message from the Brydens which included the words, “Addie enriched lives. Anyone who knew her loved her. Her heart was an open door to God’s love and her hearty belly laugh a reminder to all of us to laugh a little more. Though she is no longer here physically, her spirit lingers. It gently nudges us, inspiring us to bring about miracles both small and large.”

I would say that, overall, Meredith Hardy and her family, as well as all the people at the free concert in the park, enjoyed the soothing music of Sounds of Dreams. Plus, it was helping a good cause. And I’m sure that with Bill and Lois Bryden, knowing that that many people cared about Addie, it’s a soothing thought that even though Addie is gone, she’ll never be forgotten. Knowing that people care the way they do soothes my soul.

If you haven’t gone to listen to one of the 21st Century Distinguished Speakers, I would suggest it. The speeches were held in September and October and they are held at the Jackson County Education Center in Seymour and organized by Leadership Jackson County.

In September, Eva Kor, a Holocaust survivor, was the speaker. Each speech lasts about 45 minutes, and both speeches I’ve gone to have packed a lot of information into that little amount of time. I was absolutely amazed by what Kor had to say. She and her twin sister became medical experiments at Auschwitz and they were held by the Nazis. This was only when they were about 10-years-old. She described how humiliating the experience was, and how it’s something that she will never forget. But that was one of her points…after many years and then discussions with others, she decided to “forgive, but never forget.” That takes a lot, I’m sure, to forgive something this horrendous. I can’t even begin to imagine what she and her sister went through. What I was also intrigued by at the Education Center that day was the audience’s reaction. Every single person in that room was glued to what Kor was saying, and it was so quiet in that room as Kor’s words were delivered. I guess it takes a special speaker to move an audience like that. Her story was told so well and you really felt like you were going back in time with her, because I know it can be hard for some people to talk about going through something like that, like when you hear about some people who went through war and don’t want to talk about it. It really made me realize that when some people complain about how they grew up or how their life is, there is always someone else out there that has had it much worse.

Kor now lives in Terre Haute and she and her husband operate the C.A.N.D.L.E.S. Holocaust museum. I’m sure it’s worth the visit and hopefully you would get to meet and talk to this inspiring lady.

For the October speaker, Seymour-native Jan Eglen returned and presented “Growing Up in Seymour,” an oral and pictorial salute to his hometown. I was kind of wondering how Kor’s speech could be topped, but Eglen’s speech was just as interesting. What’s ironic is that Eglen lives in Terre Haute now, and Kor was one of his former neighbors. He began his speech by talking briefly about Kor. Then he began relating his seven main points and told a story to go along with each. I’ll kind of break those down for you…

RELATIONSHIPS-he talked about meeting Richard “Sonny” Mellencamp (John’s father) when Eglen was 8, while Richard was working at Eglen’s mother’s drive-in. Richard pulled out a switchblade knife, put a small cut in Eglen’s finger, did the same thing to himself, rubbed them together and said they are now “blood brothers.” “If you ever need help, you just call me and I will come and help you and if I need help I will call you and you can come and help me.”
What an interesting thing…come to find out, later in the speech, Eglen said Richard lived up to his promise and friendship. Eglen now works for Digonex in Indianapolis, and when he was starting up the company, business was slow at first. So he called Richard and he got him some contacts, and before you know it, Eglen’s business was moving up. What a neat story, I thought.

UNDERSTANDING-he talked about that and having the ability to think creatively. This involved stories about he and his friends growing up and making things, such as soap box cars, clubhouses, stages and space ships. Later, he used his interests in music to join a music group in college and he also did radio work. Flash forward to his adult years, and he began working with astronauts and developed new technologies. Guess that time building space ships paid off.

EDUCATION-he talked about his years spent from Emerson Elementary to Seymour High School. He shared stories about taking music lessons, and also his special teachers at SHS. He also shared some pictures and mentioned many classmates and what they have accomplished, and several of his classmates were at the speech to listen, which was a cool thing. He went on to Indiana State University as a pre-med major before switching over to psychology. He earned his degree, and began practicing psychology, which lasted for 25 years. In that time, he went back to get his doctorate, and that has helped him in more ways than one. All of this education (and also his job/life experiences) earned him a spot on Seymour High School’s Wall of Fame….what an honor.

MORAL BASIS OF BEHAVIOR-that is something that was instilled in Eglen from his parents and teachers, and maybe even his classmates and others he’s met along the way. That’s something that everyone should have, and remember to follow that one’s entire life. It’s just knowing right from wrong, having willingness, having self-responsibility and working hard. I mean, how hard can that be?

OPPORTUNITIES-not only did Eglen get those his whole life growing up, but they continued on in his professional life. He met his wife Jo at ISU and they moved on to work for McDonnell Douglas in Huntington Beach, Calif., on the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program, which was a group of seven with master’s or doctorate’s degrees in psychology and human factors who worked with astronauts. The group developed several things, some of which are still used today. He also met an astronaut who went on Apollo 8 and 13 missions. Before the guy, Jim Revell, left on the Apollo 8 mission, Eglen asked if he could get a picture of the Earth from the moon. Revell answered with what Eglen said is THE first picture of the Earth from the moon, and he had that on display at the speech. What a piece of history to have. Eglen’s opportunity to do work like he did has to be a good feeling, and that experience in itself is a reward.

SKILLS-he has definitely used every skill he learned as a child and applied them to life later on, as can be understood in my previous words. After leaving Seymour, Eglen has definitely proven to be a success. Today, he is CEO of Digonex and the business is operating well.

YOUTHFUL AMBITIONS-I think this kind of ties in to everything I’ve mentioned. Eglen’s hopes and dreams as a child really came full circle, and that was basically the point to everything he said. That was the reason for developing the seven main points, showing the pictures and telling the stories that tie into everything.

But to conclude his speech, he said to unscramble the first letters of his main points….that spells out an acronym that is very important and special to him, and I’m sure it was equally important and special to his classmates and others attending….it’s SEYMOUR. How cool was that? What an interesting way to get your points across.

The overall idea of the speaker series is for others to share their wonderful and amazing stories with others. I was definitely intrigued, amazed and inspired, and I think you should take the opportunity to find out more about these and see one for yourself. I’m sure you’d feel the same way I do.

I believe they are having one in November, so keep an eye out for who that might be.

In response to a column by our editor, Dan Davis, I agree as well that Seymour-native John Mellencamp deserves to be in the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. I have been a fan of his music for quite some time now, and when an opportunity arises like that, you only hope the best for him. And to think of someone making it that far from Southern Indiana, you have to respect that.

I read that this is Mellencamp’s third nomination into the Hall, and one year, he sort of “turned down” his nomination one year to ensure Bob Seger got in before him. To me, that shows character and the person that Mellencamp is.

I have seen Mellencamp in concert three times, twice in Noblesville and once at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, and am going to see him at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Nov. 3. I always look forward to hearing his music, because when I’ve seen his shows, he has either just released or is preparing to release new music. This time around, he will be doing the same thing as it was announced a few months ago that he is working on a new album at his studio in Bloomington, where he lives now. So people can expect to hear some new music and old favorites if t