For many connected to my alma mater, this is the most wonderful time of the year. I would like to think quite a few at DePauw see it the same way after the last few games. A consistent statement I've heard being taken as matter-of-fact is that Wabash takes the annual contest for the Monon Bell much more seriously than the "Dannies" do. The further addendum is that DePauw only cares about the Bell during this one week...

Before I get into the crux of this week's blog, I think it is appropriate to at least acknowledge Tuesday's municipal elections which happened here in Putnam County. There are takes which I could provide on a few individuals voted in and out, and you could either agree or disagree. ...

As a social event and from historical context, Halloween is a curious holiday to me. Halloween as a singular day takes its cue from the celebration of Samhain, during which ancient Celts marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter with bonfires and rituals to appease the Aos Sí, or spirits which dwelt underground...

It has been quite a while since I have posted to my blog this late in the week. Indeed, the last one I remember going live on a Friday was from this past June when I reflected on my one-year anniversary as a staff writer here at the Banner Graphic...

While we're now just getting used to the chill of the fall season which really came in this past weekend, we are also halfway into what is the "spookiest" month of the year. We're only two weeks removed from Halloween, when little ghosts and superheroes will go door to door asking for candy. Others may get a rush out of teepeeing a house...

As I was walking around trying to get photos from First Friday a week ago, I was stopped by a town council member who had something rather peculiar to say to me. "You gonna make me look bad in the paper again?" he asked, as if nothing was wrong other than that my coverage of his council's recent meeting would be published soon...

For a recent assignment in one of my online master's classes I'm currently taking, I had to create a short presentation which covered an "innovation" that failed. There are myriad examples I could've talked about. I almost chose the failure that was the Edsel, a large car Ford put out in the late-1950s which was considered overhyped and ugly. The name itself has endured as a byword for a commercial failure...

It has become apparent in the past few days, at least to me, that winter is coming quickly. The mornings are chillier and the leaves are browning and beginning to fall. With the advent of fall on Monday, we are entering into the seasons which mean a lot of different things to people. For some it's football or pumpkin spice lattes. To others, the coming of fall tragically means that snow and ice are just around the corner...

Just this past Monday, our editor-in-chief was finally cleared to come back to work, after being away from the Banner Graphic for almost four months now. During this time, Jared and I have basically been a two-man team on the news side, along with having Joe Fields help out as a stringer. While we've managed, we've been thinking about Eric as we've tried to keep up with our normal beats and other stories...

For those connected to my alma mater, yesterday marked the anniversaries of the deaths of two Wabash students on campus. One of those deaths occurred in 2016, in the fall semester of my senior year. It was a Saturday, and I planned on doing some research during the morning for a capstone I had fallen behind on. Before heading to the library, I read an email from then-Dean Mike Raters stating that Austin Weirich ’18 had unexpectedly died overnight...

I often drink three Yeti Rambler mugs of coffee every day during the week: one in the morning, one when I come back from lunch and one in the evening. According to what is normally considered an American "cup" (meaning 8 oz.), I drink about six cups of coffee during the day. Needless to say, that's a lot for anyone...

I recently watched a British film from 1968 called "if...." directed by English filmmaker Lindsay Anderson. It also stars Malcolm McDowell in his debut role. Some might recognize that name, because he played Alex DeLarge in Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of "A Clockwork Orange." He also played the title role in 1979's iconic (but - due to its explicitly sexual and violent content - controversial) "Caligula."...

This is meant to be more of a life update, though I've included some reflections too. Though I certainly have thoughts about developments at the national level, I have no eagerness to discuss any of those topics this week. As is usual, events here at home continue to keep me and Jared busy and moving. Wednesdays are no exception...

I'm thankful that I now have time to sit down and work on this week's blog. Besides having four meetings to cover this week, yesterday was rather busy with us covering a fire which damaged a historic home on U.S. 231, as well as an early crash on U.S. 40...

School is officially back in session. Students in Putnam County began the 2019-20 school year this week, with Cloverdale Schools leading the charge on Tuesday. Of course, this means that DePauw will not be too far behind, and my alma mater will welcome its new freshman class a week from this coming Saturday. The time at Wabash between Ringing In and the first day of classes is an exciting, even if somewhat stressful, period of anticipation. For those returning, it's simply just that...

Last Saturday, a federal judge in Kentucky dismissed a $250 million lawsuit brought by the family of Nicholas Sandmann against The Washington Post. They claimed the paper, along with other outlets like CNN and NBC, engaged in defamation with regard to covering a confrontation between Sandmann and a Native American protester named Nathan Phillips during demonstrations in Washington D.C. last January...

It's been that interesting (or, in our case at the Banner Graphic, sometimes frustrating) time of the summer. Putnam County is now almost at the end of fair week. For some, the fair conjures up visions of scarfing down their fair share of Legionburgers. It then means getting on the tilt-a-whirl and nearly losing said Legionburgers. It means attending the tractor pulls or the cheerleading competitions. It also means going to see all the craft works inside the Community Building...

Many historians and gearheads would argue that Henry Ford's Model T was perhaps the most important design innovation in the development of the automobile. It was chosen in 1999 by a jury of automotive journalists as the most influential car of the 20th century. Other designs which were recognized included those of the Mini, Citroën DS, Porsche 911 and, maybe not too surprisingly, the Volkswagen Beetle...

We've had another hectic week so far in the newsroom - and out in the community. Jared and I both have been working with multiple meetings, in addition to working on other stories which have come up in our need (or want)-to-do list. I myself had four regular sessions scheduled, and am halfway through as of today (Wednesday)...

In trying to think about this blog post, I have found myself taking one route to reflect on how fast-paced this week has seemed up to now, though we're halfway through. This one was not intended to be very involved, given how busy we've been just trying to gather everything we can together and strategize what stories will run and when...