This week's blog was published in the Friday, Jan. 22 edition of the Banner Graphic. _ When I went Tuesday evening to cover Gobin Memorial UMC's honoring the Putnam County residents we've lost to COVID-19, I didn't expect it to inspire this week's blog...

It has been a packed week for me here at the Banner Graphic. Five meetings later, I finally have time to jot down a few thoughts which have cropped up in the meantime. The second week of the month has generally been my "busy week," with the Cloverdale School Board, Cloverdale Town Council, Area 30 Board and South Putnam School Board all having their monthly meetings. ...

It might seem a little too sentimental to consider a new coat as anything other than that. It is just going to keep me warm during the winter and into the spring months. What perhaps came with it, though, was a sort-of sense of empowerment. Or maybe it is a sense of professionalism, a feeling of slimness, I might have been lacking before...

Very much like the rest of you, I am ready for 2020 to finally end. Saying that this has been one for the books might not get to the heart of what we've each experienced. Overhanging it all has been COVID-19, which I think has upended a lot of what we might take for granted. It has also been a traumatic year of socio-political frustration. It has been a year synonymous with social distancing, masks and the Zoom meeting...

Each December, the religion and music departments at Wabash College sponsor a program which is an important event for me -- one which I always look forward to. Called the Christmas Festival of Music & Readings, it is modeled after a century-old program at Cambridge University in England. Verses from the Bible telling of the birth of Jesus Christ are mixed throughout with carols, hymns and other seasonal songs...

On the heels of the first measurable snowfall we've had in the Putnam County area, the cold temperatures have prompted some uninvited guests into my apartment recently. I came back from covering the North Putnam School Board Thursday evening to a mouse scurrying in my bedroom. I scared him into my closet, where he hid behind a stand-up mirror and junk stacked against the wall. He was obviously not coming out...

At the risk of sounding a little crazy here, it seems like Monday or Tuesday was just yesterday. I did have two regular meetings for this week -- but wait! there's more. Indeed, last Tuesday turned into one of the most hectic days I've had in a good while...

The end of my series on participating in the Putnam County Leadership Academy. Last Wednesday, our group had its final session. It was also our wrap-up as we were recognized as graduates of the newly revived Putnam County Leadership Academy...

On Monday, I received a message in my inbox I did not expect. This was a Zoom invitation Mom sent to me and my sister with the topic as "Thanksgiving Family." After looking through who else was CC'd in the email, it then became definite that we wouldn't be going to grandma and grandpa's house for Thanksgiving this year. This will be the first time I would remember not going. However, things have compounded...

Part of a series on my participation in the Putnam County Leadership Academy. In the two-and-a-half years since I started here at the Banner Graphic, I have covered my fair share of fires and car crashes beyond compiling the fire runs for the scanner...

Part of a series on my participation in the Putnam County Leadership Academy. The PCLA 2020 group did not have a class this week. Instead, we participated in an etiquette dinner hosted by Bridges Craft Pizza & Wine Bar in downtown Greencastle...

Part of a series on my participation in the Putnam County Leadership Academy. It was an interesting time when I graduated from Greencastle High School back in 2013. It was not only because I was overweight -- and had a much fuller head of hair...

Part of a series on my participation in the Putnam County Leadership Academy. A little over a week ago, I had to do something I never thought I would: abstain from checking my Facebook timeline. This was supposed to be an addiction that I gave up...

Part of a series on my participation in the Putnam County Leadership Academy. Last week, Mayor Bill Dory told our group that housing was the greatest challenge for Greencastle moving forward. This was one, though integral, part of our quality of life...

Part of a series on my participation in the Putnam County Leadership Academy. This past Wednesday, our PCLA 2020 group became a little more familiar with the myriad functions of government which are behind Greencastle and Putnam County...

Part of a series on my participation in the Putnam County Leadership Academy. When they are put together, "diversity" and "inclusion" seem to get passed around currently as buzzwords in society charged with partisan politics and social upheaval...

A part of a series on my participation in the Putnam County Leadership Academy. Last week, our group focused on public speaking -- which, for many, can be daunting...

A part of a series on my participation in the Putnam County Leadership Academy...

As a reporter for the Banner Graphic, I often get to talk to some of the movers and shakers in the community, as well as those leading our school systems and businesses. For about the next three months, I will get to learn more about how I can become an influencer, as well as what it takes to promote growth throughout Putnam County...

It was pretty much a last-minute decision to take the Beetle to a car show last Sunday. But when I found out that one would be held within a short distance from home, I didn't see what I had to lose. We are now into September. The ones I look forward to have been canceled, and others have been too far to justify going with COVID-19...