Well, it's the first day of spring, and that means a lot of good things are coming. First off, it means an end to the snow, and the salt dumped all over the roads that might still be eating away at my Trailblazer's pan. The days will be getting warmer and longer, and the flowers will start to bloom soon. I will appreciate it even more when our flowerbed will deign to untangle itself...

Before I came in this morning, I had intended for this post to sort of be a reaction to some of the past week's bigger stories - both in and out of Putnam County. However, I want to try and succinctly talk more about what being a reporter for a small newspaper like the Banner Graphic is like. I don't think a lot of people grasp how complex or fast-paced getting a story or managing the newsroom can be...

At the outset of this post, I want to make another public service announcement that I will plan to start posting my blogs again on Wednesdays. I just recently completed my math class at Ivy Tech, and I (as far as I know at this point) will no longer be out of the office all Monday and Wednesday morning...

Talking about the Bible has rarely come up in the newsroom. Indeed, I just had a conversation with Merlin, one of our advertising gurus, about how it is taken literally by some as a history book. Conversations of a similar nature have often cropped up, but pretty much all of them have had to do with politics and other peoples' general behavior, both good and bad. ...

The past few days have been rough on Wabash College, but I have to admit I'm impressed with how the students responded ... Their cooperation with police kept everyone safe, and the professional responses from the student publication staff, the school's administration and the quick calls made by students made sure nobody was left wondering where their loved ones were. ...

"The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part I have saved my life." - Falstaff, Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...

Before I get into this blog, I sincerely hope that all of you were able to survive the bitter cold last week relatively unscathed. It goes without saying that the -35-degree wind chill last Wednesday was absolutely no joke. For me, not only were my hands freezing inside my gloves, it hurt to breathe...

To say that I'm looking forward to the winter weather coming our way soon would definitely be an overstatement. I imagine that local readers have the same sentiment. By this time tomorrow morning, central Indiana will be under a wind chill advisory, as they are expected to reach -30-to-45 degrees. We should be mindful that frostbite can effect exposed skin within 10 minutes in this kind of cold. That's a legitimate health concern...

Let me start off by saying that this cold weather has already gotten old. Yesterday we saw below-freezing wind chills for the first time this winter. Today is not much warmer, and the forecast through Thursday predicts temps in the 30s, with rain and snow mixed in for good measure. It's typical west-central Indiana weather...

This week's blog is more of the public service announcement type, rather than making a comment or just rambling about this or that as has been the trend. It has to do with a continuing development that may affect my regular Wednesday postings...

My morning got off to what is not normally a "bad" start. As today (Wednesday) is considered to be a day off because we don't print a paper Thursday, I thought I would get up a little earlier and actually make myself some breakfast at the apartment...

As I sit here drinking my coffee, I'm anxiously awaiting trying to figure out my schedule for the next week or so. I'm also still in a kind of recovery mode from the holidays. My scale at home says that I have gained at least eight more pounds than I weighed at the beginning of December (either I have built muscle from the new exercises I've been doing at night, or I have fallen into the snacking trap)...

First off, I would like to wish all of you a Merry Belated Christmas. When I wrote last week's blog, it completely went over my head that Dec. 25 was right around the corner. I was focused on compiling stories for the year-end recap and going towards the end of what was a busy couple of weeks (I logged almost 200 miles between Cloverdale and Russellville this last pay round)...

As we wrap up remaining business and prepare for Christmas and the new year, I've been given what may sound like a monumental task. I have been put in charge of compiling the biggest stories that the Banner Graphic reported on in the past year. That means I am going through our archives day by day and determining what I think got everyone's attention or had an impact...

I think there are a lot of things that I could talk about in this week's post. I could talk about how I have not heard of any kids being abducted by the Christmas demon Krampus (see last week's post). I could expand on how life in Greencastle in general has gotten rather tame and quiet with the approach of the Christmas holiday...

My Germanness is going to come out full blast for this week's blog post. Additionally, I am going to be addressing aspects of folklore and superstition, things which I am not obligated to take stock in as a reporter. However, such stories can and do have simple morals behind them...

After Thanksgiving and the chaos of Black Friday(?) shopping, we are now officially into the holiday season. That means that Christmas music has made a "joyful and triumphant" return, to the whole-hearted delight of some and loathing to others...

To put it simply, I do not normally write these blog posts to be sentimental. This post will sort of be an exception to that pattern. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a time when Americans come together with family, in both religious and secular contexts, to reflect on the good things that have happened. It is also a time of looking forward to the coming of winter and the holiday season (though I am nominally judging you folks who have already started playing Christmas music...)...

Before I delve into this week's blog post, I would first like to acknowledge what a great game this year's Monon Bell contest was. Though I have been saying that the game was won in the first five minutes when Wabash took the lead, I think it also saw the DePauw Tigers give the Little Giants a nerve-racking battle...

Before I delve into this week’s blog post, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge what took place in yesterday’s midterm elections...