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2023: Ride my see-saw (12/30/23)My world is spinning around/Everything is lost that I found/People run, come ride with me/Let’s find another place that’s free...
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Soybeans Pack a Bag, Destination Unknown (11/3/23)November soybeans entered the delivery period this week, and on first notice day 2.2 million bushels of soybeans were delivered against long futures. For those not familiar with the delivery process: When a futures contract nears expiration it goes into the delivery period, and first notice day is when the first deliveries can appear. ...
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War Woes (10/14/23)The terrorist attack in Israel rekindled the flames of a generational conflict and gave the markets something new to chew on. The only real predictable reaction is that crude oil would be higher, and it was. November crude oil futures gapped higher Sunday night and coming into Friday morning had gained $4/brl on the week. ...
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Fed Remains Flat (9/22/23)The Federal Reserve left rates unchanged this month in an announcement on Wednesday, but the comments following the announcement from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell made it clear that it is not dove season for policymakers yet. The path for a soft landing is still plausible, but factors outside of the Fed’s control may prevent interest rates from being lowered as much or as fast as previously hoped. ...
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Hot Temps in August Rally Soybean Prices (8/25/23)The good news for those that battled the heat this last week is that they will finally see some relief starting tomorrow with cooler temperatures. The bad news is that the damage that was done in the central plains and beyond can’t be undone. Some soybean acres wilted to the point of no return. ...
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Hot Temps in August Rally Soybean Prices (8/18/23)The month of August could not have started any better for U.S. soybean farmers with cooler-than-average temperatures and a wide coverage of rain showers. Unfortunately, the next seven-to-10 days is forecasted to be uncomfortably warm and short on moisture for the Great Plains and a large swath of the Midwest. ...
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Fed Dodging Bullets (8/11/23)Monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) numbers for this month revealed a 0.2-percent increase month-on-month for both CPI and core CPI matching estimates, and represents the smallest consecutive monthly advance in more than two years. Year-on-year CPI rose 3.2 percent. Stock markets were range bound on the week to slightly lower...
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No state funding available for bridge preservation (4/24/23)Two more local bridge preservation projects fell victim to inflated construction costs this week. Putnam County had applied for bridge preservation grants for Bridge 109 and Bridge 112 on West Walnut Street Road, but learned this week that neither project would be funded...
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Atmospheric Rivers Drench California (1/13/23)The West Coast megadrought, described as the worst in 1,200 years, seemed to be abruptly broken. A series of storms swamped California and brought needed relief to some areas. Thousands experienced flooding, overflowing reservoirs, mudslides and power outages. ...
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2022: Things fall apart, but they can be rebuilt (12/29/22)Wait a minute, engines and sirens, city all up in a roar/ Fire chief said, "Son, what'd you wanna do this for?"/"I'm sorry, sir, I just can't take it no more/You wouldn't have liked the man I was before." - From "Blew Up (The House)" by Jonny Lang...
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Getting at it fundamental to what we do (9/23/22)Published in the 2022 edition of the Banner Graphic's Salute to Putnam County's First Responders. _ I will sometimes think back on the fatal two-vehicle collision that occurred on State Road 42 last year. It is still one that is hard to reconcile, both as a reporter and as a “civilian.”...
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Getting the hang of a Model T (9/8/22)This post was published in the Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, edition of the Banner Graphic. _ I would say that I am competent when it comes to driving a stick shift. However, I can still kill it taking off at a light or have a mini-stroke when forced to make a "hill start."...
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Price: Community buy-in critical for volunteer firefighters (8/30/22)Published as a column for the Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, edition of the Banner Graphic. _ An almost-absolute sentiment in the fire service is that volunteers are — and have been — a dying breed. For longtime Madison Township Volunteer Fire Chief Lee Price, the issue is twofold: Youth don’t want to volunteer, and the rest are getting old...
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If I can be a little more like Ernie Pyle (8/16/22)This post was published in the Friday, Aug. 19, 2022, edition of the Banner Graphic. _ Last Saturday, I did something I maybe don't do enough now. A lot of the time, I will come into the office, do obits that've come in and maybe write up a caption or a story...
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Shades to host meteor shower party Aug. 13 (8/4/22)WAVELAND -- Shades State Park will host a star party to view the Perseid meteor shower and other celestial objects on Saturday, Aug. 13 from 10 p.m. to midnight on the road to Pine Hills Nature Preserve. Volunteers from the Wabash Valley Astronomical Society will have telescopes set up for viewing the darkest public night sky in Indiana, and members of the society and naturalists will help visitors identify what they see. There will also be a few space-themed crafts and activities...
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Heat Hurting Agriculture (6/17/22)Cattle in Kansas died by the thousands recently. Hogs and poultry farms are suffering too, as livestock are unable to cool down. Record temperatures have suddenly exceeded animals’ ability to cool themselves, both naturally and even in confined feed operations. Overall production levels are compromised because even those faring well in the heat are not eating properly, affecting health and safety...
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Four years on: Being open about a 'hard' reset (6/15/22)Wait a minute, engines and sirens, city all up in a roar/ Fire chief said, "Son, what'd you wanna do this for?"/"I'm sorry, sir, I just can't take it no more/You wouldn't have liked the man I was before." - From "Blew Up (The House)" by Jonny Lang...
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Russia Halts Gas to Poland (4/29/22)Midweek, Russia announced they would stop exporting natural gas to Poland and Bulgaria since Warsaw has refused to pay for Russian gas in rubles. By shutting off Polish gas, Germany may receive less gas, which will, in turn, reduce supplies to the region in general. ...
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Walk (and limp) like you mean it (3/3/22)Walk like a man, talk like a man/Walk like a man, my son/No woman's worth crawlin' on the earth/So walk like a man, my son - From "Walk Like a Man" by The Four Seasons...
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Finding and defining the cost of freedom (2/18/22)Find the cost of freedom, buried in the ground/Mother Earth will swallow you/Lay your body down. - "Find the Cost of Freedom" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young...
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A broken leg can't become a fall from grace (2/8/22)When the freezing rain came through our area back on Jan. 8, I thought about falling and hurting myself. At the same time, I didn't think twice about going to a four-vehicle crash at the bottom of Plessinger's Hill, it being one of many incidents which ensued...
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One of those 'hell weeks' (1/14/22)This past week was one of those that has only happened occasionally since I started here at the Banner Graphic. Even so, this blog post isn't going to be all that positive. With this being the second week of the month, normally I would have four meetings to cover with the Cloverdale School Board, Cloverdale Town Council, Area 30 Board and South Putnam School Board. This might seem like a good bit, and, really, it all can be...