Some time ago, I got an email from former Putnam County Chief Deputy Matt Demmings effectively asking why I had not written a post in my Banner Graphic blog since last December. I recall the subject head being, “What gives?” I think I sighed and, in my head, replied, “Good question.”...

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...

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.”...

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."...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

I have seen a few of my Facebook friends make a 10-Year Challenge post. I am not really one to get on such a bandwagon. However, I figured I could "bite" on this one. The "challenge" is to pair a 2011 photo of oneself with one from 2021. A similar trend apparently took off in 2019. Meanwhile, it hasn't seemed like the 2021 iteration has had much traction, at least tabloid-wise. It is neither here nor there for this, though...

As we wrap up the year, and as I have had some time to really think about this one, I feel I can discuss the experiences, as well as the complexity, which defined my 2021. Coming in last January, I was hopeful we would be able to put COVID behind us for good. I had an optimism that I would be done with my graduate studies by this time...

Actually, Christmas 2021 being "odd" is more akin to it now being a loaded affair. This time around, this is not going to be like our Christmases past for me and my family. First off, my mom just recently fell from a ladder and broke her left shoulder. She is doing fine and has at least been able to get around. However, with her having surgery on it Thursday and Dad working, our "normal" Christmas plans have changed as such...

First responders have more or less kept me occupied within the past week. This is along with covering two meetings in Cloverdale and a crepe breakfast at Area 30. There was the gas leak that occurred on North Indiana Street in Greencastle last Friday afternoon. Then came the porch light fire at a residence in Cloverdale Sunday morning. (I was basically still in my pajamas for that one.) Then there was my quick turnaround for the rollover on County Road 650 West near Reelsville last Monday...

I would generally describe myself as an "open" agnostic in terms of religion. I don't outrightly deny the potential existence of God or gods. Religion to me is as a coping mechanism, and many take exception with this interpretation. This is okay, though...

Just the other night, a Greencastle firefighter announced to me that he had to go home and "take a dump." This totally random declaration has me now thinking about gossip. I jested that this tidbit would be great for a specialized section in the Banner Graphic: "Greencastle firefighter ------------ lost weight after defecating at his home Thursday." Or something like that. There's not much tact here if you don't have a sense of humor...

Unlike many, my family and I did not visit relatives for Thanksgiving. My maternal grandmother has been in the hospital, and I was told some on my dad's side were sick. I stayed here and "took it easy." I'm okay with this, and getting this post written gave me the impetus to try and flesh out some difficult thoughts about what I do and why...

I have had my 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer since before I came to the Banner Graphic more than three years ago. Except for maybe one car crash I can remember, I have driven it to every event I've covered. It has issues but has not been truly unreliable...

About a week ago, one of my Wabash buddies asked me if I was dying or in hospice. The context is that he saw a Facebook post about me filling out an advance directive...