While Statehouse politics were underway early this year, your Indiana Connection team hounded out a behind-the-scenes interview with a Holcomb administration insider that’s not just another shaggy-dog story. What follows is an edited portion of our hot-diggity conversation with mover and shaker (especially when he’s wet) Henry Holcomb, First Pooch of Indiana.  INDIANA CONNECTION: Tell… Continue reading.

Hoosier musical artist John Mellencamp has achieved international fame for over 40 years punching out a unique brand of rootsy rock’n’roll. Mellencamp’s radio-station standards — like “Hurts So Good,” “Jack and Diane,” “Pink Houses,” “Small Town,” and “Rain on the Scarecrow” — have ranged from catchy Top 40 tunes about teenage romance and rebellion to… Continue reading.

As a service to our readers and to promote electrical safety, here are some recent recall notices provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Visit www.cpsc.gov/en/recalls for full details of these recalls and for notices of many more. Trek recalls electric bicycles due to fall hazard A wrong-sized bolt has led to a recall… Continue reading.

What’s killing the oak trees? Q: In 22 years I’ve had more than a dozen oaks die because of a grub or larvae. Symptoms: First the leaves die and turn brown at the top of the tree. It slowly spreads down the tree until all the leaves are brown and have fallen off. Then the bark… Continue reading.

Spring has sprung in the Hoosier state. It’s planting season for many of the state’s roughly 94,000 farmers. While you prepare to plant the crops that keep the world fed, Indiana’s electric cooperatives remind you to keep safety in mind — especially when working around electricity. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety… Continue reading.

By Pat Sullivan When selling your home, you want it to look its absolute best for potential buyers. Home staging highlights your home’s most impressive assets. It can also greatly decrease the time a home sits on the market. Follow these suggestions for a cost-effective way to make a big impact. De-Personalize: Staging helps buyers… Continue reading.

Photos and story by Richard G. Biever Nate Heck works in the world’s greatest office space. But it’s not the cozy insulated and energized tree house in his backyard. Though editing video beneath a giant live oak limb that passes through definitely makes a unique and awesome studio. It’s not the New York City museums,… Continue reading.

This St. Patrick’s Day take a trip to Ireland — Ireland, Indiana, that is.  But don’t head to this small town in Dubois County for an Irish Stew and Colcannon dinner. The Hoosier state’s Ireland is synonymous with fried chicken from The Chicken Place.  Yes, this purveyor of good old-fashioned skillet-fried chicken, made fresh to… Continue reading.

Vigo County has been home to a celebrated array of people. But let’s meet three: a songsmith, a saint, and Holocaust survivor. Paul Dresser. Whenever Hoosiers sing about “the moonlight … along the Wabash,” they honor all Indiana homesteads. But really, that home gleaming with candlelight was that of Dresser, a Terre Haute native and… Continue reading.

By Leslie Beard With winter around the corner, weather emergencies are bound to happen — but they don’t have to reach crisis status in your household. If you prepare for power outages before they occur, you can minimize your worries, especially about food safety.  The most important tip to remember is to keep your refrigerator… Continue reading.

A new coat of paint on your home’s interior walls can create lighter mood and a fresh, new look.   Choose a warm color in the red, orange or brown family to add drama to a room. Cool colors like blue, green and lavender are calming and soothing.   An energy-saving tip: Before you start… Continue reading.

Some older homes don’t have exhaust fans in the bathroom or kitchen. Others have old fans that are so noisy nobody ever turns them on. Adding or upgrading exhaust fans can make a home safer and more comfortable. An exhaust fan’s primary purpose is to remove moisture from the room. But they also remove bathroom… Continue reading.