By Emily Schilling They look innocent enough: tiny, smooth, brightly colored, sweet nuggets that rest so invitingly in Easter baskets amid cellophane “grass.” Why then do they threaten me so? Evil shouldn’t lurk within a jelly bean! OK, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit when I say “evil.” But since I remember when the only dangers… Continue reading.

If you’re inside during a tornado Take shelter in a windowless, interior room; a storm cellar; or the lowest level of the building. Stay away from glass doors and windows to avoid debris from heavy wind. Crouch down and make yourself as small of a “target” as possible. If you can, get under a piece… Continue reading.

Top 3 responsibilities in a day: Provide direction. I lead the superintendents and forepersons who oversee our tree crews. Purchase. I make sure our crews have the resources they need to run safely and efficiently like personal protective equipment, tools and equipment.  Budgeting. I set and maintain a consistent budget for the required scope of work…. Continue reading.

Long before electric cooperatives began stringing silver strands of singing wire across rural America in the 1930s, the rhythmic chatter of windmills performed many of the tasks needed to make America grow. Every farm, ranch and railroad stop had those mechanical marvels of wood and steel blades and fins to pump water and do other… Continue reading.

Does your dog jump, shake, tense up, cower, become anxious or crawl under a bed with an approaching storm? If so, your dog might be suffering from anxiety or phobias related to storms or loud noises. Just as in humans, some unusual behaviors in dogs may not ratchet up to the point of concern. But… Continue reading.

Story and photos by Richard G. Biever Hilaria Chub stands nearly silhouetted just inside the kitchen entryway beside her cooking stove where she is baking. A small wood fire, centered atop a piece of corrugated sheet metal, fills the dusky room with gray smoke that envelops her before escaping through the door and openings in… Continue reading.

Four years ago, the world stopped turning for Clayton Wilson. While fighting a virus, the Martinsville sixth grader inexplicably suffered something akin to an anaphylactic shock. He required emergency room treatment. He then began experiencing a series of severe ailments: aches and pains, anxiety, brain fog, fatigue, and even loss of consciousness. The ailments forced… Continue reading.

Most all of Indiana’s 92 counties are named after a person, Native American peoples or other places. But only one is named quite simply for the largest geographical feature that touches Indiana. That’s Lake County … the state’s northwestern-most county named for the giant body of water that dimples Indiana’s upper left corner. Lake Michigan’s… Continue reading.

When you recycle or donate your used electronics, like computers, cell phones and flat screens, you do the environment a big favor.  Recycling 1 million laptops saves roughly the amount of energy it takes to power more than 3,500 homes in a year. Even if the device isn’t usable, it still contains metals, plastics and… Continue reading.

Recycling benefits the environment by diverting hundreds of millions of pounds of valuable materials from landfills and avoiding millions of metric tons of greenhouse emissions annually, creating healthier air and cleaner waterways. Recycling also reduces the need for sourcing new raw materials through mining and logging, which can create water pollution and emit greenhouse gases…. Continue reading.

Earth Day organizers encourage everyone to plant trees wherever they can: in parks, in their neighborhoods or in their own yards. If you plant a tree in your yard, choose a strategic location that will allow the tree to shade your home from the hot summer sun. As it grows, the tree will help reduce… Continue reading.