By Emily Schilling What can be seen once in a minute, twice in a moment and never in a thousand years? Are you perplexed by the question?  That’s what I love about brain teasers. You can ponder them for hours weighing all the possible — and impossible — answers. When you finally have that “aha”… Continue reading.

Photos and Story By Richard G. Biever Going the extra mile is what makes Sarah Mahnesmith smile … and tick. In track and field, instead of the one-mile, the Rensselaer Central High senior prefers running the two-mile. In 4-H, she wasn’t just a local leader; she represented Indiana at the National 4-H Congress. In high… Continue reading.

Two-lane highways steadily brought people to Dillsboro over the first half of the 20th century. Then interstates sped them away. What remains of the small southeastern Indiana town, like so many rural towns everywhere, are empty buildings, fading photos, memories — and dreams for a revival that still flicker within. Now, a Smithsonian-curated traveling exhibit,… Continue reading.

By Richard G. Biever For a county as renowned for its genealogy research center as Allen County, it’s no surprise it traces its own cultural and economic impact back long before the county’s 1824 founding.  The confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Mary rivers, where the Maumee River begins, created a natural crossroads that… Continue reading.

By Emily Schilling You’ve probably heard educators talk about different learning styles. We learn best by engaging our dominant sense, be it sight, sound or touch. I, however, believe my most evolved senses are taste and smell. Unfortunately, that doesn’t help me when it comes to learning anything. It’s impossible to eat my way to… Continue reading.

By Emily Schilling As much as I say I hate getting up early, my darned internal clock usually awakens me at 5 a.m. even on those days I can sleep in. Of course, I also typically nod off by 9 p.m. (no late night TV for me!) so I get an adequate amount of sleep… Continue reading.

Top 3 responsibilities in a day • Answer questions from consumers about power quality or general engineering issues. • Check the outages from the previous day to make sure the system’s coordination worked as planned. • Communicate with my co-workers about various ongoing projects. What part of your job do you find most fulfilling? I… Continue reading.

BY NICK ROGERS A 19th-century description of Indiana’s 13,000-acre Limberlost Swamp advised visitors against a “treacherous … quagmire, filled with every plant, animal and human danger known.” Such strong words would warn off most. Thankfully, Gene Stratton-Porter had quite a few of her own to write about Limberlost. In its environs, the Wabash County native… Continue reading.

BY BRIAN D. SMITH It’s a day made for the outdoors, with temperatures in the mid-70s and a balmy breeze stirring the humid Indiana air. Even your 10-year-old bulldog Max seems invigorated, bolting into your fenced backyard when you open the door.  But when you check on him a half hour later, Max looks anything… Continue reading.

BY NICK ROGERS Brown County, just an hour’s drive south of Indianapolis, has become a multifaceted mecca for live music, noteworthy artwork and outdoor recreation. Pick-and-grin pilgrimages don’t get bigger than those to the Bill Monroe Music Park & Campground in Bean Blossom. Founded by the Father of Bluegrass, the park will host the 21st… Continue reading.

BY BRIAN D. SMITH Fifty years ago this month, a man on the moon joined the man in the moon, pressing a human footprint onto the grainy gray lunar surface for the first time in history. Neil Armstrong’s July 20, 1969 milestone step (he was soon accompanied by fellow astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin) came 6½… Continue reading.

BY NICK ROGERS Spring Mill State Park boasts the usual activities, campsites and trails (eight to be exact, ranging from 1/3 to 2½ miles). But most parks don’t serve food using cornmeal made from an active, 202-year-old mill. And you’d be hard-pressed to find NASA spacecraft near nature elsewhere. On 1,358 acres about 3 miles… Continue reading.