community - Dan's Blog : TribTown.com

Archive for the 'community' Category

Paying respects on Memorial Day

May 25th, 2009, 2:47 pm by davis

They were a determined bunch. Smaller in number this year, perhaps because of the stead rain falling Monday morning.

But rain perhaps also made them all the more determined.

They were men and women, young and old. There were even some boys and girls.

Some were sheltered by umbrellas. Some weren’t.

Rain or shine, though, they were determine to pay their respects to the men and women of the armed forces, those who were killed in action and those serving today at home and around the world.

You can read staff writer January Wetzel’s story and see her photos from the Memorial Day service at Riverview Cemetery in Seymour in Tuesday’s edition of The Tribune and online at TribTown.com.

Thanks for reading my blog, and thanks for logging on to TribTown.com.

Posted in: community • veterans | Post a Comment »

Day of Caring arrives

May 12th, 2009, 6:14 am by davis

Jackson County United Way’s Day of Caring has arrived.

But it’s more than a matter to just one day.

For months organizers and their volunteers have been planning for this day of work throughout the community.

Brian Hardy of Seymour has been the leader behind Day of Caring for what seems forever now.

He and his crew deserve a big thanks from the community for their efforts to make life a little better here in Jackson County.

We’ll report on today’s efforts in Wednesday’s edition of The Tribune and online at TribTown.com.

Thanks for reading my blog, and thanks for logging on to TribTown.com.

Posted in: community | Post a Comment »

A flu by any other name

April 29th, 2009, 2:34 pm by davis

Pork prices plummeted this week, or at least in the futures market for May.

That’s among reasons why Hoosier pork producers are happy to hear that government officials are now using the name “Influenza A (H1N1)/North American/Human” flu for what had been reported first as “swine flu.”

I’m not so sure “Influenza A (H1N1)/North American/Human” is going to fit into too many newspaper headlines, and so far the folks on TV seem to be sticking with “swine flu.”

We’ll report in Thursday’s edition of The Tribune and online at TribTown.com about how local pork producers and local health and emergency management officials are dealing with the flu outbreak.

Thanks for reading my blog, and thanks for logging on to TribTown.com.

Posted in: agriculture • community • flu | Post a Comment »

This little piggy has world watching

April 27th, 2009, 1:31 pm by davis

The swine flu outbreak certainly has grabbed the attention of folks.

It was the lead story in today’s edition of The Tribune, a story that first appeared online Sunday evening at TribTown.com.

We’ll follow up later tonight and in Tuesday’s edition of the newspaper with more on the story.

Reporter Jill Treadway reports that schools are putting their typical flu season routine in place — wash your hands, keep your sneezes to yourself and sanitize tables and desks.

We’ll report that Schneck Medical Center and Jackson County Department of Health report they’re taking steps to protect people as well.

Thanks for reading my blog, and thanks for logging on to TribTown.com.

Posted in: The Tribune • community • health | Post a Comment »

Indiana Wind Energy Week? Seems redundant with General Assembly in session

April 14th, 2009, 7:09 am by davis

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels declared this week Indiana Wind Energy Week. That seems redundant since the Indiana General Assembly is in session.

But seriously, the declaration followed an announcement from the American Wind Energy Association that Indiana is the fastest-growing state for wind energy installations in 2008. And that growth continues with groundbreaking events planned for two new wind farms this week in the state.

“We welcome the news that Indiana is the fastest-growing state for wind power energy,” Daniels said in a news release. “We’ve made homegrown clean energy production a priority, and we are proud to become a leader in new wind energy installations,”

Those groundbreaking ceremonies for wind energy projects totaling 306 megawatts are set for this week in Benton and White counties in northern Indiana.

Horizon Wind Energy plans to break ground on a 200 MW project in White County today, and enXco is beginning a 106 MW project in Benton County on Friday.

There are 130MW of commercially available wind energy installed in Indiana, according to the governor’s office.

That should boost upward to 836 MW by the end of 2009 as the two new projects and the 400 MW Fowler Ridge Wind Farm in Benton and Tippecanoe counties under development by BP Alternative Energy and Dominion Resources are completed.

That, the governor’s office said, would move Hoosier state past such traditional wind-producing states as South Dakota and Wyoming.

A copy of Daniels’ proclamation may be found through this link: http://www.in.gov/gov/files/Press/WindEnergyWeek.pdf

The announcement from the American Wind Energy Association may be found through this link: http://www.awea.org/

Now if we could just do something about harnessing the energy from all that hot air that comes out of the Statehouse.

Thanks for reading my blog, and thanks for logging on to Tribtown.com.

Posted in: community • family • going green | Post a Comment »

Miss America Katie Stam to visit fair

April 9th, 2009, 12:14 pm by davis

Our advertising director, Scott Embry, told me this afternoon that Miss America Katie Stam will visit this summer’s Jackson County Fair on July 27.

That word came from Don Cummings with the fair board, Scott said. They were working on preparing this summer’s fair program.

We’ll report more when find out more.

Thanks for reading my blog, and thanks for logging on to TribTown.com.

Posted in: Miss America Katie Stam • community • economy • fair • family | Post a Comment »

More vital than ever

April 9th, 2009, 12:01 pm by davis

I was asked at church last Sunday whether The Tribune was being sold.

“Well,” I said, “we’ve been sold a couple hundred times since I’ve been employed with the paper, but we never have been sold.”

No, we’re not being sold, and The Tribune hasn’t been sold since Freedom Communications of Santa Ana, Calif., bought it in 1973.

Does that mean we couldn’t be sold as I write this? Or Saturday? Or next week? Or next month?

No, it doesn’t.

But to be honest, I don’t think the market for newspapers is too hot right now.

Sadly, a number of newspapers have closed in this recession, a recession that our industry has been feeling for the past several years, partly as a result of the shift toward online sites as a source for information and advertising.

And several newspaper companies in recent months have filed for protection under U.S. bankruptcy laws.

Is our owner among them?

No.

And I hope it stays that way.

Yes, Freedom and The Tribune have been working through some tough times, just as other papers and other industries are struggling.

People are shouting that newspapers are losing their reach and their relevance. They shout that we should shut down newsrooms, stop killing trees and stop publishing our old rags.
Irrelevant? Hardly.

We may be selling fewer copies of The Tribune, just as The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune and the Palladium-Item in Richmond are selling fewer copies of their newspapers, but we remain the 800-pound gorilla in terms of readership in Jackson County.

Only more so.

That’s because in addition to the estimated 75 percent of 32,900 adults in Jackson County (24,675) reading hard copies of The Tribune on a daily basis, we’re also reaching thousands more through our Web site, TribTown.com.

In March, the news site saw 38,472 unique visitors, 126,604 visits and 710,428 page views.

Irrelevant? No, we don’t think so. Instead of weakening our relevance and importance, the Web has enhanced our reach and vitality. We can now report to readers almost instantaneously with words, photos and video.

People still trust newsrooms — or information centers, as the hip crowd prefers — to deliver them important, relevant local news. We continue to do that, and we expect to continue doing so for years to come.

Will we change? You bet. Will we stick around? Yep.

Thanks for reading my blog, and thanks for logging on to TribTown.com.

Posted in: The Tribune • community • media | Post a Comment »

Landlords on the hook after meth cooks

April 8th, 2009, 10:25 am by davis

Staff Writer Aubrey woods reports on the costs associated with cleaning up a home or motel room where methamphetamine has been made or cooked.

Although officers with the Indiana State Police and other law enforcement agencies will carry away evidence, property owners are left with the cleanup bill, regardless of their role — quite often innocent — in the meth cook.

It’s not cheap, and sometimes demolition is the best answer.

See Thursday’s edition of The Tribune and watch Tribtown.com for updates.

Thanks for reading my blog, and thanks for logging on to TribTown.com.

Posted in: community • meth | Post a Comment »

Brokaw traveling U.S. 50

April 7th, 2009, 10:35 am by davis

U.S. 50 plays a major role in the life of Jackson County.

It links us to neighbors here at home and with markets across the nation.

It’s also our Main Street, at least in spirit if not by name.

We’re not alone.

The highway, called America’s backbone in a July 7, 1997, Time magazine article that included a brief portrait of the Townhouse Cafe in Seymour (you could see hanging on a wall in the restaurant on East Fourth Street), stretches from sea to shining sea (almost). It starts in Ocean City, Md., and ending in Sacremento, Calif., and meanders hither and yon along the way.

And of course Hoosier writer Wendell Trogdon, a native of Henryville, I believe, wrote “U.S. 50: The Forgotten Highway.” The retired journalist shares his memories of living near the highway while growing up in Lawrence County and recounts a tour from Washington, D.C., to St. Louis.

Just as Time focused on life along U.S. 50 in 1997, broadcaster Tom Brokaw will focus his attention and the cameras of USA Network on the people who live and do business along the highway over much of the next year. The project will study how America reacts to the first year of President Barack Obama’s administration and the nation’s reaction to the recession.

According to The Associated Press, some of his pieces will appear on NBC News programs before “Highway 50: A Road Trip Across Obama’s America” is aired next year, around the first anniversary of Obama’s inauguration.

“I have felt for a long time that we do an inadequate job at covering Washington from the outside looking back, rather than Washington looking toward the rest of the country,” Brokaw told the AP. “If there is anything from the early stages of the Obama campaign that is, if you will, a strong theme, is that they wanted to knit the country together again. So we’re going to go out and take a look at how they’re doing.”

Should Brokaw bring his crew to Jackson County? What stories would you want him to tell from here?

Let us know, and we’ll share your ideas with other readers.

Thanks for reading my blog, and thanks for logging on to TribTown.com.

Posted in: community • economy | 1 Comment »

Make it a double — Senator wants to double alcohol tax

April 2nd, 2009, 1:52 pm by davis

A state Senate committee approved Thursday a bill that would double state alcohol taxes to bail out the financially ailing agency that runs major Indianapolis sports stadiums.

The proposal would allow counties outside Marion County to target its increased tax revenue toward economic development projects.

According to Sen. Luke Kenley’s office, Seymour would expect to receive $189,427.43 from the tax increase next year, based on the city’s estimated 2007 population. That’s in addition to the $36,437.58 the city would receive under the existing alcohol tax rate. Current revenue from the alcohol tax flows to the city’s general fund.

Seymour Mayor Craig Luedeman said Thursday afternoon he’s not in favor of the proposal but would not turn down the new revenue.

For the full story, see Friday’s edition of The Tribune and watch TribTown.com for updates.

Posted in: community | Post a Comment »

Archive for the 'community' Category

Paying respects on Memorial Day

Day of Caring arrives

A flu by any other name

This little piggy has world watching

Indiana Wind Energy Week? Seems redundant with General Assembly in session

Miss America Katie Stam to visit fair

More vital than ever

Landlords on the hook after meth cooks

Brokaw traveling U.S. 50

Make it a double — Senator wants to double alcohol tax

Search

Pages

Archives

Categories