Letter: Stick together to oppose Mid-States Corridor

In this election season, it’s often difficult to get our candidates to take a position on an issue, especially if it might be a highly charged issue, like a new terrain highway. I have sent position statement requests to every gubernatorial candidate, our local and state Representative and Senate candidates, the Martin County Alliance, and…

Column: Attic treasure allows him to take a trip and never leave the armchair

(Editor’s Note: This story by Scott Saalman recently appeared in Next Avenue, a non-profit journalism website produced by Twin Cities PBS.)  I recently listened to an NPR news story about how National Geographic, the venerable, glossy-paged gold standard chronicler of our natural world, will no longer be purchasable on newsstands. This doesn’t mean that the magazine has…

Letter: We are in fool me twice territory

Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton—could willingly and convincingly poke fun at themselves. That alone might not help a president save the world, but it’s hard to stay mad at someone who is more than marginally likable. Reagan and Clinton were deemed “Teflon” presidents for their ability to deflect criticism. President Clinton left office with a…

Letter: Stop the land grab; Fix the roads we have

I feel so fortunate to live in a community that, since its earliest days, has brought people together to create a place comprised of small towns in the midst of very productive farmland. This, by necessity, requires large undeveloped acreages to stay productive. Though much has been lost in the past few years, many unsung heroes…

Letter: Mid-States Corridor bad for local farmers

The article in the February 21, 2024 issue of the Martin County Journal titled “Indiana remains a top agricultural state according to new census” is spot on and should provide reason enough to oppose the Mid-State Corridor. It lists Dubois and Daviess counties in the top five Indiana counties for the largest number of farms (Daviess) and…

Letter: A 12-step program to help with confirmation bias

My name is Jim. I’m a recovering voter. I watch Bill Maher’s Friday night TV show and appreciate that he’ll scorn left-leaning thinkers almost as much as conservatives. But he’s been getting on my nerves. He’s had some guests I don’t care for, both Democrats and Republicans. I consider all viewpoints. At least, I think…

Letter: How will the Mid-State Corridor impact the Amish

Has anyone taken the time to ask our Amish neighbors what they think of the Mid-State Corridor project? How do they feel about their quiet community being disrupted with construction? With increased traffic noise? With their roads dead-ending into a 4-lane highway? With their farms being cutoff? With minimal safe crossings? With their businesses losing…

Column: Going mano a mano with a Cubano

The year ended with a near-miss cooking catastrophe. Fortunately, the Cubanos turned out fine, but there was a trio of little fires—figuratively speaking—to contend with during the process of appeasing the tastebuds of our New Year’s Eve company.  In the kitchen, figurative fires are preferred to literal fires since there are no actual flames to…

Bartels: Supporting our Hoosier veterans, military

Military veterans made tremendous sacrifices in the defense of our state and country. In turn, they deserve our support when they’ve completed their service and return to civilian life. As the new chair of the House Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee, I’m working on legislation that could help more Hoosier veterans in need. The Indiana Military Family Relief…

Mid-States Corridor: Best intentions and best interests don’t always match up

It’s noteworthy that Martin County is considering a Wheel Tax to afford the upkeep of our local roads. Could this have something to do with the fact that over half of the county is tax-exempt? Crane and the Hoosier State Forest don’t contribute as much to our county as our farms and businesses. The Mid-State…