Columnists
7 Years after Heart Attack, Elk Now Leads, Makes a Difference
Geoff Robinson has learned that “life can be short.” So he takes every day as a blessing. And he makes a point to make a difference. Coming up on the seventh anniversary of his heart attack — on July 4, 2015, while participating in Carmel’s 4.5-mile Freedom Run & Walk, during which he collapsed, his…
Read MoreFrank Hawkins’ Civil War Tale of Survival
I was having a hard time coming up with a topic for this week’s column that would be both appropriate to this time of year AND something I hadn’t written about before. Then I thought of the tale of Frank Hawkins at Gettysburg. The battle of Gettysburg, a turning point in the Civil War, took…
Read MoreA Few ‘Over Groan’ Words
It happens about this time every year. Despite meaning well and good intentions, I’ve again become the neighborhood pariah. Situated smack dab between the two-story modern with the terraced wall and the wrap-around deck to my west, and the venerable ranch on the east, with the two stately oaks in front and the neatly trimmed…
Read MoreThe Saga of Diego Morales, Destiny Wells and Judge J. Michael Luttig
Two days before the Indiana Republican Convention gathered, we heard conservative retired federal Judge J. Michael Luttig tell the U.S. House Jan. 6 Select Committee what would have happened if Vice President Mike Pence had done President Trump’s bidding in overturning the 2020 election. It would have been a “revolution within a constitutional crisis.” Three…
Read MoreThe Act of Noticing and the Bloody Lucky Squirrel
My husband, Peter, and I went to our first concert in the park last night. We brought our folding chairs and ate food from the food trucks. The weather was perfect, and the music was good. But upstaging the band were a pair of juvenile squirrels in the trees overhead, challenging one another to feats…
Read MoreThe M240i Ends BMW’s Modern Era with Thunder
I feel like when a car’s paint color is called Thundernight Metallic, and it’s a $550 option, the car wearing it better be impressive. You may imagine that color to be some mysterious murky gray, but it’s actually eggplant purple. With sparkle. Fortunately, the 2022 BMW M240i has the performance, style, and luxury to back…
Read MoreTribute Bands, Movie Series, Comedy Play, Fly-In & Pancakes This Weekend
Fleetwood Gold is the band tonight at Cool Creek Park, “Beetlejuice” is the flick at the outdoor summer movie series and The Belfry Theatre’s “Drinking Habits” play opens tonight at Ivy Tech Auditorium in Noblesville. On Saturday, come out for a fly-in and pancake breakfast at Noblesville Airport and later that day hear the REO…
Read MoreMy Marriage in Jeopardy
For decades, Mary Ellen and I have been fans of the show Jeopardy. Every night at 7:30 we watch to see how long it takes for us to feel really stupid. I often say, I used to know that but I forgot, which is pretty much the same thing as not knowing the answer…I mean…
Read MoreReflecting On the Life of Caleb Swanigan, Plus News and Notes with Kenny
The Allen County (Indiana) coroner declared former Purdue All-American Caleb Swanigan died Monday night of natural causes. I’ll add two contributing factors to Swanigan’s death at the age of 25: heredity and environment. There’s not much any of us can do about our family’s health history. Swanigan entered life with a big strike one in…
Read MoreCome On Out and See the Airplanes
There’s nothing better than flapjacks at a Saturday morning fly-in. At least twice a year, aviation enthusiasts of all ages head out to Noblesville Airport to see all types of aircraft fly in and take off right in front of their eyes. Visitors can get up close and touch the planes. They can climb on…
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