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Beyond Bloomington 168 results
Oldenburg, Indiana, calls itself the "Village of Spires." Adventure travel writer Michael Waterford says this small town holds a special place in his heart. | Photo by Michael Waterford

Destination Small Town: Old World Germany in Oldenburg
Michael Waterford
In our newest series, Destination Small Town, adventure-travel writer Michael Waterford explores intriguing places in Indiana. His first trip is to "ludicrously pleasant” Oldenburg. With Germanic heritage, a historic convent, and two restaurants on the Southeastern Indiana Chicken Tour (yes, it's a real thing), Oldenburg is a fantastic weekend getaway. Click here to read the full story.
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After years of gardening difficulties in Montana, Jonna Mary Yost and her husband, Benjamin Schwarz (pictured here), did not realize what was in store from their Bloomington garden. | Photo by Jonna Mary Yost

Montana Transplant’s First Hoosier Garden Turns Into ‘Tropical Rectangle of Chaos’
Jonna Mary Yost
With so-so results and “a heavy blanket of defeat” from gardening in her native Montana, Jonna Mary Yost dug her thumbs in the dirt at her new Indiana home. The prime growing conditions of the Hoosier climate turned her backyard into a lush harvest. Click here to read the full story.
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The stars of the 7th Annual Marsh Madness Sandhill Crane Festival at Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area in Greene County. Tens of thousands have already been spotted in the area. | Photo by Thomas Marriage

Treasure Hunting at Goose Pond During Marsh Madness
Limestone Post
The spring migration of sandhill cranes and countless other birds will be celebrated on March 4-5 during the 7th Annual Marsh Madness Sandhill Crane Festival at Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area. David Rupp, owner of IndiGo Birding Nature Tours, gave Limestone Post a preview on a recent trip to the pond. Click here to read the full story.
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Newly arrived South Sudanese refugees carry their belongings at the Nyumanzi reception center in the northern district of Uganda, Adjumani. Since the first week of January 2016, Uganda has seen an influx of 4,587 refugees from the neighboring war torn country of South Sudan. | Photo courtesy © UNHCR/Isaac Kasamani

Finding Hope in South Sudan: Part 2 Persistent Violence, Unstable Peace
Will Reed
When fighting erupted last August in South Sudan, community-development workers Will and Theresa Reed had to evacuate. They returned to Bloomington to wait out the violence. Now, while the situation in South Sudan fluctuates between unstable and dangerous, the Reeds have returned to Africa, helping refugees in Uganda to find hope. Click here to read the full story.
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Helping Offenders Prosper in Employment, or HOPE, mentors (l-r) Haley Clements, Jesse Cooperman, and Sarah Swank, are each paired with an incarcerated youth at the Madison Juvenile Correctional Facility, the only maximum-security facility for girls in Indiana. The program, developed by Indiana University Professor Theresa Ochoa, is designed to help the girls learn skills they’ll need to finish school or find a job after leaving the facility. | Photo by Ann Georgescu

Mentorship Program Tries to Break School-to-Prison Pipeline for Juvenile Girls
Ann Georgescu
IU Professor Theresa Ochoa developed HOPE, a mentorship program at the Madison Juvenile Correctional Facility, Indiana’s only maximum-security detention center for girls. Each juvenile is paired with a college student to learn skills she’ll need to finish school or find a job after she leaves the facility. Click here to read the full story.
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The American Discovery Trail is a 6,800-mile, coast-to-coast phenomenon that is the first of its kind in the country. Much of it travels along existing trails, such as this one in the Harrison-Crawford State Forest in southern Indiana. | Photo by Ron Eid

From the B-Line Trail to the Pacific Ocean — Hiking the American Discovery Trail
Ron Eid
Imagine hiking from the B-Line Trail to the Pacific Ocean (or the Atlantic) without ever leaving an official hiking trail. For years, hiking enthusiasts have been working on the American Discovery Trail, a coast-to-coast trail that passes through southern Indiana. Connecting it to the B-Line, via the Knobstone Trail, isn’t far-fetched. Click here to read the full story.
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Working out of Bloomington and Chicago, "Driftless" magazine’s three-member publishing team includes (l-r) Anna Powell Teeter, Leah Fithian, and Shelly Westerhausen. | Photo by Jason Lukas

With Local Base, ‘Driftless’ Magazine Is a Journey Through the Midwest
Ann Georgescu
Writer Ann Georgescu reviews Driftless magazine, calling it a “collaborative work of art in ink and paper.” Working out of Bloomington and Chicago, the magazine’s three-member publishing team curates the photography, feature stories, illustrations, guides, recipes, and other content that captures all that is poetic and beautiful about the Midwest. Click here to read the full story.
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A decade ago, John built a coop in Brown County and moved his city chickens to the country. Since then, local chicken keepers won their right to raise backyard chickens within Bloomington city limits. | Photo by Ann Georgescu

From Wild Fowl to Feathered Friends, Chickens Have a Rich History with Humans
Ann Georgescu
In what writer Ann Georgescu calls “an epic tale of success and survival,” the globetrotting chicken has crossed many cultural and political boundaries in its migration from the jungle to our backyards. Through one man’s experience in Bloomington (and then in Brown County), Georgescu reveals our tangled relationship with these captivating birds. Click here to read the full story.
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Mark Havens, head brewer of Quaff ON! Brewing Company, stands in the doorway of the Quaff ON! production site in Brown County, which is located in an old bowling alley. | Photo by Jonna Mary Yost

Quaff ON! Brewery ‘Abides’ in Nashville, Expanding Its Production and Adding a Distillery
Jonna Mary Yost
When it seems another craft brewery or distillery is opening every month, it’s natural to ask, how many can a community support? Quaff ON! Brewery, which is both building a new beer-making facility and starting a distillery in Nashville, shows writer Jonna Mary Yost how such companies can be integral parts of community development. Click here to read the full story.
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A Teenager’s Murder Still Breaks Hearts and Boggles Minds 50 Years Later
John Mikulenka
Fifty years ago, 16-year-old Sylvia Likens was found tortured to death in the Indianapolis home of her caretaker, Gertrude Baniszewski, who was later convicted of first-degree murder in what’s been called the most terrible crime ever committed in Indiana. In this essay, John Mikulenka ponders how the case went from a local tragedy to something affecting people worldwide. In his video, he interviews the newspaper reporter who covered Baniszewski’s trial. Click here for the full story and video.
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The nieces of Will’s language helper, Francis, at their house. | Photo by Will and Theresa Reed

Finding Hope in South Sudan: Part 1 Getting the Story Out
Will Reed
Will and Theresa Reed moved to South Sudan in 2014 to help the new nation with community development work, mainly to train teachers and build agricultural projects. When conflict in their village erupted, they had to leave their new friends behind. Will, a Bloomington native, tells the story of persecution in the worn-torn country — and the struggle in not allowing the suffering of so many remain someone else’s problems. Click here to read the full story.
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Red Frazier bison graze in the summer heat. Photo by Ron Eid

Bring on the Bison: Natural, Nutritional Meat Making a Comeback in Indiana
Brian Hartz
Thanks to the efforts of the government and private individuals such as Zach Martin, owner of Red Frazier Bison Ranch in Greene County, America is once again a land where the buffalo roam — just in time for Indiana’s bicentennial next year. Click here to read the full story.
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