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Beyond Bloomington 152 results
For many students in rural areas of Indiana, STEM learning fades as the school year ends, writes Patti Danner. But a variety of programs are bringing STEM access to rural areas. For example, pictured here is Bloomington's Wonderlab Museum Educator Nick Whites as he demonstrates sound principles with audience assistants Fred Harvey, left, and Esse Harvey during his June “Symphony of Science” outreach program in Shelburn. | Photo by Patti Danner

Summer Programs for Rural Kids Halts STEM Brain Drain
Patti Danner
For many students in rural areas of Indiana, STEM learning fades as the school year ends, writes Patti Danner, a staff writer for the Greene County Daily World. But Danner has found many activities and events — including an education outreach program from WonderLab — that offer science-learning opportunities to children who otherwise wouldn’t have access to it. Click here to read the full story.
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Ann Barlow stands on the porch of her house in Needmore, an intentional community in Brown County, in May 2017. Known in the 1960s and ’70s as communes, places like May Creek and Needmore have had to “bend with the times” to survive, says writer John Mikulenka. And now, as the founding members continue to age, their biggest concern might be finding and keeping the next generation of community members. | Courtesy photo

Intentional Communities Must ‘Bend with the Times’
John Mikulenka
Southern Indiana has a long tradition of utopian communities, also known as communes. A few of the ones formed in the 1960s and ’70s — places like May Creek Farm and Needmore — have had to “bend with the times” to survive, says writer John Mikulenka in this detailed and expansive feature. But as the founding members age, he asks, who will take their place? Click here to read the full story.
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WTIU Executive Producer Rob Anderson in the station's control booth. He says WTIU "has always produced documentaries or long-form programs locally, and we take that very seriously.” | Photo by Tommy DeNardo

56:46 — WTIU’s Legacy of ‘Meaningful and Relevant’ Documentaries
Michelle Gottschlich
Now in its 50th year, WTIU has an extensive history of making long-form documentaries that tell Hoosier stories — rural, small-town, and world-renowned stories. Creating highly regarded films is unusual for a local PBS affiliate — and no easy feat, says writer Michelle Gottschlich. Here, she talks with WTIU’s filmmaking team. Click here to read the full story.
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Metamora, Indiana. | Photo by David Wilson

8 Fun and Weird Hoosier Places to Explore This Summer
Allison Yates
From nightmares to utopias, from the classic to the kitschy, Indiana has many unique and unconventional places to explore. If you’re uninspired by the same old vacation spots, take a day trip or weekend excursion to these unusual places — all less than a three-hour drive from Bloomington. Writer Allison Yates leads the way. Read the full story here.
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One of Columbus’s architectural treasures, the Miller House and Garden, designed by architect Eero Saarinen, opened in 2011 for public tours. The midcentury modern home was built in 1957 as a year-round family home for industrialist and chairman of Cummins Engine Co. J. Irwin Miller and his family. | Photo by Adam Reynolds

Columbus’s Miller House a Crown Jewel of Architecture and Design
Jenny Elig, Adam Reynolds
While Columbus’s architectural treasures have been admired for decades, it wasn’t until 2011 that the Miller House and Garden, designed by architect Eero Saarinen, opened for public tours. Writer Jenny Elig and photographer Adam Reynolds take us to the family home of J. Irwin and Xenia Miller — and inside the architectural jewel. Click here to read the full story.
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Azaleas in Full Bloom at Renowned 80-Acre Southern Indiana Garden [video]
Duane Busick
Bev Knight’s collection of more than 400 varieties of azaleas started with a UPS delivery to a doctor. Now her family’s Azalea Path Botanical Garden and Arboretum is known nationwide for its woodland flowers (among other plants). Videographer Duane Busick calls the southern Indiana destination "a hidden patch of paradise." Watch his video here.
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A bill passed by the Indiana House in February aimed to limit a local government’s authority, but not the state’s, over the right to harvest resources, such as timber, on personal property. The bill died in a Senate committee, but balancing personal property rights with the rights of others who might be affected is an ongoing battle. | Limestone Post

Property Rights, Public Good, Campaign Contributions: Will Bill to Limit Local Government Be Revived?
Susan M. Brackney
A bill introduced in the Indiana House this year would have limited local governments’ ability to regulate such things as logging on private property, even if, for example, the logging threatened to damage Lake Monroe. But it isn’t just about private property vs. public good, writes Susan M. Brackney. Special interest groups and campaign finance play a role, too. Click here to read the full story.
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Bloomington's The Language Conservancy (TLC) works to preserve Native languages that would otherwise be lost. Pictured here is one of the many books the organization produces to assist those trying to learn specific languages. | Photo by Nicole McPheeters

Local Conservancy Now Saving Indigenous Languages Worldwide
Michelle Gottschlich, Nicole McPheeters
Since 2005, Bloomington-based nonprofit The Language Conservancy has helped save indigenous languages across the nation. And now, a partnership with the United Nations expands TLC’s efforts worldwide. As writer Michelle Gottschlich’s article says, in addition to revitalizing endangered languages, TLC’s work is about getting people back “to being a human being.” Click here to read the full story.
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A group of 850 local scientists and allies have submitted a public comment to oppose the EPA’s proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan. The EPA’s case for repeal, they say, is based on “unconvincing legal arguments, without appropriate consideration of the scientific evidence for human-induced climate change.” This repeal would affect facilities such as the Miami Port Power Station near the borders of Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio along the Ohio River. | Photo by FunksBrother, Creative Commons

850 Hoosier Scientists and Allies Oppose EPA Proposal
Limestone Post
Concerned Scientists @ IU, a group of 850 local scientists and allies, has submitted a public comment to oppose the EPA’s proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan. The EPA’s case for repeal, the scientists say, is based on “unconvincing legal arguments, without appropriate consideration of the scientific evidence for human-induced climate change.” Read their comment, as well as the proposed repeal, here.
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Some Hoosier farmers raise millions of animals that spend much of their lives in confinement — their sole existence in these “Confined Feeding Operations” is to get plump enough for market. But some of these animals, such as the pig pictured here, are rescued and find their way to Uplands PEAK, a farm animal sanctuary. | Photo by Alexianna Mundy, Paulina M Photography

Sanctuary Moving, Growing, Giving Farm Animals Freedom
Susan M. Brackney
Some Hoosier farmers raise millions of animals that spend much of their lives in confinement — their sole existence in these “Confined Feeding Operations” is to get plump enough for market. But some of these animals are rescued and find their way to Uplands PEAK, a farm animal sanctuary. Writer Susan M. Brackney writes more about the refuge. Click here to read the full story.
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Iron casting crew in front of the historic Telford furnace in Coalbrookdale, England, at the International Conference of Contemporary Cast Iron Art 2009. From left, Chris Johns, Rick Batten, Will Vannerson, Nate Hensley, Chris Gerber, and Gerry Masse. The crew stands with Lady Dianne, the furnace they built, now in use at Sculpture Trails Outdoor Museum in Solsberry. | Courtesy photo

‘Black Panther’ Scene Forges Opportunity at Sculpture Trails
Patti Danner, Staff Writer, Greene County Daily World
For a story in the Greene County Daily World, staff writer Patti Danner interviewed Gerry Masse, owner and founder of the Sculpture Trails Museum in Solsberry, in which Masse reveals the connection between a sculpture in the hit movie Black Panther and a Slovakian artist getting an internship at the Sculpture Trails. Story reprinted by permission. Click here to read the full story.
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Tenor Simon Kyung Lee and soprano and founder of ÒperaMaya Mary Grogan sing a duet during the ÒperaMaya summer music festival. | Courtesy photo

Behind the Curtain: Maya and Hoosiers Share Culture Through Opera
Jennifer Pacenza
Mary Grogan, creator and director of ÓperaMaya, is introducing Bloomington to the Maya culture — and introducing opera to the Maya in Mexico. ÓperaMaya tours, festival-like, all over the Yucatan Peninsula, where few have experienced the art form. Writer Jennifer Pacenza talks to Grogan about what this means for Bloomington and the Maya. Click here to read the full story.
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