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Bloomington high school student Hazel Hammerstein founded the nonprofit Indiana Prevention Project. Above, Hazel and her sister’s mural for the Montana Meth Project, which inspired Hazel to start a similar project in Indiana when she and her family moved back to Bloomington. | Courtesy photo

‘Paint the State’ Anti-drug Mural Contest Started by Local Student Registration ends August 30
Hiromi Yoshida
Bloomington high school student Hazel Hammerstein founded the nonprofit Indiana Prevention Project to spread the message about the dangers of drug use. She and numerous supporters are running the Paint the State mural contest. Registration ends on August 30. Read about Hazel’s project, as well as the contest rules and timeline in this article by Hiromi Yoshida.
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Megan Snook had a fast-paced life of traveling the world as a photojournalist. Becoming a mother changed that. And tintype photography has helped her “to appreciate the things which are most precious in this life.” Above, Snook’s tintypes of James Seaver (left) and Stephanie Duckworth. See gallery below.

Tintype Photography Transformed a Photojournalist’s Way of Life
Megan Snook
Life as a world-traveling documentary photographer was fast-paced for Megan Snook. But, as she writes in this photo essay, becoming a mother “drastically changed my way of life.” Tintype photography helped with the transformation, and now she is “better able to appreciate the things which are most precious in this life.” Read Megan’s story and see her tintype photography.
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Monroe Lake is “the source of our drinking water, a destination for many outdoor activities, and home to a wide variety of critters and flora,” writes Michael G. Glab. This year marks the 60th anniversary of its dedication, and many events are planned to commemorate it. Above, swimmers enjoy the beach at Fairfax State Recreation Area. | Limestone Post

Celebrating Monroe Lake’s 60th Anniversary Series of events and programs planned for lead-up to October reception
Michael G. Glab
We couldn’t imagine living without Monroe Lake, writes Michael G. Glab. The reservoir is “the source of our drinking water, a destination for many outdoor activities, and home to a wide variety of critters and flora.” This year marks the 60th anniversary of its dedication, with many events planned to commemorate it. Read Glab’s article, featuring Interpretive Naturalist Jill Vance.
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Refugees who resettle in Bloomington rely on a patchwork of social service agencies to overcome a tight housing market, transportation limitations, and language barriers — all while navigating the immigration process and trying to make Bloomington their new home. | Photo by Paul Cooper, CC BY-NC 2.0

Resilience Amid Hardship: Refugees Find Challenges, Opportunities in Bloomington Deep Dive: WFHB & Limestone Post Investigate Refugee Services
Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism
Refugees rely on a patchwork of social service agencies to resettle in Bloomington, but a tight housing market, transportation limitations, and language barriers create hurdles as they settle into their new homes. Three reporters from the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism prepared this report for our series Deep Dive: WFHB & Limestone Post Investigate. Read the report here.
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Private schools that get public money in Indiana can reject students for a number of discriminatory reasons, including their religion. Despite growing evidence that voucher students who switch from public to private schools fall behind academically, Indiana legislators increased the cost of the voucher program 40 percent in the 2023–2024 school year — to $439 million. | Photo by Pixabay

School Matters: 439 Million ‘Dollars to Discriminate’ with School Vouchers
Steve Hinnefeld
Despite growing evidence that voucher students fall behind academically when they switch from public to private schools, Indiana legislators have increased the cost of the state’s voucher program to $439 million. Education writer Steve Hinnefeld looks at the latest voucher report from the Indiana Department of Education, and asks, should Hoosier taxpayers pay for schools that discriminate? Read Hinnefeld’s column here.
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Three generations of tractor enthusiasts ride in the parade at the Monroe County Antique Machinery Association Show in May. Eleanor, 3, sits with her father, Zach Clark, on the Allis-Chalmers while her grandfather Joel Clark follows on the John Deere. | Photos by Limestone Post

Antique Machinery Club Keeps Tractors — and History — Alive
Dason Anderson
In May, the Monroe County Antique Machinery Association held its spring antique machinery and tractor show. The turnout was “impressive,” writes Dason Anderson, as more than 100 tractors and other machines were on display. Association President Tim Deckard says the two-year-old club helps give the public a deeper understanding of our local history and culture. Read the story and see the machines.
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Looking at the 1803 Supreme Court decision of “Marbury v. Madison” may help Americans grow more sympathetic to notions of judicial reform, writes Jim Allison. Given the unpopularity of recent Supreme Court rulings and questionable behavior by some of its justices, the time seems ripe. | Photo by Attie Heunis

Whereas, Chief Justice John Marshall Declares the Supreme Court Supreme
Jim Allison
A closer look at Marbury v. Madison — the Supreme Court decision that placed the judicial branch of government above Congress — may make Americans more open to judicial reform, writes Jim Allison. Given the unpopularity of recent court rulings and questionable behavior by some of its justices, the time seems ripe for a check on the court. Read the review.
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Josie Leimbach (left) and Lynae Sowinski met in Bloomington and got married in 2017. Their journey to parenthood has been similar to that for heterosexual couples in many ways, but the journey has also been more difficult emotionally, physically, and financially. | Courtesy photo

Celebrating Diverse Families: Our Journey to Queer Parenthood
Lynae Sowinski and Josie Leimbach
Preparing to have a child is similar in many ways for queer couples as for heterosexual couples, write Lynae Sowinski and Josie Leimbach, who got married in Bloomington in 2017 and now live in Georgia. But in a variety of ways, their parenthood experience has been different — and emotionally, physically, and financially more difficult. Read about their journey to queer parenthood.
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Journalist Steven Higgs “trained” at Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve for a photographic expedition to the Colombian Amazon. Shown here on an Uplands Group Sierra Club hike he led are Amy Henn (front), Mary Carol Reardon (white hat), Will Cowan, and others. | Photography by Steven Higgs

A Half-century Trail from Beanblossom Bottoms to the Colombian Amazon
Steven Higgs
Bloomington environmental photographer and writer Steven Higgs has spent his career covering nature. Soon, though, he will connect two dots in a “half-century trail” when he photographs the Colombian Amazon. This spring, he made several trips to our own protected wilderness, Beanblossom Bottoms, to hone his photographic skills for the Amazonian expedition. Connect the dots here.
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Rick Clayton is a hospice chaplain and the executive director of Harmony Palliative Arts Collective, a nonprofit end-of-life facility planned to open this summer in Brown County, Indiana. | Photo by Alayna Wilkening

Dying Well: Chaplain Offers ‘Perfect Place’ to Have a ‘Good Death’
Haley Miller
Many Hoosiers can’t access comfort care, and so they are less likely to experience a “good death,” writes Haley Miller. As defined, a good death avoids unnecessary suffering, maintains a family presence, manages pain, and upholds the patient’s dignity. A hospice chaplain in Brown County wants to create a place for more good deaths. Read about dying well.
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Otis, a 25-foot-tall sasquatch at Patoka Lake, has become a tourist sensation in Orange County, drawing tourists from across the state and beyond. He was completed in April 2023 by the Bear Hollow carving team (pictured above, with the big guy). | Photo provided

‘Otis,’ the Orange County Sasquatch Sensation The giant carved beast has even landed on the cover of Indiana’s official tourism magazine
Carol Johnson
A 25-foot-tall sasquatch at Patoka Lake has become a sensation, drawing tourists from across the state and beyond. The shaggy beast — named Otis and made from poplar, white pine, and other materials by the Bear Hollow carving team — adds another attraction to Orange County’s tourism, which is “a major driver” in its economy. By Carol Johnson of the Southern Indiana Business Report.
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The wide-ranging issues about protecting Indiana’s wetlands present a conflict between people who advocate for the critical functions wetlands provide and those who say wetland regulations drive up construction prices and hamper growth. Above, a swamp in Beanblossom Bottoms in Monroe County. | Photo by Anne Kibbler

What’s at Stake in the Debate Over Indiana’s Wetlands? Deep Dive: WFHB & Limestone Post Investigate Wetland Preservation
Anne Kibbler
Laws protecting Indiana wetlands have been rolled back in recent years. Some people argue that wetlands must be preserved because of the critical functions they provide. Others say wetland regulations drive up construction prices and hamper growth. This Deep Dive by Anne Kibbler looks at the myriad questions and wide-ranging issues in the debate over Indiana’s wetlands. Read it here.
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