Summer break can be a recipe for high electric bills if kids are home all day enjoying cool indoor air. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that 9 percent of Americans’ household energy costs are dedicated to air conditioning alone, so try these tips to keep costs down when the temperature rises. Avoid ‘phantom’ load… Continue reading.

When you’re out on summer days having fun, it might be hard to do the right thing when bad weather suddenly approaches. But lightning can kill instantly and seemingly come from out of the blue. Don’t stay out when you hear the first rumbles of thunder; that’s nature’s warning! When storms approach: Seek shelter immediately…. Continue reading.

The day Mary Jo Thomas took the open accounting position at Whitewater Valley REMC in 1996, she began working her way up the career ladder. In 2013, she became president and CEO of the cooperative that provides electricity to consumers in several counties along the Indiana/Ohio state line around Richmond.  “I did not set out… Continue reading.

To most folks, “bluegrass” probably conjures up the sprightly music played with a banjo, fiddle and mandolin from the hills of Kentucky or Tennessee. But for those who know their bluegrass music, the hills of bucolic Brown County come just as readily to mind. For over 80 years, the Brown County burg of Bean Blossom… Continue reading.

You toil all spring to make sure your garden and landscaping are beautiful. But come summer, enjoying your handiwork is reserved to glimpses on bright weekend days because work and other commitments keep you away from home during most daylight hours.  The solution? Plant a few lights among your bushes and plants. Outdoor lighting looks… Continue reading.

Sixty years ago, author John Steinbeck wrote a semi-nonfictional travelogue called “Travels with Charley” about a road trip around America. Charley was his standard poodle. A decade later, singer Lobo had a soft rock hit that detailed road trips with “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo.” While we may not be writing a… Continue reading.

Just as you try to keep yourself cool on sunny summer days, you should make sure your pets are comfortable, too. Many of the same summer rules for humans apply to our furry friends as well: Don’t exercise when it’s too hot outside, drink plenty of water, avoid overexposure to the sun, and find a… Continue reading.

The onset of summer comes with lots of fun outdoor activities — whether you’re lying by the pool or playing on a baseball field. Keep heat stress at bay, no matter your sun-soaked activity of choice, by knowing how to prevent heat-related illnesses and how to recognize the symptoms in yourself and others. The most… Continue reading.

By Richard G. Biever Laura Burton was never the kind of little girl who dreamed of having that big, fancy, “Barbie-style” ballroom wedding. “I was more of a tomboy,” she said. But on Sunday drives with her parents, she did like to daydream while gazing out the back windows at the passing farmland and countryside…. Continue reading.

Benton County’s two most prominent claims to fame both pertain to the “harness” — as in harness racing and harnessing the wind. At the turn of the 20th century, harness racing was one of the most popular sports in the nation. And into the limelight paced Dan Patch, a dark bay Standardbred stallion who went… Continue reading.

Leona Wright doesn’t remember the exact day electricity came to her family’s White County farm, but she remembers the results: “It sure was nice to get away from the coal oil lamps to do my homework.” Now 95, Wright was just a teenager when her local REMC turned the lights on in the waning days… Continue reading.

By Richard G. Biever “What’s the difference between wonder and wander?” pondered Phil Anderson rhetorically. It begins with a subtle — yet internally rapturous — “oooh” and “aaah.”  “It’s just a letter,” he said. “Wonder and wander go hand-in-hand. Why do you wander? It’s because you wonder. Curiosity … wonder: It’s what makes you get… Continue reading.