by Sen. Jim Merritt As a society, we are combating a disease that could cause us to lose an entire generation of Hoosiers. Since 1999, there has been a 500-percent increase of drug-overdose deaths in Indiana. Every year, more people die from drug overdoses than car accidents. The opioid epidemic impacts every household in our… Continue reading.

  Community service can mean many things — for instance, collecting various items for those in need, raising money for charities and causes, bringing joy to people hungry for personal interaction, and donating “sweat equity” to build homes for the less fortunate. This type of community service has no age requirements as this year’s Youth… Continue reading.

“Who’s got a beard that’s long and white?” Larry Schuler’s got a beard that’s long and white. “Who comes around on a special night?” Schuler comes around on a special night … (not to mention nights, days and weeks before then, too). “Who’s got boots and a suit of red?” Schuler’s got boots and a… Continue reading.

It’s difficult to imagine a colorful, crunchy candy cane ever resembling “hot earwax,” as Tai Kralis jokingly calls it. But that’s just the initial melt-down of sugar and water. Kralis, Noah Suitors and other McCord Candies employees eventually work their magic on hand-pulled candy canes, a tradition at the iconic downtown shop at 536 Main… Continue reading.

Sue Scamihorn’s husband, Mike, says she must not have had enough toys when she was a child. Every day, she’s surrounding herself with a menagerie of playful little critters she sculpts with her own hands from stoneware. Most often, they come with a trademarked “overdeveloped sense of whimsy” — which is how a judge on… Continue reading.

  One of the best compliments longtime clay artist Sue Scamihorn said she’s ever received came when she was applying for Indiana Artisan, the juried branding program that recognizes and promotes the state’s exceptional art, crafts and foods. Reviewing her work, one of the judges wrote, “She has an overdeveloped sense of whimsy.” “I always… Continue reading.

Shortly after opening a taproom in downtown Wabash last March, Chapman’s Brewing Company shed a totally different light on “light beer.” And it had nothing to do with quaffing fewer calories. Tapping into Wabash’s claim as “the world’s first electrically lighted city,” the town’s newest beer hall sponsored “Pints for Power.” Thirty-one percent of its proceeds… Continue reading.

From an early age, Grace Sellers enjoyed helping her mom in the kitchen. Now a 16-year-old homeschooled student from Sellersburg, Grace follows more complicated recipes, such as Mexican Lasagna and Honey-Dill Salmon, and often submits her favorites to Electric Consumer for the food pages. Her first recipe published in Electric Consumer was for Honey Peanut… Continue reading.

Electric Consumer readers know what they like, and they were eager to tell us.  Since we first asked for input in May, readers let us know their favorite things from all over Indiana. Your picks for “the best” showcase just what makes our state special! This is the sixth time in 15 years that we’ve… Continue reading.

For 11 months out of the year, Harrison REMC Director Todd Uhl calls a 40-acre cattle farm in Corydon, Indiana, home. But come late July, Uhl ventures up to the Indiana State Fairgrounds in his camper and spends the next 30 days on the premises of what he calls “one of the best State Fairs… Continue reading.

Indiana State Fairgoers may want to bring much bigger appetites to the annual event this month. The 2017 theme is the “Wonderful World of Food.” We all love food. We grow it, sell it, cook it and eat it! And at the 2017 Indiana State Fair we will celebrate it with a featured food each… Continue reading.

When Decatur County REMC lineman Brian AmRhein began his career at the Greensburg-based electric cooperative he had some pretty big boots to fill. His grandfather, William Howard “Willy” AmRhein, was a lineman and construction foreman at the REMC from the 1950s until 1976. Though AmRhein, who was born in 1978, never met his grandfather, nevertheless,… Continue reading.